New faces showing up at Re-1J

MONTROSE  — Students started arriving at their schools Monday to begin the registration process. For many, it means a new school and new teachers. Others returning to their schools will also encounter new faces as administrators and teachers have been added to the district.

Montrose High School has a new assistant principal in charge of instruction and curriculum. Brandy Grieves is settling into her position at the high school and is looking forward to the opportunity.

“I’ve worked hard in my career to get into this position and I’m excited for the challenges it holds,” she said.

Grieves previously taught eighth grade language arts and reading classes at Centennial Middle School. She was also the facilitator for the school’s professional learning community (PLC) and its leadership teams.

She is a Colorado State University graduate who worked at the Clark County School District in Las Vegas for five years before moving to Montrose. At Clark County she taught at the high school level. She also worked to establish a “smaller learning community,” a type of drop-out program for sophomores, which still continues today, Grieves said.

Grieves will take on some of the discipline tasks and will work with the PLC staff at MHS. Through the PLC program, she’ll start discussions among teachers and provide them with information.

“As a first year administrator, my goal is to support the administration, its vision and the goals of Montrose High School,” she said. “I want to build relationships with students and staff.”

Nancy Alex has taken Kirk Henwood’s spot as Centennial Middle School principal. She is a graduate of the University of Wyoming, got her master’s at Adams State in curriculum and instruction, and is currently working on her doctorate in education administration and policy studies.

She was previously a principal at Red Hill Elementary in Eagle County; she also taught at the middle school level.

“I’m thrilled to be back in the middle school setting,” Alex said.

In Eagle County, resources were stretched thin, as she had no assistant principal. It was “refreshing” when she met the Centennial staff, she said, as the staff was enthusiastic and proud of their school.

She is excited about the support services in place, which will help her concentrate more on curriculum and instruction. Though she knows she is faced with challenges, she said she’s anticipating her role as principal.

“I’ll be moving forward with what the district has been doing,” she said.

There are several new teachers in the district as well.

During the district’s board of education meeting on June 24, the board approved two teachers, Patricia Julian as a Colorado Reading First Coach at Johnson Elementary School and Alicia Timbreza as a Spanish teacher at MHS.

Tuesday, the board met for its annual State of the District meeting, at which they approved 11 more licensed employees, including Grieves and Alex. Others include English and ESL teachers at MHS; middle school and elementary teachers. The board also approve five classified employees for the Early Childhood Center and Johnson.

Gordon Gibson, assistant superintendent in charge of human resources, said the district is well staffed and “ready to go.”

Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com