The History of the Aurora Public Schools District - Adams ...also housed at William Smith. From 1960...

Researched by John M. Dale

Other assistance provided by:Jason P. Braddy, Phil Gerkin, Cheryl Dalton, Kristin Wehri and Sue Clark

May 2012

The History of the Aurora Public Schools District - Adams/Arapahoe 28J

Table of Contents

Aurora History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

History of William Smith High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Superintendents, 1922-1949 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41922 – 1936 Jack McCullough1935 – 1939 Carl Hansen, became a minister1939 – 1942 John McConnell, served in the army in WWII; taught junior high social studies while superintendent1942 – 1947 John A. Simpson1947 – 1949 Myron Ray Moorehead, Moorhead Park at 25th Avenue and Havana Street was named for him

William C . Hinkley, 1949 – 1968 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Thomas Pickens – interim, 1968 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Roland Ingraham, 1968 – 1970 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Dr . J . D . Leavitt, 1970 – 1972 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Thomas Pickens, interim, 1972 – 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

John Goodspeed Stuart, 1974 – 1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Victor Ross, 1988 – 1992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

David Hartenbach, Ed .D ., 1992 – 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Robert Adams, Ph .D ., 2002 – 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

John Barry, 2006 – Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

AppendicesI. Consolidation of Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16II. List of Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17III. Chronological List of APS Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18IV. School Board Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19V. APS State Champions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20VI. Prominent APS Graduates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-29VII. Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Aurora HistoryIn the mid-1800s, the community that is now known as Aurora sprung up along a few blocks of East Colfax Avenue and Yosemite Street, and included many surrounding farms. One of the early settlers was William Smith who came to Colorado from Scotland in 1878. His farm was on land that had access to the Highline Canal which carried water from the mountains to the eastern farms. In 1885 Mr. Smith became a driving force in establishing a school district for this area. The school district stretched from Colorado Boulevard on the west, to the Elbert and Lincoln County lines on the east. The area was described as having more prairie dogs than students. By 1915 the geographical boundaries of the school district changed when Bennett opened its first school as part of its own district. From 1885 to 1935 Mr. Smith served as the Treasurer of the Board of Education. Because the school district straddles two counties its official name became Adams-Arapahoe School District 28-J.

The first school was a one-room building located in what is today Del Mar Park, a few short blocks from the Smith family home at 412 Oswego Street. Other early settlers homesteaded in the general vicinity of today’s Chambers Road. Since 1870 the Gulley and Delaney families had farmed and ranched there. The Delaney Farm, now a historic site, was also established on Chambers Road along the Highline Canal and Tollgate Creek.

The school close to the William Smith house served the local farmers’ children. A second school, Toll Gate, was later built just south of what is now the intersection of Chambers Road and Mississippi Avenue.

In 1891 the big news was the development of what could be called the community’s first subdivision. In 1891 a developer named Donald C. Fletcher began building two-story homes along Hathaway Street (now Galena Street). This development ran from 16th Avenue to

25th Avenue; eight of the seventeen original houses are still in use. The town was named Fletcher in honor of the developer, and people moved to this area to take advantage of low-cost housing. A house on Galena Street would have cost about $3500 in 1891.

Just as providing water is a monumental challenge today, so it was as settlers moved to Colorado. Water disputes were common. Ralph Moody documents his family’s struggles in Littleton during the same period. Thus, as Fletcher was growing, a dispute over water caused conflict in the community and Fletcher left town. The citizens wanted to be rid of his memory, so in 1907 the town name was changed to Aurora, taking the name of the mythological goddess of the dawn. The early years were, if not uneventful, at least stable. Because of the serious water issues, the town grew slowly in the early 1900s. The slow but steady development signaled the need for a new school nearby.

Today a plaque located at 16th Avenue and Florence Street commemorates Central Grade School which served first through eighth grades. The school was destroyed by a fire in 1919 and was replaced by a two-story brick building on the south side of the lot. In 1958 the name was changed to Crawford Elementary School in honor of Martha B. Crawford, a dedicated first-grade teacher who taught there for many years. This structure remained in use until 1972 when it was replaced by the one-story brick structure which is the core of the current building.

Crawford, pre-1919

Old Faithful

Crawford

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World War I brought the establishment of Army Hospital 21 on land that had been the Guthiel Nursery. In 1920 Army Hospital 21 was renamed for Lt. William T. Fitzsimons, the first soldier killed in World War I. The area was originally covered with temporary buildings even though some remained in use in 1994. These were treatment centers to provide care for soldiers who had been injured by poison gas during the war. The treatment then was much the same as for the recovery of tubercular patients, lots of sunshine and clear mountain air. The influx of patients did not have a major impact on the school district since most of the patients did not have children.

