LAPS Seeks Nominations for NMSBA 2026 Excellence in Student Achievement Award

Los Alamos Public Schools announced that it is accepting community nominations for the New Mexico School Boards Association’s 2026 Excellence in Student Achievement Award, with a submission deadline of Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. The award recognizes individuals chosen by local school boards who have played an important role in improving student achievement.

The statewide program is designed to help local boards honor school leaders, staff and community members whose work supports student outcomes. As the New Mexico School Boards Association puts it, “The Excellence in Student Achievement Awards program seeks to promote student achievement in school districts and assist local school boards in recognizing school leaders, staff and other individuals who have played an important role in improving student achievement at the local level.” District boards present the award on behalf of NMSBA; NMSBA will purchase and send one commemorative award per district, with the association’s name and logo engraved on the piece. Districts that wish to present additional awards may be assessed a cost of approximately $50.00 per extra award.

The nomination form used in prior cycles lists fields such as district name, recipient name and checkboxes for recipient type including School Board Member, Administrator, Staff Member, Parent, Community Member, Volunteer or Other, and it requires the School Board President’s signature and a date. Local selection is to be conducted through an open nomination process at the discretion of each local board of education.

Last year’s participation underscores the program’s reach across New Mexico: “Sixty-four (64) New Mexico school boards participated in this year’s program and a record one hundred eighty-nine (189) award recipients were selected,” NMSBA noted in its 2025 summary. For Los Alamos, the award offers a formal way to highlight teachers, administrators, classified staff, parents and volunteers whose work yields measurable gains in classroom performance, attendance, graduation or other student outcomes valued by the community.

LAPS’s announcement provided the Feb. 20, 2026 deadline but did not specify a submission method or a local point of contact. An archival NMSBA nomination form from a prior year shows instructions to email or fax nominations to Lorraine Vigil, Program Director (email: lvigil@nmsba.org; fax: (505) 983-2450), and NMSBA’s main office is listed at 300 Galisteo Street, Suite 204, Santa Fe, NM 87501, telephone (505) 983-5041. Residents should contact Los Alamos Public Schools directly to confirm where and how LAPS wants nominations submitted for the 2026 cycle.

For community members, the immediate step is straightforward: identify a local educator, volunteer or staff member whose efforts have influenced student achievement, assemble supporting details about the nominee’s impact, and submit the nomination before the Feb. 20 deadline once LAPS confirms submission instructions. The award gives local boards a tool to spotlight work that often goes unseen; for Los Alamos residents, it is an opportunity to put a teacher, counselor, coach or volunteer in the spotlight and to document the specific results that matter for students and families in the county.