LAPS Newsletter

Tuesday, April 21: Speech Showcase

Thursday, April 23: Spring Arts Fest

Saturday, April 25: DEA Drug Take-Back Day

Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26: Kite Festival

Tuesday, April 28: Bilingual Seal Ceremony

Wednesday, April 29: Special Presentation: Gifted and Distractible: Parenting and Teaching Twice Exceptional Leaners

4:15 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5056632222?pwd=9ya3XaLGT3DQAVJyauGbYKcsPQ4QWg.1&omn=87177031144

The official Earth Day 2026 theme is "Our Power, Our Planet," which emphasizes accelerating the transition to clean energy, community mobilization, and collective action to defend environmental progress. The 56th annual Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, 2026, highlights that environmental action is driven by daily efforts of individuals, communities, and businesses, rather than relying solely on policy changes.

Online registration for the 2026-2027 school year is now open for students planning to attend LAPS in the fall. This includes new and returning students, out-of-district, kindergarten and preschool.

Registration for the 2026–2027 is now open!

• Returning Students:

  Families of current students who plan to return should register as returning students using their existing PowerSchool accounts.

• New Students:

  Students who have not previously attended a school in Los Alamos County must be registered as new students. This includes PreK students, kindergarteners, previously homeschooled students, students new to the district and out-of-district students. A new PowerSchool account will be required.

• Transfer Requests:

  Families requesting placement at a school outside their assigned attendance zone must submit a transfer request. Transfer decisions are made by the district office and only need to be submitted once.

Go to www.laschools.net/families-students/registration for more information and to register either a computer or smartphone.

For questions, please contact Rosa Schmitz at r.schmitz@laschools.net or (505) 663-2201.

Team 4153 in Fort Worth, Texas. Courtesy/LAPS

By EMILY XU
LAHS Student

Los Alamos High School’s Robotics Team 4153, “Project Y”, has been hard at work since January designing and building a custom robot to compete in FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) district events. Led by CEO John Kang, Project Y competed twice recently in both Fort Worth and Amarillo, Texas, and earned the District Points and ranking status to advance to the FIRST in Texas District Championships.

From March 19-21, they competed at Fort Worth, achieving second place overall after being selected by the top alliance during playoffs, earning a good amount of District Points. There, they were also awarded the “Imagery Award”, which netted them more points and recognized their cohesive and attractive branding, as shown in the robot’s display of its name, J. Robot OppenHopper, along with sponsors, LED lights, and the team’s themed merchandise.

The second competition took place this past weekend in Amarillo – the team had a strong showing and ultimately earned more than enough District Points to be invited to the District Championships in Houston from April 16-18. Mechanical Lead/Coach Sebastian Koglin and CADmaster/Robot Driver Amelia Hill were highlighted at this competition, having been nominated for the FIRST Leadership Award.

After a season of hard work, John spoke out on the team’s achievements: “As CEO, I am not the only leader on this team. I have been happy to see team members step up and tackle the challenges of this season, especially these past few weeks competing in Fort Worth and Amarillo.”

Project Y deeply thanks its sponsors for support — Dr. Krohn/Los Alamos Pediatric Clinic, Merrick, Enterprise Bank & Trust, ASME and IEEE local chapters, N3B Los Alamos, The Gene Haas Foundation, Argosy Foundation/Hack Club, ARM, NASA, Solidworks, Los Alamos Public Schools, and LAPS Foundation.

Team mentors are volunteers, and this year Jim TenCate was recognized by his nomination for the Woodie Flowers award, recognizing effective communication in engineering and design. Seniors who have dedicated years to the team are also appreciated: John Kang, Micah Finstad, Sydney Buck, and Emily Xu.

Congratulations to the Los Alamos High School Schola Cantorum who won the NMAA 2026 4A State Choir Championship.

The Los Alamos Choirs competed at V. Sue Cleveland in the 2025-26 State Choir Contest yesterday and brought home 1st Place with a score of 95.0, over very talented choirs from Moriarty High School and Artesia High School who finished second and third, respectively. The 30-member Schola Cantorum performed Rosas Pandan by George G. Hernandez, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Eric Whitacre, and Muusika by Pärt Uusberg.

