September marked Deaf Awareness Month as well as the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15.

In assembly, our ASL I, II, and III students helped us celebrate Deaf Awareness Month — a time dedicated to raising awareness of Deaf issues, people, and culture — via a signed, interactive presentation. 🤟

National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of over 60 million Hispanic Americans (those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America) to the culture and society of the US. Over the past month, the Language Department has partnered with Chef Eduardo Beltran and his staff for a culinary exploration of food from various Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, República Dominicana, and Guatemala. As part of lunch service, information about the dish of the week provided at each table has allowed students and faculty the opportunity to learn about its origins, history, and cultural significance.

Thank you to all of our students, faculty, and staff who have provided these moments of education and cultural celebration!

Admissions Open House is right around the corner on Friday, October 20 from 2-5pm. If you know of prospective students and families who are exploring middle or upper school options, please encourage them to attend our Open House to learn more about Prep. Registration for Open House and details about the application process may be accessed here. And If you are interested in volunteering at the Admissions Open House, please reach out to Prep parent Mario Montoya.

Thank you!

The Admissions Team

Mary Little and Summar Aubrey

On September 26, the College Counseling Department hosted its first "Community Conversation," centered around understanding this summer's Supreme Court decision about race-conscious admission. Prep community members were invited to discuss the precedent of Affirmative Action, which parts of the college admission pipeline are affected by this decision, and how Prep's College Counseling Department is responding to the change. If you weren't able to attend the discussion but would like access to the presentation, the slides are available here. 

On October 4, College Counseling welcomed guest speaker Sue Willard, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, to demystify the process of college athletic recruitment. You can view a recording of the presentation here. 

Our faculty DEIJ committee is invested in exploring the ways in which issues of social justice are incorporated in our classroom curriculum. This month, their focus is on our 8th grade science classes, where students are using the context of evolution to explore concepts of race and racism.

Hearing “science” and “racism” together may call to mind historical accounts of doctors using people of different races or religions as test subjects for medical experimentation, leading to pain, infertility, or death. Thankfully, science can also be a tool to consider and analyze the world around us. Students in Dr. Rebecca Sam's classes are exploring the Theory of Evolution this month, using scientific data to explore how skin color developed in humans, how it has changed over time, and what selective pressures were present during these genetic changes. Using data analysis techniques, students will then be encouraged to wonder and think critically about how a deeper understanding of evolution might have prevented historical social injustice.

On September 30, two of our athletic programs headed south to Albuquerque for some team bonding. Thanks to the generosity of Christina Price and Connor Browne (Ella '26 and Juliette Browne '28), coaches Cheney Doane and Kaitlyn Roy accompanied the girls varsity volleyball team to UNM to watch the Lobos host Boise State in Mountain West Conference play. It was a close contest with the Lobos pulling out a 3-1 victory, and the level of play and athleticism on display from the Division I programs was a treat for our athletes to watch.

That same evening, Nora Dolan (Isabel Dolan '25, pictured above left) and Katie Zang (Gordon '25 and Alice Zang '27) organized a trip for our boys and girls soccer teams to watch New Mexico United take on Louisville City FC. The Blue Griffins' energy helped propel United to a 2-0 victory! 

SFP Monthly News is distributed August-June to all school parents, students, and faculty and staff. Please send story ideas to news@sfprep.org. 

The Santa Fe Prep Parents' Association has two meetings scheduled in October. On Friday, October 13 at 12pm, we will be joined by Dieu Ho, Executive Director of Breakthrough Santa Fe, and Prep Advancement Director Michael McNeill to learn more about Breakthrough and tuition assistance at Prep, the PA's two major fundraising initiatives.

Our regular monthly meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18 at 9am; both meetings will be held in the Library Classroom. All parents and guardians are automatically part of the PA, and all are invited to attend!

There are many opportunities to come out and cheer on the Blue Griffins as our fall athletic teams enter district play!

Both varsity soccer teams are in action today, Tuesday, October 10. The boys play away at St. Mike's at 3pm and the girls (currently 2-0 in district play) host the Lady Horsemen on Sun Mountain Field for a home game at 5pm. Any and all fan support makes a huge difference against our local rivals!

Varsity volleyball will play their district home opener against Raton on Saturday, October 14 at 3pm. And mark your calendars for these other upcoming home matches: 

Our cross country teams recently returned from a high altitude race in Crested Butte, CO. Their next district race will be Saturday, November 4 at Rodriguez Park in Las Vegas, times TBA!

Santa Fe Preparatory School Presents

NOSES OFF by Don Zolidis

Thu, 11/2 at 5:30pm

Fri, 11/3 & Sat, 11/4 at 7pm

Sun, 11/5 at 2pm

Come observe a group of actors rehearsing a whodunit as it hurtles towards opening night — but the real mystery is whether the cast and crew can get this disaster to curtain call. The best seat in the house is backstage in this full-throttled homage to Michael Frayn's classic comedy. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for students, available at the door.

Congratulations and thanks to our Food Depot TAP group — Elie Broome '26, Ryan Crow '27, Ronny Egolf '26, Alisa Goorley '26, Henry Kaufman '25, Archer Land '27, Korah Layman '27, Helen Marlow '26, Zahra Naderi '27, Eli Rivera '26, Jaden Sawunyama '27, and faculty leaders Leslie Smith and Mark Prochaska. The team was commended by the Food Depot following their September 18 visit for packing 710 pounds of macaroni. Awesome job!

Upper School English teacher Adam Lowenstein recently completed the Santa Fe International Half Marathon, finishing in 2:01:11, only one minute shy of his goal time. This was Adam's first half marathon and he finished 31st overall and 1st in his age group. Congrats, Adam!

Prep alum Phil Lucero '97 is running for Santa Fe City Council in District 2. Phil works for CAVU (Climate Advocates Voces Unidas), a climate organization working with students across the globe (including here at Prep!) on climate solutions. Phil is running on a platform of increasing affordable housing, making the city more livable for families, and offering public safety solutions; you can check out his website here.

Phil’s next forum is with Bike Santa Fe on Tuesday, October 17 at 6pm, at The Commons on the Alameda. You can also meet Phil at an open house hosted by Ashley Sacks Alexander '97 and Anika Gusterman Amon '97 from 5-7pm on Saturday, October 21st. Please RSVP to Sascha Anderson for location and additional details.