During the week before graduation the Center High School Class of 2014 trekked to San Diego, California on their senior class trip. I want to thank RTI Coordinator Susan Banning, Social Studies Teacher Scott Poole, and ESL Instructor Nate Koerber for being willing to sponsor the trip. Based on everything I have heard, the kids behaved great and they had experience s that will last them a lifetime.
I also want to thank our Center Schools custodial crew for the great work they did getting our grounds and gymnasium in tip top shape for Saturday’s graduation ceremonies! Director of facilities Rich Brandt, and his crew of Walter Martinez, Gerald Hammer, Chris Segura, Tony Garcia, Mike Martinez, and Pantaleon Villagomez went way above and beyond the call of duty in preparing our grounds, and
I also want to thank our Center Schools custodial crew for the great work they did getting our grounds and gymnasium in tip top shape for Saturday’s graduation ceremonies! Director of facilities Rich Brandt, and his crew of Walter Martinez, Gerald Hammer, Chris Segura, Tony Garcia, Mike Martinez, and Pantaleon Villagomez went way above and beyond the call of duty in preparing our grounds, and
setting up and breaking down the gym for our annual graduation ceremony. Everything ran smoothly and the school simply looked beautiful as many guests visited our campus.
On Wednesday the Center Sunshine Committee hosted a retirement gala for Center High School language arts teacher Diane Parker, who is retiring after 38 years of dedicated service to the district. Jimmy Buffet music played as a wonderful lunch and dessert were served to all participants, and as Master of Ceremonies Kindra Rounds took attendees through a series of Diane Parker trivia games. One of the most moving parts of the event was when each current Center Schools employee who had Diane as a teacher had the opportunity to identify themselves and take a picture with her as a group. Ms. Parker will truly be missed. She has been a real blessing to all of our children for many years, and her impact on the district has been tremendous!
On Wednesday the Center Sunshine Committee hosted a retirement gala for Center High School language arts teacher Diane Parker, who is retiring after 38 years of dedicated service to the district. Jimmy Buffet music played as a wonderful lunch and dessert were served to all participants, and as Master of Ceremonies Kindra Rounds took attendees through a series of Diane Parker trivia games. One of the most moving parts of the event was when each current Center Schools employee who had Diane as a teacher had the opportunity to identify themselves and take a picture with her as a group. Ms. Parker will truly be missed. She has been a real blessing to all of our children for many years, and her impact on the district has been tremendous!
On Saturday the Center High School class of 2014 received their diplomas in front of a large crowd at the Center High School Varsity Gymnasium. Salutatorian Alanna Chacon kicked off the ceremony with a wonderful speech, followed by Valedictorian Louise Vazquez, who addressed the crowd in both English and Spanish. Retiring high school language arts teacher Diane Parker gave the keynote address, and senior class president Gabriela Venzor ended the ceremony by leading her classmates in the tassel exchange. Nearly all CHS Class of 2014 students have plans to continue their education at the college level, and most have a decent amount of scholarship money with which to begin this odyssey.
Big Things We Are Working On
In the coming weeks we’ll be working on completing our annual federal programs grant application and budgeting process, we’ll make final adjustments to the 2014-15 school district budget, and we’ll continue our work filling all open staff positions for the upcoming school year. Though the school year just ended, several new Center Schools teachers will be receiving Lindamood-Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing and Seeing Stars training in preparation for their career in the district. We will also spend the better part of this week preparing for our upcoming grade K-5 summer reading academy and grade 6-8 summer school program to kick off next week.
The Past Week
I spent Monday morning interviewing Skoglund Middle School principal candidates with our principal selection committee. On Tuesday I joined Rich Brandt and the district facilities crew in a campus beautification session as we prepared the grounds for Saturday’s CHS graduation ceremony. I joined staff members in celebrating Diane Parker’s retirement after 38 years of service to Center Schools on Wednesday. On Thursday we held a special board of education meeting at Noon during which we adopted a preliminary budget and hired several new staff members. On Friday we spent a lot of time preparing for the Center High School graduation ceremony, which took place on Saturday at 10 AM.
The Week Ahead
On Tuesday I have my monthly Early Steps to School Success program meeting. On Wednesday I will be working with CU Denver staff to possibly locate office space on campus to host next year’s SPARK PE staff developers. On Thursday the Commissioner of Education has asked me to be in Broomfield to present to state departments from all over the country about our SLV Race to the Top collaborative work. I’ll be back in Center on Friday working on department head and classified staff evaluations.
Thanks for listening once again. Have a great week!
George
Thanks for listening once again. Have a great week!
George