Bobcat Stories

Every 30-year-old can remember that halfway point, right in the middle of their teenage years, when they turned 15, and everything was changing so fast. We asked teachers who were relatively new to Bosque School in 2010, or who arrived just afterward, what it was like to be part of those middle years. Upper School Spanish teacher Maria Clara Herrea Rekow, who came to Bosque in 2007, Visual Arts Department Leader Sasha Custer, who arrived in 2010, and Upper School Latin and Humanities teacher Christina Alvarez from 2011 shared their thoughts and memories with the Buzz.  

What buildings and facilities were new or being built during the first years you worked at Bosque? What do you remember about them, and how did they transform the campus?  

Ms. Rekow: When I started, the Schoolhouse did not exist. It was ready to open its doors in the year 2010-2011. Before then, almost all classes were taught in the upper school building: Spanish, Latin, math, and humanities. The area where the Schoolhouse is now used to be a parking lot. The "mouse house" used to be the home of Spanish and science classes. The Schoolhouse allowed for more classroom availability for math and languages, as well as more office space. Budagher Hall had just been finished when I started in the fall of 2007. I can remember the smell of the fresh paint and new wood structures and furniture. It became the location for upper school Morning Meeting, which had previously been held in the library.  Bosque School used to be the only developed property along this block of Coors Road, and then, the shopping center and apartment buildings to the west were built. The view of our school from Dellyne Avenue was amazing!

Ms. Alvarez: I came at a time when the campus as we know it now had just been more or less completed, except for the Science building. I think I followed a time of significant and rapid building because, for my first couple of years, it seemed as if everyone was always marveling at the Schoolhouse and Budhager Hall, as well as the gym. People kept referring to the emptiness that had been there before or to the "bubble" that we had as a gym. So, my early time at the school was spent marveling at the building that had just been completed. 

Ms. Custer: When I arrived in 2010, the science building was composed of temporary modular buildings, and I watched them get a facelift until they were dedicated and renamed the Rod J. Pera and Mary Kay Pera Science Center in 2017. I began teaching in the Budagher building, which was relatively new at the time. I spent almost five years sorting through all the materials that were stored by my predecessor in the upstairs art classroom I still use and had the opportunity to develop an entirely new curriculum. I was the only upper school teacher, and that meant I taught a lot of different classes in that space!

What new programs and initiatives do you remember the school community undertaking?  What new academic, athletic, and artistic opportunities for students were emerging?

Ms. Rekow: The thesis program (Senior Capstone) was getting stronger and better established. Also, the college counseling program was created from scratch a couple of years before I came. Spanish Seminar was created in 2009-2010, out of extensive departmental conversations. Math began offering new classes and a two-track system. The Intercultural Exchange Program with Colegio Reina Elizabeth started two years before I began at Bosque and created a beautiful bond between the two schools for almost 20 years. The Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP) also came into being during those years, creating strong bonds with organizations and bringing students opportunities for research and applied science, and the service learning program became well established.

Ms. Alvarez: Again, it was a really stable time. We all taught with an emphasis on character, top-level academics, and intellectual investigation. 

Ms. Custer:  During my first years here, we developed a new ceramics program. While the school had a kiln, there was no systematic use of it, so with encouragement and input from fellow art teacher Alaura Nellos, I started a ceramics class. At that time, I taught ceramics, 2D Design, 3D Design, Advanced Painting and Drawing, and Digital Art, for which we used clunky old laptop computers that we had to plug into the floor and put away after each class. I developed the Senior Portfolio program, which is now in its third year of being part of the Senior Capstone. This year, seven seniors are creating a body of work, doing research, and writing a thesis about both elements, which they will present at the May colloquium.   

What was the most exciting aspect of life at Bosque for you in the first decade of your career here? 

Ms. Rekow: What I enjoyed most about being at Bosque School, other than the site and gorgeous campus, was the autonomy that we, as teachers, had to pursue and implement projects with the larger community. As the school grew, we created activities that challenged students and allowed them to think beyond themselves. 

Ms. Alvarez: For me (though, of course, as a Latin teacher, I would say this!), what was special at that time was the commitment to excellence embodied in the two-year Latin requirement. We were a department of three full-time teachers, and my colleagues were outstanding educators. The whole upper school student body had a shared experience of grappling with this challenging but immensely rewarding material, and it was something that unified the students.   

Ms. Custer: It was exciting to develop our curriculum as our spaces expanded. In Digital Art, in particular, which experienced a big spike in student interest, we were able to do a cooperative project with Sandia Prep and use their lab and benefit from their long artistic practice with photography. I often took the kids on field trips to expose them to new vistas and artistic opportunities. You could get a crazy idea and just do it, and once, for example, we went into a grocery store to experiment with macro and micro photographic perspectives. Throughout my time here, working under three different heads of school, there has been a great deal of support and excitement about the arts. There is always room for growth, but we provide the best possible arts education for our students, who never cease to surprise us with their talents and creative abilities.

Excitement, talent, and creativity: those words characterize so many aspects of Bosque School, no matter what its age. Thank you, Ms. Rekow, Ms. Custer, and Ms. Alvarez, for your passionate and meaningful service to Bosque School!