LAS CRUCES---Although the year just started, 2017 is off to a great start for Mayfield High School (MHS) freshman Mireya Sanchez-Maes. In addition to winning the 2017 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Essay or Poetry Contest, she recently won four individual and team awards at the 2017 Cave Classic Speech and Debate Tournament at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, NM.
“The students in this district have continued to demonstrate that they have the talent, leadership and dedication to become the next generation of leaders at the local, state and national level,” said LCPS Superintendent Dr. Greg Ewing. “I’m so proud to be part of a community filled with such passionate educators, dedicated staff and remarkable students.”
Sanchez-Maes won first-place in the essay/poetry competition, followed by Centennial High School (CHS) student Andrew Angel, who won second-place, CHS student Kaden Taylor, who won third-place, and Arrowhead Park Early College High School student Caitlyn Larson, who won Honorable Mention in the competition. More than 30 original student works were submitted to the contest, which required ninth-12th-grade students to write an essay or poem about the topic-- Dr. King’s Influence on Me.
“The judges felt enlightened by the depth and sensitivity of each of the essays and poems submitted to the contest. Based on these submissions, there is no doubt that Dr. King's influence will carry on for generations to come,” said Alonzo Moore, branch treasurer of the Doña Ana County NAACP.
In addition to earning recognition at the Annual NAACP Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Banquet, Monday, Jan. 16, she earned a $200 gift card, a history award from Woodman Life, a commemorative plaque from the NAACP, recognition at a School Board meeting and a congressional certificate of appreciation from Congressman Steve Pearce. According to Moore, Pearce also wants to submit her essay into a council library within the Library of Congress.
At the 2017 Cave Classic Speech and Debate Tournament, which took place Jan. 20-21 in Albuquerque, NM, Sanchez-Maes took home first-place awards for her individual performance in the Lincoln Douglas Debate and Original Oratory categories. In addition, her team performance with MHS junior Brian Marquez earned the duo top honors in the Tournament’s Small School Sweepstakes category and a second-place win in the Duo Interpretation category.
“The students performed very well at the tournament. Their dedication and perseverance are a big part of what made them successful,” said MHS English Teacher Donna Hansen.
The MHS team was one of 18 teams that participated in the tournament and the only team from Las Cruces. The team was led by Hansen and coached by Austin Martin-Likes, a New Mexico State University student and MHS alumnus.