PICTURED: Artesia High School choir students celebrate the grand finale of this year's Bulldogs on Revue, joined by the AHS band and color guard.
FFA
National Convention
Artesia FFA closed out the month of October and ushered in November at the 98th Annual National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, where they did New Mexico and the City of Champions proud.
The local FFA chapter returned with a two-star rating from the National FFA Star Chapter Awards, rewarded for implementing the mission and strategies of the national organization and providing educational experiences for its membership.
The Conduct of Chapter Meetings team -- pictured above and which consisted of Baylee Denison, J'Lee England, Swayzee Folmar, Hartley Greenwood, Natalie Medrano, Caylee Shockey and Morgan Townsend -- advanced to Semifinal B, where they finished third overall out of a six-team field that also included Florida, Louisiana, Idaho, Utah and Washington, earning a gold rating. Folmar, below, also received the Outstanding Member award.
The Chapter Parliamentary Procedure team, above, of Taylor Salter, AC Hendricks, Sophia Estrada, Morgan Waldrip, Hayden Treadway and Kyle Bean came away with a silver rating in their competition.
Bailey Trujillo, above, was awarded a bronze rating in Extemporaneous Public Speaking.
Also earning a bronze rating in their competition was the Wildlife team, above, of Sage Akerman, Addy Bratcher, Hagen Murph and Jaden Waldrip.
Receiving their American FFA Degrees at the national convention were Bailey Virden, Bryce Bain and Addysen Folmar.
Eastern New Mexico State Fair
The annual Eastern New Mexico State Fair in Roswell is always a big date on the calendar for the Artesia High School FFA, and our ag students yet again delivered impressive results!
The competitive Market Swine Show saw Artesia come away with the top prize, as Jules Cortese, above, took the Grand Champion title with her Class 6 first-place Hampshire, which also earned Breed Champion honors. Cortese additionally showed the Class 10 first-place Cross.
Click here for full Market Swine Show results.
Maddisun Mancha, above, had a banner day at the Market Lamb Show, coming away with Grand Champion honors. Mancha also showed the third-place overall Weather Dam, below, while Swayzee Folmar, below, showed the third-place overall market lamb.
Click here for full Sheep Show results.
The Goat Show was also a successful one for Mancha, above, who showed the fifth-place overall Market Goat with her Class 5 second-place goat. In the Weather Doe Show, Jaylee Joy, below, claimed third place overall with her Class 3 winner.
Click here for full Goat Show results.
In the Dairy Heifer Show, Jase Starnes, above left, showed the runner-up heifer in Class 4 and came away with third place overall, while Kyle Bean, above right, earned first-place honors in Class 3, second in Class 1, fourth in Class 4, and seventh in Class 2 and finished fifth overall with his Class 3 heifer. Bean was also named the runner-up Senior Showman.
Click here for full Dairy Heifer Show results.
Kaydence Klontz, above, racked up a host of blue ribbons in the Rabbit and Poultry Shows. Klontz earned first in class in the Senior Hem-Satin Buck, Black Satin Senior Doe, Intermediate White Satin Doe, and Black Satin Intermediate Buck categories in the rabbit show, while also taking top honors with all three of her entries in the Fancy Chickens division in the poultry show. Klontz's Broiler Chickens earned third-, fourth- and fifth-place ribbons, with her third-place chickens making the sale.
Taylor Kennedy, above, also had solid results in the Market Beef show, placing fourth in Class 6.
District V Creed and Quiz Contest
Learning and reciting the FFA Creed is part of junior-high and Greenhand FFA members' introduction to the organization and its tenets, and the annual District V Creed and Quiz Contest helps both test their knowledge and further stress the significance of the Creed. This year's results for Artesia FFA members included:
World Dairy Expo
Meanwhile in Madison, Wisconsin...!
Makayla Monk, above, attended the World Dairy Expo in America's Dairyland, coming away with second-place Junior and sixth-place Open honors in the International Red and White Holstein Show and showing the 12th-place Spring Yearling in the International Junior Holstein Show.
FFA State Scholarships
Senior FFA members are also currently eligible to apply for New Mexico FFA State Scholarships. Details are included on the above flyer, and the application page can be accessed here. Deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.
BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS OF AMERICA
Online Auction
Artesia High School Business Professionals of America is gearing up to begin its Sixth Annual Online Auction fundraiser this week!
Bidding will begin Thursday, Nov. 20, and end at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. Winners may then pick up their items between 2 and 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, at Career Technical Education Building 1 (on the site of the old tennis courts at AHS).
