Jose Barrios Elementary School's final day ceremony 052926

Jose Barrios Elementary closing ceremony 052926

Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy

On a beautiful sunny day, Friday, May 29, 2026, Jose Barrios Elementary School closed as a part of the Silver Consolidated Schools.

Every teacher, every staff member and every student wore the same shirt to honor the school

The good news, is that Aldo Leopold Charter School will do some renovations over the summer and the halls will ring with the sounds of students and teachers again in the fall.

Silver Schools student population has been decreasing for many years, and the costs of keeping Jose Barrios Elementary and Sixth Street Elementary open for the small populations of students had become a burden on the budget.

The Silver Schools Board made the difficult decision to close both of them.

Jose Barrios ElementaryPrincipal Bobby Trujillo welcomed the students, the teachers and staff, as well as former students and teachers and the public to the ceremony. Abriana Cameron and Danielle Pellegrino sang The Nathional Anthem. The Vietnam Veterans Chapter 358 brought in the colors. The American and New Mexico flags were lowered from the staff, by Alexandrue Davila, Jace Cruz, Arie Storjohann and Dakota Jaurequi. The students had learned how to fold the flags in order to present them to speakers.

The first guest speaker Rep. Luis Terrazas said: "This is my school. I see some of the teachers here that I had."

When he found out the school would be closing, he and Sen. Gabriel Ramos worked with Silver Schools and Aldo Leopold boards and the state Legislature and Mortgage Financial Authority to get funding for ALCS to purchase the facility. He joked: "With two Wills, Will Hawkins, superintendent of Silver schools and Will Tracy, Aldo Leopold director, it came together. Where there's a will, there's a way."

Terrazas said it was sad to see this chapter closing, but with another opening, the halls will still be filled will educators and students. "Thank you for every and all the memories that were made here and new memories to be made."

Trujillo then introduced Raul Turrieta, who said he attended Jose Barrios, in 1966. "I remember my kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Parra. It was called North Silver Elementary at that time."

He noted that the name was changed in 1974 to recognize Jose Barrios, who was a police officer and mentored many kids, those who were getting into trouble. He pushed them to get jobs and to get educated.

"So, you guys are going to move on," Turrieta continued. "You are our history. You are going to be our future. I do want to thank the teachers, the principals throughout the years here and thank you, because it is dear to my heart, this wonderful school, North Silver."

Trujillo then introduced Lt. Gov. Howie Morales. "At this time, we would like to present our New Mexico flag to, Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales."

Morales said: "They went out of their way, and I share why this is special because I represent these students, teachers and the public all around the state. I'm going to make sure that I put this flag in a special place, because this is a special day, and I'm grateful. I'm not here to speak as a lieutenant governor, I'm here today to speak as a community member, and as a former teacher, and a coach. So, if I'm a teacher, I want to see who's in the audience right now. I want to hear, where are all our first graders? First graders, where are you? I can't hear you. Second graders, let me hear you. Third graders, Fourth graders, Fifth graders. Now I want to hear our sixth graders."

"What a wonderful opportunity it is to come on the last day of school to be here to celebrate with you, for we have beautiful weather, and you have the beautiful shade that's here to truly make a memory of what today means. One of the greatest stories that we have of this transition is that the name and the legacy will always be remembered, and I think that's a testament to the school board, Mr. Hawkins, our administration, and of course all of our educators here. So that to me is extremely meaningful. Thank you for all that you do, and the love that you continue to show.When you see the connections that are there and what it does to bring us together here today is especially meaningful, because for all the parents that are here and recognizing the work that's done, I can remember in the history this was was the school that you would want to go to every Halloween because the school in the hallways would put together the Halloween Carnival, and I can remember what you guys did as a school, as an administration, and as a faculty, recognizing our veterans every single year. That is something that is especially meaningful, and I know that will continue. So, thank you for this opportunity, allowing me to come here, share a few words, come back home, and to give a big celebration to all of our students, and wish you the best of luck. God bless you."

