Superintendent

SuperintendentCañon City Schools Administration Office
Superintendent - Adam Hartman

Address: 101 N 14th St
Phone Number: 719-276-5700
Fax: 719-276-5739

Superintendent’s Message 

July 31, 2023

 

Cañon City School District’s vision is “Learning for Life!”.  When I first was hired as a teacher in this district, in the summer of 2001, I saw those words prominently displayed in the district office.  Now, 22 years later, they still apply.  The work of this school district isn’t simply about the Pre-K through 12th-grade experience.  Rather, our work is to help prepare our students to be outstanding citizens of the world.  As the world has changed, we’ve worked hard to adjust our structures and offerings in order to mirror the demands of the present environment.  After careful consideration and reflection, it was clear that “Learning for Life!” is as applicable (if not more so) today as it was two decades ago.  

It’s one thing to have a vision, and it’s a whole different thing to make it actionable.  Therein, our daily mission, which is true for all employees,  is codified in the following mission statement: The Cañon City School District is future-focused, providing innovative educational opportunities to successfully prepare all students to meet any challenge they may face.  We know that it’s more difficult than ever to predict the future, so we’ve endeavored to not only provide an outstanding educational base but also to emphasize the development of key skills and traits across the K-12 experience.  

Although each of our schools has its unique culture, what is consistent across the K-12 spectrum, and true in every building, is that we envision and nurture education beyond content memorization and academic skill acquisition.  To that end, our Portrait of a Graduate includes 14 Traits and Skills.  We know that regardless of the path our graduates pursue after graduation, they will be greatly aided by strengths in the following areas:  KNOWLEDGE, INTEGRITY, TENACITY, AGENCY, AGILITY, CIVILITY, INNOVATION, EMPOWERMENT, LEADERSHIP, CONTRIBUTION, COMMUNICATION, REFLECTION, COLLABORATION, SOLUTION-SEEKING

Our school district is built upon four Core Beliefs, and they are aligned with that vision:

  1. We meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow’s Hierarchy before Bloom’s Taxonomy.
  2. We believe learning growth is what matters most, that it requires risk-taking, and the work we do has the greatest impact on growth outcomes.
  3. We’re future-focused, believing the development of certain traits and skills will prepare students for ever-changing careers.
  4. We emphasize what is good for kids over the needs and comfort of staff.  

As noted in Core Belief #3, we believe a child’s educational experiences must be relevant to their future. We strive for this by attracting the most amazing people in education, and offering parents a choice in education models. Whatever the delivery method, our people operate from the core belief that with our support every child is capable of learning, growing, and realizing their potential. 

The community will find that our elementary schools, although uniquely distinct in their own ways, all have a deep focus on developing strong reading, writing, and math skills.  This is accomplished through strong recruiting, training of staff, high-quality curriculum, and the implementation of outstanding intervention strategies.  

Our focus in grades 6-12 is the implementation of a career pathways model to prepare students for college and career opportunities. Cañon City School District grade 6-12 staff is putting into practice ideas first envisioned by our Cañon 2020 committee. These offer students opportunities to explore strengths and weaknesses and areas of personal interest. Secondary educators are guiding children to explore career options through hands-on internships and apprenticeships and instructional pathways relevant to each student’s personal vision.  All students complete a Capstone project as a requirement for graduation, which is a culmination of their experience in the district with a heavy emphasis on contribution and collaboration.  

The Cañon City Fremont County RE-1 School District, like any organization, faces many challenges. We look to them as opportunities to grow.  We have learned a great deal about resilience and agility during the last 2+ years, and are poised to build upon those skills as we push forward into the future.  

Thank you for trusting us with the education of your children!