INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Excellent Teachers - a focus on Bobbie Faulkner, Eagle Valley High

Technology Update

Colorado Principal of the Year Finalist

Celebrating Success

Spring Theater Productions

Excellent Teachers Make the Difference!

As far back as she can remember Bobbie Faulkner always loved numbers. In some form or another, they just seemed applicable to her everyday life...adding up the number of miles her family traveled while she was growing up, subtracting the number of cities she has yet to live in Colorado, and dividing the time spent in the classroom and at home, to name a few. All joking aside, math always came very naturally to Bobbie.

Born and raised right outside of Philly, Bobbie attended elementary through middle school in Pennsylvania before moving to New Jersey for high school. Always heavily involved in activities, Bobbie was one of seven State Student Council Officers. Ready to get out of Jersey and partake in new and exciting post-secondary adventures, Bobbie applied for college at Duke, the University of Alabama, and Southern Methodist University in Dallas. After much deliberation, Bobbie decided that she was destined for the Lone Star State and in four years at SMU she double majored in mathematics and teaching, and found herself crossing paths with her future husband, Bob.

Bobbie's teaching career kicked off at a small, all-girl, private high school in Dallas by the name of Ursuline Academy. After a short stint of student teaching, Bobbie was hired as a full-time Teacher and stayed around for 2 1/2 years. Although neither one had previous ties to Colorado, Bob and Bobbie were drawn to the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado and got married shortly after their arrival here. While Bob immersed himself in the restaurant industry, Bobbie found herself testing new waters as a substitute Principal in Creede and then as a receptionist at Durango City Hall. Hoping to once again try new things, the newly-weds picked up and moved to Glenwood Springs. Bobbie found herself commuting to Rifle High School for a couple of years, however, due to lack of teaching jobs in the Glenwood Springs area.

Eagle County Schools was finally graced with Bobbie's presence in 1988 when she began teaching math at Battle Mountain High. Her 17-year tenure at the up-valley high school would eventually come to an end, however, due to the Faulkner family living in Eagle and their daughter entering the 9th grade at Eagle Valley High. A house divided by Devils and Huskies would definitely be a challenge. Little did Bobbie know that her educational gene would rub off on their child as well...Bobbie's daughter, who graduated from EVHS in 2000, is now a teacher in Glenwood Springs.

Bobbie is now in her 11th year of teaching math at Eagle Valley High and couldn't be happier. "The students just get better and better every year, as far as standards and work ethics go," states Bobbie. The secret to her success as a teacher? Although she is more of a visual learner, Bobbie understands that accommodating different learning styles requires adapting her style of teaching. "I try to teach the same material in a variety of ways to reach a wide array of audiences," states Bobbie.

Bobbie has also been an avid leader of the LEO Junior Lions Club since its inception in 1997, which is a group that serves to better Eagle Valley High and the greater Eagle County through active fundraising and community service. Senior and President Katie Jean Ewing has had the honor of having Mrs. Faulkner both as a geometry teacher her freshman year and a LEO Junior Lions Club mentor all four years. "Mrs. Faulkner has been a great sponsor in the sense that she is always willing to help and remains open to new ideas," states Katie. "She is an excellent role model because she stays very involved in every project that we take on and always appreciates a different perspective."

Eagle Valley High Principal Mark Strakbein also thinks very highly of Bobbie. "She has the ability to break down her content (mathematics) and utilize the most effective teaching strategies, resulting in having tremendous growth being shown by all students,"states Mark. "Past graduates who have taken math at the college level will continually speak about the positive effect that Bobbie has had on their lives. Her love of teaching students and the relationships she has built continues to change student's lives. She is a role model for her students, our staff, parents and school community."

What does this 30-year old veteran love most about teaching? In no particular order at all, Bobbie loves the socialization piece, the differentiation of activities and lessons behind her door, and when students find success and do well in the classroom.

Building Great Schools, East to West: A Technology Update

Eagle County Schools would again like to take the opportunity to thank Eagle County community members who were in full support of the $128 million bond that was passed in the fall for improvements in our schools, which will ensure 'Great Schools, East to West.' In light of this success, we believe it is important to keep you informed of the progress of various projects and initiatives, and this month's focus is on technology.

There is approximately $4 million of the bond dollars for technology upgrades throughout our schools and John Kuglin, Director of Technology, is working extremely hard to ensure that every single school in the district is impacted considerably. "The approval of the 3B bond is truly a gift to each and every one of the children in Eagle County Schools," states Kuglin. "We are really trying to open the door to next-generation technology services and receiving extremely positive feedback from the community so far."

