Gilpin names new Elementary Principal

01/25/2007 - GILPIN COUNTY, Colo. – In a mid-year shift of administration at Gilpin County School District, the Board of Education has appointed Lisa Schell as Elementary Principal. Schell currently serves as the District Curriculum Coordinator. She will start her new position immediately.

  “Ever since we received our CSAP scores this past July, the discussion among staff members has focused on student achievement,” said Ken Ladouceur, Superintendent. “Internal discussions have included the possibility of a five-day school week, more instructional time in core subjects and less time in specials (music, art, PE), and a concentration toward preparing our students for the required assessments the school district is mandated to complete by President Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. While we will continue to explore these options, and any others that may be advantageous for the District, we are confident that Lisa Schell’s knowledge, and the enthusiasm she brings to the Elementary Principal position, will prove to be a positive step forward toward improving the education of our students. We cut the Elementary Principal position last spring due to budgetary concerns. Our financial situation has not changed but more direct classroom instructional support is needed now,” Ladouceur continued.

  Schell graduated from Colorado State University in 1990, completed her teaching credentials at Western State College in 1994, and started with the school district as an elementary teacher that fall. She received her Master's in Education-Administration in 2002 and has held a Principal’s License with the State of Colorado since 2003.

  The Secondary Principal, Alexis Donaldson, and Ms. Schell will work together and with staff members to ensure that curriculum is maintained appropriately throughout the District. Curriculum review will remain an annual charge for the District Accountability Committee (DAC) and the School Board will continue its current practice of approving all curriculum taught in the school district.