The Los Alamos High School Schola Cantorum are the 2026 4A State Choir Choir Champions. Members of the choir include (back row, left to right): Mr. Rutledge, Kasey King, Brendan Treat, Sumner Tholen*, Griffen McCabe, and Ruben Diaz-Jimenez; (middle row, left to right): Abby Clay, Ayssa Sanders, Karly Seitz-Pruitt, Iris Butcher, Mattea Clarkson, Maici Guise, Eric Brown, Sara Muñoz, Camden Shunk, Alea Kretz*, Ralston Hoffer, and Gabriel Dodd; and (front row, left to right) Zachary Sestric, Naomi Miller, Gloria Marksteiner, Isabella Gletsos, Kaitlyn Nolen, Anya Seet, Blue ENgeman, Gyasi Atta-Fynn*, Carlos Martinez, Deborah Brug*, Ms. Singleton, Briana Spurrier, and Anabelle DeBurgomaster.

*denotes Section Leaders

Congratulations to members of the Symphonic Strings who garnered a 2nd place win at the recent state-wide orchestra competition held at La Cueva High School. LAPS students played incredibly well.

Congratulations to members of the Los Alamos Middle School Symphonic Band Symphonic band represented LAMS exceptionally well at state, placing 8th out of 22 outstanding bands. "They had likely one of their best performances," said Band Director Deanna Teague. "I am so proud of them, not only with their performance but their behaviors out in public and audience etiquette."

The Los Alamos High School Wind Symphony earned 2nd place honors with a score of 94.833 in the 4A State Band Competition over the weekend. Kudos!

The Los Alamos High School NJROTC is a three=peat state champion, garnering top honors at the competition this past weekend. Congratulations!

The 2026 Enchantment Awards nominees have been announced and include three Los Alamos High School (LAHS) students who performed in this year’s production of Mean Girls.

2026 Enchantment Awards nominees from LAHS:

• Best actress nominee: Maici E. Guise;
• Best supporting actor nominee: Zachary Sestric; and
• Best supporting actress nominee: Aubrey Ruston.

The 2026 Enchantment Awards production is 7 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque.

Students from Piñon Elementary and Los Alamos Middle School competed tlast week at the State National History Day competition. did amazing! Three students from Piñon Elementary earned special awards (and $100 each!!)

• Everett James won the Environmental History Award
• Aditya Nag won J. Robert Oppenheimer Person in Science Award
• Grant Mason won the J. Robert Oppenheimer Excellence in Research Award

Middle school students Issac Light and Evan Cunningham placed 2nd in Documentary, and Brandon Keller earned a 3rd place paper runner up. All three will be competing at the National competition in Washington, DC.

Piñon Elementary's MathCounts students earned the Gold Level distinction from the National MathClub! Their projects were awesome and we are so proud of all of the work they put in this year - both for the competition and the Gold Level. Congratulations!

Four Los Alamos High School seniors were awarded scholarships during the Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert over the weekend. Noelle Judd received the Jackie MacFarland Memorial Scholarship; Penelope Barry-Hoffman was awarded the Jane Gerheart Memorial Scholarship; Angel Meng received the Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra Scholarship; and Carlos Martinez was awarded the Rosemary O'Connor Memorial Scholarship.

The Aspen Elementary School PTO hosted another successful Spring Fling.

Los Alamos Public Schools is excited to participate in this year's Literacy NM Summer Program. This program will provide small group specialized reading and math instruction for students who have completed grades K-7. This program will take the place of the traditional summer school or camp that the district has provided in recent years.

All LAPS students who would like to improve their reading and math skills are invited to enroll on the state portal- NM Summer Reading Program Website (https://www.literacy.nm.gov/#).

Families are encouraged to register their children before May 1, 2026. LAPS will not be conducting a separate registration for the summer program.

Preschool hours are 8:10 am - 2:40 pm, Monday through Friday.

The PreK3 program is in session Monday through Thursday. The morning session runs from 8:00 am - 11 am, and the afternoon session runs from 11:40 am - 2:40 pm.

