Topper Talk
May 2025
Senior Week Activities
Monday, May 19
Senior Scholarship Ceremony
Duane Smith Auditorium
6 pm
Tuesday, May 20
Senior Sunset
Sullivan Field
7 pm
Wednesday, May 21
Senior Meeting
Duane Smith Auditorium
9:00 am
Cap and Gown Distribution
Duane Smith Auditorium
10:00 am
Note: All books, Chromebooks and chargers must be returned and all fees must be paid and before you will receive your cap and gown. Check with the LAHS Bookkeeper regarding any outstanding fees.
Senior Picnic
Urban Park
12:00 pm
Thursday, May 22
Senior Walk Throughs
Seniors are invited to wear their caps and gowns for a visit to their former elementary school or Los Alamos Middle School.
- Aspen Elementary School: 8:45 am - 9:15 am
- Barranca Mesa Elementary School: 8:45 am - 9:15 am
- Chamisa Elementary School: 8:30 am - 9:00 am
- Mountain Elementary School: 8:45 am - 9:15 am
- Piñon Elementary School: 8:30 am - 9:00 am
- Los Alamos Middle School: 9:45 am - 10:15 am
Friday, May 23
Graduation Rehearsal
Sullivan Field
9:00 am
Saturday, May 24
Graduation
Sullivan Field
9:00 am
Note: Seniors should arrive by 8:00 am.
Senior Appreciation Night
Graduates and one guest are invited to Senior Appreciation Night starting at 6 pm. A Los Alamos tradition since 1984, SAN is sponsored by Los Alamos businesses and organizations, and features games, music, a carnival, photos, skating, climbing, a movie, and prizes.
Graduation Information
Los Alamos High School will host its 2025 graduation on Saturday, May 24 at Sullivan Field. The ceremony will begin at 9:00 am.
Tickets are not required to attend the graduation ceremony. Gates will open at 8:00 am. Families with graduates with last names beginning with A - Lo are asked to enter through the gates closest to the United Methodist Church. For families with graduates with last names beginning with Lu - Z, please enter through the gates closest to Mesa Field. Seating will be on a first come, first served basis.
This year, the Sullivan Field parking lot will be for handicapped parking only. Other parking will be available at Griffith Gym and Duane Smith Auditorium. Additional parking may be found at one of the neighboring churches, including Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church and First United Methodist Church. There is no parking in the lot behind UNM-LA.
The 2025 graduation ceremony will be live streamed beginning at 8:30 am. The link will be posted on the Los Alamos High School website.
The Athletics Department would like to remind everyone that food is not allowed on Sullivan Field. Please do not bring any seeds or gum to graduation. Bottled water is allowed. In addition, all chairs must have a blanket or towel under the legs. Visitors will be turned away at the entrance if they do not have a blanket or towel to place under their chair. Please respect the facilities and help us keep them undamaged for our teams and community partners.
Sullivan Field and the track will be closed Thursday, May 22 through Tuesday, May 27 for graduation preparations and ceremonies. Sullivan Field and the track will also be closed to the public on Tuesday, May 20 for Senior Sunset from 7-9pm.
Reminder: Online registration for the 2025-2026 school year is now open for students planning to attend LAPS in the fall. Please complete this process as soon as possible. The Returning student registration form is available through the parent PowerSchool portal at https://laps.powerschool.com/public
Go to www.laschools.net/registration for more information.
All students planning to attend any LAPS site must complete the registration process. Students in grades 9th-11th who completed course selection are also required to complete the returning student registration form, as this is in addition to course selection. Please make sure to select the 2025-2026 school year when registering.
A student who is currently attending any LAPS school will be considered a returning student for the 2025-2026 school year. This includes out-of-district students who attended during the 2024-2025 school year.
Students planning to participate on a sports team at the middle school or high school must also complete the athletics registration process. Physicals must be completed after April 1.
For questions, please contact Rosa Schmitz at r.schmitz@laschools.net or (505) 663-2201.
New LAHS Principal
Los Alamos Public Schools is pleased to announce that Eric Ziegler has been selected as the new Principal at Los Alamos High School.
