R4Creating mentors Albuquerque school students

ALBUQUERQUE — Alameda Elementary School students might have entered the holiday break as geniuses. 

With the help of Rio Rancho-based nonprofit R4Creating, students closed out the first semester Dec. 19 by participating in "Genius Hour," an initiative of Albuquerque Public Schools. Genius Hour allows for "young creators to explore their passions" through a number of activities related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), according to a news release. The initiative — held twice a month during the last hour of the school day — began at the start of the school year and will continue in 2026.

"One of the most beautiful things we saw this semester is we had students who ... actually tried and failed and then tried again - and they succeeded," said Dr. Misty Carty, R4 program manager. "For that persistence to shine through and then for them to feel the pride of going through that process, that's just beautiful for me."

Melissa Solecki, R4's director of marketing, added, "Failure is not a dead end, but an opportunity to keep learning."

Inside a portable classroom, R4 personnel mentored K-5 students on robotics. Students used different types of robots depending on their grade level. While some of the younger students engaged in more "play-focused" activities, the older students used coding to control their robots remotely.

David, a second-grader, said it was fun to have R4 representatives come to his school.

"We can test stuff out, and if we get it wrong, we can try again," he said. "They know what mistakes we need to fix."

Lino, a third-grader, also said it was fun to have R4Creating on hand, stating, "I like how they help me."

Lino also said, "I love to work on these robots."

Rep. Kathleen Cates, D-Rio Rancho and Corrales, visited the school during Genius Hour to support the initiative.

"This looks like a lot of fun; education can be fun," Cates said. "They are exposing our children to science and STEM education in a way they most likely have not been exposed to."

Alameda Principal Melissa Sanchez said Genius Hour receives support both from APS and the state. The partnership between her school and R4Creating came about through a community liaison with the school district.

"We're a Title 1 school, so (Genius Hour) helps bring resources to students who normally wouldn't get to do (certain activities)," including robotics, Sanchez said. 

Excitement, energy and pride were some of the emotions she observed attending each Genius Hour session. In the classroom used by R4Creating, Sanchez saw students who were proud to show what they learned — and they were knowledgeable, too.

"I was asking them questions to see if they could explain their learning — and they could," Sanchez said. "I don't know how to program a robot! They know something I don't know."

She hopes students can take what they learned in Genius Hour and apply it to other subjects. She saw that potential when a student asked her where he could buy a robot.

"Maybe that will be something he gets for Christmas, and he can continue to expand on it," Sanchez said with a laugh.