Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Morenci seniors begin the school year by running through the halls on the first day of classes on July 28.
By Raymundo Frasquillo
And a new day will dawn . . . And the forests will echo with laughter . . .
Led Zepplin – Stairway to Heaven (1971)
MORENCI – The end of the summer break is upon us as Wednesday, July 28, marked the start of classes for the Morenci School District’s 2021-22 school year. The forests are the halls of Metcalf Elementary School, Fairbanks Middle School, and Morenci High School, which had talkative students scurrying between classes once again.
All three schools were methodically, physically prepared by custodial staff literally on their hands and knees under the guidance of Sally DeLaTorre at Metcalf, Leticia Laborin at FMS, and Margo Ray at MHS. Their respective staffs included Angelica Blancarte, Debbie Manuz, and Israel Ruiz at Metcalf; Martina Chanez, Isabel Maldonado, and Carson Strahl at FMS; and Aryn Billingsley, Susan Gonzalez, and Tonya Sandoval at MHS. Linoleum floors have a brilliant shine, carpeted floors shampooed and vacuumed, and scratches painted.
Each school is under a different administrative staff than in 2020-21. Four of the six building administrators are homegrown. Changes include a principal and assistant principal for Metcalf, a principal for FMS, and an assistant principal for MHS.
Dr. David Woodall is the district superintendent and Jenifer Morales is his assistant. Woodall is an educator since 1979 and superintendent since 1989, and Morales stepped up from being the Metcalf Elementary School principal since 2013 and is a 1991 MHS grad, attending district schools from grades 7-12 after completing K-6 in Clifton. The current governing board is Kelly Baker, Ron Campbell, and Steve Leyba.
Metcalf Elementary School
Metcalf Elementary School has Dr. Chelsea Adams as principal and Andrea Hudman as assistant principal in their initial year at that position. Adams and Hudman both graduated from Morenci High School, in 2006 and in 1998, respectively. They oversee a total of 37 teachers in the building. Dawn Carabeo, Vanessa Jones, Lillian Forgach, and Rhyanna Mennen are in their inaugural year at Metcalf.
Adams follows Morales (2013-2020) as principal, earning a bachelor of science in elementary education from the University of Arizona in 2010, and a master’s in educational leadership in 2014.
She taught in Vail for a year, at FMS for three years, and was the assistant principal there from 2014-2020.
Hudman earned her bachelor of science in education from the University of Arizona in 2003 and taught at Tucson Flowing Wells’ Centennial Elementary for a year before starting a 15-year reign at FMS.
The Metcalf teachers are Carabeo, Jones, Benji Morales, Casey Russell, Tiffany Saenz, and Miranda Wasko for kindergarten; Erin Clem, Elizabeth Dunagan, Mennen, Michelle Pollack, Stephanie Saldrana, and Janet Vaughn for First Grade; Ashlie Clark, Forgach, Jessica Gonzalez, Shannon Herrera, Kathryn Najar, and Marla Reyes for Second Grade; Jessica Gallegos, Jessica Harrington, Cassandra Hernandez, Meghan McGinty, and Sara Rios for Third Grade; and Vanessa Fallow, Christine Harper, Jessica King, Christine Rivera, and Layla Turner for Fourth Grade.
Four Special Education teachers include Sandra Carasco, Michelle Manuz, Jamie Pomaski, and Linda Woodard.
Sabrina Gonzales (Spanish), DeDe Guerrero (Library), Vanessa Nevarez (Physical Education), Regina Ramirez (technology), and Gene Willey (Music) round out the teaching corps.
Fairbanks Middle School
Fairbanks Middle School has Kelly Hadden as principal for the first time and Rebecca Manuz in her fifth year as assistant principal. Thirty teachers hold classes for middle school students, with Lilliana Bailey, Rebecca Baumeister, Joshua Salas, Amelia Savage, and Etta Sechrest new to the faculty for this year.
Hadden is the third principal at FMS in as many years, following Brian Haag (2021) and Anna Van Zile (2016-2020).
“The Sooner State” 1995 high school graduate from Ponca City, attended Pima Community College in Tucson and joined the workforce prior to earning a bachelor of science in chemistry as well as in education from the University of Arizona in 2004.
He taught at Cienega High School in Vail beginning in 2005/06, earned a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff during 2008, and became the Cienega High assistant principal in 2011.