A very stable environment existed in the school system until the end of World War II. The town itself grew into a population of 3,494 in 1939 with most of the growth south of Colfax Avenue in Arapahoe County.

In 1968, the district chose to be known popularly as the Aurora Public Schools (APS) (although the state designation remained Adams-Arapahoe 28-J). In the 1950s several districts south and east of APS were consolidated into Arapahoe County District 5 / Cherry Creek Schools. The result is that the city of Aurora has two school districts – APS and Cherry Creek. Teaching before 1950 was very different from the latter half of the 20th century. Salaries were low before the onset of state support for local districts, sometimes as low as $1600 a year. Many teachers started with a two-year certificate but would go to school every summer to earn a Life Teacher Certificate along with their Bachelor’s Degree. There were no contracts and teachers covered all areas including before- and after-school supervision, lunchroom and playground duty, and the nurse’s office. Not until the 1970s did art teachers become a part of the instructional plan. Each employee talked over his compensation with the school board, and a common practice for teachers was to move to another district every three years. In a 1950s college class discussing housing options, many rural teachers were surprised by the idea that a teacher might actually purchase a house. Aurora in the 1940s was typical of small towns throughout the West. The whole town turned out for Friday night football. At the prom, chairs were set up so that parents and local citizens could observe dancing in the high school gym. In 1950 Aurora’s population

was 11,000. A major issue for the school board became what to do with the influx of the post-war baby boomers that were moving out of the large cities.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Aurora was still a small town with a family-like connection between the school board and the staff. The board president Hazel Sterling would begin every school year with a rally and lead a cheer to the Aurora staff: “28-Jers, go forth and teach!” In 1963 Mrs. Sterling was presented with an award from the Colorado Association of School Boards for the seventeen years she served on the Board of Education. An often-told story is that Ruth Dalton, the director of instruction, formed a kitchen cabinet known as the “Canasta Club.” One member from each school gathered to play cards at her home. What was purportedly a social gathering undoubtedly provided a basis of communication that kept the district moving forward and gave Dalton her uncanny ability to know what was happening everywhere in the district.

East and north of the intersection of Chambers Road and Colfax Avenue, rural school districts were functioning independently before the 1957 launching of the Russian satellite Sputnik. This event created a strong desire in the American public for science education at the elementary level. One-room or small rural schools, where more than one grade was taught by a single teacher, did not lend themselves to science education which included experiments. To improve this aspect of education in the1950s, the rural districts were consolidated resulting in reducing Colorado school districts from more than 300 to 160.

With the establishment of Fitzsimons Medical Center, the moving of Lowry Air Force Base to the edge of Aurora in 1937, and the evolution of Buckley Field to Buckley Air Station, then to Buckley United States Air Force Base, the military and their families have been integral to the history of Aurora and its schools. Buckley gave the school district a large tract of land that is currently the site of William Smith High School, the new Summit Academy for gifted and talented students and many other district buildings. While both Lowry and Fitzsimons have closed, Buckley continues to grow and bring more families to Aurora. Ironically, in the wake of the military’s withdrawal from both Lowry and Fitzsimons, a revitalization of those properties has occurred and once again, Aurora has the military to thank for growth in those areas.

Aurora History

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The historic William Smith building is significantly different from the other sites in Aurora. It was built in 1931, but was locally financed and not a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project which was more common at the time. Until 1931 high school students from Aurora attended East High School in Denver and used Denver Tramway cars to make the trip. Within a short time the tramway service to Aurora was cut back which increased the pressure for the school district to have its own high school. For its first few years, William Smith functioned as a traditional high school. After World War II everything changed.

In 1950 a new building now known as West Middle School opened as Aurora High School. The former high school became a junior high school for seventh, eighth, and ninth grades. During the first year, all sixth grade students from throughout the district were also housed at William Smith. From 1960 to 1976, William Smith operated as a grade school. In 1976, the Aurora Street Academy, moved into the site and served students who did not function well in a traditional high school. The alternative high school adopted the name William Smith High School and became the first totally accredited alternative high school in Colorado. In1992 the school moved one mile south east into what had been Peoria Elementary (located at the intersection of Peoria and Del Mar Circle). From 1977 to 1992 Peoria Elementary was used as an annex to Central High School to relieve overcrowding at the main building. When William Smith moved to its present location on Airport Blvd., it retained the name William Smith at the request of its students. The William Smith historic art deco building on the original site became a part of West Middle School having been saved from demolition by being designated an Aurora Historic Landmark in 1986. The address was originally Del Mar Parkway but is now 10100 East 13th Avenue.

