By Thomas Cleary, Crestone Charter School director
CCS is growing, literally and figuratively. Below you will find introductions from the new staff who are coming on board for the 2024/25 school year. Some are new positions, like the instructional support role to help teachers and students in the classroom, the greenhouse coordinator for the new Growing Spaces Dome, and the experiential education coordinator to support field trips and travel learning.
Others are re-boots, like the in-house special education to replace our former virtual SpEd, and the return of a music teacher. As of press time we are on the verge of hiring a new science teacher for MS/HS. We are looking for HS mentors and a transportation coordinator. All this is in response to our growing student body.
One hundred learners are signed up, and parents are reminded to officially enroll ASAP using the emailed instructions. Some grades still have spaces available and most do not have a waitlist. Please call 719-256-4907 to sign up your child, or for jobs and mentorships. Please join me in welcoming our new staff.
Please note that due to space limitations, some introductions will appear in the September issue of The Crestone Eagle.
Hillary Clayton
Hi, I’m Hillary Clayton, the new instructional coach at CCS. I have worked in education for over a decade as a secondary science and math teacher, and have taught in Baltimore, Maryland, and Tacoma, Washington, before relocating to Crestone. I received my master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University, and look forward to sharing my experiences and learning with the staff at CCS.
In my role, I will be supporting teachers with their professional growth, curriculum planning, and implementation. This means collaborating with teachers to meet them where they are and find ways to best support all of our learners. Additionally, I will be leading the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) team, which will meet weekly to discuss how we can support our students in and out of the classroom. I am thrilled to be a part of the CCS family and look forward to a wonderful year.
Carissa Conner
Hello, I’m Carissa Conner. I’m originally from Oregon and I moved here six years ago with my family. My boys have been at Crestone Charter School for the last four years. I have had the privilege of working at the school for three years with April keeping it clean, freshly painted and safe for the kids. I have also participated as a volunteer parent fundraising for the Brazil trip with Link and I got to chaperone on the trip. Last school year I worked in Ms. Cary’s classroom as a paraprofessional. I learned so much about literacy and writing short stories, and I had the opportunity to go on the Mesa Verde spring trip.
This year I am starting a new role at the Charter School. I will be the experiential education coordinator, so I get to plan all the spring trips, the all-school campout and many other outings and experiences for the school. I am passionate about gardening, herbal teas, baking pies and spending time outdoors. I’m looking forward to getting to know the students and all of you. This will be a wonderful year together.
Rachel Kellum
Hello, I’m Rachel Kellum, the new K-12 greenhouse specialist and 4/5 co-teacher, and I’m so excited to join the CCS community. I’ve been teaching visual and language arts at K-12 and college levels for over 20 years and gardening for just as long, so I’m thrilled to share my passion for interdisciplinary learning and growing green things with our youth. I plan to use a student-centered approach to help kids meaningfully engage with the art of growing, protecting, harvesting, preserving and cooking vegetables, culinary/medicinal herbs and flowers, as well as collecting seeds and tending aquatic plants, goldfish, koi and worms. Collaborating with other teachers to create greenhouse experiences that enrich core curriculum will be part of this. I can’t wait to meet my new students, their families, and community members who might enjoy sharing their green wisdom or a tour of their own greenhouse with us. Interested? Contact me at rkellum@crestonecharter.com. Let’s start growing together!
Jeanne Weidner
Hello Crestone, my name is Jeanne Weidner (pronounced Gee-Nee Wide-ner) and I am very excited about the opportunities at Crestone Charter School. I will be the special education coordinator. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, an Alternative Teaching certification, and a School Psychologist degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I taught in Texas schools (4-8 Language Arts, Reading and Social Studies) for a number of years and then went back to school for my School Psych EdS. I worked in Iowa schools focusing on behavior issues and academic achievement. I am thrilled to be a part of CCS and look forward to working with staff and students to achieve their highest potential. I enjoy kayaking, hiking, reading and dancing. I look forward to meeting all of you.
Look for more staff introductions in the September issue of The Crestone Eagle.