Caddoo practices open-door policy at CLPJH

By Brenda Rader Mross
North Forty News

At Cache La Poudre Junior High School, it's all about the R's. Of course, in a school where the mascot is a pirate, it's not unusual to hear an "Arrr!" here and an "Arrr!" there.

The educational program at CLPJH goes beyond the traditional three R's --reading, writing and 'rithmetic--to focus on an additional five R's that the new principal said drive the learning process, and without the need of a hickory stick or a swashbuckling sword.

"Respect, responsibility, rigor, relevance and relationships have been part of our mission statement for 10 years," Principal Skip Caddoo said. "This is a great school in a great community in which nothing is broken, nothing needs fixing. Of course there's always room for improvement, and my goal is to make it better."

William Sidney Caddoo, 50, is replacing Brian Williams, who retired at the end of last school year. Caddoo served as assistant principal under Williams since 2004. Mark Barnes is the new assistant principal.

"Getting the best people involved is something I learned from working with Brian," Caddoo said. "It's my job to remove obstacles from teaching so as to create as many opportunities for learning as possible. Then it's time to get out of the way and trust the people you've hired."

Caddoo emphasized his open door policy. "I mean it," he said. "People come first. Always."

That kind of availability can wreak havoc on a person's schedule, but for Caddoo, endless interruptions come with the territory. "Like everybody, I have a calendar based on 'have-to's' and where I'm going next," he said, "but I believe being flexible is natural in any business and with any position."

No doubt flexibility will come in handy as Caddoo and staff deal with what he called the biggest challenge the junior high faces in the upcoming year: becoming Cache La Poudre Middle School when the 2009-10 school year rolls around.

"There's no doubt things are going to look a little different in the building," said Caddoo, "but I don't think it's going to be as big a difference as some people are worried about. Cache La Poudre will still be the same safe, caring, welcoming place - with sixth-graders instead of ninth-graders."

Like a ship's captain, Caddoo will rely on his "tight staff" to feel safe taking risks to maintain course, full speed ahead. While he anticipates smooth sailing, Caddoo said openness and collaborative decision-making will be essential throughout the transition.

As much as Caddoo likes working with adults, he said he really enjoys being around students - even 400 of them - and administering the difficult duty of discipline. Flexibility is key, along with a double dose of patience.

"I'm a firm believer that there are no bad kids," Caddoo said. "They make bad choices, and, yes, sometimes just do dumb things. There's not an overnight fix. It's an ongoing process that involves being honest with kids and finding out, 'What's your plan?'"

Caddoo learned plenty about interacting with students in his 12 years in front of science classes at Lesher Junior High. He moved into educational administration in 2002 as an assistant principal at Turner Middle School in Berthoud.

A native of Florida--with the long, toothy snout of the 11-foot sawfish his grandfather caught hanging on the wall as a reminder--Caddoo has lived in Fort Collins for 31 years. He arrived in the Rocky Mountain region at the age of 19 via his job with the U.S. Forest Service on Elk Mountain in Wyoming. Being an outdoorsman, Caddoo said, he liked the area so much he enrolled at Colorado State University, where he got his bachelor's degree in forest biology, a secondary science teacher certification and a master's in educational leadership.

An avid cyclist and skier who used to work at Vail Resort, Caddoo also likes to fly fish, which works out nicely with the Poudre River running so near the school. He also likes to cook "everything," which must be appreciated by his wife of 21 years, JoAnn, and their three children, ages 11 to 16.

Caddoo also runs a landscaping business "on the side."

And of course in Caddoo's office is a pirate collection worthy of envy. "I love pirates!" Caddoo said, laughing.

He also has some nice artwork on display, including student-produced pieces.

Think it's too much to add another "R," as in art?