Welcome back and let’s focus on key values Gene Strickland/Hobbs Municipal Schools Hobbs Eagle Family and Community, welcome to 2024-2025! The year is off to a great start and is promising to be a great year for our students. As we move from August to September, I would like to share a few things with our community regarding Hobbs Schools. …

Summer projects HMS planning $3 million in capital improvements  Andy Brosig/News-Sun Summer is the time students and teachers enjoy a hiatus from the educational rigors of the regular school year. It’s also a time school districts tackle larger construction and repair projects that just can’t get done when campuses are populated, said Doug Young, director of operations for the Hobbs …

HMS Board approves putting $50M bond issue on ballot Andy Brosig/News-Sun Voters in the Hobbs Municipal Schools district will be asked to approve a $50 million bond issue in November to address crowded conditions in the district’s three middle schools. Superintendent Gene Strickland presented a resolution to the Hobbs Municipal Schools Board of Education on Monday, calling for a new …

Andy Brosig/News-Sun A possible threat to staff and and students at Houston Middle School in Hobbs last week prompted Superintendent of Schools Gene Strickland to address the district Board of Education during a portion of its regular meeting Tuesday typically reserved for comment from the public. The potential threat, which turned out to be completely unfounded, emerged via Face-book, intimating …

Starla Jones/Hobbs Municipal Schools Life may have turned out differently for Juanita Castillo had she not gotten pregnant in ninth grade. But Juanita – who would marry at the age of 15 – never regretted devoting herself to her husband and a family that would eventually number seven children. Life – then and now – is good. Still, Juanita, a …

Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun When it comes to answering a call for service, National Guard Specialist Cassandra Sierra and Sergeant 1st Class Clarence Galassini are all about doing their part —whether that be in a classroom or out on the battlefield. As a way to help alleviate some of the staff shortages New Mexico schools have been experiencing due to the COVID-19 …

ANDY BROSIG/NEWS-SUN Members of a relatively new after school club at Heizer Middle School in Hobbs got a big surprise recently. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Club was formed by instructor John Perales to enter the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge, an annual competition designed to introduce middle and high school students to critical thinking skills and project-based learning …

Building on the principals of the successful MyPower program for middle school girls in Hobbs, two staff members at Heizer Middle School are bringing a similar effort to boys in the same age group. Project XY is the brainchild of Daleen Evelo, parent attendance liaison at Heizer, and Jessica Ramirez, the school’s social worker. The idea behind the program — …

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! In a few short days students will be filling our hallways and classrooms again as we look forward to returning to the normal school routine we knew prior to COVID-19. Still, there are some changes this year. For instance, I’m the district’s new superintendent. I realize that I have big shoes to fill but …

Workmen smooth out concrete at the site of the new Hobbs Municipal Schools Career and Technical Education Center (CTECH) near Hobbs High School. When completed, the Hobbs CTECH will be the premiere vocational education facility of its kind in the state and region. Video by Blake Ovard/News-Sun