Kokopelli visits school

Kokopelli, a fertility and agriculture deity who chases away winter and ushers in spring with his flute playing, traveled to Barranca Mesa Elementary School this week.

The fourth-grade class worked since January to prepare for his arrival. In fact, the whole staff, from physical education instructors to social studies teachers, got in on the action. They helped students not only study this Southwestern Native American god, but write and illustrate books about the deity, create puppets for a puppet show, rehearse a song about Kokopelli, and learn a Kokopelli dance.

Alice Newman, Barranca librarian, said fourth-graders study New Mexico as part of their curriculum. The special instructors, along with the fourth-grade teachers, decided to join together to “show how all this knowledge is related.”

Plus, “we wanted them to see how special New Mexico is,” she said.

Students not only wanted to honor Kokopelli through their work, but also their parents. Therefore, parents were invited to an assembly Tuesday to read student’s stories and watch performance about Kokopelli. “And the parents were very pleased,” Newman said.

Another assembly celebrating Kokopelli was held Friday. Pueblo storytellers and dancers came to school to share their knowledge to students.

If you subscribe to the newspaper, you receive FREE access to all the exclusive content of the web site! Simply register to receive uninterrupted access to our award-winning and in-depth local online content!

Renew Current or Past Subscription / Register for Online Subscription

If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Los Alamos Monitor, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.

Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.

Newspaper Acct. ID:
Street Address:	(exactly as it appears on the label)

If you are a subscriber and you do not know your account ID or don't have a copy of your newspaper available that shows the information on the address label you can click continue below to search for your account.

New Subscription/30 Day Free Trial Account

If you are new to the award winning Los Alamos Monitor and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.

ZIP Code:

Create a limited access account.
Register to participate in community forums, post on the community calendar, blog etc. This registration does not give you full access to read our award winning content, etc.

The Los Alamos Monitor | lacirculation@lamonitor.com | 505-662-4185
256 DP Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Office Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday