Echoes From Cañon
Our Mission and Core Beliefs
The Cañon City School District is future-focused, providing innovative educational opportunities to successfully prepare all students to meet any challenge they may face.
1. We meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before Bloom’s Taxonomy.
2. We believe learning growth matters most, requires risk-taking, and the work we do in our schools has the greatest impact on this.
3. We’re future-focused, believing the development of certain traits and skills will best prepare our students for ever-changing careers.
4. We emphasize what is good for kids over the needs and comfort of adults.
The Cañon City School District is future-focused, providing innovative educational opportunities to successfully prepare all students to meet any challenge they may face.
1. We meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before Bloom’s Taxonomy.
2. We believe learning growth matters most, requires risk-taking, and the work we do in our schools has the greatest impact on this.
3. We’re future-focused, believing the development of certain traits and skills will best prepare our students for ever-changing careers.
4. We emphasize what is good for kids over the needs and comfort of adults.
Our Core Beliefs in Action
Reading groups at Harrison School.
The Harrison School staff is exemplifying our belief that learning growth matters most, by targeting extra support to 1st and 2nd grade Lindamood-Bell cohort reading groups in an effort to increase engagement hours and academic performance of students despite the many challenges they've faced learning during the pandemic. The Hawk staff is also thoughtfully considering expanding these opportunities into the summer. These decisions will be made based on student participation and progress during this "Reading Boost" program.
I can offer no better example of actual progress being made toward the achievement of our first core belief, we meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before Bloom’s Taxonomy, than results received from this year's Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. As the image below shows, despite doing all we can to keep our doors open for in-person learning during a worldwide pandemic, many key indicators of student mental health are trending in an extremely positive direction. Specific examples include; since 2015, and despite the many challenges we face, more students feel they have access to a trusting adult when they need help with a serious problem, slightly fewer students are feeling sad or hopeless, and to a large extent many fewer students have seriously considered, planned, or even attempted suicide. This is wonderful progress. However, we'll continue our work until EVERY student exhibits positive emotional health and NO student ever considers suicide as an option.
I can offer no better example of actual progress being made toward the achievement of our first core belief, we meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before Bloom’s Taxonomy, than results received from this year's Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. As the image below shows, despite doing all we can to keep our doors open for in-person learning during a worldwide pandemic, many key indicators of student mental health are trending in an extremely positive direction. Specific examples include; since 2015, and despite the many challenges we face, more students feel they have access to a trusting adult when they need help with a serious problem, slightly fewer students are feeling sad or hopeless, and to a large extent many fewer students have seriously considered, planned, or even attempted suicide. This is wonderful progress. However, we'll continue our work until EVERY student exhibits positive emotional health and NO student ever considers suicide as an option.
A snapshot of some mental health trends in Cañon City Schools as measured by the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey during the past 5 years.
Our Future Focus
A CCHS student inspects some new tools.
Last week our high school Construction Trades program received a significant donation. As part of a grant received at the beginning of the school year to acquire some excellent online curriculum, the program also secured $4,000 worth of quality tools! Construction Trades Teacher Andy Addington and his students picked up these tools last week. Additionally, Mr. Addington is excited that, thanks to the new online curriculum, his students are on track to earn nearly 40 certifications that can be used to earn more funding for the program through Colorado's Career Development Incentive (CDIP) Program.
Applying Our Traits and Skills
Cañon City High School P-TECH Coordinator Madison Tortessi’s junior advisory students Brianna Winford and Zoey Starika are completing their Capstone by providing basic medical supplies to the homeless community of Fremont County. Their mentor is Rochelle Reiter with the Fremont County Homeless Coalition. In the course of their work, Brianna and Zoey wrote and received a grant from the St. Benedict Foundation through St. Thomas Moore, in the amount of $2,300. The students are using this money to purchase medical supplies they'll donate to Loaves and Fishes. They are also placing donation boxes at local businesses as another way to secure supplies for their project. All CCHS students are required to complete a Capstone project in order to graduate. In the course of this project, Brianna and Zoey have certainly demonstrated tenacity, civility, and agility.
Brianna and Zoey.
Speaking of supporting the emotional health of students, the 20-21 school year has been most difficult on the Class of 21. Thanks to COVID, this year's seniors have pretty much missed all of the things they have looked forward to for their entire educational career.
To support the wellness of the Class of 2021, the Canon City High School Link Crew has created the Support a Senior-Class of 2021 fundraiser. What is this? It's a community-wide endeavor to support ALL of our 2021 graduates. Anyone interested in supporting a 12th grader in their last school semester is invited to participate. Individuals, couples, families, clubs, groups, and businesses in the community can all sign up to be a sponsor. How will this work? Once all of the sponsorships are filled, donors will be randomly paired with a graduating senior, provided with a “Senior Survey” that has a variety of information such as the student's interests, hobbies, activities, and a variety of their favorites. Sponsors will then support their students by providing a small gift ($20 to $25 each time) during the months of February, March, April, and May. Sponsors and students will even have the ability to choose if their gifts are delivered directly to the senior’s house by their sponsor, or distributed through the high school. Community members can even just make a contribution to the program instead of being an active sponsor. Contributions of all amounts are being accepted and school personnel will then purchase and provide gifts to students.
