Students place in district science fair and state expos; Kirtland FFA teacher Zane Webster honored

District staff and trustees acknowledged recent student achievements across competitions including the district science fair, the English Expo, regional spelling bees and FFA events.

Jared Noble reported 22 district students placed at the district science and engineering fair hosted at San Juan College, with participants ranging from elementary through high school. He also said students from Sibetown Middle School (named in the board packet) traveled to Albuquerque for the English Expo; Jasmine Redshirt (listed in the board packet) won state champion honors in technical writing and proofreading and also topped the spelling bee field at that state event.

Noble outlined Northern Agency spelling-bee winners and said several students will travel to Crown Point to represent their schools at the final Navajo Nation spelling bee. He listed winners by school and grade as they appeared in the board documents and noted traveling students must register by 8 a.m. on the competition day.

The board also recognized Kirtland Central's agriculture program and Zane Webster, the district's agriculture teacher. Noble described Webster as the district's agricultural teacher of the year and credited his leadership with growth in the school's FFA chapter and statewide competition success, including state championships and top finishes in agri-science categories.

Board members commended students and teachers. Trustees asked staff to continue supporting opportunities for students to compete in regional and national programs and to report back on any needs for travel or supplemental funding that would require board consideration.