Dear D51 Families and Colleagues, 

As we move through January, we’re officially in the heart of the school year. This is a time when routines are strong, instruction is well underway, and students are making real progress toward their goals. It’s also a time to check in, recharge, and support one another, and as we close out another week in District 51, I’m proud of the work happening across our schools and community. This week included many student recognitions, opportunities for career exploration, and meaningful civic engagement, all of which reflect our commitment to preparing students for both learning and life.

Speaking of goals, I want to shoutout all of our D51 staff and students for the progress we have made over the past three years when it comes to graduation rates. Our latest graduation rate results, which you can read more about below, are the second highest ever in the history of our district. Not only that, but the past three years have been the highest three years of graduation rates in the history of our district. This coincides with the work that happened during the implementation of our previous three-year Strategic Plan, and I want to take a moment to celebrate this amazing accomplishment. And we are excited to continue this momentum as we look to accomplish the goals embedded in our new five-year Strategic Plan. Thank you to our school and district staff for being laser focused on helping our students walk across their graduation stages, and shoutout to our D51 students for showing up and putting in the effort. Let’s finish the spring semester strong and have even more D51 students accomplish their goal of graduating this year.

This week, I was able to join our Mesa County Commissioners and Mesa County Clerk Gross to recognize our students who were selected for the “I Voted” sticker contest. It was a fun way to honor the creativity of our students while also promoting the importance of voting. Join me in once again congratulating Alayna, Amora, Jacob, and Rhett for their winning submissions, and look for their artwork on stickers the next time you vote!

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS WEEK'S SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE