Hello again-
Here we are at the end of another school year. It is hard to believe how fast time goes by. We never believed our parents about the older you get the faster time goes by, but it is so true! It has been a very busy school year with many changes and exciting things happening all around Center High School. The entire staff has been extremely busy with these changes. The staff has been open and willing to accept our missions and goals to create a better learning environment for our students. One of these missions and goals has been to improve our daily instruction by implementing administration walk-throughs. I believe we have worked very hard on this mission. According to my numbers the high school staff has endured 318 classroom walk-throughs this past school year. I appreciate the staffs willingness and openness to these procedures. I truly believe walk-throughs have made us a better school. There are multiple core values that are being addressed by walk-throughs. Our purpose is to increase student academic achievement. Quality planning, instruction and assessments lead to high student achievement. There is no excuse for poor quality instruction. Everyone must be committed to the pursuit of excellence. I appreciate having Mrs. Zimmerman to collaborate with on this procedure. It can be a very time consuming process, but it is time well spent.
I would like to thank Adele Alfson and Diane Parker for their hard work with the Academic Awards Ceremonies on Tuesday. Adele and Brandon Selby spent many hours cooking for the event. It is always great to recognize our students for their academic successes. I know the students and staff also appreciate your efforts. Parents also play a big role in the success of our students. Thanks so much for your time and efforts that you put into your students. They are really paying off for you and the students. Thanks again.
NHS Class of 2012
Russ Braiden inducted 11 new members to the National Honors Society last Wednesday evening. These numbers have increased over the course of the past few years. The standards for membership are becoming more rigorous, yet the membership is increasing. This is a real tribute to both Russ and our students.
Friday and Saturday were days filled with athletic events in Center. The town was hopping with people from all over the southern part of the state. There was a middle school baseball tournament, a SPL Championship track meet, and the final middle school track meet. This is quite the monumental event for Center schools. These events would not be possible without the efforts of some very dedicated people. A special thanks needs to go to Susan Banning, Dennis Schoenfelder, Dave Furukawa, Chris Vance, Sarah Vance, Julio Paez, Denise Lobato, Anthony Lobato and Carrie Zimmerman. All of our head coaches organized concession help for the Viking Athletic Association. All of these people are instrumental in keeping 81 individuals on task and organized for this BIG event.
Saturday morning was spent watching our Center Vikings compete at the State Baseball Tournament in Pueblo. They faced an extremely tough team, Rye. My hope is that our team has learned from this experience and will strive to return to the state tournament next year, advancing even further. I was honored to attend the National Wrestling Hall Fame (Colorado chapter) on Saturday evening. Diego Pons was honored for his perseverance both on and off the mat. Diego is an exceptional young man that had to overcome a physical handicap. He received a merit award for his determination to compete at the state level. There were many people present at the banquet who didn’t even know of his disability. This is exactly how Diego would want it to be. Congratulations Diego, you have done a great job of representing Center High School.
This past week:
Monday morning began with a 7 am meeting with head coaches pertaining to end of the year awards in athletics. The rest of the day with filled with the usual (lesson plan review, walk-throughs, various meetings, and planning for the track meet).
Tuesday was a long one! I began by showing off our new school to the Kiwanas group. More walk-throughs were conducted. There was a progress meeting for an expelled student. The evening was finished up with DAC/high school awards (simultaneously) and a lengthy board meeting.
Wednesday morning I knocked out a few e-mails first thing before attending the monthly athletic directors meeting in Alamosa. After the meeting, I got to be a proud dad for a few minutes and attend my son’s RTI meeting in Alamosa. There was a short graduation meeting after school as well as we prepare for the seniors big day on May 26th. Upon returning to the school, I was able to complete a few teacher evaluations before attending the National Honors Society banquet that evening.
Thursday was a great day!!! I completed all the necessary walk-throughs for the year. This was pretty intense getting to all the teachers. This was a shortened and busy quarter, but we got it done. I attended the health meeting at noon. Final evaluations were completed with three teachers. These were the senior class sponsors that will be in California next week. All the seniors were able to take a personal tour of the new school this afternoon. The evening ended with an appreciation dinner for all head coaches given by the Viking Athletic Association.
Friday was pretty strenuous on my old body!! Finding baseball officials in the San Luis Valley can be very challenging. I umpired 2 of the middle school baseball games, while trying to keep the high school track meet on schedule and running smoothly. Mrs. Zimmerman and I worked closely together to keep these events going.
Saturday, my family and I attended the state baseball tournament in Pueblo. The evening was the awards banquet for the National Wrestling Hall of fame in Colorado Springs.
The week ahead:
Monday will be tying up loose ends for the school year. This will include final teacher evaluations, completing payroll for athletic events, and keeping the school functioning.
Tuesday will include much of the same as Monday. The only scheduled event is a “Cornerstone Removal” ceremony in front of the current school.
Wednesday please read and be current with Mr. Welsh’s e-mail regarding check out procedures. This afternoon I will heading to Denver to watch Morgan Hart and Maya Martinez compete in the Colorado State Track Meet. Good luck tracksters!!!
Thursday thru Saturday I will be attending the state track meet in Denver.
Have a great week!! It has been one crazy year!! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for graduation next week, May 26th @ 10:00 am in front of Haskins Elementary.
Thanks for reading!
Mr. Jones
Mr. Jones