I am always honored to represent our Falcon School District 49 community as I work with educational leaders to foster a productive and innovative environment for every student.In meeting with superintendents from across our region recently, we discussed anticipated state education funding, as well as the implementation of updated standards for our students. I want to ensure you that our district is constantly working to advocate for our students and educators, to make sure Falcon School District 49 is providing the highest quality educational opportunities possible.We recently celebrated some outstanding individuals; as students, teachers and area businesses came together to recognize our local heroes at Odyssey Elementary’s Hero Day. Police, fire and military personnel were greeted with a musical tribute from fifth grade students and received expressions of gratitude from student and staff members at the school. The event brought our community together to offer a tribute to those who serve our country, and it was an opportunity that provided students the chance to learn lessons of compassion, empathy and history.It is encouraging to see how our students come together to support one another. At Falcon High School, a group of student mentors, selected by their peers, is working with an important student communication program and will soon be the first group of students in Colorado to be trained by the Safe 2 Tell organization to be trainers on the program curriculum.The program focuses on kids and the issues they face today. This program was based on the Columbine Commission Report’s recommendation that students need a safe and anonymous way to keep lines of communication open. They realized that tragedies could be prevented if young people had a way to tell someone what they knew without fearing retaliation. Now, these students selected from FHS can work with other students to make Safe 2 Tell practices effective and active in their schools – and it is wonderful to see our students leading the way for our state in this peer-to-peer process.As we strive to make every minute of the academic experience count for our students, we are packing quality opportunities into every aspect of the school day.As part of students’ schedules at Sand Creek, an opportunity to attend enrichment seminars is now available. These seminars bring in professionals and community members to provide students with insight and information on various topics and career paths. Already, a local political figure and small business owner have talked with our students about how a young person can become politically active even before they are old enough to vote; and a deputy coroner spoke with students about careers in crime scene investigation. If you know of an interesting and inspirational individual that might be interested in working with our students, contact Kathleen about the Enrichment Seminar Program at kvoss@d49.org.Thank you for your support of our students and our schools – I look forward to working with you as we head into the second quarter of our school year!
