The Alumni

Commissioner of Education Dwight D. Jones will attend the Education Commission of the States National Education Policy Forum. This year’s forum titled, “Transforming Education for the 21st Century” will contain more than 30 knowledge-packed sessions, roundtables and workshops. The forum runs from June 30 through July 2 in Austin, Texas.

The mission of the Education Commission of the States is to help states develop effective policy and practice for public education by providing data, research, analysis and leadership; and by facilitating collaboration, the exchange of ideas among the states and long-range strategic thinking. The commissioner will attend the forum as a steering committee member.

Location – Renaissance Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas. For additional details, contact nationalforum@ecs.org.

Colorado High School News

The Colorado Department of Education today announced it is seeking applicants for a new Facility School Board that will work to improve the educational outcomes of students who are placed in residential, day treatment and hospital programs. Applications for the Facility Schools Board are due Friday, August 8.

House Bill 08-1204, the Facility Schools Bill, establishes a board that will consist of seven members appointed by the Colorado State Board of Education. Collectively, members of the board must have expertise in curriculum and assessment, educating students who are placed in facilities, mental health services, special education services and school finance.

The responsibilities of the board will be to adopt curriculum standards and set graduation requirements for facility schools; to adopt accountability measures, including academic performance measures and award high school diplomas to students in approved facility schools who meet the graduation requirements. 

Representation on the board is specified as:

·        Two members representing school districts in Colorado, one of whom has expertise in special education

·        One member representing state level agencies making placements in facilities

·        One member representing county departments of social services

·        Two members representing facilities in Colorado

·        One person representing students who receive educational services provided by facility schools in Colorado. This member may be a person who, as a child, received educational services provided by a facility school. This member may also be a parent of a student who is receiving (or formerly received) education services provided by a facility school.

In addition, the members of the board need to be representative of the geographic areas of the state and representative of the ethnic and racial diversity and gender balance within the state.

The term of membership is three years. Initial appointments will be designated such that two members will serve one-year terms and two members will serve two-year terms. Members of the board serve without compensation, except for reasonable reimbursement of expenses. Any person meeting the qualifications for membership on the Facility Schools Board is invited to submit a personal resume along with a statement of interest. Applications are due by August 8, 2008. Applications can be sent to: Colorado Department of Education, Exceptional Student Leadership Unit, Attn: Kama Linscome, 201 E. Colfax Ave., Denver CO 80203. Applications can also be e-mailed to linscome_k@cde.state.co.us.

For more information contact Kama Linscome at 303-866-6976.

The Colorado Department of Education today announced nominations are being accepted for the 2009 Colorado Teacher of the Year. Applications are due August 15, 2008.

The annual Colorado Teacher of the Year Program has long provided the state with its most prestigious educator award, established to recognize the contributions of the classroom teacher to the students he or she teaches and beyond that, to the continued growth and well-being of the state.

“The classroom teacher is the backbone of the American educational system,” said Colorado Department of Education Teacher of the Year Coordinator Barbara L. Lautenbach. “No one person has a greater impact on the education of a child than does the teacher who creates the primary learning and instructional environment.”

Each year, in order to recognize the contributions of Colorado’s classroom teachers, CDE encourages fellow educators, education administrators, parents and community members to nominate their best and brightest teachers for Colorado Teacher of the Year.

The 2009 Colorado Teacher of the Year application is available at http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeawards/download/pdf/2009%20CTOY%20app.pdf. Nominees must fill out and submit their own applications by August 15, 2008. An external selection committee will determine the finalists and make a final decision in October when the 2009 Colorado Teacher of the Year will be announced.

For more information, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeawards/trtoyinf.htm.

The Alumni will be adding new pages and tools to the Web site www.thealumninews.org in July and we would like to hear your feedback. We are excited to launch new interactive features which will allow you to have a say. Stay tuned! 

The State Board of Education today decided that it will appeal a Denver District Court’s May 30, 2008 decision declaring unconstitutional the school district property tax mill levy freeze implemented last year in Senate Bill 07-199.

The State Board believes that it is in the best interest of the State and school districts to obtain a final ruling on this issue from the Colorado Supreme Court as quickly as possible.

A majority of the State Board gave direction to its legal counsel to proceed with an appeal.

By Kyla Cullinane

Thornton High School

On May 7, Thornton High School students were attempting to make a difference in their school, their district, their community and their state. On that day Thornton High School held a Project Citizen Showcase.

   Throughout March and April, juniors and MYP freshmen worked on a project called Project Citizen in their government class. Project Citizen is an opportunity for students to express their opinion on issues in their community that they feel should be changed. Some issues chosen by the students were animal cruelty, global warming, explicit lyrics in music, teen texting while driving and military recruiting on campus.

