School News: Robert Hammond Named Sole Finalist for Colorado Commissioner Of Education

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.

May 02, 2011

Robert Hammond Named Sole Finalist for Colorado Commissioner Of Education

The Colorado State Board of Education today named Robert Hammond as the sole finalist in its search for a new commissioner of education.

Today’s unanimous action by the board, conducted in a telephone conference call meeting, narrows the search to a sole finalist, but a final step remains. Hammond was first named as one of two finalists on April 21 and the board, under state law, must wait at least 14 days before making the appointment official.

“That is a pretty significant formality,” said Board Chairman Bob Schaffer. “And one that needs to be accomplished separately.”

The board’s next regularly scheduled meetings are Wednesday, May 11 and Thursday, May 12.

Chairman Schaffer added that the board “took all the applications very seriously and spent a lot of time as a board weighing them and evaluating them” and also “found a lot of talent right here in our backyard.” He said as long as the final steps stay on track that the search points to “a very strong outcome—one that’s going to be great for the state of Colorado.”

A seasoned veteran of K-12 school administration, Hammond has more than 23 years of educational leadership experience, including three with CDE as acting commissioner and deputy commissioner and more than six with Boulder Valley School District.

Added board member Elaine Gantz Berman: “We were very fortunate to have two outstanding finalists . . . who were both well-known in the state and highly respected. We had long deliberations . . . It was a very difficult decision.”

Said board member Deb Scheffel: “We appreciated all the folks who did apply . . . We had a rich pool and it was a great process.”

Board member Paul Lundeen also thanked all who applied. “We had a broad field,” he said. And board member Jane Goff said the process allowed the board to meet a variety of individuals from across the country and that the board was enriched by the process and the in-depth discussions would benefit the board’s future work.