Thursday, April 23

Arts & Music Festival

Friday, April 24

Barranca Mesa Elementary Bobcat Field Day

Friday, April 24

Piñon Elementary Family Glow Dance Party

Thursday, April 30

Mountain Elementary Math Night

Friday, May 1 - Friday, May 8

Chamisa Elementary Scholastic Book Fair

Sunday, May 3

Piñon Panthers Fun Run

Tuesday, May 5

Multicultural Fair

Friday, May 15

Bobcat Bonanza

Friday, May 22

Aspen Elementary PreK Promotion

Monday, May 25

Memorial Day - no school for staff and students

Tuesday, May 26

Barranca Mesa Elementary PreK End of Year Celebration

Tuesday, May 26

Piñon Elementary PreK Promotion Performance

Wednesday, May 27

End of Year Celebration at Ashley Pond

Thursday, May 28

No school for preschool students

Friday, May 29

No school for preschool students

Elementary School hours are 8:10 am - 2:40 pm.Check your school site for daily bell schedules.

Tuesday, April 21

Elementary Speech Showcase

Thursday, April 23

Arts & Music Festival

Friday, April 24

Piñon Elementary 3rd & 4th Grade Concert

Friday, April 24

Piñon Elementary Family Glow Dance Party

Thursday, April 29

Barranca Mesa Elementary 1st and 2nd Grade Music Performance

Thursday, April 30

Kinder Teddy Bear Clinic

Thursday, April 30

Mountain Elementary Math Night

Thursday, April 30

Chamisa Elementary Family Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Night

Thursday, April 30

Chamisa Elementary Annual Glow Wall "It's a Bug's Life"

Friday, May 1 - Friday, May 8

Chamisa Elementary Scholastic Book Fair

Friday, May 1

Mountain Elementary 5th Grade Wax Museum

Sunday, May 3

Piñon Panthers Fun Run

Tuesday, May 5

Multicultural Fair

Wednesday, May 6

Barranca Mesa Elementary PTO Meeting

Thursday, May 7

Mountain Elementary Recorder and Ukulele Concert

Wednesday, May 13

Chamisa Elementary Spring Concert

Thursday, May 14

Aspen Elementary Spring Band & Orchestra Concert

Friday, May 15

Bobcat Bonanza

Wednesday, May 20

5th & 6th Grade Field Day @ Sullivan Field

Thursday, May 21

LAHS Senior Walks @ elementary schools and middle school

Monday, May 25

Memorial Day - no school for staff and students

Friday, May 29

Last Day of School for 2025/2026 school year

Find out more information about your school.

School hours at the middle school are 8:40 am - 3:30 pm. Click below to view the A/B calendar and bell schedule.

Monday, April 20 - Thursday, April 23

Student Council Fundraiser

Wednesday, April 22

Pizza Fundraiser

Thursday, April 23

Staff vs. Student Softball Game

Thursday, April 23

Hawk Hangout

Thursday, April 23

Arts & Music Festival

Friday, April 24

Pep Rally

Monday, April 27

LAMS PTO Meeting

Thursday, April 30 - Monday, May 4

Science Bowl Team @ National Science Bowl Competition

Friday, May 8

Talent Show

Tuesday, May 12

Student of the Semester Awards (7th grade)

Tuesday, May 12

LAMS PTO Lunch Crafts

Tuesday, May 12

Band Concert

Thursday, May 14

Student of the Semester Awards (8th grade)

Thursday, May 14

Hawk Hangout, Ashley Pond Party

Monday, May 25

Memorial Day - no school for staff and students

Tuesday, May 26 - Friday, May 29

Final Exams

Friday, May 29

Last Day of School for 2025/2026 school year

Hawk Hangout is a free event held every month during the school year for Middle School Teens. Events are held once a month on Thursday in different locations locally and regionally. This month's event will be the Tenn Center Takeover on Thursday, April 23.

