L.E.A.D. From the Front! Principal’s Message

L.E.A.D.

September 2014

Montrose High School

Mission: MHS LEADs academic excellence to prepare students for post-secondary opportunities. MHS Educational

Community creates a culture of life-long Learners, welcomes and accepts Diversity, challenges all to achieve

Excellence, fosters a spirit of Accountability and encourages everyone to Dream within a safe environment.

Welcome to the 2014-15

school year. This year at

MHS we are piloting a new

program called LEAD time.

LEAD time is meant to encourage individual student responsibility and honor teacher time. It

will focus on continuing to improve our culture – specifically, teacher/student relationships

and individual student accountability. LEAD time occurs twice a week and gives staff the

opportunity to meet with students on an individual or small group basis. The focus is

academic achievement and student empowerment. Students on track to graduate, who are also

maintaining eligibility in their current classes, can be excused from LEAD time by their LEAD instructor --

weekly attendance and grade checks determine LEAD time attendance requirements and student eligibility for

activities. Teachers may also require students to attend LEAD time, as needed. LEAD time is instructional

time, not early release time.

Basics:

Open enrollment – students will choose their LEAD time instructor on a first-come, first-served basis

until an instructor reaches a full section.

Options for students include – Athletics, Activities, Clubs, Enrichment, Intervention, Peer tutoring,

COS, NJROTC and Specific teachers. Students may choose to sign up with a teacher in the

subject where they have a need for help, a coach or sponsor of a club, NJROTC sponsor, or the

like.

Options for teachers include – Athletic sponsor, activity sponsor, club sponsor, homework help,

writing center, math tutoring, PE makeup, computer lab supervision, others as needed.

Teachers may encourage team or club members to be part of their LEAD group, though any

meetings that occur must happen on Thursday and cannot be mandatory for all club/team

members. Teachers may also serve in other types of roles, such as directing a tutoring group in

their content area, serving as a proctor for make-up tests, supervising a computer lab, PE make-

ups for all classes, or other needs as determined by their department.

On Wednesdays, students will all check in for attendance and there will always be movement, as

appropriate, but for academic work only. There is no set policy on passes or returning to the assigned

LEAD area. This tracking is left up to the discretion of the LEAD instructor. Teachers will be

responsible for checking student grades prior to that time and for giving structure and direction to

students who need it.

On Thursdays, students will check in for attendance and there will be movement unless otherwise

reserved for class meetings, assemblies, etc…

Accountability:

Students must always check with their LEAD teacher at the beginning of each LEAD time.

Unexcused absences from LEAD time automatically make a student ineligible for activities. To

regain eligibility, students must work with their LEAD instructor and demonstrate personal

accountability for their attendance and grades.

School ends at 3:35 p.m. on Thursday and 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday; students should be engaged in

academic pursuits during LEAD time, unless excused by their LEAD instructor.

Continued on Page 2

Ryan Voehringer, PE Teacher

& Boys Basketball Coach

I was born and raised in Montrose

and graduated from MHS in 1995.

I’ve been in the teaching profession

for the past 10 years and the coaching profession

for 13. I’ve spent the last 9 years as a PE teacher

and Head Boys Basketball Coach at Valley High

School in Gilcrest, CO. I’m very excited about

the opportunity to return home to teach and

coach in a great high school and community.

Welcome New Staff

I have trained, coached, taught and

counseled youth for over 14 years in

Colorado. I am new to the Montrose area, but have lived

in Alamosa, Aspen and Durango Colorado over the past

22 years and am looking forward to meeting all

the students and staff at Montrose High School as well

as becoming a part of this great community. My favorite

things to do while not working have everything to do

with fresh air and spending time with my wonderful

dog, Kona. We bike, run, listen to music, fish, camp,

hike, play on a yoga mat, garden and cook

together. Thank you to everyone at MHS who

has welcomed us with open arms.

FAQs:

How will attendance be enforced? Students will automatically lose activity

eligibility if they are unexcused from LEAD time and dealt with according to the attendance

policy.

Is LEAD time graded and for credit? No and No; however, eligibility is tied to LEAD time

attendance to ensure students are utilizing their time.

If a student is ineligible how do they regain eligibility? This is based upon the individual

LEAD instructor who determines their students’ eligibility -- related to LEAD time

attendance. The goal is to ensure students attend regularly and use their time wisely.

What happens if a student does not choose an instructor for LEAD time? Students that do not sign up for

an instructor are placed, according to their need, by administration.

What happens if a student has an open hour 6th or 7th? All students are assigned a LEAD instructor and can

only be excused from LEAD time if they are on track to graduate and are passing all classes. LEAD

instructors track this.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions around LEAD time or any other aspect of your

child’s education.

Jim

L.E.A.D.

