Echoes from Cañon
Examples of Excellence
CCHS student Emily Reynolds (in the center of this picture with her family) was honored as one of the top 11th graders in Colorado.
Cañon City High School Junior Emily Reynolds was honored as one of 300 Outstanding Colorado Students through CU Boulder’s Outstanding Colorado Student and Educator Awards program. Emily is being recognized for academic excellence, leadership, and school and community service. Along with this award comes a $4,000 scholarship to attend CU Boulder. Congratulations Emily!
Last Friday Cañon City High School teacher Andy Addington and the Cañon City High School Home Bi Ed class celebrated another successful year and house sell. This outstanding program has now been building and remodeling houses in our community for 42 years!
At last week's Pueblo Community College Fremont Campus advisory committee meeting CCHS Welding instructor Daniel Vinci and CCHS Automotive instructor John Duston were honored for a year's worth of outstanding teaching. Mr. Duston shared information about the number of students who've earned automotice industry certification and Mr. Vinci brought CCHS student Wyatt Cosat to share his state competition silver medal welding sculpture project.
A slew of Gifted and Talented Education students were honored at our Board of Education meeting last Monday for their performance in Geography Bee, District Spelling Bee, and Math Counts. Geography Bee honorees were Dylan Kerr, Karlee Dell, Brendon Chavez, and Rain Rosales. Also honored were District Spelling Bee Champion Evan Garner. Math Counts honorees included Jeff Kimmick, Baiza Mand, and Thomas Manfredo. Noetic Math honorees were Mayson Lacy, Heidi Numsen, Kaili Lambert, Thomas Evangash, Dustin Taylor, Blake Chambers, Terrence Coburn, Maddox Jenkins, Ashlynne Goss, Cadence Hirsch, Zafa Koehn – McKinley, Rylie O’Rourke, Lauryn Vineyard, Maddison Taylor, Taryn Lee, Dalton Kurth, Jordyn Sutton, Jacob Gardunio, Rosa Richards, Karlee Dell – Harrison, Alison Messer, Zachary Trujillo, Lucy Chan, Baiza Mand, Alex Taylor, and Devrin McKenzie.
Last Friday Cañon City High School teacher Andy Addington and the Cañon City High School Home Bi Ed class celebrated another successful year and house sell. This outstanding program has now been building and remodeling houses in our community for 42 years!
At last week's Pueblo Community College Fremont Campus advisory committee meeting CCHS Welding instructor Daniel Vinci and CCHS Automotive instructor John Duston were honored for a year's worth of outstanding teaching. Mr. Duston shared information about the number of students who've earned automotice industry certification and Mr. Vinci brought CCHS student Wyatt Cosat to share his state competition silver medal welding sculpture project.
A slew of Gifted and Talented Education students were honored at our Board of Education meeting last Monday for their performance in Geography Bee, District Spelling Bee, and Math Counts. Geography Bee honorees were Dylan Kerr, Karlee Dell, Brendon Chavez, and Rain Rosales. Also honored were District Spelling Bee Champion Evan Garner. Math Counts honorees included Jeff Kimmick, Baiza Mand, and Thomas Manfredo. Noetic Math honorees were Mayson Lacy, Heidi Numsen, Kaili Lambert, Thomas Evangash, Dustin Taylor, Blake Chambers, Terrence Coburn, Maddox Jenkins, Ashlynne Goss, Cadence Hirsch, Zafa Koehn – McKinley, Rylie O’Rourke, Lauryn Vineyard, Maddison Taylor, Taryn Lee, Dalton Kurth, Jordyn Sutton, Jacob Gardunio, Rosa Richards, Karlee Dell – Harrison, Alison Messer, Zachary Trujillo, Lucy Chan, Baiza Mand, Alex Taylor, and Devrin McKenzie.
The CCHS Home Bi-Ed program celebrates the sale of another house.
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Mr. Vinci and Mr. Duston are recognized by PCC.
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The Focus of Our Work
Director of Finance Buddy Lambrecht is drafting our preliminary 2018-19 budget. This is key to our identifying salary dollars available for negotiations with CCESPA and CCEA representatives. A first session took place on Friday when classified leaders met with district representatives to address compensations matters. A plan for fair distribution was drawn up and finance personnel Keri Peterson and Jodi Brixey are hard at work applying the plan so we can see how it actually works. The Board expects to adopt its preliminary budget at a special meeting on Tuesday evening.
