There was a time where you moved to a neighborhood and your parents would look for the nearest school and that’s where you would go. Schools were about pure education. Teaching you to write, to read and various levels of math. When families started tuning in closer to what motivated their children, they began shopping
“I love teaching because every day there’s something new,” said Janelle Jerman, a music teacher at Prospect Valley Elementary in Wheat Ridge since 2002. “Teaching the younger kids is great because they love you no matter what,” she said. “And they’re not as self-conscious as older kids. So we can do things like dance and
“Wheat Ridge High School is a special place.” These are the words I heard over and over again during my first month as principal on The Farm. Students, parents, staff, alumni and community members all said the same thing. To be honest, I was hesitant to believe a place could be so special. I mean,
On Wednesday, May 18, second grade students at Stevens Elementary started summer early by taking home a brand new bike and bike helmet, custom fit to them! Local nonprofit Wish for Wheels, founded in 2004 by Brad Appel, treated approximately 50 second graders to new “Stevens blue” Huffy bikes. Each student got to choose a
My heart is full as I write to you for the final time as your community superintendent. I head into retirement with immense pride. Each year I see the joy of our graduating students and their loved ones at the Wheat Ridge High School graduation. Every student who walks across that stage is a success
“With great power comes great responsibility.” Thanks primarily to Spider-Man, this is an expression we have all heard countless times. Nowhere is it more true than at Alpine Valley School, a small private school in Wheat Ridge that practices the Sudbury model of education. The power that students wield at our school – the ability
Learning in Jeffco changes more every year and Everitt Middle School is keeping pace. There is a new class offered at Everitt this year. Angela Neve just began an elective course called Service Learning. “This is the second semester at Everitt for the class… I have high hopes for its continued success. This experience is
When I was hired into the position of principal at Stevens Elementary in the spring of 2017, I honestly jumped for joy. I knew that serving this community would be a life-changing experience, and it definitely has been! The last five years have gone by so quickly, and my heart is full of treasured memories
NASA astronaut Raja Chari fielded space exploration questions from Wheat Ridge High School students during a NASA-TV live broadcast from the International Space Station the morning of Feb. 18. During an assembly in the school’s auditorium that morning, students and guests watched the broadcast after a brief FAQ presentation and remarks by Congressman Ed Perlmutter,
Someday, historians will look back on March 2020, and the years following, examining the way in which the world responded to an unimaginable global crisis. Toilet paper disappeared overnight, liquor stores hit an all-time high for sales, and schools closed. Historians will critically analyze how we as educators reacted to this unprecedented interruption to education. What will
For many families with school age children, it’s enrollment time of the year again. And while for many it will just be a repeat action, we are seeing more parents considering new options. It wasn’t that long ago that families found themselves needing to create a classroom environment in their own homes – competing, of
Becoming a Catholic STEM school in 2018, Sts. Peter and Paul is preparing a generation of faith-filled young people who are equipped to shape the future. The benefits of a STEM education – emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math – are well-established. Sts. Peter and Paul faculty have thoughtfully worked to adopt an inspired Catholic
With declining enrollment and declining academic achievement, both exacerbated by the pandemic, the Jeffco Public School’s Board of Education meeting on Nov. 10 was rough. Superintendent Tracy Dorland had two review items on the agenda: an assessment of academic functions performed by consultant Jaime Aquino, Ph.D., and the 2018 capital improvement mid-program assessment performed by
Wheat Ridge, like many of the communities in the metro area, has families moving into our neighborhoods in a competitive housing market. As these families select the best neighborhood for their unique needs many ask their Realtor, friends and new neighbors about the local schools. I have had neighbors, friends and friends of friends reach
While Prospect Valley’s website shows an old black-and-white photograph of the original school building back in 1898 at 32nd and Pierson, the PV most of us know is the one built in 1967. It has a rounded network of hallways and open concept classrooms with no doors, and walls low enough for laughter and excitement
If COVID-19 has benefited us in any way, it’s shed a bright light on our district’s challenges and needs. During remote learning, parents saw what happens in their children’s classrooms. Some were pleased, while others discovered that their children were not grasping critical concepts and were falling behind. However, Jeffco’s achievement problems started long before
The debate over Gifted and Talented (GT) education has gone on for years. From the outside of the community, it is often expressed with questions like, “What’s the gift?”, “What’s the talent?” And even, “What makes your kid so much more special than mine?” Sometimes the complaints came from principals and teachers who wanted to
Employees tend to want to stay in their position when you encourage them and reassure them that they are needed and that the environment and mission as promised are intact. This goes back to over a year ago when Dr. Glass (Jeffco Superintendent) and Jeena Templeton (Manning principal) planned to reinvent Everitt Middle and provide
School districts are designed with networks and pathways, starting from daycare and pre-K, then into elementary, middle and high school. Districts need to calculate and anticipate how dollars will flow to and from schools, from year to year. Using Student Based Budgeting, principals structure spending, hiring and class sizes in their buildings. Such has been
With three days left in the school year, I invited three amazing principals to meet for lunch and discuss a year they will never forget and hope to never re-live: Trina “TJ” Jones of Stevens Elementary, Jeena Templeton of Everitt Middle, and Josh Cooley of Wheat Ridge High. It was no Zoom or other digital
