Wow! The eve of our enrollment lottery is upon us! And with that milestone it seems an appropriate time to reflect on how far we’ve come!  It’s been a while since I blogged, which can only mean we’ve been busy.  The Board of Directors and Nikki Myers (now our Academy Director- congratulations, Nikki!) have been working tirelessly on all of the “business aspects” of getting us ready for a successful year.  The hiring committee (on which I sit) has interviewed dozens of candidates! The grants committee has done an outstanding job of making sure we’d have the resources we need- and we’ve been awarded extra grant money!  Soon, our new home at Pike Elementary will begin to take shape as “AACL”.  Parents are getting excited, and teachers from far and wide have come to apply for a chance to teach at this remarkable new school.  We are on our way!

As my family entered into this journey, I wondered how many other families and educators “got it”.  Were we alone in our need?  Were there actually teachers out there who understood what we were trying to do? And would they apply to work here?  Others asked the same question, including, understandably, D-11, who so courageously took a chance on our idea.  After talking to parents, meeting kids, watching our enrollment grow by leaps and bounds, and interviewing countless candidates I can now say with joy, with pure astonishment, YES!  They get it!!!  Oh, do they get it! There really are families out there who have similar stories, and there really are teachers out there who have felt our pain, worried over kids like ours, and struggled with the frustration of not being able to teach the way they wanted to be teaching!

I’ve spent the last month or so working on the hiring committee. What began as a blank slate, an idea for a school, and an idea of what our staff should be like, has taken shape into a real location and is now taking shape as a remarkable group of real people.  It has been an honor to work with such hardworking, dedicated, and intelligent people on the committee.  But most importantly it has been a delight to help interview such passionate, creative, outside-the-box-thinking teachers!  I wish I could put in to this small space of words how much these candidates have impressed me!  Their knowledge of their craft, their excitement for the ideas behind this school, the vast array of talents and ideas they bring to the table is inspiring.  It has been a thrill to watch Nikki skillfully and thoughtfully begin to pull these teachers together in to what I believe will be quite simply an outstanding staff!

And so this “idea” is now taking shape.  Tomorrow night our rosters will begin to fill out and soon our staff will be hired.  We will move in to our new home and begin to become AACL. The culture of our school will crystallize as each child, each family, each teacher adds their uniqueness to the school.  I have a feeling this is going to be a vibrant, exciting, warm, collaborative place to work, to learn and to volunteer.  Thanks to all who have contributed to this journey…let the fun continue!

The following times have been scheduled for community meetings, and everyone is welcome to attend and bring their questions!!!!

Sunday, October 18, @ East Library, 4:00-5:00pm (large meeting room)

Monday, October 19, @ Rockrimmon Library, 7:00-8:00 pm
Sunday, October 25, @ Penrose Library, 4:00-5:00 pm
Thursday, October 22, @ Cheyenne Mountain Library, 7:00-8:00 pm
Thursday, October 29, @ Monument Library, 7:00-8:00 pm
Thursday, November 5, @ Old Colorado City Library, 7:00-8:00 pm

If you’re planning on attending a particular date, you’re welcome to let us know at board@academyacl.org… if we know we’ll have a particularly good turn out one night, we’ll send special invitations to District 11 personnel/board members for that time as well, so that they can hear right from parents who have been looking for this program.

Mark your calendars for DECEMBER 9… when we present to the D11 Board, and DECEMBER 16, when they will vote. We’d love to see you there in a show of support as well. (We believe that it will be 6-8 pm at the D11 Admin building, but we will confirm that and post it for you again).

On Thursday, October 1st, around 2:45 p.m., the Steering Committee submitted our application to District 11.

It took three home printers, two office printers, and a printing company (thank you, LX Printing!); nine adults sorting each section; lots of paper, binders, and organizers (thank you, Office Center!); pizza, Pepsi, and gas for a four-car cavalcade to travel down to the Admin building to deliver 30 copies, but we made it!

We look forward to responding to comments and questions from the District 11 committees, continuing to meet with families and spread the word about AACL, and inviting every possible supporter to attend District 11 Board meetings on December 9th and 16th. On the 9th we will present to the Board, and on the 16th they will vote. Typically, meetings are scheduled from 6-8 pm at the Board Meeting room in the Admin building, and we will confirm that and let everyone know.

Community meetings will be scheduled as soon as possible!