The building continued to play an important role in Aurora. Until 2000, the gym was used for square dances and graduates from this building held a reunion every year until 2007. Even though the gym was demolished in 2006, the main building was retained; its front façade left in place and incorporated into West Middle School as part of the office complex. Since the gym no longer existed, in 2007 the reunion was combined with the Aurora History Makers Award ceremony held at the Aurora History Museum.

In 2006, Aurora Public Schools produced a documentary to commemorate the history of Historic William Smith and West Middle School. The project presented an opportunity for West students to learn firsthand about the history of their school. Students interviewed former students and staff members, including graduates from the 1930s. The documentary video, which earned a History Makers Award from the Aurora History Museum, can be viewed on the APS website at aurorak12.org/history under the link for William Smith. The publication Aurora: Gateway to the Rockies sums up the district best:“The Aurora Public Schools population represents a typically diverse cross section of the United States. Students in APS speak more than ninety different languages, and all socio-economic classes of people live here. East of Tower Road an area of potential development stretches Watkins. Just as the original boundaries in 1885 of a district stretching from Colorado Boulevard to the eastern boundary of Lincoln County was said to have more prairie dogs than people, the same might be said for the area east from Tower Road to the town of Watkins, which is an area of great potential growth, especially resulting from the opening of Denver International Airport and the proliferation of concomitant businesses and housing.”

Original William Smith

Early William Smith graduates.

History of William Smith High School

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As APS has changed/developed, a number of themes have become clear:• Growth is an ever-present issue.• APS always brought in employees from outside

Colorado.• The leadership team must have both long-range

planning skills and the ability to overcome crises.• APS is affected by all the events that take place

throughout the world.• This school system will respond to whatever trends

in education are current: fundamental schools, K-8 schools, gifted and talented programs, advanced placement, de-centralization, and any others.

The picture painted here is of a hard-working community where people treasure education and see it as a means to success. They value skills and often send their children to college. Up until the closing of the installations a Fitzsimons Army Hospital and Lowry Air Force Base, the military played a strong role in the community, and today retired military personnel are a factor and continue to play an active part in the educational community. It is in many respects a working class community, with a strong desire for upward mobility.

History of William Smith High School

Superintendents, 1922-1949

Information on superintendents is difficult to find before 1949 when William C. Hinkley was hired. In a 2006 conference with long-time resident Juanita Sparks, a 1940 graduate of Aurora High School, she recalled former superintendents and their terms of service.

1922-1936 Jack McCollough1935-1939 Carl Hansen1939-1942 John McConnell1942-1947 John A. Simpson1947-1949 Myron Ray Moorhead

Mr. McCullough served in the United States Army during World War II and taught junior high school social studies while superintendent. Mr. Hansen became a minister.

Moorehead Park at 25th Avenue and Havana Street was named in honor of Mr. Moorhead.

During John McConnell’s term as superintendent, Ruth E. Dalton was hired as a physical education teacher at Central Grade School in 1940. By 1949 when Mr. Hinkley became superintendent, she was the principal at Aurora Central Grade School.

William C . Hinkley, 1949-1968

The year 1949 marked the beginning of a response to the changes experienced by the city of Aurora and led to changes in the Aurora school system. Mr. William C. Hinkley (Bill) became superintendent. Besides being a gifted lobbyist and advocate for the children of Aurora, Hinkley had a varied career as a teacher, state legislator, and a pilot.

In 1949, 1100 students were housed at the Crawford and William Smith sites. Over the next few years, his administration used a variety of strategies to deal with the growth and overcrowding brought on by the baby boomers.

Overcrowding led to creative solutions, and many of the decisions made in those days of burgeoning populations are similar to policies still enacted today.

William Smith

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Through the years Hinkley and his staff devised a number of solutions to overcrowding including double shifts at school, overlapping schedules and early and late starts. In addition, the district built facilities with small libraries and housed major book collections in individual classrooms in order to provide more classroom space. The district also rented nearby space to house kindergarten classes. However, all new elementary schools included a room slightly larger than a standard classroom designated as a kindergarten room. The kindergarten schedule was modified by shortening the day, so that it could run three shifts per day. As a result, kindergarten teachers often had to move from one building to another. Extremely large classes were another consequence of strained resources. At different times classes of up to 44 students were maintained. Using buildings on Fitzsimons Army Post helped solve the overcrowding.

