When the private New Mexico Academy for Sciences and Technology came to town 10 years ago, it was the planned buildings that were getting all the attention— an equestrian center, a swimming pool, tennis courts— all on some 27 acres of choice real estate on Old Santa Fe Trail.
But 10 years later, it's the tiny graduating class of seven that's getting the spotlight.
"It's a small class— five students from here plus two from Mali and the Ukraine— but their acceptances read like a 'who's who in colleges,' '' said Ken O'Brymin, who took over as head of school just last July.
Already offered more than $1.6 million in scholarships, grants and financial aid, the seniors have received acceptances from schools, including Stanford, Duke, Northwestern and the U.S. Naval Academy, and they are waiting to hear from others.
"About 45 percent of our kids are on financial aid," said O'Brymin of the 44 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12. "And 35 percent don't speak English at home."
Sitting in the bright, airy atrium of the school last week, four of the seniors talked about their unusual school.
"We're considered the 'nerd' school," said Stewart Youngblood, 17. "We don't fit that, but it's because we don't have sports."
Hearing that, O'Brymin laughed and said, "We have a sport here— it's called chess, and we have trophies for it," gesturing toward a glass case in the lobby.
The cinderblock building next door is the beginning of a swimming pool and gymnasium. "There is the vision," said O'Brymin, of sports to come. "But we are in a precarious situation in the history of the school."
The school was started in 1998 by Fernando Multedo and his wife, Molly. But, in December 2006, the couple abruptly left town for Multedo's native Brazil.
While Multedo was considered by many a gifted teacher, his strong personality often clashed with parents— especially over student discipline— during his tenure as head of school.
Making changes
But a new board emerged during the 2006-2007 school year, garnering more parent confidence, and has followed through on its commitments. The board began advertising for a new head of school and, by July last year, O'Brymin was at the helm, gambling on the odds.
"I was overseas working in education for the past 22 years when I heard of this job," said O'Brymin. "I didn't have any visions of living in the United States again. I left the island of Curacao to take on an island at 7,000 feet above sea level."
O'Brymin said he was intrigued by the school's focus on math and sciences combined with the humanities, its international bent and plans in the making for the school to become residential.
"There's no sign that says international, but we have two students from Korea, one from Tibet, one from Africa and one from the Ukraine," said O'Brymin, who was also attracted by the school's adherence to the principles of the Earth Charter, a declaration of values for building a sustainable and peaceful global society.
Out of this unusual school, seniors Erica Silva, 18, and Youngblood, both natives of Santa Fe, have both been accepted to Stanford.
"We were told that Stanford had 28,000 applications and accepted less than 8 percent of that," said O'Brymin. "I think there were 13 in all the state of New Mexico, and two are sitting at our table."
The acceptance was especially meaningful for Silva. "My parents didn't go to college," she said. "And I'm the first one in my family to graduate from high school in the last five years— everyone keeps dropping out."
Silva wants to study bio-medical enginnering and hasn't yet accepted the Stanford package with its offer of $198,000 over four years in grants and aid, with no loans to be repaid. She was also accepted by Duke University in Durham, N.C., and is strongly considering that school, but hasn't heard yet about the aid it would offer her.
Silva was also accepted to 10 other colleges, ranging from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, which offered her $194,680, to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., which offered $196,925.
Youngblood is the son of Nathan Youngblood, the renowned Santa Clara Pueblo potter. His mother is a real estate agent.
"My dad didn't finish college," said Youngblood. "He told me that's the only thing he really wanted me to do."
Youngblood plans to attend Stanford, even though he was also accepted by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Texas Tech in Lubbock and New Mexico Tech in Socorro. In his case, no financial aid or grants were offered by Stanford.
Silva has attended the academy since ninth grade, Youngblood since seventh.
International approach
After listening to their classmates explain their college plans, Ousmane Sidibe, 16, of Mali, and Andriy Lyubovetskiy, 17, of the Ukraine talk about the differences in applying for college in this country versus their own.
"It seems like a lot of work here," said Lyubovetskiy. "In the Ukraine, you don't apply until you've graduated and passed all your exams and have certain points."
The same is true in Mali, said Sidibe. "In the beginning, I considered applying to American colleges," he said. "But not when I saw how much work it was. In Mali, you have to get your diploma first, but it's hardly ever that the colleges don't let you in."
Cordell Barrett, 18, of Albuquerque, who commutes daily to the academy, has accepted some $13,000 in yearly scholarships to study biology in a pre-dental program at Barry University in Miami, Fla. "I chose it because almost 100 percent of the students who apply to dental school get in," he said. "Plus, I like Florida."
He's still researching financial aid, though, trying to land more scholarship money.
Two other seniors, Sarah Cantor and Hannah Walden, were off on college visiting trips last week, but O'Brymin said Cantor was trying to decide between two well-known liberal arts schools, Occidental College in Los Angeles, and Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.
Walden is looking seriously at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., where she has been offered $69,544 in aid and grants, and Loyola University in New Orleans, which offered her $112,000.
When O'Brymin arrived at the school, "they didn't have a college counselor," he said. "But I've done college counseling before."
And while he feels somewhat like a proud parent, he said, "All teachers who had any of these kids in the last six years got a letter from the board about their successes."
O'Brymin said "nerd" is the wrong word for the school's students. "These are kids who wouldn't fit in any other place, but they all fit here," he said.
"They're all kids who like things, who are passionate. I have one seventh grader who writes me e-mails saying, 'First order of business ... second order of business.' That's the kind of student we have."