September 2014

Montrose High School

Principal’s Message, Continued

More New Staff on Page 3

Krista Montomery

Counselor 9 & 11

Student Last Names O-Z

Adam Wright, English Teacher

I have been an English teacher for

the past ten years, but this is my

first year teaching at Montrose

High School. I have a bachelor’s degree in English

Writing from Carroll College in Helena, Montana

and a master’s degree in education from the

University of Denver. I started my teaching career

in the Denver area, but I spent the last five years

teaching at an international school in the

Philippines. While I was there, I learned to surf

and scuba dive, but I came back to Colorado

because I missed the rivers and the mountains.

When I am not teaching, I enjoy listening to music

on my turntable and cutting firewood with my

vintage chainsaws.

L.E.A.D.

September 2014

Montrose High School

Welcome New Staff

Gail Madden, Special Education Teacher

I recently moved to Montrose from Weatherford Texas with 7 years of education

experience, the last 3 of which were in Special Education at North Crowley HS. I am

married and have a daughter who will be attending Montrose High School as a

Sophomore. I love supporting students in school activities, especially band and color

guard. I am looking forward to a wonderful year here at Montrose High School.

Meredith Whitney, ELL Teacher

This is my first year living and teaching in

Montrose. I was born and raised in Crested

Butte, Colorado. After high school, I

attended the University of Colorado at

Boulder where I majored in Spanish and

studied in Spain. I then joined the Peace Corps and

collaborated with local English teachers in rural

Nicaragua. I recently graduated from the Colorado

Mesa University with a Master’s degree in Teaching

English to Speakers of Other Languages. I am looking

forward to working here and getting to know

everyone!

Eddie Witherspoon, Paraprofessional

I was a paraprofessional for 4 years in preschool at Ridgway elementary. I am a Colorado native

and have lived here for 24 years. I was raised in Ridgway Colorado, I attended and graduated

from Ouray high school in 2009. I have 3 dogs and 2 cats. I love to go hunting and fishing, and

enjoy cooking and spending time with my boyfriend and family. I looking forward to being an

asset at Montrose High in the special education classes.

Taylor Lantz, Bridge Counselor

I am the new Bridge Counselor at Montrose High School. My position involves working with

9th grade students transitioning to high school. Additionally I work with 8th graders from both

Centennial and Columbine to prepare them for the transition to high school. I have a wife, her

name is Jill, and we are originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We enjoy hiking and

snowboarding and I am also a road cycling enthusiast. I graduated with my M.Ed. in

Professional School Counseling from Lancaster Bible College this past December and am

looking forward to being in education full time!

Beth Meek, Counselor 10th & 12th A-F Students

I am so excited to be joining the counseling team at Montrose High School. I have been

working with high school students for the past 2 years in a village in Bush Alaska, and 7

years before that at a small school in Northeast Georgia. I am looking forward to getting to

know the Montrose High School students and helping them plan out goals to help make

their dreams come true.

L.E.A.D.

September 2014

Montrose High School

Mission: MHS LEADs academic excellence to prepare students for post-secondary opportunities. MHS Educational

Community creates a culture of life-long Learners, welcomes and accepts Diversity, challenges all to achieve

Excellence, fosters a spirit of Accountability and encourages everyone to Dream within a safe environment.

Congratulations to these amazing students and our staff for their efforts and success with the 2013-2014

TCAP and ACT Testing.

Caitlin O'Meara ACT 36 Science 35 English

Franklin Eccher ACT 35 Math 35 English

Logan Crim ACT 35 Science

Daniel Granberg ACT 35 English

Nolan Butcher ACT 35 Reading

Samantha Stone ACT 35 English

Ernest Trujillo 2420

Ann Bailey 2196

Mariah Trujillo 2173

Teal Leavitt 2169

Moriah Leuthauser 2167

Nadia Pieczarka 2158

Katie Casebier 2131

Joseph Warren 2100

Baily Howe 2073

Heather Fredrick 2254

Elijah Miller 2234

Kyle Cox 2217

Arjun Singh 2190

Allen Weldyn 2165

Allison Burwell 2281

Lauren Franz 2175

Lee Congour 2160

Dominique Ridgel 2139

Cary Briar 2126

Jacob Richardson 2118

Shannon O'Meara 2116

Evan Graff 2115

Erin Cooper 2110

Kelsey Woerner 2107

Nicole Cherry 2096

Zoe Tuttle 2083

TCAP Highest Achievement Award

Advanced Total Scale Scores for all

three tests

TCAP Highest Growth

Nicole Cherry 287

Aylin Garcia 271

Zoe Tuttle 271

Danielle Casias 268

Lauren Brady 264

Michael Gallegos 256

Shannon O'Meara 254

Erick Salas 254

Sarah Duplessis 253

Bailey Taylor 283

Carlos Olea-Tapia 282

Marina Brown 281

Jonathan Gray 276

Tadd Rigsby 273

Olivia Davidson 271

McKinsie Fowler 268

Elijah Helbling 268

Nikolas Ormsbee 268

Noah Stangebye 294

Lake Sanburg 286

Jose Moreno 285

Sarah Jackett 284

Lillian Power 284

Gavriel Lightsey 280

Adriannah Segura 279

Breanna Kemming 277

Lauren Cook 274

Jose Gutierrez 270

Jeannine Rodriguez 270

Alejandra Jaramillo 269

Michael Sella 269

Joshua Hemenway 268

Dakota Manzanares 267

TCAP Highest Growth

Scores was based on

the following:

