Students honored for straight As

Correspondent report

Success doesn't always come easy, even to good students.

That was the lesson Benjamin Arenas, a 2005 Tucumcari High School graduate, conveyed to Tucumcari High School and middle school straight-A students May 9 at the schools' annual Academic Recognition Banquet.

The dinner and ceremony were held at Tucumcari Middle School's Mesa Cafeteria.

Just in the past few months, Arenas received a doctorate in pharmacy from Texas Tech University's Health Sciences Center in Amarillo, qualifying him to be a registered pharmacist.

Arenas recounted emotional hurdles that delayed his education, including the death of his father and a relationship break-up that devastated him emotionally. Good friends and perseverance pulled him through the program, even after one semester in which he failed key classes, he said.

His bottom line advice: "It's okay to ask for help, and failure is okay," as long as you keep going.

A total of nine middle school students and 22 high school students received awards for earning all As in their academic work.

As they were introduced by TMS Principal Lendall Borden and THS Principal Nicole Bright-Lesly, the students were congratulated by Tucumcari school board members Carlos Romero and Corrine Hayes and Superintendent Aaron McKinney.

Straight-A students at Tucumcari Middle School for 2016-17:

• Tierra Bason

• Amish Bhakta

• Natalie Hayes

• Michael Haynes

• Nathaniel Mardo

• Tyrus McCaughtry

• Payton Oliver

• Dezmon Pacheco

• Julianna Rivera

Straight A students at Tucumcari High School for 201 6-17:

• Angelina Arellano

• Christopher Arellano

• Jaxon Arguello

• Brenna Benton

• Shant Bhakta

• Shiv Bhakta

• Gerald Brown

• Kayla Cherry

• Kyeli Collins

• Melina Encinias

• Tyler Fanska

• Syndey Goldston

• Kaleb Hayes

• Daniel Holguin

• Kamelia Lamm

• Kaycee Lease

• Cristal Madrid

• David Mardo III

• Reagan Runyon

• Adena Schaff

• Destiny Zukevich