Trujillo the said: "The most impressive part of the last three speeches is they were on time, I I'm applauding you for that. My biggest pressure of the last couple of weeks, preparing today, was making sure that we're on time. So, thank you, gentlemen. As we gather to celebrate the history of this campus, it is vital to remember the remarkable man whose name graces this school, Jose Barrios Junior. In 1949 it was North Silver Elementary. However, in 1974 the community led by the League of the United Latin American Citizens, American GI Forum, the board of El Grito Head Start, and WNMU Professor Dr. Arthur Martinez came together to rename it. They chose to honor Jose Barrios, a dedicated Silver City police officer who tragically passed away in 1972 at a young age. He was a Navy veteran and served during the Korean conflict for five years. Captain Barrios was much more than a protector of our streets. He was a champion for youth. He dedicated his life to mentoring children, guiding them towards bright futures, and serving as a positive role model here in Grant County. For 50 years, this school has strived to carry forward his spirit of guidance, safety, and community care."

"As this era closes, we can take pride in knowing that his legacy of nurturing local youth will live on in every student who has attended this school," Trujillo continued. "At this time,I would like to present Miss Cynthia Nañez, the daughter of Captain Jose Barrios, with the American flag that had flown over the school and the picture of her father that has been displayed in the school for decades. Mrs. Nañez taught for 41 years and 23 of them were here and she was telling me a story with that pine tree right there that's probably close to 40-50 feet tall now. She used to try to reach as high as they could to get the Christmas ornaments put on it each year with her first graders, so we wanted to honor her a little. We couldn't get to the top, Mrs. Nañez, but we wanted to decorate that in honor of you. At this time, could all our current staff please stand to be recognized."

Will Tracy spoke: "I would like to thank Superintendent Hawkins, the Silver School Board, Rep Terrazas, Sen. Ramos, Principal Trujillo, the Aldo governing council, Business Manager Jackie Riley, and Cynthia Nañez, all of the members that have come together to continue the legacy of Jose Barrios, and to keep an important community school an important community school. For those who may not know, my name is Will Tracy, and I'm the director of the Aldo Leopold Charter School. The Aldo Leopold Charter School is a public charter school given to all students in Grant County with no tuition and no exclusionary acceptance. It's always important just to note that fact for people in the community that might be confused on that, but the key thing today is that we're highlighting a time of transition, a time of celebration. It's graduation season. It's spring. We have a school that is changing hands and remaining in the public, that is super important. And so, for all students, faculty, staff, principals, leaders, community members, just remember that the only constant is change. And so, as all the Leopold Charter School takes on the operation of Jose Barrios, we are going to retain the name. It is going to be Jose Barrios. The building will always be called Jose Barrios.

"In addition to maintaining your name, we are going to have a mini Museum exhibit in the front lobby to honor the history of Jose Barrios and North Silver Elementary as well. There's a lot there, and that's important to honor. Not only that, but we all know there's a wonderful community garden at the school, which will be named for the one who is responsible for that community garden. So, I look forward to continuing to honor Jose Barrios by having a welcoming, respectful school open to all students in Grant County, and we continue to learn and grow as a community. Thank you."

Trujillo closed with: "Jose Barrios has been more than a school. It's been a family home; it's a place where friendships took flight, where laughter echoed down our hallways, and where generations of students learned how to spread their wings. It has been a launching path for lifelong learning. As we close our doors for the last time, I want to say from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Thank you those who taught, who wiped every tear, for every smile shared, and every act of love that filled this school. Thank you for your dedication, your strength, your passion, your heart. Thank you to yourself, collaboration, positive communication, and for raising amazing kids. So, to the students, thank you for your positive attitude, your kind and respectful behavior, your smile, your laughter, your hearts, and your commitment to learning. Please continue with dignity in all future endeavors."

The ceremony was followed by much hugging, some tears, and smiles for what is to come.

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