My name is Pat Baskin, and I am so delighted to have won the drawing from Juntos Unidos.
I have been a teacher with APS and hold a Ph.D. in Special Education. I have taught a diverse population of students in special education for 17 years; most of my teaching career has been at East San Jose Elementary School.
I have been married forever to my physician-husband, Harold. We have two grown daughters and one grandson. We also live with a basset hound and 3 cats. Harold and I love dancing and look forward each week to spending time at the Caravan dancing to country and New Mexico music. My husband is a talented musician, too. He plays the piano, accordion, and concertina. I make an attempt to play the banjo. But dancing is our “hobby.”
Juntos Unidos will be performing at an East San Jose school function the evening of May 16th. We have scheduled an end-of-the-year party with dinner and dancing that will take place on the lovely patio at Gardunos On The Green. Everyone on the faculty is looking forward to this event; of course Harold and I know it will be an outstanding evening. We appreciate Juntos Unidos for offering their talent. It’s a perfect ending to the close of the school year.

East San Jose Elementary School has long been located near Broadway and Gibson. Our school is rich in tradition and cultural diversity. While the majority of students attending East San Jose are of Hispanic ethnicity, others include African-, Anglo-, and Native Americans.

Children from throughout Albuquerque attend East San Jose to participate in our very intense Dual Language Program. Children entering the school enroll in either a 50/50 Spanish/English program, where students are taught equally in Spanish and English, or the 90/10 program. In this program, children learn predominantly in Spanish, with English added at a graduated rate from 1st to 5th grades. However, by 5th grade, no matter which program a student attends, the majority of our students are fluently bilingual.

In addition to academics, East San Jose supports the arts. Examples of student art decorate the halls. Our school offers enriched activities which range from fine arts, such as Ballet Folklorico and guitar lessons to athletic activities, such as the Jump Rope Team, Drill Team, and Soccer.

Principal Steve Tognoni and Assistant Principal Lori Stuit are our administrators who have brought new energy and insight to East San Jose. We consider East San Jose a treasure among the schools in the Albuquerque Public Schools