2014-2015 9th Grade

Average Growth Score

was 147.5

2014-2015 10th Grade

Average Growth Score

was 173.1

2014-2015 11th Grade

Average Growth Score

was 173.8

L.E.A.D. Montrose High School

September 2014

Cover to Cover, We’ve Got You Covered!

Athletics and activities

Students, parents, and fans using the MHS community stadium will notice

several new additions. First, there are no more wood bleachers!!! A huge

thank you to the MHS football team that removed the middle section (last

section that was wood) and another huge thank you to Mike Sella, Cam

Atwood, and several other volunteers that replaced this section with

aluminum. Second, the old press box that was built in 1982 has been

replaced! It is quit a bit bigger, has much safer stairs leading to the top rooms,

and is actually level and not leaning drastically to one side. This press box is

used during football games, the Cancer Walk, high school track meets,

elementary track meets, homecoming events, band exercises, and during

graduation. A huge thank you to all the people and businesses that contributed

in kind labor and monetarily so that this project could happen!

Fall sports competition is right around the corner and all our fall

teams are looking very competitive. The fall season kicks of with our first home event: MHS vs.

Grand Junction varsity football at 7 pm on Friday Aug. 22nd. All sports schedules are available

in the activities office. Just a reminder that homecoming week starts Monday Oct. 6th with

varsity home events: Volleyball and Soccer on Tues. 10/07; Parade at 4 pm and Powder Puff FB

at 7 pm on 10/08; Powder Puff Volleyball @ 7 pm on 10/09; Varsity Football vs. Sand Creek @

7 pm on 10/10; and the homecoming dance will take place on Sat. 10/11. Hope to see all of you out there

supporting the Indians!!!!

Headphones or Earbuds: Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors will be taking the I-Ready test in English

and Math. It is very helpful if students have their own headphones or earbuds to use during testing. If your

student can bring their own, we would appreciate it.

LitChicks We have a girls’ book club that meets during lunch once a month. If your student would like to

join us, sign up in the library. If you’d like to sponsor a lunch meeting during the school year, please email

our librarian, Ms. Roberts: lori.roberts@mcsd.org.

High School Library Policy Reminders MHS may check out up to five books. Books circulate three weeks. Books that are not returned or renewed

are fined $.10 per school day. If students owe more than $5 in library fines, they will need to pay off fines

before their full privileges are restored. The library is open before school most days by 7:30 a.m., during

lunch (please finish your lunch before coming by), and after school until 4:00 p.m.

Guidance Office –The Stuff

L.E.A.D. Montrose High School

September 2014

Welcome back MHS students and Parents! Now that the whirlwind of registration has

passed, we would like to update you on some changes to the Counseling Department. We

are able to expand our counseling services this year due to a grant awarded to the district.

We are excited to welcome the new counselors to our office, Mary Boyers, Taylor Lantz,

Krista Montgomery and Beth Meek. Our office space was remodeled to accommodate the

increased staff, and it looks amazing! The PoWeR Center (Post Secondary & Workforce

Readiness Center) returns and has been physically joined with the Counseling Center to increase

collaboration and efficient services to students and parents. The PoWeR Center Coordinator is Lorraine

Shide. A big thanks to Lorraine for her design and added touches to the office. Come visit if you haven’t

seen it yet.

We adjusted counselor caseloads by establishing two grade level teams. Within

each team, students are divided alphabetically by their last names. After

researching other schools around the state, we determined that this will be the

most equitable and efficient way to provide services to you and your students.

9th grade/ 11th grade team

Kathleen Pirani: A-F

Paula George: G-N

Krista Montgomery: O-Z

10th grade/12th grade team

Beth Meek: A-F

Tony Cimaglio: G-N

Mary Boyers: O-Z

Taylor Lance is our Bridge Counselor working with 8th and 9th graders. He will be splitting his time between

MHS, Centennial and Columbine.

You may also see one of us on your child’s schedule. We will be teaching senior seminar and PWR 11.

Both classes are designed to prepare students for their postsecondary goals. This will add a new, exciting

dimension to our job and reconnect many of us with our teaching roots.

