Desert Academy
“You are spreading your wings, going to study at universities from Scotland to California. Having known most of you for all of your high school years, I am certain you will make your mark on the world. Desert Academy is a better place because we had you with us, and we always remember how remarkable you are.” — Terry Passalacqua, head of school
Valedictorian: Amelia Linett
Salutatorian: Danielle Zimber
Graduation speakers: Juliana Brenner and Ben Voter
Accomplishments in sports:
seasons Varsity ever girls’ and volleyballmade it teamto the had semifinalsone of its of bestthe state tournament.
Senior Rebecca Soifer will play in the All-Star volleyball game this summer.
Senior Lia Kane placed second overall in the state for the 3A Cross Country State Championships.
The boys soccer team were district champions.
Track and field teams made their mark at state, winning 11 medals in various competitions.
Boys basketball team made it to the state tournament, and senior John Rigatti will be playing in the All-Star basketball game this summer.
Varsity track and field also went to the state championships.
Senior Lia Kane took fifth place in the 1,600m run and second place in the 3,200m run.
Senior Jonas Kaare-Rasmussen took fourth place in the 800m run.
Senior Noa Noa Laget Hudson took sixth place in the 100m dash.
Senior Max Logan took second place in the 400m dash and fourth place in the 200m dash.
The boys medley relay team (Noa Noa Laget Hudson, John Rigatti, Alex Kellam, Jakob KaareRasmussen, Sebastian Pearson-Kramer and Jonas Kaare-Rasmussen) took fifth place, and the boys 4x400 relay team (Jonas Kaare-Rasmussen, Jakob Kaare-Rasmussen, Max Logan, Alex Kellam and Noa Noa Laget Hudson) took fifth place.
Individual accomplishments and scholarships
Rise Miller competes in Olympic weightlifting — five times at nationals — and twice he won (and he has set state records). Twice he competed at nationals in Speech & Debate, and one year he was a semifinalist. He is heading to Duke University in the fall.
Juliana Brenner is the manager of a fitness studio in town (as well as an instructor), founded our school newspaper and is a writer for The New Mexican’s teen page. She is heading to Barnard College in the fall.
Dylan Moon plays recorder, piano, drums, saxophone, marimba and keyboard/electronic music. He is a composer and producer. He was a runnerup for the 2016 Indaba Featured Artist Series and he had an original composition signed by a U.K.based record label and released in stores. Dylan is headed to Stevens Institute of Technology to study and create music for movies.
Class accomplishments and recognition
Largest class in Desert’s history. Best senior prank ever! Average ACT score of 29. One hundred percent going to four-year colleges out of state, with an average of more than $19,000 per year per student in scholarship funding for college.
The school’s 48-Hour Film Festival submission was chosen as one of 14 films to be showcased last summer at the Kimo Theater in Albuquerque — one of only two high school teams in the competition. The students and their adviser, Chris Zappe, won numerous awards.
Delegations to the New Mexico Model U.N. have won Best Delegation for the past three years, all three times including senior Hailey Zimber, who is headed to Tufts University.
A group of students, led by a few seniors, organized a service trip to Haiti last summer. They raised all of the money required for the trip and were able to install a water catchment system in a small, poverty-stricken town there.