At the risk of sounding cliché, I’ve always thought of myself as a leader who unites rather than divides. But as someone who has been in the education field for over a decade, I understand that the work we do, the projects we create and the programs we promote can sometimes become politicized. Such is the case here in Durango where I recently assumed the position of Head of School for Animas High. I fully expected that after five years of getting AHS chartered and prepared in a town where two other Charter Schools have previously failed there may be some different perspectives out there. I took some time to learn about Durango’s history concerning school choice and with a little context was easily able to sort out where most townsfolk stood on the issue.
It seems that for quite some time, parents and young adults in this community have been frustrated by what they perceive as the many shortcomings of 9-R. As I have discovered, this distaste for the district and more notably DHS stems from years of sub-par programs, unfulfilled promises and an influx and outflow of different administrators and personnel. Being “from away” and only recently relocated to this fabulous mountain hamlet, I do not carry with me a history of disappointment and the DHS disaffect that seems to run deep in so many of the people I’ve spoken to. That said, denying that parents and young adults are fed up is akin to pretending that Global Warming is still a myth. It appears that Animas High School is itself a direct result of the local citizenry taking educational options and their want for school choice into their own, capable hands.
As Head of School, I have tried to be as transparent as possible with whoever will listen. Over the past two weeks, I have sought out the various players involved and just this past Thursday attended a region wide board meeting held at Bayfield High School. There, I was able to personally meet superintendents, greet local school officials and speak with many of the board members from five surrounding districts. Animas board member Nancy Heleno and I also had the opportunity to present at this gathering. Nancy facilitated a presentation on the merits of AHS and our educational model from a Brain Researchers perspective. I took the opportunity to publicly introduce myself, tell the various educators assembled a little about my background and highlight the importance for future inter-district cooperation.
My goal at Animas High School is to take an allied approach when working with the many entities and individuals that we’ll impact. In the case of 9-R, the issue became clear very quickly. Rather than being viewed as an exciting new resource for our kids, Animas High School is considered to be Durango HS and the Big Picture School’s direct competition. The district stands to lose revenue if AHS attracts students away from their programs. With less money, there will be difficult decisions for 9-R concerning spending, facilities and staffing. I completely understand the situation 9-R finds itself in. Traditional education as we know can smell the change in the air. We’ve learned much about the old ways of doing things and when a newcomer like Animas appears, the old guard can definitely get a little territorial. But in an effort to be as transparent and collaborative as possible, the leadership team at AHS has continued to reach out to district officials.
Recently, AHS has been pulled from the agenda of local middle school parent meetings. 9-R continues to block all attempts by AHS to reach out to district middle schoolers whether it is through daily bulletins, web releases, the sharing of student databases or reservations for after school assemblies. In this Sunday’s Durango Herald, Dr. Keith Owen “emphasized that Animas High is not a 9-R program and that 9-R has no responsibility to recruit students for Animas High, which he likened to a separate school district.” As a person who tries to see the positive in most everyone and every situation, I would have noted that the high school may now have smaller classes due to a distribution of incoming 9th grades between the different high schools. If the goal is to set all of our kids up for success, then we should promote opportunities for parents to learn about all the options available to them. We should do this together with the youth’s best interest in mind. We should not try to stymie, prolong or confuse the process. As Diane Lashinsky, principal of DHS put it, “if she were a parent, she would attend all the meetings held by both schools before selecting the best option for her child.” I’m thankful we’ll have our chance at the library on Feb. 17th from 6-7:30.
In closing my presentation to the audience Thursday evening, I tried to stress the following three points. First, the youth in Durango and La Plata are ALL of our concern and they are this community’s future professionals, administrators trade and service industry employees. They are OUR FUTURE! Therefore it is imperative that we ALL work together to make sure the children of Southwestern Colorado have every option available to them for achieving success.
Secondly, as 9-r has articulated in the district’s new master plan, smaller is better and more intimate relationships between students and their teachers, coaches and mentors are pivotal in positive development of young adults. That said whether kids go to Big Picture, Animas, Grace Prep, DHS or cho0se to home school should not matter as long as we are constantly trying to match each individual with the learning environment and program that can serve them best!
