Students Testimonials

"Sunset Mesa provided me with a love for learning and a strong foundation to build on my future education and life. I credit my success at Albuquerque Academy and in life to the lessons I learned while attending Sunset Mesa. The school provided me with excellent study skills and a desire to learn through their challenging curriculum. They also helped me to discover and explore my passion and hobby in life, performing arts, through their enrichment program. The daily enrichment courses gave me a well rounded education which instilled future interests that I've enjoyed in my older years.

The loving faculty and staff help to foster any child's interests and inspire one to enjoy the advantage of knowledge. Sunset Mesa prepared me for the rigorous high school years and I feel that I was well prepared for the Academy's expectations of their students.

Sunset Mesa instilled me with self-confidence and a respect for others. I will always remember Sunset Mesa throughout my life with fond memories of learning, acceptance, respect for all, and confidence. SMS gave me the foundation to successfully become a contributing and active individual in society. I will always carry with me what I learned at Sunset Mesa."

Alexandra Shaffer Albuquerque Academy Student Class of 2006

"My name is Kristen McKee, and I am a junior at Sandia Preparatory School. I graduated from Sunset Mesa in 1999, and I had the best experiences of my life at Sunset Mesa.

What started out as a straightforward question turned into something fairly difficult to answer. When asked what I learned at Sunset Mesa Schools, I figured it would be very easy to just list everything I remembered learning between kindergarten and fifth grade. Then, I realized that I did not have enough time or enough paper to do that and came to the conclusion that I would talk about the three most important things I learned at Sunset Mesa. Narrowing everything down into three main categories proved itself a very arduous task; how can I choose three things from 6 years of growth and education? Well, after a lot of thought, the three most valuable things I learned at Sunset Mesa are self-confidence, independence, and an honest love of learning.

The self-confidence that I possess today comes from the environment of Sunset Mesa. From kindergarten through fifth grade I was taught to believe in myself and I was encouraged to develop and test my own ideas. I was given the freedom to discover things while receiving patient and steady guidance and support from the teachers. There was never a moment when I questioned my ability.

The atmosphere of Sunset Mesa fosters that development of independence. The students are allowed to discover themselves and become independent. I was taught to think for myself and to be self-sufficient, but always knew that if I fell, I would be helped back onto my feet.

Lastly, and most importantly, a love of learning was instilled in me. This can only come from one place, the teachers. I could not possibly say enough about the teachers at Sunset Mesa. At 8 years old, I was thoroughly convinced that school was the best thing in the world. Every single teacher at Sunset Mesa sparked a passion, which I still have now. The best examples came from the Enrichment teachers. I took an art and music class that taught me to appreciate art in any form. At the end of every semester, the students put on a musical at Sunset Mesa. This grew into an acting passion for me. I am ardently involved in theatre now. Physical Education taught me to respect my body as well as instilling a passion for running. I am on a varsity track team, and an anchor for several relays. In the past two years we have been the State Champions in the 4x100, and runner up in the 4x200. The Spanish program gave me a basic foundation in the language, as well as an overall knowledge of the culture. I have continued Spanish through high school, and am preparing to apply to the Spanish National Honor Society. We had a library class every week, and that encouraged my passion for reading. The computer program helped to develop my research skills which I now use everyday. Every single teacher lit a fire that will never burn out. They are compassionate, supportive, benevolent and inspiring. I could never ask for a better group of role models. There is no way I would ever be able to thank these women enough for what they have done for me.

Overall, I could not have asked for a better elementary school. The person I am today is heavily influenced by everything that I experienced at Sunset Mesa. This is an amazing school and I think every child should have the same opportunities that I had by growing up at Sunset Mesa."

Kristen McKee Sandia Prep Student Class of 2006

"My name is Kyle Valley and I'm a graduate of Sunset Mesa School and am currently in eighth grade at Bosque School. I attribute my academic success to the excellent teachers at Sunset Mesa. They taught me what I needed to learn in a fun, hands-on way, which helped me grasp the concepts quickly. This hands-on learning was enjoyable and motivated me to want to learn more.

One of the most helpful and comforting aspects about Sunset Mesa was the ability to talk one on one with the teachers. If I or another of my classmates needed academic help or needed someone to talk to about a problem, a teacher was always there. Even if our teacher wasn't available, another member of the staff or faculty was always willing to take a few minutes and sit down to talk with us.

One of my most vivid memories from Sunset Mesa is when we made a huge, glass mosaic in art class. The whole fifth grade was involved in the creation of the mosaic and after many enjoyable days, we finally finished and saw that it turned out great. This is just one of the examples of how Sunset Mesa taught us the value of reaching a goal through teamwork.

At the end of every school year, I remember being overjoyed that I had a whole three months off for summer vacation. After the first couple weeks though, I asked my mom frequently how long it was until school started and begged her to take me back so I could see my teachers and my friends. It has been three years since I attended Sunset Mesa School, but I still have the same passion for learning I acquired when I was a student there. Thanks Sunset Mesa."

Kyle Valley Bosque Prep Student Class of 2009