Cañon City thrives through adventurous spirit, dynamic people, innovative schools, and historic charm.
Echoes from Cañon
Our Mission
The Cañon City School District is future-focused, providing innovative educational opportunities to successfully prepare all students to meet any challenge they may face.
The Cañon City School District is future-focused, providing innovative educational opportunities to successfully prepare all students to meet any challenge they may face.
Our Core Beliefs
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.
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
Mary Kay Evans, Shad Johnson, Larry Oddo, Lloyd Harwood, and Robin Reeser have been named the Colorado Association of School Boards All-State Board for 2019!
Last Friday the Colorado Association of Schools Boards named the Cañon City School District Board of Education its 2019 All-State Board!
The CASB All-State Award recognizes boards of education in Colorado for overall excellence in governance.
Some past recipients include Aurora, Littleton, Mapleton, Custer County, St. Vrain, Center, Mesa County, and Westminster.
The selection process asks for evidence of how a board advanced student success, demonstrated leadership, used sound reasoning and strong ethics in its decision-making, continuously developed its members individually and as a team, and displayed excellence and consistency in responding to challenges or issues the board and community faced.
Some excerpts from our board's nomination include the following:
The Cañon City Fremont RE-1 board of education uses sound reasoning and strong ethics in its decision-making process.
The Board’s handling of Great Recession financial cuts by placing a high priority on people is a prime example of this. This is also evident through the cultivation of model certified and classified association relationships. Additionally, this has been accomplished through the codification of a set of core beliefs to which staff and the board itself is held accountable. These include:
1. We meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow before Bloom.
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 CASB All-State Award recognizes boards of education in Colorado for overall excellence in governance.
Some past recipients include Aurora, Littleton, Mapleton, Custer County, St. Vrain, Center, Mesa County, and Westminster.
The selection process asks for evidence of how a board advanced student success, demonstrated leadership, used sound reasoning and strong ethics in its decision-making, continuously developed its members individually and as a team, and displayed excellence and consistency in responding to challenges or issues the board and community faced.
Some excerpts from our board's nomination include the following:
The Cañon City Fremont RE-1 board of education uses sound reasoning and strong ethics in its decision-making process.
The Board’s handling of Great Recession financial cuts by placing a high priority on people is a prime example of this. This is also evident through the cultivation of model certified and classified association relationships. Additionally, this has been accomplished through the codification of a set of core beliefs to which staff and the board itself is held accountable. These include:
1. We meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow before Bloom.
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.
Shad Johnson, Robin Reeser, and Mary Kay Evans honored Cañon Exploratory School staff during Educator Appreciation Week.
A key way the Board exhibited sound reasoning and ethics was by choosing to allow schools to administer the BIMAS Social-Emotional screener tool to all secondary students beginning with the 18-19 school year. This brought to light the many struggles CCSD students experience on a daily basis, setting in motion a need to address them. As a result, the District now has the data needed to expand community partnerships providing students with the social-emotional and substance abuse counseling they needed all along. This effort has received statewide and even national attention.
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The Cañon City Fremont RE-1 board of education has advanced student success by engaging students, staff, and community in designing an education system of the future, focused on the development of specific traits and skills that will be of value to citizens for years to come.
In 2012, the Board initiated a strategic planning process to transition Cañon City High School to a career pathways model. Though it took five years, hundreds of hours of broad-based community and staff engagement, and recovery from a failed mill-override election, in fall 2017 Cañon City High School 9th graders entered a school program created by and for students. The Class of 2021 experienced a Freshman Base Camp offering broad educational choice, instruction relevant to career exploration, the ability to meet Colorado’s revised high school graduation requirements, and an opportunity to graduate with an endorsement in one of four career clusters. Additionally, every member of this class and all who follow will complete a rigorous capstone project before earning their diploma and are benefitting from more than 100 community business partnerships that allow them to participate in relevant intern and apprentice experiences before graduation, an accomplishment nearly unheard of in a rural setting. This student-centered/student-driven culture paid off immediately during the 17-18 school year when a Cañon City High School Technical Writing class wrote and submitted a P-TECH grant application aimed at providing fellow students opportunities to engage more deeply in STEM education, complete STEM-based internships, and earn Associates Degrees in STEM-related fields, at no personal cost. With the award of this grant, Cañon City became the first rural school in the US to earn a P-TECH program. The result? Cañon City Schools is now recognized as an Exemplar District, featured by the Colorado Education Initiative as a must place to visit through the Homegrown Taken Initiative and Cañon City High School received a 2019 Succeeds Award for outstanding STEM education.
