Believe the Hype!

Lesher Middle School is a 2014 Colorado Trailblazer School to Watch and will head to Washington, DC in June to receive national recognition as a model middle school that is academically excellent, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable for all students!

Seven hundred and thirty students packed the bleachers and gym floor at Lesher Middle School in Fort Collins today to celebrate the Colorado School to Watch designation.  The award designation was revealed before an audience that was gathered to celebrate a number of recognition awards including a National Green Ribbon Award and a No Place for Hate Designation.

Students, Staff and Families Celebrate Excellence

“Lesher Middle School demonstrates that high-performance is the result of intentional focus on the whole child. The dynamic, personalized learning environment they have created stimulates student curiosity, creativity, and healthy physical, social-emotional development,” explained Diane Lauer, State Coordinator of the Colorado Schools to Watch program. “Lesher recognizes the importance of meeting the needs of all of their students and ensuring that every child has access to a rigorous, high-quality education. The result is a high achieving school where students thrive!”

An Honor and Disctinction

The Colorado Association of Middle Level Education recognized Lesher for challenging students to use their minds well, being sensitive to the unique developmental needs of early adolescence and providing every student with a high-quality learning experience. Lesher is one of four middle schools in Colorado to receive this honor and one of 100 schools nationwide.

Selection is based on a written application that requires schools to show how they met criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. State teams organized by the Colorado Schools to Watch program conduct site visits in order to affirm that schools indeed meet the rigorous requirements of the award. These teams observe classrooms, interview administrators, teachers, and parents, review achievement data, suspension rates, instructional quality, and student work. Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of three years must repeat the process in order to be re-designated.