Center of Focus

October 3, 2022

Focus on the Fabulous

Center Vikings are making their mark in the world. Omar Hernandez graduated from CCSD last year and he is furthering his education at ASU. Omar is a member of the CAMP program and was recognized in September as the CAMP Student Scholar of the month. Omar is majoring in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise science. Omar is a student-athlete and is wrestling for the Grizzlies. Omar is off to a great start in his college experience and we are proud of our Center Viking!

Center school’s annual open house was held on Wednesday, September 28th, and was a success. There was a great turnout of families, students, and community organizations.

Families were treated to a barbeque dinner, listened to some great music provided by our DJ Jose Villagomez from Adams State, had the chance to get to know Center teachers and staff a little better, and received information on available resources and opportunities.

Jose Villagomez is another one of our graduates doing great things. He is the Student Body President at ASU and is sitting on the Presidential Search Committee.

Part of Center’s district work is focused on continuing to strengthen positive relationships with families and the community as we work together to provide our students with the best educational experience possible. Research shows that when schools and systems are co-created and designed with all members of the families and communities they represent, better outcomes, public trust, and innovation all result. To this end, the district is working on the development of its graduate profile. During the Open House, families had the chance to provide feedback on this process and share their input on their hopes and dreams for Center graduates.

The night concluded with an amazing raffle, thanks to the generous contributions of local businesses! We appreciate all of the support from the community!

Focus on our Fabulous Staff

Aleceya Mortenson is starting her second year in our district. Aleceya completed her education at Adams State and was able to be one of our 3rd-grade teachers last year as a Teacher of Record. We are happy she decided to stay with us and she continues to teach our third graders, along with Brooke Slane. Aleceya describes herself as organized, determined, and a clear communicator. Some of the things she is planning on focusing on this year include grading, getting connected with the mentor group, and finding books to read during her read-aloud time in the classroom. Aleceya is doing a great job connecting with her students and she has created a welcoming classroom environment. We are glad Aleceya is on our team!

Angelo Ortiz is joining our Viking team as our middle school PE teacher. Angelo’s background is in exercise physiology and as a personal trainer. Angelo considers his strengths to be in his ability to be adaptable, patient, and understanding. These are great attributes to have if you are teaching middle school students! He’s done a great job building relationships with the kids and he is always jumping in to participate with the students. Angelo and his girlfriend have two huskies and they are expecting a new addition to their family, a little girl! Congratulations Angelo. We are happy for you and your growing family. In his free time, Angelo likes to hang out with family and friends, binge-watch Netflix, work out, travel, and cook. He keeps pretty busy at work and in his free time. We know he loves Viking blue… but his favorite color is red.

Kristin Enquist is starting her second year in the district but has been in education for fourteen years. Kristin worked in Early Childhood Education with 3-5-year-olds for eleven years and then in Kindergarten for 3 years. Kristin considers her strongest assets to be her empathy, structure, and her holistic approach. She loves getting to know all of the students and teachers and being able to support them. Kristin has been married for 10 years and she has a six-year-old daughter who is a little Viking. In her free time, she loves being with her family and spending time in nature with them. She also enjoys reading and being transformed into epic fictional stories. She loves to run and do HIIT workouts. Her new favorite quote about education is “Whatever we can do to facilitate learning on the one hand and loving on the other is important because those are the most healing forces available to us.” Na’im Akbar.

As you can see, we have an impressive staff of both veteran and new educators. Having quality educators in every classroom is a constant goal for the district. We have a multi-talented team of educators and support personnel, in our district, providing students with the best educational experience possible.

Rewind

Haskin elementary students visited the pumpkin patch last week and loaded up on big, beautiful pumpkins. It was fun to hear the excitement in their voices before school as they anticipated the trip! Thanks to the Haskin staff and administration for making the trip possible so that our kids could have this fun experience.

I had the chance to drop into a few of our youngest classrooms last week and it’s always good for my soul. Stacy Maldonado was working with kiddos on their letters and sounds.

The kids were engaged and doing a great job with their pronunciation and connecting letters to names. When I visited the kindergarten classes, students were actively engaged in literacy centers. It’s important to spend time engaged in authentic literacy learning experiences and our youngest Vikings were definitely doing that throughout the week!

A shout out to Anita Rodriquez and Richie Barela for their work as crossing guards before and after school. Anita and Richie are out every morning, before school starts, and when the bell rings at the end of the day, to make sure our students are safe coming back and forth to school. Thank you both for your dedication to our district and keeping students safe!

Fast Forward

Upcoming dates to get on calendars

Monday, October 3rd- Official Student Count Day

Friday, October 7th- Staff PD- Life Spot Safety Training- 8:00- noon

Staff Appreciation Day- 1:00- 4:00 pm

We are looking forward to an exciting Homecoming Week on October 10th- 15th. The action-packed week events are below.

Theme: Lights! Camera! Action

Seniors: Horror

Juniors: Comedy

Sophomores: Action

Freshmen: Animation

Monday, October 10th:

-Pajama Day (Have a comfy Monday in your favorite PJs!)

-Powder Puff Football @7pm

Tuesday, October 11th:

-Adam Sandler Day (Dress like Hollywood legend Adam Sandler!)

-Pep Assembly during HS Advisory

-Volleyball v. Monte Vista @5pm

-Bonfire at @7pm (More details to come!)

Wednesday, October 12th:

-On Wednesday We Wear Pink Day (Wear your pinkest pink!)

-Parade @3pm

-Ruff ’n’ Tuff Volleyball @7pm

Thursday, October 13th:

-White Lies Day (Wear a white shirt with a white lie about yourself on the front!)

-Knowledge Bowl @ ASU @9am

-Volleyball @ Trinidad @4:30pm

Friday, October 14th:

-Cross Country @ Monte Vista @9am

-Football v. Monte Vista @7pm (Neon Night!)

*Homecoming Royalty Coronation @halftime

Saturday, October 15th:

-Homecoming Dance @ 7-11:30pm