It has been my honor to serve as the acting superintendent for the last several months. However, there have been times when I have missed connecting more directly with the schools. I began working with Falcon School District 49 nine years ago, first as a teacher, then as a school principal and now in central administration in a variety of roles – all reminding me of my love for the students and teachers of this district.This is the reason I have decided to focus once again on my role as the chief academic officer and relinquish my role as the acting superintendent. I care greatly about the children of this district, and I want to be able to turn my full attention back to my passion for learning services.I worked with the Board of Education to determine the best person to take over this role while the board conducts their formal search. David Bond leads the pack as our chief information officer. He started working with the district in July 2007, making him the next most senior member of our executive cabinet. In his first year on the job, David successfully reorganized and reinvigorated the entire information services department, producing never-before-seen performance levels. He has also created many best practices for the district and is particularly adept at managing budgets.Prior to his time with D 49, David worked in the field of information technology for 14 years in various leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds his M.S. in computer science from Colorado Technical University. He currently serves in the Air Force Reserves and has two kids, ages 2 and 3, with his beautiful wife Christie.David’s experiences in the military taught him to value service before self and to strive for excellence while delivering measureable outcomes. It is for these reasons and many more that he will make a terrific acting superintendent during this time of transition.Thank you all for your commitment to the children and families of our district. David and I look forward to working with you now and into the future.KudosCongratulations to Horizon Middle School seventh grade math teacher Chris Freark. Chris has been awarded a fellowship with the Earthwatch Institute to study the coastal ecology of the Bahamas.We are so proud of Sand Creek High School student Ted (TJ) Vong. TJ will be receiving $20,000 in scholarships to Johnson & Wales University next fall due to his participation in DECA and ProStart, a part of Sand Creek’s Career Academy of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Business.Way to go Falcon High School Mock Trial Team! They placed 14th in the Colorado Bar Association State High School Mock Trial Competition.Nine D 49 students competed in the state HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) conference. Please join us in congratulating the following participants: Melanie MacDonald, Melissa Pforr, Conner Jackson, Andrew Plotner, Eva Kautz, Kate Heimann, Vicki Eichinger, Nylvantia Rahaman-Davis and Ryan Menozzi. All nine students were recognized in at least one of their events.We are here to serve you. Contact Eric Paugh, David Bond or any D 49 division or department head at 719-495-1100. Next month’s column will be written by D 49 Acting Superintendent David Bond.