Because of military restrictions regarding unregistered civilian cars on base, seventh and eighth grade students were dropped off by their parents at a parking lot at the corner of Peoria Street and Colfax Avenue, and they were bused to the northeast corner of the post to seven buildings/barracks that had been converted into classrooms. With the opening of Park Lane Elementary in 1959 and North Middle School in 1961, classes at Fitzsimons were discontinued. Elementary-aged children of enlisted men were assigned to Park Lane Elementary and the officer’s children were assigned to Montview Elementary. All junior high students went to North Junior High School.

These strategies came from the 1949 leadership team that included Ruth E. Dalton and William C. Hinkley. Because administrative space was limited, their offices were located n a high school building, and later moved into two small rooms at the north end of Kenton Elementary School when it was completed in 1951.

Passing a bond election in 1950 and a later one for three million dollars to fund the building of William Smith High School at 13th Avenue and Del Mar Parkway were major accomplishments. In 1951, a bond issue failed. The failure brought about an innovative idea known as the Aurora School Authority (ASA) whose

membership was the same as the Board of Education. The school authority went to the Aurora National Bank and borrowed money to build Kenton and Montview Elementary schools. Each year the Aurora Board of Education would re-form itself into the ASA and use general fund tax money to make a payment to the bank. The loan was paid off in the 1970s.

Perhaps the most important accomplishment of Superintendent Hinkley was his ability to secure federal funding for public schools through a system called impacted areas funding. Congress funded an extra amount of money to any school district in the United States which had a high number of children of federal employees, including children of people serving in the

armed forces. This money was a positive force for Adams-Arapahoe 28-J since a new school was opened almost every year during the 1950s and 1960s: Kenton and Montview in 1950; Vaughn in 1951; Peoria in 1952; Sixth Avenue in 1955; Boston, Jamaica, and Paris in 1956; Lansing in 1959; Elkhart in 1963; Lyn Knoll, Virginia Court, and Altura in 1964; Wheeling in 1965; and Laredo in 1968.

Between 1950 and 1960, the population of Aurora tripled to 10,000. With this increase in population and Aurora’s annexation of Hoffman Heights in 1955, the decision was made to name new schools with the name of the street they faced. Naming

the buildings after streets encouraged new residents to back funding for these schools. It worked well in the limited geographical area bounded by 25th and 1st Avenues, Yosemite Street and Sable Boulevard and helped build a sense of community.

The year 1960 marked another important leadership challenge for public education. The October 1957 launching of Sputnik by the Soviet Union caused the country to be concerned for the need for science education The publication Aurora: Gateway to the Rockies, states:

But if Sputnik shocked the nation, it also reinvigorated support for education--for the schools to produce the scientists and engineers who might stem the supposed American decline, and perhaps even reverse it. The

William Hinkley

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people in Aurora shared the fundamental American belief that good neighborhood schools would provide the bedrock for these achievements. Aurorans wanted quality schools, as shown by the overwhelming support they gave to almost annual increases in the public school debt, as William Hinkley and his associates tried to keep pace with the ever expanding city.

With Sputnik came the realization that small rural schools with one teacher for eight grades could not provide comprehensive science education for their students. Colorado, among other states that had a significant number of rural school districts, became aggressive about encouraging consolidation. The districts that impacted 28-J were Sable (including Clyde Miller School), First Creek in Adams county, and Altura and Toll Gate in Arapahoe county. The 1959 consolidation of Altura and Toll Gate was a fairly easy task although the Altura District increased the geographic size of the district from 13 to 31 square miles.

In 1960, plans were afoot to expand the existing Sable Elementary two-story, eight-room building. A restraining order was issued to stop the new construction because of the impending district consolidation. The top floor was removed because of the deafening noise of air traffic from Stapleton Airport. Only two rooms from the original building were incorporated into the current structure which has been remodeled and enlarged numerous times. The original Clyde Miller School building is now a church, the Altura building is used for an alternative education program, historic Toll Gate was demolished, and the First Creek facility has been remodeled into a duplex.

In 1955 the Administration Building was constructed at 1085 Peoria Street which at that time was on the eastern edge of the district. One of the benefits of the superintendent’s job was that it provided a rent-free house just south and west of the William Smith building. This house had been built as a project of the high school shop class under the direction of Mr. “Slim” Place who later was appointed supervisor of the building and grounds. The Hinkley’s continued to live in this house until his retirement in 1968.