Upcoming activities from the Counseling Office include:

PWR 9 Lesson, “Setting Up for High School Success”: all 9th graders, throughout September

Evening College Fair: Sept. 10th, 6:30-8 pm, MHS Cafeteria

Senior Conference: individual conferences with all Seniors, September-October

Please visit our website for current information on upcoming workshops for students and parents. We are

looking forward to an exciting and productive school year!

The MHS Counseling Team

Welcome to Montrose High School…...Below is information to help you find your way

around the front office and who can help you or direct you to the right place.

Who to call

General Information 970-249-6636 General School Questions

Administration 970-249-6636 Mr. Barnhill, Principal, Extension 4310

Mr. Pavlich, Assistant Principal-Extension 4313

Students with Last Names L-Z

Ms. Voehringer, Assistant Principal-Extension 4311

Students with Last Names A-K

Mr. Wright, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

Extension 4312

Attendance 970-240-6421 Becky Moreno, Extension 4303

Jonna Adragna, Extension 4304

Activities 970-240-6413 Beth David, Extension 4301

Counseling 970-249-2429 Janey Phillips Extension 4400

Jeanette Williams, Extension 4401

Attendance Advocate 970-240-6421 Ele Wilson, Extension 4409

MHS Club and Activity Fair

350 Club – Mr. O’Bryan – 102

(People, Power, Planet)

Ag/FFA – Mr. Saunders – Ag Building

Art – Mrs. Fleming – Main Office Foyer

ASAP – Mr. Tyler - 133

ASTRA – Mrs. Fabian - 109

Auto – Mr. Harrington – Auto Building

Band – Mr. St. Peter - 123

Choir – Ms. Leu - 214

Drama Club/Spring Play – Mr. Jenkins - 115

FBLA – Mrs. Simpson - 126

FCCLA – Mr. Hindman - 116

Knowledge Bowl – Mrs. Jones – 202

Lit Chicks – Ms. Roberts - Library

LULAC – Mrs. Moreno – Main Office Foyer

Outdoor Club – Mr. George - 122

Project Unify – Mrs. Morris – 128

River Watch – Mr. Giroir - 132

ROTC – Mr. Boughton & Mr. Rizzo – Main Office Foyer

Speech – Mrs. Smith - 100

STAND – Mr. Tyler - 133

L.E.A.D.

September 2014

Montrose High School

Calendar of Events

L.E.A.D. Montrose High School

September 2014

I-Ready Testing Information

Thur/Fri August 21st & 22nd

Mon/Tues August 25th & 26th

Thur/Fri August 28th & 29th

Tues/Wed September 2nd & 3rd

9th-11th English

Thur/Fri September 4th & 5th

Mon/Tues September 8th & 9th

Thur/Fri September 11th & 12th

Mon/Tues September 15th and 16th

Mon/Tues September 22 & 23

9th-12th grade Math

Curriculum Associates’ cloud-based system

for foundational math and reading delivers both

adaptive diagnostic assessment as well as

instruction. The

I-Ready system is aligned with Common Core

standards and includes a Common Core “readiness

screener” designed to determine just how much of

the new standards students will need to master.

The diagnostic component identifies a

student’s performance level in a given subject as

well as the skills necessary to move forward. The

program then assigns students to online instruction

that take place in the form of animated video

instructions. I-Ready also provides teachers with a

detailed report and action plan based on students'

performance, along with recommended lesson plan

PDFs from the company’s print materials.

As of 2013, roughly a quarter of a million

students are using the program. According to

Product Director, Nadia Pierce, the length of use in

classrooms vary, but she recommends classrooms

use the program at least one hour per subject per

week.

The company has conducted several case

studies for schools, with third- party data analysis

provided by the Educational Research Institute of

America. Education pundit Tom Vander Ark of

GettingSmart has praised the program for being

more teacher-friendly than similar assessment

products, citing its ease of use, deeper student data

information, and clear link to useful content. https://www.edsurge.com/i-ready

8/21– 9/3 I-Ready English Testing

9/4-9/23 I-Ready Math Testing

9/10 College Fair 6:30-8:00 PM

Homecoming Week 10/6 Varsity Home Events

10/07 Volleyball and Soccer on Tues.

10/08 Parade at 4 pm/Powder Puff FB at 7 pm

10/09 Powder Puff Volleyball @ 7 pm

10/10 Varsity Football vs. Sand Creek @7 pm

10/11 Homecoming Dance

10/13 Columbus Day-No School

10/17 End of 1st Quarter

10/21 Parent/Teacher Conferences 4-8 PM

10/23 Parent/Teacher Conferences 2-8 PM

10/24 No School

11/12 Veterans Day Assembly

1/31/2015 Winter Formal 7-11 PM

2/5/2015 Winter Sports Assembly

3/27/2015 Talent Show

4/18/2015 Prom

5/5/2015 Senior Awards

5/7/2015 Spring Sports Assembly

TCAP 2014 Summary

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