Q&A: School administrator talks award, projects

Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Mandy Carpenter of Clovis Municipal Schools was recently named administrator of the year by the New Mexico School Personnel Association during its annual conference in Albuquerque.

Q: Did the New Mexico School Personnel Association tell you how you came to be its administrator of the year?

A: This was a nomination process by my fellow colleagues from across the state of New Mexico.

Q: Talk about some of the initiatives or projects you’ve been working on that you feel are most important to helping educate Clovis’ public-school students?

A: Our entire team has been working diligently to ensure that we are hiring and retaining the highest quality educators.

We pride ourselves on being a family friendly employer, and one that brings joy to our employees’ lives on a daily basis.

We strive to hold professional development that promotes the most innovative teaching practices and also honors the individuality of each of our students and teachers.

Q: You’ve also lived in Frisco and Richardson in Texas. How is Clovis different in terms of young people and their educational opportunities?

A: Both Frisco and Richardson are very large school districts that have the Dallas Metroplex at their disposal. Bus rides for both field trips and extracurricular activities was much shorter and hiring and retaining high quality educators was much easier due to the sheer number of applicants seeking employment.

As far as students, I have found that our Clovis students are well rounded in their opportunities for both academics and extracurriculars. Students are similar no matter where you are in the country. They all want and need the same thing: love, shelter, food, and someone to believe in them.

Q: As an advocate for fostering a nurturing environment for educators, could you elaborate on the strategies you have implemented to promote the growth of local educators within Clovis?

A: In Clovis, we have really focused on our workforce that is almost finished with their bachelor’s degrees, and want to become educators, but for some life reason, has not been able to get it completed.

We have set up programs to encourage employees to return to school to obtain their degrees while also still earning a decent wage as an educational assistant.

We believe that investing in our own employees is best for everyone in our community. These employees are often the ones that have deep roots in Clovis, and bleed purple, but have not had the opportunity given to them, or someone that believes in them, to finish their degree.

We strive to remove as many barriers as possible so that anyone that is eager to become a teacher is able to do so.

Q: What role do you believe recognition and gratitude play in promoting outstanding service among educators?

A: Recognition and appreciation play an important role in the lives of our employees. Everyone, either young or old, veteran or a new employee enjoys being celebrated by others. No one ever suffered from too much recognition!

We try to honor our employees in a variety of ways because everyone has a “love language” of appreciation.

Some ways we have shown our gratitude is by sending handwritten notes, press releases of new employees, service pins, Wildcat swag, treats and goodies, cars from local dealers, discounts at local businesses, personal emails, and the good ol’ “stop by and chat.” It’s important to me that each one of our employees feels valued and part of a larger Wildcat family and has access to our offices whenever they may need us. We are here to serve our employees, and we want our interactions with our employees to be kind, efficient, and professional.

Education is a tough gig, and we need to lift each other up as much as possible because there is always outside noise trying to tear us down. We have to be each other’s biggest cheerleaders.

Q: Clovis has a diverse community. How do you ensure that educational support and resources are accessible across different demographic groups?

A: Because we are so focused on “growing our own” teachers, our teaching staff is very reflective of our community.

We strive to make sure that no matter what background a potential teacher or employee comes from, that they are welcomed into our family with open arms. Our staff is very good at bringing new staff into the Wildcat fold.

We want to create a space where once you are part of this family, you never want to leave.

Our decrease in available openings is showing that this intentional effort is beginning to pay off, which means more qualified teachers in the classroom with students, which is our ultimate goal.