NM Junior College working to advance nursing skills John Leacock/News-Sun New Mexico’s nursing training has received recognition for its excellence, with New Mexico Junior College’s nursing program among the best LPN to RN efforts in the state. NMJC’s program was recently ranked third in the state by Practical Nursing, an organization boosting LPN/LVN advancement. An LPN is a licensed practical …

CTECH shop teacher surprised with $75k award Christina Holt/News-Sun Erik Chavarria, construction and engineer teacher at Hobbs CTECH, walked onto the shop floor expecting another day of teaching. Instead, he found himself surrounded not only by his students but by Hobbs Municipal Schools staff, media and family who had been keeping a secret. A crowd of people walked from the …

Attendance matters Hobbs Schools recognizes students, staff for efforts to keep kids in classrooms Andy Brosig/News-Sun September is national Attendance Awareness Month, a time when school districts across the country remind parents and students of the importance of being in school. And Hobbs Municipal Schools took a unique approach to acknowledging it’s hard for kids to learn if they’re not …

NMJC to remodel Mansur Hall Levi Hill/News-Sun New Mexico Junior College is committing $6.99 million to renovate Mansur Hall for modernized classroom space. The NMJC Board of Directors unanimously approved the spend for the project in a short meeting Thursday via Zoom. The 15,499-square-foot building was on the school’s list of projects in January with an estimated price tag of …

Former teacher, coach named to lead new middle school in Hobbs Andy Brosig/News-Sun Building something new comes with a whole host of challenges. What’s it going to look like? What’s the interior design going to be? What about furniture? And staffing? If building a business from the ground up is hard, think about building a new school. In addition to …

Ya’ gotta break a few eggs Stone Elementary students learn STEM theory, practice with egg drop event Andy Brosig/News-Sun To the accompaniment of many cheers, a few groans and a good number of kerplunks, thuds and splats, students at Stone Elementary in Hobbs got a first-hand lesson in Science, Technology, Engineer and Math by dropping eggs from a Hobbs Fire …

Champions! Lady Eagles pull away from Rio Rancho for state title PETER STEIN/NEWS-SUN ALBUQUERQUE – The Hobbs girls basketball team is in the business of contending for state championships. It’s what they do, how they roll. Like a fast food joint churning out hamburgers, the Lady Eagles serve up title contenders on a regular basis. Winning a state title is …

‘Reaching new heights’ Final beam placed at future Heizer Middle School Andy Brosig/News-Sun It’s not everyone who can say they watched their new office grow from the ground up. Eligio Gonzalez, principal at the current Heizer Middle School on East Stanolind Road in Hobbs, can. He’s seen the progress on the 126,000 square foot, $90.5 million school building on the …

NMJC enrollment on the rise Levi Hill/News-Sun Enrollment is booming at New Mexico Junior College, so much so the college is looking at building a new on-campus student housing facility. The NMJC Board of Directors voted unanimously Oct. 16 to select Dekker Limited as the vendor to design and oversee construction of the new student housing facility on the campus. …

Supporting our schools without raising taxes: The 2025 Hobbs Municipal Schools Mill Levy Gene Strickland/Hobbs Municipal Schools Superientendent As Hobbs Municipal Schools prepares for the upcoming Mill Levy election on Nov. 4, it’s important for local voters to understand what this measure means for our community — and our wallets. This levy is not new; it’s a continuation of a …