On Friday, December 6th Larry Oddo, Lloyd Harwood, Mary Kay Evans, Shad Johnson, and Robin Reeser will be invited to the stage at the Broadmoor International Hall in Colorado Springs to accept this honor in a room full of school board members from all over the state of Colorado.
Congratulations!
and
The Cañon City Fremont RE-1 board of education has advanced student success by engaging students, staff, and community in designing an education system of the future, focused on the development of specific traits and skills that will be of value to citizens for years to come.
In 2012, the Board initiated a strategic planning process to transition Cañon City High School to a career pathways model. Though it took five years, hundreds of hours of broad-based community and staff engagement, and recovery from a failed mill-override election, in fall 2017 Cañon City High School 9th graders entered a school program created by and for students. The Class of 2021 experienced a Freshman Base Camp offering broad educational choice, instruction relevant to career exploration, the ability to meet Colorado’s revised high school graduation requirements, and an opportunity to graduate with an endorsement in one of four career clusters. Additionally, every member of this class and all who follow will complete a rigorous capstone project before earning their diploma and are benefitting from more than 100 community business partnerships that allow them to participate in relevant intern and apprentice experiences before graduation, an accomplishment nearly unheard of in a rural setting. This student-centered/student-driven culture paid off immediately during the 17-18 school year when a Cañon City High School Technical Writing class wrote and submitted a P-TECH grant application aimed at providing fellow students opportunities to engage more deeply in STEM education, complete STEM-based internships, and earn Associates Degrees in STEM-related fields, at no personal cost. With the award of this grant, Cañon City became the first rural school in the US to earn a P-TECH program. The result? Cañon City Schools is now recognized as an Exemplar District, featured by the Colorado Education Initiative as a must place to visit through the Homegrown Taken Initiative and Cañon City High School received a 2019 Succeeds Award for outstanding STEM education.
On Friday, December 6th Larry Oddo, Lloyd Harwood, Mary Kay Evans, Shad Johnson, and Robin Reeser will be invited to the stage at the Broadmoor International Hall in Colorado Springs to accept this honor in a room full of school board members from all over the state of Colorado.
Congratulations!
Our Future Focus
Lincoln staff prepare an experiment.
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Lincoln students lean in to the lesson.
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Special Education staff participate in remote Medicaid training.
Two weeks ago Cañon City Schools Special Education Case Managers engaged in Medicaid reporting training. This is aimed at assisting the district in securing much-needed funding to support the services we provide for our special needs students.
On Friday the Lincoln School of Science and Technology held a special whole-school science presentation. The focus of this effort was on the special property of certain gasses!
While the school district was dealing with snow day closures last week, Cañon City High School teachers Jennifer VanIwarden and Megan Clasby were in sunny Palm Springs, California at the INACOL Symposium presenting about the capstone rubric work they engaged in through the Colorado Education Initiative's Assessment for Learning Project. The mission of iNACOL is to drive the transformation of education systems and accelerate the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning for all. We hear Mrs. VanIwarden and Ms. Clasby represented us well!
On Friday the Lincoln School of Science and Technology held a special whole-school science presentation. The focus of this effort was on the special property of certain gasses!
