| Rio Grande Preparatory Institute | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
2355 Avenida de Mesilla Mesilla , Dona Ana , New Mexico 88046 United States | |
| Coordinates | 32°16′31″N106°47′37″W / 32.27528975650192°N 106.79351855457419°W |
| Information | |
| Principal | Michelle Ronga |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 144 |
| Website | https://rgpi.lcps.net/ |
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute (RGPI) is an alternative high school [1] in Mesilla, New Mexico. As of 2024, the school serves 144 students. [2] The school is a part of Las Cruces Public Schools.
RGPI was once host to the public library of Mesilla from 2012 to 2014, when the school forced the closure due to security concerns. [3] In 2021, the gymnasium was painted with an ohmage to four major figures in Las Cruces Public Schools, including former superintendent Karen Trujillo and former Las Cruces High School principal Jim Hendee. [4]
In 2023 Las Cruces High School principal Michelle Ronga was brought in, a position still held by her as of July 2024. [5]
As an alternative high school, RGPI differs from standard high schools in their methods of teaching. [6] RGPI reduces teacher-student ratios, focusing on one-on-one interactions, meant to foster creativity and original thinking. [1]
As of the 2023–24 school year, RGPI has 144 students enrolled, with an average teacher-student ratio of 16–1. [2] Ethnically, 86.1% of students are Hispanic, 10.4% is White, 2.1% are African-American, and 1.4% are of other ethnic groups. [2]
Las Cruces is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 census the population was 111,385, making Las Cruces the most populous city in both Doña Ana County and southern New Mexico. The Las Cruces metropolitan area had an estimated population of 213,849 in 2017. It is the principal city of a metropolitan statistical area which encompasses all of Doña Ana County and is part of the larger El Paso–Las Cruces combined statistical area with a population of 1,088,420 making it the 56th largest combined statistical area in the United States.
Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,196 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Vado is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 3,194 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code for Vado is 88072, its area code is 575, and it is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area.
New Mexico State University is a public, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution of higher education, and was the original land-grant institution in New Mexico. NMSU is a university system, with its main campus in Las Cruces and satellite campuses in Alamogordo, Doña Ana County, and Grants. Through the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, it has centers or programs in all 33 counties in the state.
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Harlingen, Texas, United States. It was founded August 5, 1950 via the merger of the Harlingen Independent School District and the Stuart Place Independent School District.
Denise Elia Chávez is a Chicana author, playwright, and stage director. She has also taught classes at New Mexico State University. She is based in New Mexico.
Henry C. "Howie" Morales is an American politician and educator serving as the 30th lieutenant governor of New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the New Mexico State Senator from the 28th district, which includes Catron County, Grant County and Socorro County, from 2008 until 2019.
The Rio Grande Trail is a proposed long distance trail along the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The river extends over 1,800 total miles, some 700 miles (1,100 km) of which pass through the heart of New Mexico. It is the state's primary drainage feature and most valuable natural and cultural resource. The river and its bosque provide a wide variety of recreation, including hunting and fishing, birdwatching, river rafting, hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The river also flows through or beside numerous spectacular and geologically interesting landforms, the result of extensive volcanism and erosion of the valley within the Rio Grande Rift. Although some trail advocates would like to see the trail extended the full distance through New Mexico, from the Colorado border to the United States–Mexico border, the portion proposed for initial development extends 300 miles (480 km), from Bernalillo south to Las Cruces.
Las Cruces Sun-News, founded in 1881, is a daily newspaper published in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Rio Rancho Public Schools is a school district based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States. Rio Rancho Public Schools serves the municipality of Rio Rancho. The school district has a total of 18 schools. The district has two high schools, two alternative high schools, four middle schools, 10 elementary schools, and one preschool.
El Paso–Juárez, also known as Juárez–El Paso, the Borderplex or Paso del Norte, is a transborder agglomeration, on the border between Mexico and the United States. The region is centered on two large cities: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, U.S. Additionally, nearby Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S., is sometimes included as part of the region, referred to as El Paso–Juárez–Las Cruces or El Paso–Juárez–Southern New Mexico. With over 2.7 million people, this binational region is the 2nd largest conurbation on the United States–Mexico border. The El Paso–Juárez region is the largest bilingual, binational work force in the Western Hemisphere.
Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) is a school district headquartered in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school district covers the city of Las Cruces as well as White Sands Missile Range, the settlement of Doña Ana, and the town of Mesilla. The system has 25 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and six high schools. Of the high schools, St. Mary's Catholic high school, Alma D'Arte, Las Montañas, and Arrowhead Park Early College High School are alternative high schools, and there are nearly 25,000 students and 3,600 employees. LCPS is the second-largest school district in New Mexico.
The Leasburg Diversion Dam is a structure completed in 1907 on the Rio Grande in New Mexico, United States. It diverts water from the Rio Grande into the 13.7 miles (22.0 km) long Leasburg Canal, which carries irrigation water into the upper Mesilla Valley, north of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Organ Mountain High School (OMHS) is one of four public high schools in Las Cruces, New Mexico. As of the 2021–2022 school year, OMHS serves 1,874 students, grades 9–12. The school is a part of the Las Cruces Public Schools District.
The Delisle triple murder was the April 2010 gun slaying of Gilles L. Delisle (69), his wife Helga Harries Delisle (72), and their business partner Peter J. Weith (68), at the Delisle home on Mesilla Hills Drive outside of Mesilla, near Las Cruces, New Mexico. A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the shooter.
International Connoisseurs of Green and Red Chile (ICGRC) was an American organization created to promote the enjoyment of chili peppers. ICGRC was founded in Mesilla, New Mexico in 1973 and grew to have chapters throughout the United States and in 17 other countries. ICGRC provided information about how to grow chili peppers and how to use them in recipes. The organization was taken over by the Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau in 1989.
The Rio Grande Valley is the river valley carved out by the Rio Grande as it flows through the American Southwest and northeastern Mexico, forming a part of the border region. In the US state of New Mexico, the river flows mostly north to south, and forms a valley near Cochiti Pueblo to the state line near El Paso, Texas along the floors of the large sedimentary basins of the Rio Grande Rift, and includes the narrow sections between the basins. It has been historically settled first by the Pueblo peoples, the Spanish, the Mexicans, and finally Anglo-Americans. As the largest river in the state, some of its most populous cities are located wholly or partially in the valley, including Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city.
Hatch Valley Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Hatch, New Mexico.