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
SystemsGO is a rocket design and manufacturing program CCHS students are participating in.
LSST students design robots.
The Cañon City High School SystemsGO class just received word it has the go-ahead to launch their first rocket this spring! The class is scheduled to launch at a central Texas location between April 29th and 30th. SystemsGO class applies all of the advanced manufacturing skills our students learn by allowing them to design and fabricate a metal rocket with an engine, and then to attempt to launch it at a US military site.
Recently Lincoln School of Science and Technology 5th Graders worked to create robots using Project Lead the Way VEX Robotics kits. As a result of this work, students gained an understanding of electrical input and output and will have created robots that can be programmed to perform specific tasks.
Through this work, both schools are exemplifying how future-focused we are as a district. Perhaps the Lincoln students who are designing robots will one day have the opportunity to launch a SystemsGO rocket as well!
Recently Lincoln School of Science and Technology 5th Graders worked to create robots using Project Lead the Way VEX Robotics kits. As a result of this work, students gained an understanding of electrical input and output and will have created robots that can be programmed to perform specific tasks.
Through this work, both schools are exemplifying how future-focused we are as a district. Perhaps the Lincoln students who are designing robots will one day have the opportunity to launch a SystemsGO rocket as well!
Our Future Focus
CCMS Library Technician Karen Rogers inspects the area that will become her new work space.
On Friday, January 22nd we received news that our $2 million RISE Grant aimed at helping us establish a regional education collaborative was, unfortunately, not funded. On Monday, January 25th the three Fremont County School Districts will meet once again to discuss next steps and ways we might make our vision come to fruition despite not securing these funds.
Last week Cañon City Middle School received the news they'll be able to move back in the historic 1924 section of their school over Spring Break. On March 8th the staff will begin relocating things that are not being used from the Library, Technology Lab, and Art room. New furniture installation will be finishing up around that time. I understand all staff must be packed and ready to be moved by March 11th. Spring break begins on March 12th and CCMS students should begin the 4th quarter on March 22nd back in the newly remodeled building. Moving forward, we'll begin preparations to demolish the 1970s wing and to wrap up all remaining grounds work. This will be completed in time for the start of the 21-22 school year.
Last week Cañon City Middle School received the news they'll be able to move back in the historic 1924 section of their school over Spring Break. On March 8th the staff will begin relocating things that are not being used from the Library, Technology Lab, and Art room. New furniture installation will be finishing up around that time. I understand all staff must be packed and ready to be moved by March 11th. Spring break begins on March 12th and CCMS students should begin the 4th quarter on March 22nd back in the newly remodeled building. Moving forward, we'll begin preparations to demolish the 1970s wing and to wrap up all remaining grounds work. This will be completed in time for the start of the 21-22 school year.
Applying Our Traits and Skills
CCHS Principal Bill Summers had the pleasure of awarding $7,000 in capstone scholarship money last week.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to watch 17 individual and group senior capstone presentations at Cañon City High School. These were endeavored by members of the senior class who took a risk to compete for $7,000 in scholarships provided by CCEOE.
Though only three projects were awarded, capstones that were worthy of notoriety included a student who actually created an orienteering course at Pathfinder Park, two students who planned and executed a Junior Band Camp, two students who participated in a research project seeking a cure for cancer, a group of four students who have been developing a more engaging high school activities website, a student who actually authored and has been seeking to publish her first novel, a student who researched obesity and found gentle ways to engage in discussion and teach about it with elementary age students, a student who addressed Harrison School's food pantry project shortage, students who surveyed classmates to find out if manga style literature might be more engaging to them than regular novels, students who created their own soundtrack and developed and published an original documentary about the importance of solitary bees, and a student who researched household water quality and engaged homeowners in ways to ensure their drinking water is safe.
Our first Capstone Scholarship Award winners included 1st Place finisher ($4000) Haylee Rossiter-Lewis who authored a 600-page novel called "Night and Day" and is working diligently to publish it. 2nd Place ($2000) went to MacKenzie Claflin and Karli Weatherill who wrote, scored, filmed, and published a short documentary about saving solitary bees in Colorado.
3rd Place winners ($1000) were Casey Horne and Liam Monroe who planned and executed a 5-week Junior Band camp for area middle and elementary school students.
Each of these capstone projects required students to identify and apply specific traits and skills they have been developing throughout their entire careers in the Cañon City School District.
A special thank you goes out this week to the small but mighty Mckinley Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization. I understand they gathered funds to provide each Wildcat student with a McKinley T-Shirt. What a wonderful way to exemplify civility, guaranteeing every student gets to participate in Wildcat spirit days moving forward.
Though only three projects were awarded, capstones that were worthy of notoriety included a student who actually created an orienteering course at Pathfinder Park, two students who planned and executed a Junior Band Camp, two students who participated in a research project seeking a cure for cancer, a group of four students who have been developing a more engaging high school activities website, a student who actually authored and has been seeking to publish her first novel, a student who researched obesity and found gentle ways to engage in discussion and teach about it with elementary age students, a student who addressed Harrison School's food pantry project shortage, students who surveyed classmates to find out if manga style literature might be more engaging to them than regular novels, students who created their own soundtrack and developed and published an original documentary about the importance of solitary bees, and a student who researched household water quality and engaged homeowners in ways to ensure their drinking water is safe.
Our first Capstone Scholarship Award winners included 1st Place finisher ($4000) Haylee Rossiter-Lewis who authored a 600-page novel called "Night and Day" and is working diligently to publish it. 2nd Place ($2000) went to MacKenzie Claflin and Karli Weatherill who wrote, scored, filmed, and published a short documentary about saving solitary bees in Colorado.
3rd Place winners ($1000) were Casey Horne and Liam Monroe who planned and executed a 5-week Junior Band camp for area middle and elementary school students.
Each of these capstone projects required students to identify and apply specific traits and skills they have been developing throughout their entire careers in the Cañon City School District.
A special thank you goes out this week to the small but mighty Mckinley Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization. I understand they gathered funds to provide each Wildcat student with a McKinley T-Shirt. What a wonderful way to exemplify civility, guaranteeing every student gets to participate in Wildcat spirit days moving forward.
Some pretty darn happy McKinley Wildcats wearing their new shirts provided by PTO.
Looking Ahead
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 plan the next steps for the establishment of our regional collaborative, conduct an Instructional Leader Professional Learning Community, prepare for annual school-level Instructional Program Reviews, conduct a small-scale emergency reunification drill, and hold a Director's Meeting. I'll also engage in legislative advocacy on behalf of the district as the state budget is now being developed and mid-year appropriations are being considered.
Thank you for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
Thank you for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