   Middle Years Program (MYP) students are students in ninth or tenth-grade enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is a worldwide program whose mission is to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect” according to Roger Dowd, the IB coordinator at Thornton High School. MYP is only one level within the IB program.

   Students presented their chosen issues to family, teachers and to community members and leaders.

   Abigail Galipault, the MYP ninth-grade government teacher said, “The event was very successful in part because so many MYP nine students contacted family members and friends to help evaluate.”

   Students were selected according to evaluations done by their peers, family and community members, and those selected got to go to the Colorado State Capitol to present to State Representatives. Those presentations were on teen texting while driving; done by ninth- graders Jimena Vallejo, Kyle Steeno, Megan Fountain, Brittney Watlington, Kirsten Oller, Jordan Pieper, and Priscila Porras. Eleventh graders Star Duran, Jaimee Rando, Janelle Ramirez, Christopher Martinez, and Shaque Knight did their presentation on explicit lyrics in music.

   At the Capitol, Thornton High School students had the opportunity to listen to other issues being showcased by students from other schools and then gave their own presentations. Some students were nervous. Kirstin Oller, a freshman who was involved in the teen texting while driving issue, said that she was not nervous at first but while presenting she stumbled over some words and then got a little nervous.

   Now, all students that participated will have a chance to try and change their community by submitting their changes to whichever form of governing body that applies to their issue.

   For example the military recruiting issue, where students’ information was being released to recruiters without the students’ knowledge, is a schoolwide issue so its proposed change would go to the school administration while the teen texting while driving might go to the state legislature.

   “For many this [the showcase] will hopefully be a start for students to get involved in civic engagement,” said Abigail Galipault. This was a great opportunity for students to present their opinions on what they think should be changed in their community.

  Hopefully, the community leaders will listen to the issues being presented by the students and consider making the proposed changes in our community.

www.heartsofstonejewelers.com

The Alumni is proud to sponsor the men and women of our Armed Forces.

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall

For more information, log on to www.thorntonveteransmemorial.org.

With the signing of the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Act just days away, the Colorado Department of Education announced today the application process for those interested in sitting on the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Board. Applications are due by Friday, June 6, 2008 at 4:00 p.m.

The BEST legislation increases the level of financial assistance provided to school districts and charter schools for capital construction projects, particularly in those school districts that can’t afford to do so.

The function of the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Board is to protect the health and safety of persons using public school facilities and to maximize student achievement by ensuring public school facilities provide a safe and un-crowded environment that is conducive to student learning.

The Colorado State Board of Education has three seats to fill on the board and the three seats must represent different areas of the state and urban, suburban and rural school districts.

The three members must be a school district board member, a public school superintendent or administrator, a school facilities planner or manager. Individuals with recent experience in these positions are welcome to apply.

The board will also ensure the most equitable, efficient and effective use of state revenues to provide financial assistance for capital construction by assessing public school capital construction needs throughout the state. The board will also provide expert recommendations based on objective criteria to the state board regarding the appropriate prioritization and allocation of such financial assistance. 

The board has the following duties:

·        To establish public school facility construction guidelines;

·        To conduct or contract for a financial assistance priority assessment of public school buildings and facilities;

·        To review financial assistance applications and provide a prioritized list of projects to receive financial assistance to the state board.

·        To provide assistance, through the division within the department, to school districts and charter schools in identifying critical capital construction projects, preparing applications, construction management and implementation of energy efficiency;

·        To authorize the state treasurer to enter into lease-purchase agreements on behalf of the state;

·        To enter into sub-lease agreements with applicants on behalf of the state;

·        To set rules and processes as necessary. 

In addition to the state board’s appointments, the governor will appoint three members: an architect whose professional practice includes the design and rehabilitation of public school facilities, an engineer whose professional practice includes public school facilities engineering and a construction manager of public school facilities construction projects.

The general assembly will also appoint three members: a school facilities planner or manager, a member who has expertise in technology, including for individual student learning and classroom instruction, and a member who has public school finance expertise and knowledge regarding public school trust lands.

Any person meeting the qualifications for the members to be appointed by the state board is invited to submit a personal resume along with a statement of why you are interested in serving on the board. Applications are due by Friday, June 6, 2008 at 4:00 p.m.

Please send information to Department of Education, Attn: Vody Herrmann, 201 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO   80203. You can also e-mail herrmann_v@cde.state.co.us or fax 303-866-6888.

– Colorado Department of Education