(l. to r.): Gage Lamborn, David O’Brien, Courtney Moseley, Gabrielle Riviera, Richard Powdrell, Michael Trujeque, and Cheston Martinez

Village Academy earns second place in statewide MESA competition

—Debra Reano

Village Academy Charter School in Bernalillo took Second Place for Middle Schools in the recent MESA (Math, Engineering, Science and Achievement) Competition. The event was held January 30 at Santa Fe High School. Senator Sue Wilson Beffort honored our Village Academy Charter School students’ special recognition for their success.

“We’re a very small, public charter school,” said Pamela Engstrom, Principal of Village Academy Charter School. “For our students to place so well when competing against much larger schools, it’s a real credit to all of our teachers and to our MESA advisor Larry Camp.”

The second place overall finish was a result of the following Village Academy teams who placed within these events:

Placing First in the Wind Energy division was the eighth grade team of David O’Brien, son of Amanda and David O’Brien Sr. of Corrales; and Courtney Moseley, daughter of Sharmen and Daniel Moseley of Rio Rancho. These two students also placed third in the Onsite Math competition.

The Onsite Science team also placed First in the middle school competition. It included Michael Trujeque, son of Melanie and Joseph Paul Trujeque of Bernalillo; Gage Lamborn, son of Alice Laday and Charles Lamborn of Placitas; both in eighth grade; and Richard Powdrell, son of Norma and David Powdrell of Bernalillo; and Justus Engstrom, son of Pamela and Andres Engstrom of Rio Rancho; both in sixth grade.

The Roller Coaster team earned Second Place and included Cheston Martinez, son of Melanie and Sanford Martinez of Santa Ana; and Gabrielle Rivera, granddaughter of Irma Patton of Bernalillo. Both students are in sixth grade.

Special thanks to the Bernalillo McDonald’s restaurant on Highway 550 for contributing the straws for Roller Coaster models. “The straws for that completion are of an unusual dimension that is not available in stores, so we were very pleased that McDonald’s would donate them for our students,” said Engstrom.