Wednesday, April 22

Junior Jumpstart

Thursday, April 23

Arts & Music Festival

Tuesday, April 28

Bilingual Seal Ceremony

Friday, May 1

Senior Pep Rally and Lunch on the Lawn

Saturday, May 2

Saturday School

Saturday, May 2

SAT

Saturday, May 2

Prom

Monday, May 4 - Friday, May 8

AP Exams Week 1

Wednesday, May 6

Military Signing Ceremony

Wednesday, May 6

Native American Sash Ceremony

Saturday, May 9

Saturday School

Monday, May 11 - Friday, May 15

AP Exams Week 2

Monday, May 11

Spring Choir Concert

Wednesday, May 13 - Friday, May 15

Senior Final Exams

Wednesday, May 13

Spring Band Concert

Friday, May 15

Last day of School for Seniors

Saturday, May 16

Saturday School

Saturday, May 16

Dance Club Performance

Monday, May 18 - Friday, May 22

AP Make-up Exams

Monday, May 18

Senior Scholarship Ceremony

Tuesday, May 19

Senior Sunset

Wednesday, May 20

Senior Meeting and Picnic

Thursday, May 21

Senior Elementary and LAMS Walks

Friday, May 22

Graduation Rehearsal

Saturday, May 23

Graduation

Monday, May 25

Memorial Day - no school for staff and students

Tuesday, May 26 - Friday, May 29

Final Exams

Friday, May 29

Last Day of School for 2025/2026 school year

Check out the dates for ACT and SAT weekend testing.

Saturday School is open to all Los Alamos High School students as an opportunity to catch up on late work, complete missed assignments, take make-up tests and receive help with homework.

Please note that Saturday School is no longer being offered for middle school students.

All Saturday School sessions for the 2025-2026 school year will be in person in E-wing at LAHS. Sessions run from 8:30 am - 11:30 am. Remaining dates are May 2, May 9 and May 16.

Saturday School FAQs

To register, email lahssaturdayschool@laschools.net with the student's name and date requested.

Click here for more information.

More information, including movie trailers are available at www.losalamosjjab.com

The LAPS Facilities department is hiring student interns (job posting 581). Go to https://laschools.schoolspring.com/ for more information and to apply.

The Los Alamos YMCA is hiring coaches for summer sports camps. Go to https://laymca.org/careers for more information and to apply.

The Los Alamos YMCA is hiring for the YCC this summer. Go to https://laymca.org/youth-conservation-corps-ycc for more information.

Please remember to complete the Panorama Survey which was sent out recently. It takes about 15 minutes. Helping students ​do their best in school requires a team effort! Parents, students, and schools all play important roles in this process. To help us learn how to make you​r child's schooling experience as positive and beneficial as possible​,​ please give us your honest, thoughtful responses. Students and staff across Los Alamos Public Schools are participating in this survey and we seek 100% participation so that all voices are heard

The Los Alamos Public Schools Board meets on the second Tuesday and fourth Thursday of each month with the exception of April, November and December. All meetings are held in person and live streamed via Zoom beginning at 5:30 pm. Click here for more information about the School Board meetings.

Upcoming Meetings

Tuesday, May 12 in the School Boardroom

Thursday, May 26 in the School Boardroom

Los Alamos Middle School

Baseball

Monday, April 20 vs. Santa Fe Indian School @ Senior Field, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Wednesday, April 22 vs. Albuquerque Academy Middle School @ Albuquerque Academy, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Tuesday, April 28 vs. Santa Fe Indian School @ Santa Fe Indian School, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Thursday, April 30 vs. Taos Middle School @ Taos High School, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Softball

Monday, April 20 vs. Santa Fe Indian School @ North Mesa Minor Field, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Wednesday, April 22 vs. Albuquerque Academy Middle School @ North Mesa Minor Field, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Tuesday, April 28 vs. Santa Fe Indian School @ Santa Fe Indian School, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Los Alamos High School

JV Baseball

Tuesday, April 21 vs. Española Valley High School @ Senior Field, 4 pm

Thursday, April 23 vs. Pojoaque Valley High School @ Pojoaque Valley High School, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Friday, May 1 vs. Moriarty High School @ Senior Field, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Varsity Baseball

Wednesday, April 22 vs. Española Valley High School @ Española Valley High School, 4 pm

Friday, April 24 vs. Pojoaque Valley High School @ Pojoaque Valley High School, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Wednesday, April 29 vs. Valley High School @ Valley High School, 4 pm

Saturday, May 2 vs. Moriarty High School @ Moriarty High School, 10 and and 12 pm (doubleheader)

Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9: State Tournament, First round

Thursday, May 14, Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16: State Championships

Boys Golf

Monday, April 20: Los Alamos Spring Invitational, Los Alamos Golf Course, 9 am

Tuesday, April 21: Twin Warriors Golf Course

Monday, May 4: District Tournament @ Arroyo del Orso Golf Course

Monday, May 11: State Tournament @ New Mexico Tech Golf Course

Girls Golf

Monday, April 20, Los Alamos Spring Invitational, Los Alamos Golf Course, 9 am

Monday May 4: District Tournament

Monday, May 11: State Tournament

JV Softball

Tuesday, April 21 vs. Española Valley High School @ Overlook Softball Fields, 4 pm

