Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Local roundup: Schools re-design forum held

A task force created to research the reconfiguration of Clovis junior high schools will share its findings and recommendations at three public forums in December, according to a Clovis Municipal Schools press release.

The forums will be:

— 6 p.m. Thursday at Yucca Junior High School, 1500 Sycamore St.

— 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at Marshall Junior High School, 100 Commerce Way

— 6 p.m. Dec. 14 at Gattis Junior High School, 1400 Cameo St.

The task force, made up of teachers, parents and school administrators, researched the concept of moving ninth-graders into a ninth-grade center or the Clovis High School, and housing seventh- and eighth-graders in two junior high schools, with future possibility of including sixth-graders.

“We are asking the question: Is this (reconfiguration) a good thing to do for our kids?” said Clovis Schools Director of Community Relations David Briseno.

The task force spent several weeks studying effective practices for ninth-grade students as they transition from junior high to high school, the release reads. They also studied ways to improve student achievement and meet social and emotional needs of junior high school students, the release said.

In Clovis Schools, sixth-graders are housed in elementary schools and seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders are housed at three junior high schools: Gattis, Marshall and Yucca.

Pending school board approval, junior highs could be reconfigured within a year or two, Clovis Schools Superintendent Rhonda Seidenwurm has said.

Special Ops officials pay routine visit

U.S. Special Operations Command officials visited Cannon Air Force Base and Melrose Bombing Range Wednesday, according to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command spokesperson Matt Durham.

The visit was part of a tour of Special Operations installations by U.S. Special Operations Command Asssessment Directors, Durham said. The tours are routine and used for information gathering, he explained.

The directors help build the U.S. Special Operations Command budget, Durham said.