Albuquerque Public Schools
At AHS, the Play’s the Thing
Teacher Ralph Adkins won a Pay It Forward award from KOB. But he’s been paying it forward for a long time.
Ralph Adkins is walking through the cramped maze of his realm near the Albuquerque High School theater when he distills his philosophy on teaching into a sentence worthy of, yes, Shakespeare.
“My job is to open doors,” he says. “Their job is to walk through them.”
And there you have it: The ins and outs of a man whose standout career guiding young thespians is the stuff of legend. Adkins, who has been teaching at AHS for a quarter century and in other APS locales for nearly a quarter more, is so revered that it surprised absolutely no one when KOB-TV presented him with a $400 Pay It Forward award in honor of all he’s done for kids.
“He listens with open ears,” says Brianna Martinez, a 2021 AHS grad who nominated Adkins for the honor, “and welcomes you with open arms.”
Shakespeare once wrote, “My heart is ever at your service,” and if there’s a guy who’s taken the words to the very marrow, it’s Adkins. The AHS drama and stagecraft program is a staple in the community, lauded near and far not only for its notable alums – many are working in film, TV and theater throughout the nation – but also for its bravery and consistency.
Adkins’ crews have done 28 Shakespeare plays during his time at AHS, but they’ve also handled challenging and more controversial productions, such as “Rent” and “The Giver.” There’s also the matter of prolificacy – AHS productions run almost year-round, and its students rehearse even when school’s out for the summer.
“It’s the best job in the world, Adkins says of his career. “I love what I do. It’s why I’ve been doing it for so many years.”
In all, Adkins has been teaching 45 years, 43 in APS. He plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2025-26 school year. “I’ve got a lifetime of memories you just can’t buy on Ebay,” he says with a smile.
Yet for all that work, Adkins’ program doesn’t have a top-down, teacher-first vibe. He’s been able to construct a mechanism in which students often take leadership roles in every production, whether it’s constructing sets – AHS has an extensive set-building facility – or even directing.
Even after the final bell rings, school is part of Adkins’ everyday life – in part because his wife, Connie Adkins, also teaches at AHS, as does their son, Thomas Boaz Adkins, a long-term sub.
Their collective dedication to school, to kids, to growth, is palpable.
“He has students who’ve been nominated for Tonys,” Connie says of her husband. “He has students all over the country who are professionals and coming straight from this program. … This is a stepping stone for a career in drama, in the movies, theater and beyond.”
Ralph Adkins is proud of those people and what they’ve accomplished, and equally happy he had something to do with their success. But the pleasure? That’s all his.
“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Adkins says of his profession. “Mostly I wanted to work with kids who wanted to learn about the arts.”
Editor’s Note: The Pay It Forward segment featuring Ralph Adkins is scheduled for mid-June.