By Kevin Hendricks
The Sandoval Academy of Bilingual Education hosted a party on March 25 that was a decade in the making.
Over 100 students, faculty, family, friends and community leaders gathered to celebrate SABE’s new campus and the 10-year-anniversary of the Rio Rancho charter school.
The event centered around the dedication of the new school building, affectionately dubbed a “dream factory” by the Head of School, Jackie Rodriguez. Rodriguez thanked the construction crew, elected officials, and the community for helping make the new facility a reality. She also reminded the crowd of SABE’s core mission: to nurture students’ dreams while providing a rich bilingual and multilingual education that celebrates cultural diversity.
“I stand committed to continue serving my school and my community in our state. We are bilingual. We are rich in culture. We’re rich in language,” Rodriguez said. “The beauty of our state is what I see in these kids every day at SABE. We will continue building our students with an appreciation of their own cultures, the cultures around them, and continue building the future leaders of our state and our world.”
Rodriguez, who has been with SABE for eight years, reflected on the school’s remarkable growth from 83 students when she started to a student population of 225. Plans are underway to expand to a pre-K program, pending state grant approval.
“It truly is a passion and a joy to see these kiddos grow from kindergarten through eighth grade, or even just in a year, some even just in a week,” she said.
The journey to the new campus was a long-held dream for Rodriguez, who sought a permanent home for the school. SABE’s current location is in a retrofitted and updated office building in Enchanted Hills.
The new state-owned facility at 601 Quantum Road has been designed specifically as a school. After two years of construction, the building was finished in February. SABE will move into its new campus in June before the 2025-26 school year. The new building offers opportunities for further development, including the construction of a playground, which Rodriguez hopes will be completed this summer.
SABE’s new facility will feature 16 full-size classrooms, enhanced safety features, outdoor learning areas and the planned pre-K program.
The school operates on a 50:50 Dual Language Immersion program, with 50% Spanish and 50% English instruction. This approach caters to native Spanish speakers, provides enrichment for native English speakers, and offers a heritage piece for the community to reconnect with their language.
“Our focus is bi-literacy. That’s our main mission,” Rodriguez said.
Looking ahead, Rodriguez envisions adding a multi-purpose room and science classrooms to the new facility. She aims to fill the remaining upper-grade seats and continue serving the community.
“I’m feeling excited that it gives continued hope for our program and for our community to continue building the legacy that our founders brought on and providing a program that supports our community and beyond, not just for Rio Rancho but surrounding communities as well.”