Manuz, a 1993 Clifton High School product, earned a bachelor of science in math and a bachelor of arts in education from Western New Mexico University in 1996 and has been the FMS assistant principal since 2016.
Her teaching experience was gained from high school positions in Nogales, Clifton, Gilbert Mesquite, Rio Rico, and Sells Baboquivari.
The FMS teachers are DeeAnn Jensen, Jamie Madrid, Alyssa Murillo, Kathy Padilla, and Nicole Pursley for Fifth Grade; Gabriel Abril (Science), Baumeister (Math), Raylyn Chee (English-reading), David Gallegos (Social Studies), and Siobhan Manrique (English-writing) for Sixth Grade; Jody Bailey (Social Studies), Scheila Davis (English), Savage (Math), and Sechrest (Science) for Seventh Grade; and Alexis Robles (Math), A.J. Rodriguez (Science), Melissa Rodriguez (English), and Salas (Social Studies) for Eighth Grade.
The rest of the faculty members include Ruben Aguallo (Boys Physical Education), Lilliana Bailey (Art), Tara Helms (Special Education), Gilbert Hilpert (Carpentry), Venise Mendez-Lytle (Girls Physical Education), Roger Munoz (Band), Rego Padilla (Para Professional), Kara Wagley (Accommodations), Gene Willey (Choir) Samantha Williams (technology), and Casey Woodall (Co-Ed Athletic Development).
Morenci High School
Morenci High School returns its principal in Don Goodman and has a new assistant principal in Leo Garcia. The “top-tiered technology-based” school has 25 teachers and had its’ 116th graduating class in May. Jenna Chavez, Amanda Davis, Valeria Villa, and Kaylin Wright are the faculty additions this year.
Goodman is in his second year as principal, beginning last year, after returning for a second stint as a science teacher the previous year. His initial stint as an educator in Morenci occurred during the Fall of 1988 to the Spring of 1998.
The former classroom teacher is a native son, born in old Morenci before the hospital was absorbed by the filled-in open-pit mine, attended K-12, and was graduated from the school on “the Hill” in 1979.
He began his formal educational journey in Flagstaff, sandwiching two years at Northern Arizona University between a two-year church mission to Japan, and returning to Greenlee County from a recent stint as principal in “The Land of Enchantment.”
Goodman transferred to Arizona State University, earning a medical technology degree, and working a year at a lab.
His first teaching position in Morenci followed a return to the classroom as a student at NAU, netting a second bachelor’s degree (physical science). His Masters in Educational Leadership was earned from the same school a few years later.
Goodman taught math and science at both the high school and middle school in the Eagar/Springerville area for 10 years. He spent a couple of years in a hospital lab helping develop a substance abuse program, before returning to a math/science teaching position at New Mexico Quemado High School. His principal certification was earned while there.
He followed 1981 MHS grad Bryan Boling (Fall 2007 – Spring 2020), the current county schools superintendent.
Garcia stems from “The Land of Enchantment,” as did his retired predecessor Frank Ogas, and applied for the position in order to grow and get better at his craft. The thought of being able to have more of an input, an opportunity to advance the school appealed to him.
The 1985 Lordsburg graduate earned a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State University 10 years later, along with a bachelor’s in education, and his principal’s certification at the same school in 2005.
His teaching stints include Deming Middle and High School, Hatch High, Alamogordo High, Lordsburg High, and Las Cruces Middle School.
Garcia was the assistant principal/athletic director at Las Cruces High since 2019 prior to accepting the Morenci job opening.
Morenci High School teachers include Julie Baker, Chavez, Davis, Joseph Garcia, T.J. Gomez, Terry Montoya, and Andrea Wilson for English; Alexa Aguilera, Ilsa Castillo, Elizabeth Speck, Renee Still, and Wright for Math; Ariana Aguilera, Leonisa Calapini, and Marilou Cortez for Science; and Baker, Chavez, David Gonzales, Kenneth Lester, and Casey Woodall for History.
Additionally, Sherry Carbajal (Culinary Arts), Sabrina Gonzales (Spanish), Kristy Gonzalez (Physical Education/Health), Gilbert Hilpert (Industrial Arts), Lester (Government), Kristine Marino (Computer/Journalism), Montoya (Art), Roger Munoz (Band), Villa (Spanish), and Woodall (PE) round out the faculty.
