There are two types of building going on at the Technology Leadership High School campus in Albuquerque.
Contractors continue to work on the renovation of the new campus, former home of the Southwest University of Visual Art. Inside, staff are building futures for about 350 students. The new, bigger and recently acquired campus is allowing the school to make bigger plans for its future.
Technology Leadership High School, a district charter school authorized by Albuquerque Public Schools, was founded in 2015 and originally was in the Sandia Science & Technology Park near the Four Hills neighborhood. The students arrived at the new location in the Pueblo Alto neighborhood last month.
Executive Director Cynthia Ramirez said the school aims to provide an option for students who need something more than a traditional high school experience.
Among the distinguishing features of the school is its help for students who are experiencing behavioral health issues. At a traditional school, Ramirez said, those services would be available only to students with individualized education programs.
Angela Lopez, field director for Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, said Technology Leadership is one of a few local high schools operating a project-based learning model, aimed at preparing students for particular career paths.
Others include Health Leadership High School (focused on healthcare professions), ACE Leadership High School (trades and construction) and Siembra Leadership High School (entrepreneurship).
Academics at Tech unfold differently than at traditional high schools: through project-based learning. In place of a straightforward final exam, students are expected to produce presentations that meet state standards for multiple subjects while allowing their audience to learn along with them.
One such project is a replica of the Eiffel Tower created by senior Santiago Cisneros. He used a 3-D printing pen for the project, which involved mathematics, language arts and physics.
The school, Ramirez said, is geared to prepare students for college or to enter the workforce. Velina Chavez, director of community engagement, said students attend classes Monday through Thursday and use Fridays to learn outside the building through community service.
Chavez said Fridays spent at local food banks, senior centers and other locations helps students develop “soft skills” necessary for the workforce, including communication, time management and customer service.
Students can also earn industry certifications on some software programs, including Google IT and Canva.
The school has online and hybrid programs for high school-aged students and an evening program to accommodate 18-to-22-year-olds.
The new campus is 60,000 square feet – five times the size of the prior location – and includes several “wellness spaces” for students to use when they need a break from class. They include special equipment for relaxation and yoga. There’s also a school-based health clinic operated in partnership with University of New Mexico Health System.
Ramirez said Tech has recently been chartered to start a middle school, which will admit its first students within the next two years.
The relocation and renovation was a $7 million project, Ramirez said. State lawmakers contributed $1.5 million, and the school is financing the remainder through the Charter Schools Development Corporation.
Future plans call for a multipurpose activity center and an indoor soccer field in the basement.
Ramirez said students usually come from three pools: those promoted from middle school who would like a different educational experience, those interested in the school’s technology focus and some referred by other schools where the students didn’t really fit.
Thomas Matthews has attended Technology Leadership all four years. He said he’s come to think of the school staff as “almost another set of parents” who provide the help he needs moving forward.
Matthews said he finds his teachers’ instructional styles beneficial, as they focus on helping students develop critical thinking skills.
Senior James Tyson said he was at risk of dropping out of a larger school, but enrolling at Tech has helped him find himself. He said mental health services have been a major benefit to himself and others.
“They focus on helping all students be the best versions of themselves,” Tyson said.