

Months into the pandemic, challenges remain in virtual classrooms
By Adam Evarts / NM News Port Gwen Gordon sits behind her desk, awaiting the arrival of her students. On the desk sits an attendance book, the day’s lesson plans and her grade book. She hears a noise and looks up. But instead the sound of the classroom door, she hears students arriving in her […]

Community centers giving kids “sense of normalcy” amid pandemic
By Manuel Romero / NM News Port With COVID-19 case numbers surging across the state, most children find themselves at home trying to learn from virtual classrooms. But for some school kids, Albuquerque’s community centers are their homebase. City of Albuquerque Community Services Division Manager Cristin Chavez-Smith said that these distance-learning programs provide a […]

UNM students weary and frustrated with online learning
By William Jennings / NM News Port With COVID-19 cases hitting record numbers in November, the University of New Mexico (UNM) is back to fully online classes and is planning to continue virtual learning next January. Senior Alex McCausland is one of many students attending UNM online who is frustrated with the experience. “It’s just […]

Rising COVID Cases Affect Albuquerque Community Centers
By Manuel Romero / NM News Port With COVID-19 cases on a dramatic rise across the state, local community centers have clamped down on their usual programs and activities and while putting extra safety protocols in place. Now over nine months since the first reported coronavirus cases were detected in New Mexico, the state’s COVID-19 […]

Technological barriers concern APS community
By Alika Medina and Mariah Perry / NM News Port Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) have deployed a sweeping array of online tools and resources to help nearly 84,000 students from 143 schools learn at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Many students and parents are struggling with the technology and administrators admit remote learning isn’t the […]

Will a COVID-19 vaccine be mandated for schools?
By Devin Muzzey / NM News Port A COVID-19 vaccine could be ready for widespread use sometime next year, and people like Albuquerque resident Michelle Griego understand the importance of vaccines. “We vaccinated our kids since they were born,” Griego said. She’s not the only one. With many public school districts in New Mexico still […]

APS community adjusting to online learning
By Alika Medina & Mariah Perry / NM News Port Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) started the school year on Aug. 12 with remote learning. Seven days later, the district announced the virtual learning approach would be extended through the fall semester. It’s part of a safety plan put in place to prevent coronavirus transmission among […]

Central New Mexico high schools still undecided on in-person learning
By Adam Evarts / NM News Port Shortly after the fall semester began, Albuquerque Public Schools announced that they will stick with online-only classes until January. Other central New Mexico school districts are waiting to see how the coronavirus pandemic plays out — and what the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) advises — before […]

APS Seniors feeling left out, discouraged amid COVID outbreak
By Alika Medina & Mariah Perry / NM News Port It’s been a difficult second half of the semester for Albuquerque’ high school seniors. “Any other high school student would be happy that school is getting canceled, but it is different when you are a senior because prom and graduation are like the big thing,” […]

For the graduating class of 2020, coronavirus blurs the vision
By Sevía Gonzales / New Mexico News Port Earlier this year, during the fall semester of her senior year, Gracie Ridgeway sat in her virology class at Montana State University listening to guest lecturer Emmie de Wit make a presentation on the nature of viruses and how they spread. At the end of the […]