School year brings new principals to several schools

By Dan MacArthur and Cherry Sokoloski
Fossil Creek Current

Four south Fort Collins and Timnath schools have new leaders this year, and all come with substantial experience in Poudre School District.

Deirdre Cook: Fossil Ridge High School

Opening a new school is akin to being a pioneer, said interim Fossil Ridge principal Deirdre Cook, and she's eager to meet the students who have signed up for the challenge. The school begins its second year this fall with a third of the student body school-of-choice students.

"It's a wonderful young community," Cook said.

One challenge with a new school, Cook noted, is to create traditions and an identity of which students can be proud. Student leaders at FRHS will help make this happen, she said.

Cook, 48, is beginning her 23rd year with Poudre School District. Her major goal for her new venture is to make sure students are prepared for their post-secondary school options, whether that is work or higher education.

Cook most recently served as principal at Centennial High School, from 2002 to the present. She was assistant principal at Fort Collins High School from 1998 to 2002. Cook has also held positions as assistant principal at Lesher Junior High, director of student activities at Poudre High School and teacher of English, drama and debate at PHS and Centennial.

Cook received her master's degree in educational leadership from Colorado State University and anticipates earning her Ph.D. in 2006. She serves on many district-level committees, including the PSD Strategic Planning Checkpoint Team and the School Accreditation Review Team.

Cook replaces Mark Hartshorne, who was at Fossil Ridge one year before moving to a different district. This fall, 762 students are enrolled at the new school.

Mark Eversole: Fort Collins High School

Mark Eversole plans to be a strong advocate for Fort Collins High School while working to create a friendlier, more accepting culture at the school.

Although Collins retains its outstanding reputation with a large proportion of the students involved in extra-curricular activities, "There's a pretty big number out there who don't feel connected," according to Eversole.

He wants to remedy that estrangement by being more accessible to students and "making it fun here, keeping it light."

Eversole said he also plans to restructure the school leadership team to make it broader-based, more collaborative and more focused on student achievement.

And while Eversole steers away from using the word "recruiting," he's not the least bit shy about admitting that he will be a proud promoter of Fort Collins High School. He plans to visit the junior high schools, encouraging students to join the purple and gold's long lineage. There's plenty room for more, he said, with enrollments some 220 students below the school's 1,750 capacity.

Further, Eversole said, he will promote Collins' advanced placement classes as an alternative to the international baccalaureate program popular with high-achieving students.

Eversole, 48, earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from California State University in Fresno and a master's in education administration from Fresno Pacific College. Eversole previously served as assistant principal, math teacher and peer counseling advisor over a nine-year period at Selma High School in Selma, Calif.

He moved here 11 years ago to become assistant principal at Fort Collins High School. In that capacity he has been responsible for, supervised or coordinated advanced placement, special education, counseling, master schedules, student attendance policies and procedures, student supervision and staff evaluations. Eversole replaces Dennis Baker, who retired at the end of the school year.

Bill Smith: Bacon Elementary

Bill Smith, the new principal at Bacon Elementary, said his first priority is to get to know everyone, including parents, children and staff, and to develop a sense of trust. He plans to create good communication channels so that everyone can be heard.

Major issues in education these days, Smith said, include high-stakes testing and the competition that arises when parents can choose among mainstream public schools, charter schools and private schools.

"We're all trying to provide very high-quality education to the neighborhoods," he said.

Smith is looking forward to inheriting a staff that's "just dynamite." They're fun and friendly and have a great deal of expertise, the new principal said.

Smith, 50, began his teaching career in Kremmling and has worked for Poudre School District for 19 years. He most recently served as assistant principal, counselor and special education staffing team coordinator at Boltz Junior High, from 1998 to the present. Prior to that he worked at Werner Elementary, holding positions as school counselor, administrative assistant and sixth-grade teacher.

Smith earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education and his master's in school counseling, both at the University of Northern Colorado. At Bacon, he replaces Bill Chenoweth, who retired last spring.

Ron Bowen: Timnath Elementary

While his enthusiasm for school may not be universally shared by students, Ron Bowen was openly excited about starting his first year as principal of Timnath Elementary School.

He wants to infuse the school with that same sort of cheer as he works to create a sense of family. "A team of staff and teachers who play together, work well together," said Bowen. "I like to laugh and make sure everybody smiles."

Bowen also intends to maintain the school's central role in a small town soon to begin undergoing dramatic growth. "We want to continue that small-town feel and family feel, that's real important to everyone here," he said.

Bowen believes dealing with that growth will be one of the biggest challenges facing the school, which already is approaching its 525-student capacity.

Noting there are no current plans for expansion, Bowen said two additional modular units likely will be needed next year in addition to the one already in use.

A Fort Collins native, Bowen earned his undergraduate degree in music education from the University of Northern Colorado. He received is master's in music, as well as his principal's license, from Colorado State University.

Bowen was band and orchestra director at a Hawaiian private elementary from 1976 to 1980. He was a band and choral director from 1980 to 1981 at Cache La Poudre Junior High School, band director and music department chair at Lesher Junior High School from 1981 to 1990, a music curriculum administrative specialist from 1990 to 1993, music department chair at Poudre High School from 1993 to 1996, and an instructional technology curriculum administrative specialist for the school district from 1996 to 2003.

Bowen, 50, comes to Timnath from Bacon Elementary School, where he was an assistant principal and media and technology specialist. He replaces Dan Balcerak, who retired at the end of the last school year.