To support the wellness of the Class of 2021, the Canon City High School Link Crew has created the Support a Senior-Class of 2021 fundraiser. What is this? It's a community-wide endeavor to support ALL of our 2021 graduates. Anyone interested in supporting a 12th grader in their last school semester is invited to participate. Individuals, couples, families, clubs, groups, and businesses in the community can all sign up to be a sponsor. How will this work? Once all of the sponsorships are filled, donors will be randomly paired with a graduating senior, provided with a “Senior Survey” that has a variety of information such as the student's interests, hobbies, activities, and a variety of their favorites. Sponsors will then support their students by providing a small gift ($20 to $25 each time) during the months of February, March, April, and May. Sponsors and students will even have the ability to choose if their gifts are delivered directly to the senior’s house by their sponsor, or distributed through the high school. Community members can even just make a contribution to the program instead of being an active sponsor. Contributions of all amounts are being accepted and school personnel will then purchase and provide gifts to students.
Mr. Zamarripa accepts a gift from the Boys and Girls Club.
The vision of this program is that each member of the Class of 2021 finishes their time as a Tiger believing they indeed are special. If you are interested in supporting this, simply send an email to kevin.marushack@canoncityschools.org or shane.thornton@canoncityschools.org with any questions you may have. If you are ready to commit, complete the attached sponsorship form by clicking this link and providing the information requested.
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSf28jMGjhzB1c.../viewform
One of the skills we target for development in students is collaboration. It is easiest to grow such skills when the adults who work with our children model them. The staff of Washington Elementary School and the Fremont County Boys and Girls Club have been modeling collaboration all year long, despite the challenges of settling into a brand new building. Recently, the Boys and Girls Club staff, in appreciation of this collaboration, thanked Washington Elementary by gifting the school a 7 Habits wall hanging and some club t-shirts. So much more can be accomplished when we work together, and this is a great example of two great organizations doing so!
Finally, last weekend CCHS student Karrina Blatnick, as part of her capstone experience, presented (along with CCSD behavioral health Coordinator Jamie Murray) the QPR (question, persuade, refer) Suicide Prevention program. Karrina did this for student and adult leaders at Young Life and The Bridge. In the course of her work, Karrina shared personal experiences and spoke on behalf of students, displaying, as Mrs. Murray reported, "a phenomenal example of self-awareness, social responsibility, and civility." Karrina recently made free mental health services vouchers available to students and is even teaching a Signs of Suicide course to 9th-grade students at Cañon City High School. What a tremendous impact she is having!
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSf28jMGjhzB1c.../viewform
One of the skills we target for development in students is collaboration. It is easiest to grow such skills when the adults who work with our children model them. The staff of Washington Elementary School and the Fremont County Boys and Girls Club have been modeling collaboration all year long, despite the challenges of settling into a brand new building. Recently, the Boys and Girls Club staff, in appreciation of this collaboration, thanked Washington Elementary by gifting the school a 7 Habits wall hanging and some club t-shirts. So much more can be accomplished when we work together, and this is a great example of two great organizations doing so!
Finally, last weekend CCHS student Karrina Blatnick, as part of her capstone experience, presented (along with CCSD behavioral health Coordinator Jamie Murray) the QPR (question, persuade, refer) Suicide Prevention program. Karrina did this for student and adult leaders at Young Life and The Bridge. In the course of her work, Karrina shared personal experiences and spoke on behalf of students, displaying, as Mrs. Murray reported, "a phenomenal example of self-awareness, social responsibility, and civility." Karrina recently made free mental health services vouchers available to students and is even teaching a Signs of Suicide course to 9th-grade students at Cañon City High School. What a tremendous impact she is having!
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Karrina Blatnik.
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Looking Ahead
CCHS Senior Mattea Smith presented her capstone project to the Board of Education. Her project created a safe social media site for individuals with genetic and terminal diseases.
In the next several weeks we'll hold a board work session and regular meeting, gather with RE-2 and RE-3 school district leaders to continue plotting the next steps for the establishment of our regional collaborative, hold directors meetings and a District Leadership Team meeting, and conduct annual school-level Instructional Program Reviews.
I'll also continue to engage in legislative advocacy, and the Board of Education will compile and share my annual evaluation with me.
Thank you for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
I'll also continue to engage in legislative advocacy, and the Board of Education will compile and share my annual evaluation with me.
Thank you for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