Plenty of outstanding GATE students were in attendance at our Monday May 14th Board of Education meeting.
Override Progress
The biggest focus of our override work has been allocating the extra dollars we'll receive this fiscal year. According to Buddy Lambrecht's latest draft budget $85,000 will be allocated to early childhood programs, $87,537 (an equal per pupil allocation) will go to Mountain View Core Knowledge Charter School, $562,463 will be spent on one-to-one technology implementation, $150,000 will be spent on updating instructional materials, $150,000 will be spent on building repair and maintenance, and finally $350,000 is being applied to our available pool of money for staff salary increases.
With the institution of a one-to-one district provided device program, Cañon City High School is working on policy guidance for all personal and district provided electronic devices. This will set student expectations regarding the use of Chromebooks, as well as any personal device they might bring from home. This includes a revised cell phone policy with use in classrooms being under a strict “no see, no hear” requirement unless there is an emergency. Student cell phone use will still be allowed in hallways and commons unless such use creates a distraction.
With the institution of a one-to-one district provided device program, Cañon City High School is working on policy guidance for all personal and district provided electronic devices. This will set student expectations regarding the use of Chromebooks, as well as any personal device they might bring from home. This includes a revised cell phone policy with use in classrooms being under a strict “no see, no hear” requirement unless there is an emergency. Student cell phone use will still be allowed in hallways and commons unless such use creates a distraction.
Bond Progress
Mr. Renn prepares to share the good news with CCMS staff.
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Mr. Zamarripa and the board shared the good news about BEST grants with Washington staff.
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Mr. Zamarripa lets the Washington staff know they'll get a new school.
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On Friday it was announced Cañon City Schools has been recommended for grants to fund a new school on the Washington Elementary campus and a major remodel with a new addition to the school on the Cañon City Middle School campus!
The CCMS grant is for a total $32.8 million project. The actual award is $24.8 million from the state with our local cost being $8 million (already approved by voters in the November election). The Washington award is for a total $22.6 million project, with the grant award being $16.4 million. Our local contribution on this one is $6.2 million (already approved by voters last November).
Thanks to Colorado's Building Excellent Schools Today program, Cañon City Schools will receive $41.2 million to support $55.2 million in construction projects.
The CCMS grant is for a total $32.8 million project. The actual award is $24.8 million from the state with our local cost being $8 million (already approved by voters in the November election). The Washington award is for a total $22.6 million project, with the grant award being $16.4 million. Our local contribution on this one is $6.2 million (already approved by voters last November).
Thanks to Colorado's Building Excellent Schools Today program, Cañon City Schools will receive $41.2 million to support $55.2 million in construction projects.
Last Week
We had a day long, but productive, classified salary negotiation session on Friday.
Last week we held a regular board meeting and work-session, I attended several parent meetings, a district safety meeting, Superintendent Advisory Council, a Design-Build Team meeting, and CCHS Assitant Principal Interviews. On Wednesday Director of Operations Jeff Peterson and I traveled to Denver to present our BEST grants. On Friday I participated in a day-long classified salary negotiation session.
This Week
Every now and then a good plan comes together. Kelly Albrecht and Jamie Davis approached me three years ago asking how they might help the district pass a ballot question to support kids. They then educated themselves on how to do this. Community leaders Della Rieger and Megan Merry-Numsen then took their baton and guided a citizens committee that led the campaign to victory. On Friday these four movers and shakers had the opportunity to celebrate the receipt of our BEST grants, the final hurdle in securing the resources they dreamed of acquiring three years ago. They have changed our community for the better.
On Monday I'll spend the better part of the day in salary negotiations with certified staff. In the evening I'll head to Pueblo for the Gateway to College graduation ceremony. On Tuesday I'll attend SAC and Design-Build Team meetings, a special board meeting where we'll adopt our preliminary budget, and a District Accountability Committee meeting. Wednesday and Thursday will be filled with year-end correspondence and the CCHS graduation ceremony. On Friday I'm currently planning to show up for Jury Duty unless that should get canceled.
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh