The times are constantly changing. The world, our society and its needs are changing just as quickly and our education adapts to meet these new changes. The administration in District 14 has begun discussion on what the future of the district, in particular Manitou Springs High School, will look like.
The superintendent of District 14, Sean Dorsey, hopes to see the school grow to stand out from its peers and to better meet students in their needs for their future. “My best hopes for the future of Manitou Springs High School (really the district as a whole) is for it to remain a vibrant and competitive education destination for in-district and choice families,” Dorsey said. “To be that destination for students and families, our district will have to continue to be responsive to the evolving needs of learners.”
The assistant principal of MSHS, Jessie Nunley, expanded on the desired direction of the high school, emphasizing bridging the classroom and the outside world. “The core idea was to bring more community partnerships into our school and send our students out into the community so that we have more relevancy to the student’s goals post high school,” Nunley said. “One of the pieces of feedback that we’ve gotten through parent and student feedback on surveys that we ask is increasing relevancy in classrooms.”
She also echoes the sentiment of distinction, stating it as a primary goal in the growth of the district. “Even though we’re small, we want to stand out, because we are so unique compared to even our next door neighbors,” Nunley said. “We are planning in partnership with the district to really set ourselves apart and to continue with opportunity and programming that sets our high school apart, continuing to bring the world into our classroom, and the classrooms into our world is really where we want to go with this.”
Brandon DeMatto, athletic director and part-time principal at MSHS, said that the district is visiting other schools to storyboard ideas for the future development of programming. “When you look at multiple schools that are doing things a specific way, I think at some point that becomes a part of the conversation that you’re having,” DeMatto said. “It’s our responsibility to bring it back and see what’s feasible inside of where we are at this point and in the structure we’re looking at.”
Overall, the administration shares a pretty uniform vision which DeMatto repeats. “It’s just important that people understand that we recognize that education is changing, the desires and the needs of kids and community are ever evolving,” DeMatto said. “I think it’s just important to make it clear to students, staff and everybody that people are having good conversations about how this district can keep up and put our best foot forward to ultimately create the best environment for kids to come and be educated and have a great experience at the high school level.”