Thursday, April 23 vs. Pojoaque Valley High School @ Pojoaque Valley High School, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Friday, May 1 vs. Moriarty High School @ Overlook Softball Fields, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Varsity Softball

Wednesday, April 22 vs. Española Valley High School @ Española Valley High School , 4 pm

Friday, April 24 vs. Pojoaque Valley High School @ Overlook Softball Fields, 3 pm and 5 pm (doubleheader)

Saturday, May 2 vs. Moriarty High School @ Moriarty High School, 10 am and 12 pm (doubleheader)

Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9: State Tournament, First round

Thursday, May 14, Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16: State Championships

Tennis

Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25: District Finals

Thursday, April 30: Individual

Wednesday, May 6: State

Varsity Track and Field

Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25: Harper Invite @ Albuquerque Academy

Saturday, May 2: Larry Baca Invite @ Sullivan Track and Field

Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9: District Championships @ Sullivan Field and Field

Friday, May 16: State Championships @ UNM Track and Field

eSports

Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24: State finals

Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) is pleased to offer a free breakfast and lunch to all of our students. If you have any questions or comments regarding the school lunch program please send an email to m.johnson@laschools.net.

Kiwanis Aspen School K-Kids 2025 Year In Review

Los Alamos Tennis Advances To Finals Week In District Tournament, JV Tennis Wins In Albuquerque

Community Invited To 14th Annual ‘Around The World In White Rock’ At Piñon Elementary School May 5

LAPS Foundation’s Spring Grant Cycle Coming To A Close

Three Los Alamos High School Thespians Nominated For 2026 Enchantment Awards

Playing With Purpose

Los Alamos High School Seniors Noah Banks And Matthew Haight Participate In 2016 Bataan Memorial Death March

Los Alamos High School To Host Arts & Music Festival

Los Alamos Public Schools 2026 State Science Fair Results

Los Alamos County Odyssey Of The Mind Wins Big At State And Heads To 2026 World Finals Competition May 27-30

Topper Varsity Baseball Powers Past Moriarty Pintos 19-4

Topper Softball Wins Against Moriarty Pintos 14-4

Hilltopper Track & Field Racks Up More State Qualifying Marks At Cleveland Relays, Sepulveda Meet Of Champions

Topper Baseball Falls To Academy Chargers 3-18

Los Alamos High School Schola Cantorum Wins 2026 4A State Choir Championship

Los Alamos Public Schools Launches Youth Nicotine Prevention Peer Ambassador Program

LAHS Boys Varsity Golf Team Victorious Tuesday At St. Mikes Spring Tournament

Scenes From Los Alamos High School 2026 Athletics Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony At Fuller Lodge

Looking for a new career? Check out Los Alamos Public Schools. We're looking for Educational Assistants at all school sites, as well as several other opportunities. Click here for more information about working for LAPS and all current job openings.

Need an easy dinner idea? On Wednesday, April 22, treat your family to a delicious meal from Papa Murphy’s while supporting Los Alamos Middle School!

The Los Alamos High School Rotary Interact Club will be hosting a bake sale Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 24 from 5 pm to 7 pm, and 10 am to 1 pm (or until we sell out) on Saturday, April 25 by the . Teen Center. Proceeds will go to UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund).

The Los Alamos High School Band is hosting its 4th annual mattress fundraiser on Saturday, April 25 from 10 am to 4 pm.

The Chamisa Elementary Annual Glow Wall "It's a Bug's Life" featuring student artwork will be held on Thursday, April 30 from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Coalition Pod.

Chamisa Elementary and LAPS Prevention Specialist Sylvia Diehl are hosting a Family Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Night on Thursday, April 30 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. This event will include music, SEL activities and gentle movement for the whole family, and showcase the Glow Wall.

Registration is now open for the Piñon Panthers Fun Run on Sunday, May 3. Choose either the 5k run or one mile.

The Bobcat Bonanza will be held on Friday, May 15 from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm. This event will feature a carnival, food, games and prizes.

Check out the Los Alamos County Seasonal Activity Guide "Swing Into Spring" to learn about more events and activities happening around town.

The Los Alamos YMCA offers several programs for youth and teens.