2016-17 year for most District 11 schools on Westside starts Aug. 18

2016-17 year for most District 11 schools on Westside starts Aug. 18

The West Elementary playground, off 20th Street, is a popular recess locale for its students. It was originally built in 2009 (where tennis courts used to be), when space for the then-new elementary was created on the west side of the West Middle School building. The playground had to be dug up the winter before last to access a broken water line, but it was fixed within a few weeks, and it's ready to go for the 2016-17 school year, starting Aug. 18.
Westside Pioneer file photo

       Most Westside District 11 public schools open to students for the 2016-17 year Thursday, Aug. 18.
       The exception is Academy ACL, a K-8 charter school, which (as usual) will start earlier (Aug. 15) and end its school year about a week later. (Principal/Director Nikki Myers has previously said that the extra days allow more time for student projects.
       There are two new Westside elementary school principals (Jennifer Breeding at Midland and Bryan Relich at Howbert) and a third (Sharon Gateley at Buena Vista Montessori) who is starting her first full year.
       For the Westside Pioneer article on Breeding and Relich, go to this link. For the Pioneer article on Gateley, go to this link.
       Below are brief capsules on each Westside D-11 school (principal's name in parentheses). Probable enrollment numbers to start the year are estimates fom representatives of the individual schools.
ELEMENTARIES (K-5)        Bristol, 890 N. Walnut St. (Manuel Ramsey), 328-4000. Probable enrollment: 220. Type of school: STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics).
       Howbert, 1023 N. 31st St. (Bryan Relich), 328-4200. Probable enrollment: 275. Type of school: Traditional.
       Jackson, 4340 Edwinstowe Ave. (Sara Miller), 328-5800. Probable enrollment: 420. Type of school: Traditional.
       Midland, 2110 W. Broadway St. (Jennifer Breeding), 328-4500. Probable enrollment: 200. Type of school: International Baccalaureate (IB).
       West, 25 N. 20th St. (Shalah Sims, with Assistant Principal Noel Wilson), 328-4900. Probable enrollment: 315. Type of school: Traditional.
K-6        Buena Vista, 924 W. Pikes Peak Ave. (Sharon Gateley ), 328-4100. Probable enrollment: 215. Type of school: Montessori.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS        Holmes, 2455 Mesa Rd. (Rob Utter), 328-3800. Probable enrollment : 705. Type of school: Traditional.
       West, 1920 W. Pikes Peak Ave. (Shalah Sims, with Assistant Principal Karen Newton), 328-3900. Probable enrollment: 300. Type of school : Traditional, with gifted/talented element.
K-8        Academy ACL, 2510 N. Chestnut St. (Nikki Myers), 434-6566. Probable enrollment: 300. Type of school: Emphasis on gifted students.
HIGH SCHOOL        Coronado, 1590 W. Fillmore St. (Darin Smith), 328-3600. Probable enrollment: 1,630. Type of school: Traditional.

       Another well-attended school on the Westside - chartered through the state instead of District 11 - is Mountain Song, in its fourth year in the former Whittier school at 2904 W. Kiowa St. The school has a highly visible farm activity outside, as part of its less technology-based Waldorf philosophy. The principal, returning for a second year, is Raj Solanki. The grades are K-8, with waiting lists for all but grades 6-7. The enrollment going into the 2016-17 school year, which started Aug. 22, is about 315, according to registrar Sarah White. The phone is 203-6364.

Westside Pioneer article
(Posted 8/13/16, updated 8/24/16; Schools: General)

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