Tag: wendy birhanzel
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Preliminary results show Colorado Springs’ watchlist schools, districts improving
New data shows Colorado schools are performing at a rate consistent with the previous year statewide, with some promising signs in Colorado Springs. Preliminary school and district performance frameworks for the 2025-26 school year show all Harrison District 2 schools and all Colorado Springs District 11 high schools receiving the highest-performing ranks. The frameworks, released…
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As Colorado’s educator and school staff shortage drags on, enrollment in alternative pathways increases
By Laura Fitzgerald, Special to The Gazette As the statewide educator and school staff shortage persists, school districts are relying more often on short-term staff to fill the gaps. But many of these shortage hires are training to become teachers or specialized service providers, reflecting growing enrollments in alternative pathways to certification. School staff shortage,…
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‘We cannot do it alone’: Local experts, philanthropist, say boost youth mental health services
Skyway Elementary School recently found itself in a scenario one hopes never happens, but everyone now prepares for. In late March, the school experienced its first shelter-in-place as police responded to a report of a student brandishing a gun outside. Second-grade teacher Anne Laye-Cross recalled watching her students’ body language and emotions shift as they…
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Colorado Springs teacher, veteran named finalist for Colorado Teacher of the Year
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Centennial Elementary School was brimming with excitement on Thursday afternoon. Like last year, a teacher from Harrison School District 2 has been selected as one of eight finalists for Colorado’s 2026 Teacher of the Year. Unlike last year’s recipient, first-grade teacher Emily Gaytan was surprised…
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Colorado Springs-area superintendent tapped to lead Colorado Association of School Executives
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save The Colorado Association of School Executives recently appointed a Colorado Springs-area district leader as its future president. Wendy Birhanzel, superintendent of Harrison School District 2, was named president-elect at a CASE convention last week. Birhanzel,…
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Harrison D-2 Assistant Principal named Colorado’s middle school principal of the year
One of Harrison School District 2’s educators has received statewide recognition. Mountain Vista Community School Assistant Principal Nicole Paxton has been named Colorado’s 2025 Middle Level Assistant Principal of the Year, D-2 announced Friday in a news release. The distinction comes from the Colorado Association of School Executives. The association works to empower Colorado education leaders…
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State task force recommends overhaul of Colorado’s education accountability system
A task force composed of state officials, district school board members, superintendents and parents agrees Colorado’s education accountability system needs a major overhaul. The Accountability, Accreditation, Student Performance, and Resource Inequity Task Force released its report Friday, recommending various improvements to better address the needs of students and schools. The 26-member task force that included parents,…
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Harrison D-2 celebrates 150th anniversary with a look back at its history
It was 150 years ago Tuesday that Harrison School District 2 opened its first school, and the community highlighted its past while looking toward its future. “Our ethos has been about providing opportunities for students and inviting the community in to partner,” D-2 Superintendent Wendy Birhanzel said. To mark the district’s sesquicentennial, administrators welcomed students,…
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‘A natural next step:’ D-2 graduates granted direct admission to PPSC, CSU-Pueblo
Harrison District 2 students’ path to higher education just got clearer. Building off their previous programs to make college more accessible to graduates, Pikes Peak State College, CSU-Pueblo and D-2 announced Monday a direct admissions program for all graduates in the district starting with the class of 2024. Seniors from Harrison High School, Sierra High…