Center of Focus

Focus on the Fabulous

A Fantastic First Week of School!

We had an amazing first week of school with our students! On Monday, we rolled out the red carpet to celebrate their return to campus. Our staff greeted them with cheers and enthusiasm, making the start of the school year a memorable one!

We’re also thrilled to welcome new members to our Viking family:

Mr. Andy Lavier, our new Assistant Director, brings 27 years of educational experience, including 10 years in administration. He’s been a part of the San Luis Valley community for over 30 years, attended Adams State, and ran under Coach Vigil. We’re excited to have his expertise on board.

Kristin Enquist is stepping into a new role as our 1st-grade teacher. While she’s not new to our Viking ship, she’s been supporting students and staff at the elementary level in social-emotional learning. Her children are also Vikings—Amelia in third grade and Liam in the infant staff daycare room.

Denise Martinez, a Center native, joins our third-grade team with 27 years of experience with children. She’s no stranger to our district, having worked at Haskin Elementary as a Kindergarten writing teacher before spending 16 years at Head Start and 8 years as an Education Manager. We’re delighted to have her back, bringing creativity, dedication, and a strong work ethic.

Martina Thompson is new to both our Viking team and the Valley, moving from out of state to Colorado this summer. She has 13 years of teaching experience across various grades, including 4th and 5th-grade math and 9th-grade Spanish. Martina’s patience, creativity, and lesson planning skills will be great assets to our team as she and her husband settle into their new home in South Fork.

Cydnie Cordova joins our fifth-grade team, bringing valuable real-world experience. A graduate of UCCS with a degree in Communications, Cydnie has worked in various roles, including as a camp assistant and presenter at a Latin Camp for adoptive children, a sales associate, and most recently, as a Project Coordinator at Play Street Museum. We’re excited to see her fresh perspective in the classroom.

Elizabeth Salicrup is our new K-12 Art teacher with five years of experience across multiple subjects and grades. This is the first year we’ll have one teacher overseeing art for all grades, and Elizabeth has already set up a fantastic learning environment. Her creativity, ability to build relationships, and organizational skills will greatly benefit our students.

Kelsey Fransen joins us as the middle school special education teacher with 9 years of experience. She’s previously worked with SLV BOCES and taught in SSN rooms at Centauri and Bill Metz. Kelsey’s organizational skills, honesty, and caring nature make her a wonderful addition to our team. A fun fact: I had the pleasure of teaching Kelsey at Adams State and her husband in middle school—making me feel a bit nostalgic!

Our teachers didn’t waste any time engaging students in learning. Kindergarteners started with a staggered schedule, and Mrs. Villagomez was quick to get them into the swing of things. Meanwhile, upstairs in middle school, Mr. Hacking’s social studies students were busy using their problem-solving skills to construct paper buildings—without talking!

Rewind: A Week of Success and Collaboration

Our tech team worked tirelessly to prepare devices for students, and their efforts paid off this past week. The device handout went smoothly, thanks to the coordination of Mr. Julio Paez and his outstanding team, Teddy Garcia and Ascencion Najera. Their dedication ensures that our students and staff have access to cutting-edge technology every day.

On Wednesday evening, we held our monthly Board meeting, where Miguel Rios was appointed to the Board of Education, filling the vacancy left by Mr. Barela’s resignation. Mr. Rios has been an active member of our district, serving on the District Accountability Committee for the past few years. His daughter, Alicia, was a Viking athlete who graduated last year and will be playing basketball at Trinidad State. As a local business owner, Mr. Rios brings valuable experience and insight to the Board of Education.

Thursday marked our annual Open House, which saw a fantastic turnout. Families enjoyed a delicious barbecue hosted by our incredible food services team.

Mr. Noriega kept the atmosphere lively with great tunes and served as the emcee for the evening’s drawing. Parents and community members had the opportunity to meet with teachers in an informal setting, familiarize themselves with staff, and learn about the district’s initiatives and priorities for the year. Thanks to Kevin Hagan for making some visual representations of our four focus areas!

It was a fun, family-friendly event and a perfect way to cap off an excellent week!

A big shoutout to our fantastic facilities team, who did an amazing job setting up and tearing down for the Open House, on top of everything else they do day in and day out.

And as always, a huge thank you to Dalia Molina, Brisa Macias, Itzel Duran, and Lucia Miranda for helping us collect donations and hand out all the amazing prizes for our students and families. They always make the night extra special.