About Our School

How We Got Our Name

Rudolfo Anaya Elementary School is named for a world-renowned author who writes about New Mexican culture and traditions. Mr. Anaya’s background and education make him a role model for the students who reside in the attendance area of this school. He grew up with English as his second language and, after overcoming the challenges of his language barriers in a predominantly English school environment, he went on to earn three college degrees, become a teacher, a university professor and an established author. His published works, namely Bless Me Ultima, have established him as one of the most successful Chicano writers in American History. His place in literary and New Mexican history add to his credibility as a quality namesake for this community.

Mr. Anaya is a registered heir of the Atrisco Heritage Land Grant and, as such, we feel that naming a school in this location after him is logical. We believe that by offering the students of this school the opportunity to get to know a successful role model with a similar cultural and academic background, we are setting the foundation for high expectations for everyone in attendance.

Why a Jackalope?

Many people ask about our decision to adopt the Jackalope as our school mascot. When naming the school and selecting a mascot, community input suggested a desire for a less traditional mascot than is typically seen at most schools. The community also indicated a need for a mascot who represents diversity and extraordinary potential. The legend of the Jackalope indicates that, despite his timid, humble, unusual appearance, he is said to have unexpected speed and strength as well as the ability to fool people with his unexplained voice and trickster traits. We believe that the students of this community fit the profile of the Jackalope in that they have extraordinary abilities that outsiders may not notice or have awareness of. We believe that these children have unique characteristics that contribute to the beauty of our New Mexican culture and, not unlike the Jackalope, have an important tale to tell.

Additionally, Mr. Anaya released a children’s book in October of 2009. The title of the book is Juan and the Jackalope. We find the connection between the copyright date of this book and the opening of our new school to be very exciting.

School Colors: Turquoise Blue, Silver, and Sunset Orange

Turquoise blue describes the color of our New Mexico sky, silver is for the cloudy streaks that are often present and sunset orange represents the view to the west of our school at dusk.