Finally, I officially acknowledged that the financial strains our new program places on 9-r and other public school districts are very real and valid but I continue to remind everyone that Animas High School is the direct result of local citizens and concerned parents enacting positive change when they felt like they had run out of options. I only hope that the promise of Op-Ed comparisons, more balanced media coverage and a “School Choice” evening event where all the local high school programs are represented together, on one stage and with an equal chance to get the word out will happen. As Dr. Owen, 9-R superintendent reminded us Thursday night, “Many parents are confused about the two alternative schools.” Hopefully, a little good will and cooperation on all sides can clear things up once and for all. But as I’m quickly learning, the politics of place may cause me to un-cross my fingers and take to the keyboard again…
It seems that for quite some time, parents and young adults in this community have been frustrated by what they perceive as the many shortcomings of 9-R. As I have discovered, this distaste for the district and more notably DHS stems from years of sub-par programs, unfulfilled promises and an influx and outflow of different administrators and personnel. Being “from away” and only recently relocated to this fabulous mountain hamlet, I do not carry with me a history of disappointment and the DHS disaffect that seems to run deep in so many of the people I’ve spoken to. That said, denying that parents and young adults are fed up is akin to pretending that Global Warming is still a myth. It appears that Animas High School is itself a direct result of the local citizenry taking educational options and their want for school choice into their own, capable hands.
As Head of School, I have tried to be as transparent as possible with whoever will listen. Over the past two weeks, I have sought out the various players involved and just this past Thursday attended a region wide board meeting held at Bayfield High School. There, I was able to personally meet superintendents, greet local school officials and speak with many of the board members from five surrounding districts. Animas board member Nancy Heleno and I also had the opportunity to present at this gathering. Nancy facilitated a presentation on the merits of AHS and our educational model from a Brain Researchers perspective. I took the opportunity to publicly introduce myself, tell the various educators assembled a little about my background and highlight the importance for future inter-district cooperation.
My goal at Animas High School is to take an allied approach when working with the many entities and individuals that we’ll impact. In the case of 9-R, the issue became clear very quickly. Rather than being viewed as an exciting new resource for our kids, Animas High School is considered to be Durango HS and the Big Picture School’s direct competition. The district stands to lose revenue if AHS attracts students away from their programs. With less money, there will be difficult decisions for 9-R concerning spending, facilities and staffing. I completely understand the situation 9-R finds itself in. Traditional education as we know can smell the change in the air. We’ve learned much about the old ways of doing things and when a newcomer like Animas appears, the old guard can definitely get a little territorial. But in an effort to be as transparent and collaborative as possible, the leadership team at AHS has continued to reach out to district officials.
Recently, AHS has been pulled from the agenda of local middle school parent meetings. 9-R continues to block all attempts by AHS to reach out to district middle schoolers whether it is through daily bulletins, web releases, the sharing of student databases or reservations for after school assemblies. In this Sunday’s Durango Herald, Dr. Keith Owen “emphasized that Animas High is not a 9-R program and that 9-R has no responsibility to recruit students for Animas High, which he likened to a separate school district.” As a person who tries to see the positive in most everyone and every situation, I would have noted that the high school may now have smaller classes due to a distribution of incoming 9th grades between the different high schools. If the goal is to set all of our kids up for success, then we should promote opportunities for parents to learn about all the options available to them. We should do this together with the youth’s best interest in mind. We should not try to stymie, prolong or confuse the process. As Diane Lashinsky, principal of DHS put it, “if she were a parent, she would attend all the meetings held by both schools before selecting the best option for her child.” I’m thankful we’ll have our chance at the library on Feb. 17th from 6-7:30.
In closing my presentation to the audience Thursday evening, I tried to stress the following three points. First, the youth in Durango and La Plata are ALL of our concern and they are this community’s future professionals, administrators trade and service industry employees. They are OUR FUTURE! Therefore it is imperative that we ALL work together to make sure the children of Southwestern Colorado have every option available to them for achieving success.
Secondly, as 9-r has articulated in the district’s new master plan, smaller is better and more intimate relationships between students and their teachers, coaches and mentors are pivotal in positive development of young adults. That said whether kids go to Big Picture, Animas, Grace Prep, DHS or cho0se to home school should not matter as long as we are constantly trying to match each individual with the learning environment and program that can serve them best!
Finally, I officially acknowledged that the financial strains our new program places on 9-r and other public school districts are very real and valid but I continue to remind everyone that Animas High School is the direct result of local citizens and concerned parents enacting positive change when they felt like they had run out of options. I only hope that the promise of Op-Ed comparisons, more balanced media coverage and a “School Choice” evening event where all the local high school programs are represented together, on one stage and with an equal chance to get the word out will happen. As Dr. Owen, 9-R superintendent reminded us Thursday night, “Many parents are confused about the two alternative schools.” Hopefully, a little good will and cooperation on all sides can clear things up once and for all. But as I’m quickly learning, the politics of place may cause me to un-cross my fingers and take to the keyboard again…