Auction items are widely varied and a great way to pick up a few extra goodies for Thanksgiving and get a head start on your holiday shopping. Lots will be posted on the AHS BPA Facebook page, and bids may be made in the comment section for each lot. To make sure you see all the lots and can participate in the bidding, follow the AHS BPA Facebook page here.
CTSO Fall Leadership Conference
Artesia BPA's chapter officers -- which include Nabil Flores, president; Edwin Villarreal, vice president of correspondence; Sarah Plotner, vice president of communications; Zachary Sedillos, vice president of community relations; Brent McIntire, vice president of membership; and Alexandra Galvez-Anabia, vice president of hospitality -- attended the Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) Fall Leadership Conference Oct. 21, where they had the opportunity to join other chapter officers in attending a variety of workshops designed to prepare them to lead their chapters through a busy and successful year.
Giving Back
Chapter members also visited the Public Safety Complex last week to deliver food to Artesia's first responders in appreciation for their hard work, dedication and service.
BAND
District Marching Festival
October is always a busy month for the Pride of the Pecos Valley, and it began Tuesday, Oct. 14, with the annual night of music and showmanship at Bulldog Bowl known as the Southeast New Mexico Music Educators' Association's District Marching Festival. Nine bands from around SENM took the field to treat those in attendance to some truly magical performances that transported the crowd to the past, Nawlins, the beach, and even Across the Universe! The Bulldog band earned a Division I rating for their entry, the highest awarded. To view a highlight video from the event, click here.
Cake Walk
The band's annual Cake Walk fundraiser, held in conjunction with Art in the Park, was a big success Saturday, Oct. 18, at Jaycee Park, with the Zia Intermediate, Park Junior High and Artesia High School bands treating event-goers to some background music while dessert-lovers young and old walked the numbered circles for their chance to win a delicious prize.
State Marching Contest
Just one week later, on Saturday, Oct. 25, the AHS band was off to Rio Rancho for the NMAA State Marching Contest. The Bulldog musicians were up against a stacked field as part of a division combining Classes 1A-4A and ultimately did not reach the four-team final, which was topped by Los Alamos. However, the band received solid marks from the panel of judges and did a great job representing the City of Champions.
DECA
Chapter Officers Elected
Artesia DECA began the month of October by electing its chapter officers, who went straight to work making plans for the remainder of the 2025-26 school year. They include Brant Usherwood, president; Liliana Velasquez, vice president of marketing; Nykol Duncan, vice president of finance; Abrianna Resendez, vice president of hospitality; Jett Whitmire, vice president of leadership; and Toby Sell, vice president of career development. Duncan and Sell, below right, then represented Artesia DECA at a Future Focused Education meeting at the APS Administration Building designed to facilitate spring internship opportunities for youth in Artesia, Lake Arthur, Hagerman and Dexter.
NMCTSO Fall Rally and PJH Outreach
Artesia DECA hosted the second stop on the New Mexico Career Technical Leadership Project's Fall Leadership Rally tour, which offered students a variety of workshops designed to show them that Leadership Wins Championships.
DECA officers then paid a visit to Park Junior High School, below, to introduce Artesia's eighth-graders and freshmen to the concept of healthy personal finance practices.
National DECA Month
Artesia DECA was recognized at the November meeting of the APS Board of Education in honor of National DECA Month as the chapter continues to prepare for its Regional Career and Curriculum Cluster Exams, scheduled for Dec. 2-3, which will determine qualification for the State Career Development Conference, set for March in Albuquerque.
Packs of Love Donation
The local DECA chapter also held a Blankets and Blessings drive over the past few weeks to collect blankets, socks, and other items for Packs of Love to distribute to the Artesia students it serves prior to Christmas Break.
CHOIR
Bulldogs on Revue
The AHS choir program dazzled the City of Champions Nov. 7 and 8 with its annual Bulldogs on Revue extravaganza, which this year was a special football-themed affair: Super Bowl Legends! Audiences were able to enjoy a variety of music from some of the Super Bowl's most legendary halftime performers in the form of group performances and solos by the Bulldogs' most beautiful voices. You can watch both full performances at KSVP.tv under Artesia Public Schools Special Events.
SKILLED TRADES
Auto Mechanics
Artesia High School's auto mechanics students are now plying their trade in style. The classes were recently able to don their brand-new uniforms and took a moment to show them off before getting down to business.
