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As citizen leaders, individual school board members face complex and demanding challenges. They are alternately described as having the most important volunteer jobs in the country and facing the toughest challenge in elected American government. Yet school board members are just ordinary citizens with extraordinary dedication to our public schools.

All Colorado citizens should recognize the vital contributions of these men and women and the crucial role these elected public officials play in the education of our children. In the Garfield Re-2 School District, those valiant volunteers are Jay Rickstrew, Chris Pearson, Brad Moss, Scott Doherty and Anne Guettler.

Public education is the backbone of American society, and local school boards are deeply rooted in U.S. tradition. Their origins can be traced to colonial times when the Massachusetts Law of 1642 empowered town officers to compel parents to teach their children to read. Today local school boards continue to do the most important work of their communities—that of educating our youth.

Their job is to establish a vision for the education program, design a structure to achieve that vision, ensure schools are accountable to the community and strongly advocate continuous improvement in student learning. Yet local trustees sometimes tackle an often thankless job devoid of any glory. Too often we are quick to criticize school board members without really knowing all the details that went into a given decision. Now is the time to thank them for their untiring efforts.

As school board members, these citizens put on a collective hat when they get down to the business of leading their school districts. Though they may individually disagree on certain issues, board members must pull together as a team toward a common goal—helping students achieve.

It is easy to forget that school board members wear many hats in the world, in addition to their school board responsibilities. They are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, employees, managers and business owners. They volunteer in Rotary, Lions, booster clubs, all in addition to their work on the school board.

Too often we forget about the personal sacrifices school board members routinely make. Board members contribute hundreds and hundreds of hours each year leading their districts. The time spent in board meetings represents just a small fraction of the hours school board members spend leading in their districts. They also work hard at seminars and training sessions to keep abreast of the latest trends in educational leadership, are deeply involved in community activities and spend many hours in the schools and at extracurricular events. Their love for learning, and concern and caring for students, staff and community, drives board members’ desire to lead so students can achieve.

In recognition of the dedicated service, January is designated School Board Recognition Month. This is a time to show our appreciation and begin to better understand how local trustees work together to provide a better future for our children. In January, join with others from throughout the Garfield Re-2 school district, our surrounding school districts and the state of Colorado to salute the men and women who provide grassroots governance of public schools.

Today it was my privilege to be in Kitty Whittington's fifth grade science class at Riverside Middle School. The students were working on a science project that focused on owls.  I was hanging out to see how they were integrating technology into the classroom.

The kids used either laptops or the new set of Ipod touches to do research on an owl that they had selected to study. (You can check out your favorite owl at www.owlpages.com) The story on technology in the classroom is coming soon. These kids were engaged, and learned everything from the boring technical parts about their bird - height, weight, wingspan - to their migration patterns and they even got to hear the call of their owl.

The best part of the day was what the kids taught me!  As another adult in the classroom, once Ms. Whittington became busy with students, I became the next best thing to a teacher - not a very good substitue, let me assure you - but it was so cool!   I got to learn about the Buffy Fish Owl (Bubu ketupu), the spotted  owl (strix occidentalis) and the spectacled owl (pulsatrix persipicillata). Did you know that female owls tend to be larger than their male counterparts?

I got to handle technology issues, and help kids learn and process. I gained insight into how our non-native English speakers process information, and how as cool as technology is in the classroom, the challenges that it presents when trying to manage 25 pieces of equipment at one time can be daunting. And WOW, the kids are engaged!

I would encourage any of you in Re-2 land to volunteer in your child's classroom - or ANY classroom for that matter.

The last 10 days have been difficult in the Garfield Re-2 School District, but truly, an hour with our kids - helping them learn and grow - can make a difference for so many.

Rifle pre-schoolers, meet Gus the Bus. (See slideshow below)

Gus is the newly unveiled Garfield Re-2 early childhood literacy outreach vehicle in partnership with the Aspen Community Foundation and Raising a Reader.

“Gus is designed to reach our 3 – 5 year olds who may not have access to pre-school or other academic outlets,” explained Julie Knowles, Director of Assessment and Special Programs. “It’s about developing relationships with our families, helping them feel comfortable with the school system, and providing resources.”

Every Thursday, Garfield Re-2 Child Find Coordinator Cindy Gray will drive Gus to pre-selected locations within the Highland and Wamsley Elementary attendance areas. Parents and children will be able to check out books and back-packs filled with open ended toys. The bus will return to those neighborhoods on Tuesdays to retrieve the items. The items will be cleaned and inventoried.

The 2008-09 school year is a pilot program with the hopes of serving approximately 40 families regularly. The intent is to grow the program.

“We  know that  there are many families in our school district that don’t have access to these types of resources, or even transportation during the day. We’re trying to reach out to families and children in our district," said Director of Districtwide Services, Theresa Hamilton.

The program is made possible through the support of the Aspen Community Foundation and the Raising a Reader program.

Aspen Community Foundation provided financial support for the purchase of the books and toys and for a bi-lingual staff person, while Raising a Reader provided the book bags and training for parents.  The Raising a Reader program is already established in Garfield Re-2 and it is a powerful early childhood pre-literacy program, targeting the ages of birth to 5 years old. It is entering its fifth year of bringing Raising A Reader “Read to Me” red bookbags to 1500 children in 90 classrooms from Aspen to Parachute.

“Having the support of Aspen Community Foundation and Raising a Reader really makes this idea come alive,” added Hamilton.

Gray, who was formerly the pre-school coordinator at Kathryn Senor Elementary brings a passion for early childhood education and a wealth of strategies to assist children and their families.