I was able to start my week with our 3rd Annual Strong Schools, Strong Community Luncheon. This annual event is an opportunity to bring together business and community leaders and partners to showcase our students, give a State of the District Address, and learn about ways to support D51 into the future. This year, we hosted the event in collaboration with Colorado Mesa University, giving us an opportunity to highlight the incredible work happening across D51, CMU, and CMU Tech to expand opportunities for students and strengthen our local education-to-career pipeline. Thanks to CMU for their partnership and to President Marshall for speaking about all the ways our partnership benefits students across Mesa County. You can read more about the event, the performances, and the partnerships that made the day so impactful below.

I also got out to Mesa View Elementary, Pear Park Elementary, and Orchard Mesa Middle School to present their Performance School banners to students and staff. This was Mesa View’s 6th year in a row as a Performance School, Pear Park’s 2nd year in a row as a Performance School, and Orchard Mesa’s 2nd year in a row as a Performance School. Orchard Mesa’s visit was extra special for me as a parent, because my kiddo attends the school. As the Superintendent, I’m proud of our Performance Schools, and as a parent, like many of you, I’m also proud of the school my child attends and the work the staff put into making his school experience amazing. These visits are always a highlight of my week and a chance to celebrate hard work, growth, and the collective effort it takes to reach this level of success. Congratulations to these schools and everyone who helped make it happen. A special shoutout to Principals Cohen, Moore, and Dr. Medved for leading their teams and students to achieve this milestone. The pride and excitement from students and staff were contagious.

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