Leading Change in PSD: Staff Present Capstone Projects, Proposals to Improve Services

On January 25, 12 Poudre School District staff presented their capstone projects as part of the district’s “Leading PSD” program. Their presentations were the culmination of months of work focused on learning more about PSD, growing their leadership skills, and exploring ways to continue improving PSD, for staff, students, and families.

The program is open to classified staff who have worked in PSD for at least three years and includes meetings with a mentor, conducting informational interviews to learn more about the district, professional development, leadership coaching, and working with a small group to propose a solution to an identified issue.

During the capstone presentations, three groups shared their ideas on a range of topics, including:

• “Lost and Found Reimagined,” a proposal for improving the accessibility and aesthetics of lost-and-found areas in schools
• “All on Board,” a proposed plan to improve the onboarding process for new classified staff with an aim to increase employees’ sense of belonging and productivity
• “Equitable Working Opportunities,” a project designed to build opportunities for classified employee advancement and growth, enhancing communication among and to classified staff, and assessing/increasing classified staff pay.

Meet the Class of 2022:

• Joni Baker, ACE president
• Carly Cooley, Integrated Services paraprofessional at Eyestone
• Hope Cornelis, SART Peers Program coordinator
• Wendy Eades, technical support specialist 1
• Britni Hobbs, secretary at Wellington Middle School
• Bryan Lamoreaux, Information Technology trainer
• Janelyn Lilly, Professional Development tech 2
• Natasha Michaud, application support analyst
• Lynette Seelmeyer, Integrated Services paraprofessional at Rocky Mountain High School
• Mary Shull-Sarti, site tech support at Fort Collins High School
• Karl Trujillo, head custodian at Webber Middle School
• Nicole Vannoy, former IT administrative assistant.