This year’s Devi Raju Citizenship Award recipients from Los Alamos Middle School pose for a photo with Principal Jill Gonzales. They include (left to right) Axel Lovato, Olivia Pulsipher, Lisbeth Munoz, Lanae Collins, Alma Trujillo and Chloe Blackburn. They each received a certificate and $100. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
Los Alamos Public Schools recently presented the 2026 Devi Raju Citizenship Awards to 96 students representing the elementary schools and the middle school. This is the fourth year these awards have been presented to LAPS students.
Elementary students were selected by their classroom teachers based upon demonstrated exceptional kindness and generosity of spirit towards their fellow students. The same criteria applied to student selections at the middle school, with the addition of service to the community.
Dr. M.R. Raju, a retired LANL scientist and former Los Alamos resident, established the citizenship awards for fostering and rewarding the kindness and humanity of children in Los Alamos Public Schools, in honor of his late wife, Devi Raju, the long-time executive director of Self Help.
This year’s award recipients are:
Aspen Elementary
- Kindergarten: Adeline Lucero, Eleanor Mahoney and Jeffrey Moon
- First grade: Sebastian Fuentes Cardona, Chloe Ver Burg and Peter Zamen
- Second grade: River Klagmann, Victoria Lopez and Adessa Preston
- Third grade: Theodore Horner, Ava Plants, and Abraham Ver Burg
- Fourth grade: Lily Quintana, Angel Ramirez Rojas and Emily Stanfill
- Fifth grade: Benjamin Padilla, Alex Regele and Christina Samantzidou
- Sixth grade: Zaem Hamood, Mara Harvey and Angie Ramirez
Barranca Mesa Elementary
- Kindergarten: Abigail Chavez and Asher Johnson
- First grade: Hazel Furman, Talya Latoraco and Sandy Subsomboon
- Second grade: Lillian Glenn, Owen McCarrell and Aislinn Ontiveros-Escarcega
- Third grade: Eddie Artnak, Sienna Kitts, Auguste Morreale Pereira Da Costa and Dustyn Torrez
- Fourth grade: Julia Moss, Juliana Mueller and Andrew Work
- Fifth grade: Brooklyn Jimenez, Elena Romo and Maxim Zadina
- Sixth grade: Emmalyn Dichosa, Anna Moss and Archer Stanek
Chamisa Elementary
- Kindergarten: Eliza Beaux and Owen Fresquez
- First grade: Rae Duncan and Mia Sanders
- Second grade: Hannah Bustos and Ben Kilgore
- Third grade: Gemma Rodriguez and Lora Stupka
- Fourth grade: Alyssa Komathy and Luke Miller
- Fifth grade: Adelina Ortiz and Julia Rodriguez
- Sixth grade: Mia Bejarano and Amara Viramontes
Mountain Elementary
- Kindergarten: Journey Bedair and Emilia Glover
- First grade: Novera Barua, Hailey Snow and Madelyn Warner
- Second grade: Hudson Baker, Madelinn Honig and Scarlett Miles
- Third grade:Luke Durham, James Lei and Ginny Williams
- Fourth grade: Madison Gatewood, Therese Mathew and Elizabeth (Qichen) Wang
- Fifth grade: Francesco Mereghetti and Althea Sayre
- Sixth grade: Anna Moore, Emilie Peterson and Nico Ulrich
Piñon Elementary
- Kindergarten: Griffin Engleken and Theodore Hesselink
- First grade: Callie Hinds and Clara Jennings
- Second grade: Rosie Demas and Adley Fountain
- Third grade: Brady Bouman, Nomi Chang and Hope Connor-Lee
- Fourth grade: Chelsea Stephenson and Jessica Stephenson
- Fifth grade: Sammantha Solomon and Magnolia Winchell
- Sixth grade: Garrett Jensen and Avery Medina
Los Alamos Middle School
- Seventh grade: Axel Lovato, Lisbeth Munoz and Olivia Pulsipher
- Eighth grade: Chloe Blackburn, Lanae Collins and Alina Trujillo