Festival Celebrates Collective Commitment to Community and Education in New Mexico

Publication: Langhum Mitchell Communications

A community festival hosted by KLCC I fellows earlier this month in New Mexico’s Eastern Cibola County celebrated their collective commitment to the community and their focus on improving educational outcomes for local students.

The event was held at Laguna Middle School on June 9 and drew more than 150 community members. It showcased the activities of the fellows and was an opportunity to bring together people from various parts of the community.

Eastern Cibola County includes residents of Acoma and Laguna Tribal affiliation as well as people who are part of the Seboyeta and Cubero land grant communities. One highlight of the event was a Trivial Pursuit-type game that featured interesting facts about the county’s diverse history. Give-away items for the Trivial Pursuit game were donated by local merchants and businesses from neighboring cities. Also on site was the digital storytelling youth leadership team which is working on a short video production featuring highlights from the festival.

“I was amazed at all the support that came through from the Laguna Department of Education,” says Shelly Valdez, coordinator of the KLCC project. “Many individuals lent their support to setting up the environment, cooking and cleaning. I felt really good inside to see this type of partnership bring us all together.”

For more information about the Eastern Cibola County KLCC project, contact Valdez at SHILAGUNA@aol.com.