The technology department is looking to push a 'Learning for the 21st Century' model. According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a unique public-private organization of leaders and educators in business and education, our community vibrancy, personal quality of life, economic viability and business competitiveness depend on a well-prepared citizenry and work force. They believe that public education provides the bedrock from which our national and individual prosperity rise together. Children must adapt to this accelerating technological change in order to succeed in life beyond elementary and secondary education. Eagle County Schools is committed to doing just that.

Currently, 80 percent of the equipment in Eagle County Schools has reached an 'end-of-life' status. Wide-area networks and local-area networks are approaching their last year of functionality. The bond dollars allocated to technology upgrades and improvements will go towards purchasing:

• New wide-area and local-area networks.

• Establishing wireless networks and innovative web-based subscription services in all of the schools.

• Increasing bandwidth to the outside world.

• Installing state-of-the-art projection and wall-mounted devices in a majority of the classrooms.

• Significantly enhancing the performance of computers in each of the schools.

When will this all take place, you ask? The rollout for a majority of the projects will begin in May and hopefully be in place by August, just in time for the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. "I am very confident in our abilities within the technology department," states Kuglin. "We have outlined short- and long-term goals as a department and as a school district, and are working incredibly hard to provide the necessary tools that will help our children to be successful in the future."

Community members interested in presentations and/or receiving additional information on this topic should contact John Kuglin at jkuglin@eagleschools.net.

BMHS' Design Advisory Group (DAG) Gets the Ball Rolling

The new Battle Mountain High School design efforts are underway! A team of teachers, parents, the architects and the contractor have been meeting for three weeks on the design, department components and the site layout. The committee, Design Advisory Group (DAG), meets on Tuesdays at BMHS from 3:30 -5:30. If you would like to share your comments with our committee, please feel free to email BMHS Principal, Brian Hester, at bhester@eagleschools.net. Continue to look for updates in the district newsletters and in the Vail Daily!

Colorado Principal of the Year Finalist

The Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE) is an organization of colleagues connecting to form a community of learners who communicate, advocate and are represented in bringing visibility to the honored, dignified profession of educational leadership. Established in 1969, CASE celebrates the successful efforts of thousands of school administrators who provide instructional leadership and management in Colorado's public schools.

The State and National Principal of the Year Awards programs annually recognize outstanding school leaders who have succeeded in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students. These principals are acknowledged by their peers for the exemplary contributions they have made to the profession. Selection criteria for the award include demonstrated success in (1) educational and collaborative leadership, (2) resolving complex problems, (3) curriculum, instruction and assessment, (4) developing self and others, and (5) community service.

Eagle County Schools is proud to announce that Nancy Ricci, Principal at Red Sandstone Elementary School in Vail, has been named 1 of 3 Finalists in the state of Colorado for Principal of the Year. Nancy has worked for Eagle County Schools since 1981. She was a teacher for many years at various schools in the valley. In addition, Nancy has been a principal in Gypsum and Edwards and, since 1995, at Red Sandstone.

Nancy has learned first hand how to deal with the ever-changing elements in the education system. She has adapted to a variety of transformation in Eagle County Schools, including population shifts, small-school atmosphere versus large-school life, customizing lesson plans for each child, language barriers and changing family demographics. "In the '80s, we gave a child a reading book and we all learned the same thing, ready or not," Ricci states. "Now we are much more focused on the individual child. You see this in all schools." In Nancy's eyes, one of the many good things about being principal at a small school is having more time to spend with the kids. "I get to interact more than I'm used to," Ricci said. "I like that I'm more aware of everything that goes on. I also know all my parents and all my families, and you don't always get that in bigger schools." Congratulations, Nancy, and thank you for your endless commitment to educating every student for success in Eagle County Schools!

Celebrating Success

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

FBLA is an education association of students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. The FBLA mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.

Battle Mountain High

The following Battle Mountain High School students were State Qualifiers at the FBLA competition last month. Congratulations to all of the BMHS Participants!

• Chris Woodruff - 1st Place - Business Calculations

• Noah Hoffman - 4th Place - Business Calculations

• Hana Warmenhoven - 3rd Place - Business Law

• DJ VanCuran - 4th Place - Business Law

• Mike Scigliano - 1st Place - Job Interview

• Lauren Cerra - 5th Place - Marketing

Eagle Valley High

The following Eagle Valley High School students were State Qualifiers at the FBLA competition last month. Congratulations to all of the EVHS Participants!