After several years of leadership experience in the business world, Mr. Ziegler entered public education nearly 10 years ago, and brings a strong commitment to student success and school improvement. He spent seven years teaching mathematics in the Dallas–Fort Worth area before moving into educational leadership. He has served as a school administrator for the past three years, including as Dean of Students at Los Alamos High School in 2023-2024. He is currently one of the Assistant Principals at LAHS.
Ziegler comes to this role with a Master’s in Educational Leadership, a Level Three Administrative License from the State of New Mexico, and previous leadership experience in Texas. Most recently, he’s been leading the high school in a variety of ways including supporting our Math, CTE, and Arts Departments, working on restorative justice practices, and supporting the high school’s graduation pathways.
Ziegler is married to Devin Ziegler They currently reside in Jemez Springs and have two grown children, Ashton and Ethan. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, taking photographs, and trying new restaurants.
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U.S. Presidential Scholars Semifinalist
Congratulations to senior Uxue Sansinena who has been named a semifinalist in the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Six hundred twenty-one semifinalists were selected from over 6,000 candidates expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in the year 2025.
Supercomputing Challenge
Congratulations to LAHS sophomore Tate Plohr who earned first place in the 35th annual Supercomputing Challenge with the team, Constraining the Neutron Star Equation of State with Observation Data. Senior Andrew Morgan garnered second place with the team, Point Cloud Surface Reconstruction.
National Youth Correspondent
Hannah joins a select group of students from all over the country for an intensive study of journalism and media. She was chosen based on academic accomplishments and a demonstrated interest and excellence in journalism and media studies. National Youth Correspondents participate in hands-on, experiential learning through decision-making simulations that challenge them to solve problems and explore the creative, practical, and ethical tensions inherent in journalism and media.
Rensselaer Medal
Los Alamos High School Junior John Kang has been selected to receive the Rensselaer Polytechnic Medal for 2025. He was nominated for this honor by the LAHS Mathematics and Science Departments. Principal Renee Dunwoody presented John with his award during a ceremony attended by his family and members of the science and math departments.
For more than 100 years, Rensselaer, in conjunction with high schools around the world, has awarded the Rensselaer Medal to promising secondary school students who have distinguished themselves in mathematics and science.
Strive for 95! Our goal is for all students to have at least 95% attendance throughout the school year. Student Attendance for April was 90.3%.
Reminders:
If your student must miss class for an appointment, please make sure to call or email in advance. Also, please let us know as soon as possible if your student will be out due to illness or other reasons. With the number of students getting sick, our attendance office is struggling to keep up with all the scheduled appointments, especially when they are called in last minute.
All Saturday School sessions for the 2024-2025 school year will be in person in E-wing at LAHS. Sessions run from 8:30 am - 12:00 pm. The final Saturday School for the 2024-2025 school year will be held on May 17.
To register, email lahssaturdayschool@laschools.net with the student's name and date requested.
Click here for more information.
Check out the New Mexico Crisis and Access Line website.
Not only do they have hotlines and warmlines, but also a great mental health app. Their app has access to the warmline and hotline numbers, but also has a plethora of resources on anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
Worried about another student? Use the Say Something anonymous reporting system to make sure they get the resources they need!
Counseling Staff
Department Secretary
Trisha Conlin, Office Phone: (05) 663-2797
School Counselors
Emily Johnson: Last names A-E and School of Choice students
Madeline Styron: Last names F-L and LAECCA students
J. Carlos Casias,: Last names M-Q
Michelle Sullivan: Last Names R-Z and Combined Education students
School Psychologists
Caron C. Inglis, MS, BCBA, Office Phone: (505) 663-2566
Tiffany Richie, MS, NCSP, Office Phone: (505) 663-3210
College and Career
Jacqueline Nolen, Student Placement Specialist, (505) 663-2595
You can support LAHS when you shop at Smith’s!
Link your Smith’s rewards card to the high school by following these steps:
- Sign in to your Smith’s account
- Under “Welcome” at the top right, click on “My Account”
- Click Edit under “Inspiring Donations” (last section on the left)
- Enter Los Alamos Public Schools Los Alamos High School or organization number KL966
- Click Enroll or Change Organization if you have another one selected
On the app follow these steps:
Click on the 3 bars in the top right
Scroll down to the "Rewards" section
Choose "Inspiring Donations"
Enter Los Alamos Public Schools Los Alamos High School or organization number KL966
- Click Enroll or Change Organization if you have another one selected
