Sen. Jaramillo visits Piñon Elementary, celebrates student-led civic engagement

A fourth-grade invitation turned State Sen. Leo Jaramillo’s stop at Piñon Elementary into a civics lesson, as the White Rock school’s students greeted him with cheer activities and a framed certificate for Preslee Robinson.

Jaramillo, who represents District 5 in the New Mexico Legislature and has served since 2021, joined Principal Ivanna Austell and Piñon school council members outside the campus at 90 Grand Canyon Drive. The senator is also a nationally recognized cheer coach, and he joined the activity after spotting students outside the school, giving the morning an energy that felt more like a student-led welcome than a formal political appearance.

Preslee Robinson appears to have been at the center of the visit. The student invited Jaramillo herself and helped plan the event for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students, turning the senator’s stop into something the children shaped rather than simply observed. Jaramillo brought a framed certificate for Preslee, adding a recognition moment to what was already a direct lesson in how local government can show up in a school hallway and on a playground.

The visit also underscored how closely Piñon Elementary sits within the life of White Rock and Los Alamos County. The school is part of Los Alamos Public Schools, and Austell is listed as principal in the district directory. The campus has become a visible symbol of the district’s recent investment in White Rock after the new Piñon building opened to staff before the 2025-2026 school year and then to students on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025.

Jaynes Corporation described the new campus as a 62,000-square-foot facility completed in 2025 for grades Pre-K through 5. It includes a library, full-service kitchen, improved gymnasium, separate playgrounds, a turf athletic field, basketball courts, an amphitheater and updated site circulation. Los Alamos Public Schools also said both the new Piñon and Chamisa elementary schools passed state fire inspections in August 2025, while Los Alamos County approved noise-ordinance waivers during 2024 so crews could complete early concrete pours.

That backdrop gives the morning visit added weight. In a school that has recently been through construction, inspections and a major opening, a student-organized event with a state senator made state government feel tangible, and showed how young people in White Rock can help set the tone for civic life in Los Alamos County.