Serving the High Plains

Students, teachers honor TMS’ retiring principal

link Roberta Segura sits with students and staff during

a slide show the prepared in honor of her retirement as princapal of Tucumcari Middle School.

Thomas Garcia

QCS Senior Writer

For the students, faculty and staff of Tucumcari Middle School, the May 20 awards assembly marked more than the end of the year.

It was the final assembly Roberta Segura would officiate as the school's principal.

“We love you, Mrs. Segura!” was the chant heard from the students as Segura was presented with a bouquet of roses and thank-you plaques from students, faculty and staff at the end of the awards assembly.

It was a fitting way to pay tribute to Segura, considering, one of her first officials acts as principal for TMS was to hold awards assembly's to recognize the students achievements.

Segura said when she first came to the middle school in 2003, honor students simply met in the gym and enjoyed juice and donuts as rewards for their achievements. She said the students needed to be encouraged and congratulated for their hard work. Holding an awards ceremony at the end of every nine weeks would do that, she said, plus create the perfect opportunity to bring in the parents and the community.

“One of the things I'm proud of is the amount of support the parents give to our school,” Segura said. “I made it a mission to involve the parents as much as possible here at the middle school.”

Segura said she began her teaching career in the Gadston District between Las Cruces and El Paso, Texas, as a bilingual first-grade teacher.

She said after 15 years, she decided to return to her roots in Tucumcari, where she had grown up and graduated from high school.

“My time here has been a wonderful experience,” Segura said. “As an administrator I could not have asked for better students, faculty or staff.”

Segura said the main thing that has made her time at TMS so wonderful is the low turnover of teachers. She said it is so hard to find teachers who want to come to this area and remain here. "The teachers I have had the privilege to work with this past 12 years have been a blessing." Segura said.

Segura said teachers have gone through so much with the changes in how they are evaluated yearly. She said the newest school evaluation system is on the right track. Although, it is not a finished product, it's still being refined and teachers are left with the accountability.

Segura said several teachers will be leaving Tucumcari Middle School along with her and she knows replacing them will be a challenge for the new principal, Lendey Borden.

“I am so thankful for all that Mrs. Segura has taught me over the past 12-years,” said Borden.

Borden said because of Segura's hard work, TMS has become “the best-run school in the district.” The students have maintained a consistent level of high achievement and the morale of the entire staff is high, Borden added.

“Tucumcari Middle School is a wonderful place to educate children and it all because of Mrs. Segura's hard work,” Borden said.

Segura said she is happy that Borden will take charge of TMS after she is gone.

“They have a good thing going at Tucumcari Middle School and I am confident Lendey Borden can keep that going,” Seguara said.

Segura said she has no official plans for her retirement. She said she might do some gardening, catch up on some reading, spend time with family and possibly do a little bit of traveling.

“I'm retired, so I guess that means I can do all the things I didn't have time to do before,” Segura said.