Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
A pent-up eager anticipation is in the air. It usually is this time of year, but generally more for students. This year both staff and students are excited about coming back to school in person. Both new and returning staff are noticeably more animated, as are students.
With a difficult stretch behind us, it’s not surprising we’re all so ready to be together again in person for this adventure called school. With the flurry of activities — staff trainings and workshops, student registrations and open houses all preceding this week’s first day of school — there’s also an ever-present awareness that the status quo could change, depending upon mandated health restrictions. For the moment, however, we’re plunging in with gusto.
As we welcome our fall 2021 semester, another warm thought springs to mind: “Friday Night Lights.” High school football is such a firmly embedded component of rural American culture, and the thought of experiencing it firsthand again is pretty exciting; and I generally understand about half of what’s going in a football game.
Our Clovis Municipal Schools Athletic Director, Lonnie Baca, recently shared some coming highlights of not only football, but our sports programs in general. With well over 30 years of experience as an educator, Baca’s career has spanned the classroom and administrative positions, always laced with sports, coaching, and mentoring along the way.
“With the past struggles (pandemic), everyone is more excited than usual this year,” Baca began. While it was tough on everyone,” he emphasized, “we made it work, though, our staff and our students made it work.”
Many students worked out more than they had before, sharing and communicating remotely with coaches and each other, so when returning, they were much more fit — both physically and mentally.
“We also learned how critical extracurricular activities are for our students and how important the role of coaches is with their ongoing mentoring and monitoring of academics for eligibility,” Baca continued, “The importance of athletics and academics go hand in hand; for all sports.”
“We’re also excited this year we’re going to have wrestling teams for boys and girls. We were the only 5A school in the state who did not offer wrestling. I’ve had lots of calls from former students, congratulating us on adding wrestling.”
It’s a great addition to the array of other sports offered at CHS: baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, dance, football, softball, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball.
CHS Wildcat football remains close to many hearts, and the thought of heading to the stadium for the first game on Friday is tantalizing. If you haven’t been to a game in a while, call CHS Athletics to get tickets (575-769-4350). What an opportunity to come together, cheering on our beloved Wildcats, being a special part of our community.
Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at