• Cassidy Kuhn - 1st Place - Introduction to Business

• Nick Brink - 2nd Place - Public Speaking II

• Nick Brink - 2nd Place - Network Designs Team I

• Ethan Smith - 2nd Place - Network Designs Team I

• Sage Smith - 2nd Place - Network Designs Team I

• Ethan Smith - 3rd Place - Business Calculations

• Bryonny Hiland - 3rd Place - Economics

Battle Mountain High Dance Team

The Battle Mountain High School Dance Team recently received the Sportsmanship Award, won 1st Place in their division and took the Grand Championship at the National Competition in New York City. Congratulations, ladies!

Eagle Valley High Wrestling

• All League - 3rd Place in State - James Harvey

• Honorable Mention - 4th Place in State - Brendan Best

• Honorable Mention - Chad Strakbein

Battle Mountain High ProStart Team

The Battle Mountain High School ProStart culinary team took first place in the Colorado Restaurant Association Education Fund's state culinary competition. Colby Lefebvre, Cam Lewis, Ian King and Ryan Walker won by 10 points with a score of 74.25 points out of 75 points. On April 19, the team will travel to Charlotte, NC, to compete against thirty other states in the National Restaurant Association Education Fund's culinary competition. They will not only be competing for the national title, but also for individual scholarship money that can be used at many of the top culinary schools in America. In addition, the ProStart team would like to thank their mentors, Paul Ferzacca, Tom Walker, and Todd Rymer, who have spent countless hours coaching the team. Congratulations, ProStart Team!

Battle Mountain High Skiing

State Ski Meet Awards

• State Giant Slalom - 4th Place - Cooper Cartmill

Ski League Awards - Season Long

• Men's Skimesiter - Mitch Hendrix

• Nordic Woman Skier of the Year - Kendall Wilson

• Women's Giant Slalom - 2nd Place team

• Women's Slalom - 2nd Place team

Men's All State Giant Slalom

• Cooper Cartmill

• Wilder Huega

• Mitch Henddrix

Women's All State Giant Slalom

• Jamie Lee Roberts

• Kelly Van Hee

Men's All State Slalom

• Mitch Hendrix

All State Girls Slalom

• Jamie Lee Roberts

Eagle County Schools' Teachers Achieving Gains

In order to fully appreciate the gains that ECS teachers are making with their students based on Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) assessments, you can compare the value-added scores of the students of ECS teachers, to that of all teachers whose students participated in NWEA. This comparison group consists of data from over 2 million students nationwide. Due to the large number of participants, we can assume that the value-added scores that teachers in the comparison group achieved result in a normal distribution. This is also referred to as a bell curve.

Value-added analysis uses a statistical methodology and is based on individual student achievement data to measure academic gain or 'value-added'for a student above a predicted target over a period of time. Through the use of statistics and students' past performance on tests, 'value-added' predicts what score students should be getting if they continued on the same path.

1A normal distribution would mean that: 2% achieve a '1', 13.5% achieve a '2', 68% achieve a '3', 13.5% achieve a '4'
and 2% achieve a '5'.

The chart above shows the percentage of teachers achieving each level of value-added (1-5) for both groups. All teachers are classified into five categories, as having their average student scores: 1) more than two standard error units below the average teacher's estimate, 2) between one and two standard error units below, 3) within one standard error unit above or below the average teacher's estimate, 4) between one and two standard error units above the average, or 5) more than two standard error units above in terms of their students' gains. Teachers with gain estimates above the average teacher's estimates (i.e., in groups 4 or 5) are considered to have made more than one year's growth with their students.

You can conclude after looking at this chart that Eagle County teachers were highly successful. Note that the majority (67.5%) of ECS teachers earned a '4' or a '5' as compared to only 15.5% of the comparison group. This means that 67.5% of ECS teachers produced more than an average year's growth in their students.

Spring Theater Productions

"NEW DATES" for Footloose

Battle Mountain High, BMHS Auditorium

Thursday, April 26

Dinner from 5:30 - 7:00pm; Curtain at 7:30pm; Ticket prices for the show only are $15 for Adults, $8 for Students and Seniors, and $5 for Children under the age of 11; Ticket prices for dinner and the show are $25 for Adults, $15 for Students and Seniors, and $10 for Children under the age of 11.

Friday, April 27

No Show

Saturday, April 28

Curtain at 2:00pm and 7:30pm; Silent Auction at the evening show; Ticket prices are $15 for Adults, $8 for Students and Seniors, and $5 for Children under the age of 11.

Sunday, April 29

Curtain at 2:00pm; Ticket prices are $15 for Adults, $8 for Students and Seniors, and $5 for Children under the age of 11.

The Parents Handbook

Check out up-to-the minute, family calendar of events at: www.theparentshandbook.com.

Look for the 2007 Summer/Fall issue available everywhere in early June!