School News: Schools Receive “Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Awards” and “John Irwin Schools Of Excellence Awards”

Students at Landmark academy at reunion celebrate first annual latin culture week

Landmark Academy at Reunion , a tuition-free public charter school, recently hosted their First Annual Latin Culture Week, a week focused on educating students on the various aspects of Latin culture, from music and art to sports and celebrities, through unique activities. During the week-long celebration, students were able to step into the lives of the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans with Latin culture lessons through piñata making, cultural crafts, songs, traditional foods and more. Students made maracas and learned a traditional Mexican Hat Dance; created Aztec suns working with metal tooling; and studied different countries in Mexico , Central America and South America . Aztec dancers from the Colorado Folk Arts Council also visited with students and educated them on the spiritual and traditional aspects of Aztec culture through dance. “We reside in a community with strong Latin and Hispanic roots,” said Matt Carlton, principal of Landmark Academy at Reunion . “Our community culture is important to us at Landmark. By providing unique ways for our students to learn the various backgrounds of our diverse community they are able to understand and appreciate different cultures.” For more information about Landmark Academy at Reunion , please visit www.landmarkacademy.org.

March 22, 2011

Schools Receive “Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Awards” and “John Irwin Schools Of Excellence Awards”

The Colorado Department of Education announced today that 153 schools in Colorado have been recognized with the “Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Awards” and 151 schools received the “John Irwin Schools of Excellence Awards.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper said, “The state is proud to recognize the hard work and dedication demonstrated by the staff and students at these schools.”

The Colorado Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Awards recognizes the top 8 percent of public schools that demonstrate the highest rates of student longitudinal growth, as measured by the Colorado Growth Model. A list of schools is available at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeawards/govdistinguishedimprov.htm

The John Irwin Schools of Excellence Awards recognizes the top 8 percent of public schools that demonstrate the highest achievement on statewide assessments. A list of 2009-2010 award-winning schools is available at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeawards/johnirwin.htm

“These schools and communities are putting in the extra effort,” said Associate Commissioner Richard Wenning. “They are making a difference for students. We celebrate your contributions and thank you for setting a great example for other schools.”

The “John Irwin School Awards Program” and “Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Awards Program” were established by statute in 2000.

For more information, contact Mark Stevens, 303-866-3898, or Megan McDermott, 303-866-2334, in the CDE Office of Communications. To sign up for the CDE e-mail news service, please visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/Communications/index.html.