As the weather turns warm in northern New Mexico, the LOR Foundation—led by Questa community officer Maria Gonzalez—is looking forward to the event season and is excited to support a variety of community projects and engagements in the coming weeks.
Several of the ideas for projects and events have come from teachers, staff, and parents at the Questa Independent School District, including one that will help create “oasis rooms.” Questa educators have been experiencing burnout and fatigue over the past five years due to COVID-19, administration changes, and teaching both virtually and in-person. To combat this stress and help Questa teachers be at their best, educators came up with a potential solution: Create two rooms where teachers can experience a low-stress environment in a high-stress place to boost teacher morale and allow them to return to the classroom refreshed. LOR’s funding will help support the purchase of equipment to create these staff oases.
Students, too, have navigated particularly challenging circumstances the past few years, and knowing this, Questa residents want to celebrate the 2023 graduating class. With that in mind (and with support from LOR), the community is hosting a “senior love” event in which banners will be hung throughout the streets of Questa during May and June.
And if you want to see students celebrating this month, kids of all ages in Questa will take part in the Mariachi and Stage Band Extravaganza on May 17, a concert performance and dance that will serve as a celebration of traditional music as well as a fundraiser for future musical education. LOR supported this event by helping the school district hire five performers to lead workshops once a week for five weeks. Now, the students who participated in the workshops will show off their new skills at Questa High School.
Gonzalez is hoping to hear many more ideas from community members about how to make living in Questa even better. She’ll be at the Questa Fishing Derby on June 10 and would love it if you stopped by, said hello, and shared your ideas. If you’d like to get in touch, contact her via email at maria@lorfoundation.org.