While the school district was dealing with snow day closures last week, Cañon City High School teachers Jennifer VanIwarden and Megan Clasby were in sunny Palm Springs, California at the INACOL Symposium presenting about the capstone rubric work they engaged in through the Colorado Education Initiative's Assessment for Learning Project. The mission of iNACOL is to drive the transformation of education systems and accelerate the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning for all. We hear Mrs. VanIwarden and Ms. Clasby represented us well!
Bond Progress
Washington students learn about their new school.
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Architectural drawings were explained to students.
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On Friday our Washington Elementary students were treated to a presentation about the construction process of their new school building. GE Johnson Construction Superintendent Jeff Overman and Project Manager Scott Hill did a great job helping students gain a better understanding of how a new school is designed and built.
Last Week
Last week I worked with our directors to make some difficult weather-related closure decisions. I also published another issue of Echoes, met with Jay Jacoby of Jumpstart Digitial Arts about CañonThrives, attended a Superintendent's Uniform Mill Levy Work Group meeting via webinar, met with Recreation Director Kyle Horne, attend a special CCEOE meeting, and did some Coherence Lab follow-up work.
This Week
Megan Clasby and Jen VanIwarden present at INACOL.
On Monday I'll publish another issue of Echoes, travel to Denver to attend a face to face mill levy equity meeting, then return to Cañon in time to attend a 4 PM Home Bi-Ed Board meeting at our administration facility. On Tuesday I'll appear on Morning Line, hold a Superintendent Advisory Council meeting, and conduct an expulsion hearing and an expulsion follow-up meeting. On Wednesday we'll hold an administrative office staff meeting, I'll meet with McKinley Principal Scott Morton and Assistant Superintendent of Schools Adam Hartman about an EASI grant application, and then travel to Pueblo for a fall Southern Superintendent's Group gathering. I'm back in Denver on Thursday to attend the Colorado Education Initiative's New Foundation for Accountability gathering. I'll then attend the US Green Building Coalition conference where I'll participate in a presentation as to why we are installing in-floor radiant heating and cooling in our new Washington Elementary school.
Other Voices
Antöne Fisher and Rick Miller.
Several weeks ago Kids At Hope founder Rick Miller and Antwone Fisher, the subject of a full length movie, were on hand at Harrison School to present a Soul, Science, and Culture Symposium to the staff. Afterward, Mr. Miller shared these thoughts with Principal Marne Autobee:
Good day, Marne,
Just a quick note to congratulate you on sponsoring and hosting the Soul, Science, and Culture Symposium and community forum.
The reception from your staff and community was enthusiastic and poignant. Both Antwone and I were deeply moved by everyone we met.
Good day, Marne,
Just a quick note to congratulate you on sponsoring and hosting the Soul, Science, and Culture Symposium and community forum.
The reception from your staff and community was enthusiastic and poignant. Both Antwone and I were deeply moved by everyone we met.
The Harrison staff with Antwone Fisher.
Exploring this dynamic we call HOPE and the energy it offers personally, organizationally, and culturally is critical to all our futures.
Getting everyone to understand that HOPE is not a feeling but a strategy is crucial.
As you move forward in demonstrating how a school and community can advance the notion that "all students are capable of success, No Exceptions," please keep me posted. I would be quite curious about the utilization of the report cards, passports, and Aces Tracking.
You are indeed traveling at the Speed of HOPE!
Rick Miller
Founder and Chief Treasure Hunter
- a caring adult who searches for all the talents, skills, and intelligence that existin all children and youth
.I wish to thank the Harrison staff for their focus on instilling hope in all thier studnets, and I thank you for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
Getting everyone to understand that HOPE is not a feeling but a strategy is crucial.
As you move forward in demonstrating how a school and community can advance the notion that "all students are capable of success, No Exceptions," please keep me posted. I would be quite curious about the utilization of the report cards, passports, and Aces Tracking.
You are indeed traveling at the Speed of HOPE!
Rick Miller
Founder and Chief Treasure Hunter
- a caring adult who searches for all the talents, skills, and intelligence that existin all children and youth
.I wish to thank the Harrison staff for their focus on instilling hope in all thier studnets, and I thank you for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
