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 — …