ALCS Governing Council Members
Hannah Wecks, President
hwecks@aldocs.org
Hannah is the mother of two Aldo students and a veteran educator. As an educator she has a deep belief in the power of experiential education. Hannah also feels that our natural environment and community are vital parts of a well-rounded curriculum. Hannah and her family moved to Silver City 15 years ago from Colorado. She grew up in New Mexico and Colorado, and graduated from Colorado State University with a B.A. in English. She is currently the librarian at Snell Middle School in Bayard, NM.
hwecks@aldocs.org
Hannah is the mother of two Aldo students and a veteran educator. As an educator she has a deep belief in the power of experiential education. Hannah also feels that our natural environment and community are vital parts of a well-rounded curriculum. Hannah and her family moved to Silver City 15 years ago from Colorado. She grew up in New Mexico and Colorado, and graduated from Colorado State University with a B.A. in English. She is currently the librarian at Snell Middle School in Bayard, NM.
Margaret Begay, Vice President
mbegay@cobre.k12.n
Margaret Begay is a native of Silver City, New Mexico. Margaret and her husband James have raised four daughters. Margaret is an alumna of Western New Mexico University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. She has over twenty-five years of experience in state government with the primary focus on Juvenile Justice Initiatives. Margaret has also taught at Western New Mexico University as an adjunct professor for 13 years.
Currently, Margaret works for Cobre Consolidated Schools as a Reading Interventionist. Margaret has been actively involved in creating advisory boards, and being an active board member on numerous Grant County and statewide boards serving multiple populations. Margaret most recently completed the Principal Leadership Program and received her administrative license through the Public Education Department.
Margaret loves spending time with her family camping, hiking and enjoys reading a great novel. Margaret’s investment in Education and the youth of this community continues through her vast experiences’ with the Grant County Youth Soccer Association, the Silver City Little League, The Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest, the Grant County DWI program, the Grant County Teen Court, the statewide Drug Court Association, as well as numerous other non-profit organizations.
mbegay@cobre.k12.n
Margaret Begay is a native of Silver City, New Mexico. Margaret and her husband James have raised four daughters. Margaret is an alumna of Western New Mexico University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. She has over twenty-five years of experience in state government with the primary focus on Juvenile Justice Initiatives. Margaret has also taught at Western New Mexico University as an adjunct professor for 13 years.
Currently, Margaret works for Cobre Consolidated Schools as a Reading Interventionist. Margaret has been actively involved in creating advisory boards, and being an active board member on numerous Grant County and statewide boards serving multiple populations. Margaret most recently completed the Principal Leadership Program and received her administrative license through the Public Education Department.
Margaret loves spending time with her family camping, hiking and enjoys reading a great novel. Margaret’s investment in Education and the youth of this community continues through her vast experiences’ with the Grant County Youth Soccer Association, the Silver City Little League, The Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest, the Grant County DWI program, the Grant County Teen Court, the statewide Drug Court Association, as well as numerous other non-profit organizations.
Jamie Crockett, Secretary
jcrockett@aldocs.org
Jamie is the parent of an Aldo student who insisted on moving to Silver City to attend ALCS after remote homeschooling for 7 years. Aldo Leopold Charter School’s mission and vision of providing students an experiential education focused on out of the classroom learning in both the
community and the natural world resonated with the Crockett family. In order to stay involved in her daughter’s education and to hopefully improve access to this exciting school for more community members, Jamie joined committees first and then the ALCS Governing Council. She recently graduated from Western New Mexico University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling while co-owning the family’s outfitting business in the Gila Wilderness.
jcrockett@aldocs.org
Jamie is the parent of an Aldo student who insisted on moving to Silver City to attend ALCS after remote homeschooling for 7 years. Aldo Leopold Charter School’s mission and vision of providing students an experiential education focused on out of the classroom learning in both the
community and the natural world resonated with the Crockett family. In order to stay involved in her daughter’s education and to hopefully improve access to this exciting school for more community members, Jamie joined committees first and then the ALCS Governing Council. She recently graduated from Western New Mexico University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling while co-owning the family’s outfitting business in the Gila Wilderness.
Max Higgs, Member
mhiggs@aldocs.org
I am a native Texan, but that along with other defects is the fault of my parents. I was reared in Abilene, Texas. I attended Abilene Christian College and was graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. I was one of five Governor’s Fellows in Public Administration at the precursor to the Lyndon Johnson Institute of Public Affairs. In 1966, I received an internship at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center near Houston, Texas. I served two years in the US Army including service in the Republic of Viet Nam (defunct). I was graduated from the University of Houston Law School in 1973. I have practiced law and served as a judge with primary activity in Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, Estates and Trusts, Mental Health, Child Development, Products Liability and Personal Injury along with Child Support Enforcement. I took a year off from law to work at a children’s home. My wife and I have been foster parents and adoptive parents. We have an adopted son who has brought us forty years of joy. My wife and I are active in Rotary in Silver City, and I serve on the board of the Silver City Museum. I continue to be interested in politics, government, social work, sociology of religion, human development and Buddhist psychology.
mhiggs@aldocs.org
I am a native Texan, but that along with other defects is the fault of my parents. I was reared in Abilene, Texas. I attended Abilene Christian College and was graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. I was one of five Governor’s Fellows in Public Administration at the precursor to the Lyndon Johnson Institute of Public Affairs. In 1966, I received an internship at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center near Houston, Texas. I served two years in the US Army including service in the Republic of Viet Nam (defunct). I was graduated from the University of Houston Law School in 1973. I have practiced law and served as a judge with primary activity in Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, Estates and Trusts, Mental Health, Child Development, Products Liability and Personal Injury along with Child Support Enforcement. I took a year off from law to work at a children’s home. My wife and I have been foster parents and adoptive parents. We have an adopted son who has brought us forty years of joy. My wife and I are active in Rotary in Silver City, and I serve on the board of the Silver City Museum. I continue to be interested in politics, government, social work, sociology of religion, human development and Buddhist psychology.
Alexandra Tager, Member
atager@aldocs.org
Alexandra Tager has spent her working life in fields that require rallying folks around a cause, or assembling folks for a good time or an enriching experience. Fundraising, catering, political organizing, event management-- formerly as the Program Manger for The Mimbres Region Arts Council and currently as the Program Coordinator for WNMU Department of Cultural Affairs-- she has been deeply involved in civic life and has been enriched by every moment. As the mother of an Aldo middle schooler, her aim is to take that experience and employ it in service of the students of Aldo. She maintains that moving to Silver City from the East Coast and settling here 16 years ago was one of the best decisions she ever made, and she is so grateful to have a school that shares her values and gives kids the tools they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
AJ Sandoval, Member
ajsondoval@aldocs.org
atager@aldocs.org
Alexandra Tager has spent her working life in fields that require rallying folks around a cause, or assembling folks for a good time or an enriching experience. Fundraising, catering, political organizing, event management-- formerly as the Program Manger for The Mimbres Region Arts Council and currently as the Program Coordinator for WNMU Department of Cultural Affairs-- she has been deeply involved in civic life and has been enriched by every moment. As the mother of an Aldo middle schooler, her aim is to take that experience and employ it in service of the students of Aldo. She maintains that moving to Silver City from the East Coast and settling here 16 years ago was one of the best decisions she ever made, and she is so grateful to have a school that shares her values and gives kids the tools they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
AJ Sandoval, Member
ajsondoval@aldocs.org