The district at different times owned two houses used for temporary housing of new teachers. One was located at the corner of 16th Avenue and Fulton Street on the Central Grade School (Crawford) site, and the other, after 1955, on the site of Sixth Avenue Elementary. This house was later used as a preschool for many years until it was demolished after 1990.

In 1963 the school district began responding to growth east of Sand Creek by opening William C. Hinkley High School on Chambers Road just south of Colfax Avenue, and several elementary schools including a much larger Sable facility. In 1966, the first building south of Alameda opened on Virginia Court, followed in 1967 by Wheeling Elementary.

Another factor that was an impetus for change began in 1966 with the federally funded program, Title I. This mandated additional interventions in reading and/or math for low-income students and involved Aurora Central High School, West Junior High School, and several elementary schools including the private Catholic schools of St. Therese and St. Pius parishes. Besides being a precursor of a variety of federal interventions, it marks one of the first times that low-income issues became a factor in decision-making for the Aurora school district.

The march of change continued and in the early 1960s as minority students began to register, efforts to recruit minority teachers began. It was not until 1974 that any school had more than one non-Anglo on staff. In 1967 the first African-American teacher, Artimese Cowan, was hired to teach first grade at Crawford. Mrs. Cowan retired in 1987 after 20 years of teaching, became the second African-American to serve on the Board of Education, and then became the Executive Director of the Colorado Retired School Employees Association.

The Aurora of 1968 was remarkably different from the community of 1949. In nineteen years the town had grown south and east with an enrollment that now exceeded 20,000 students. Over these years Hinkley High School had been built “way out east” on Chambers Road, and a new development known as Aurora Hills had welcomed two elementary schools and would soon be the site of Aurora Hills Middle School. That year brought the end of the leadership of William Hinkley when he retired to become a full-time lobbyist for all the school districts in Colorado APS spent the next few months under the leadership of Thomas Pickens while the Board of Education searched for a new superintendent.

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Thomas Pickens, interim for six monthsWhen William Hinkley retired, Thomas H. Pickens was appointed acting superintendent. In 1960 Thomas H. Pickens had joined the Central Office staff as Assistant Superintendent for Facilities. Mr. Pickens’ time was short, but he was instrumental in providing a smooth transition. His mission, as he saw it, was to see that everybody stayed within the budget, so that when a new superintendent was appointed, that superintendent would come to a district without a budget deficit.

Roland Ingraham, 1968 - 1970

At this time the Board of Education wanted a visionary leader and Roland Ingraham came to Aurora from California with many new ideas. Just two years later, he would accept the position of Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Tempe, Arizona.

During his two years at the helm, Dr. Ingraham began some major changes with his initial project of transforming junior highs into middle school. He began by educating district leaders on how this change might be accomplished. Unfortunately, he did not stay in Aurora long enough to see the plan implemented.

He moved the superintendent’s house to Strasburg into a structure built by students. The Ingrahams lived in Park East, at that time Aurora’s upscale neighborhood. Among other changes that occurred during his brief tenure was the retirement of Ruth E. Dalton to be a part-time supervisor of student teachers at Metropolitan State College, the adoption of Aurora Public Schools as the popular name of the school district (while retaining the official designation of Adams-Arapahoe Joint School District 28-J), and initiating an annual retirement dinner in 1968 for district employees.

J . D . Leavitt, 1970 - 1972

In 1970 Aurora Public Schools came under the supervision of Dr. J. D. Leavitt, a former superintendent from Long Island, New York. At the time, the district’s financial situation was questionable if not dire. One of the first of Dr. Leavitt’s tasks was to avert a teachers’ strike at the eleventh hour by promising a millage increase which would be voted on in November 1970 to raise teacher salaries. Unfortunately, the tax increase failed resulting in a difficult time for all employees. To save money classrooms were consolidated and student teacher-ratios increased in order to cut down on the number of staff. Veteran administrators were reassigned to lesser positions. Often Dr. Leavitt would take on the supervision responsibilities himself in order to cut administrative costs.

In response to budget shortfalls, Dr. Leavitt created the Building Manager team which was made up of two people who each administered two sites. One was an expert in instruction and the other an accountant- type person with the responsibility of running two schools simultaneously. The principal took the leadership of focusing on working with teachers to improve their instructional techniques. The accounting and maintenance supervision areas were assigned to the building manager. Discipline fell to whoever of the two was readily available. Acceptance and support from the staff and parents was lacking because they believed no untrained person should manage the behavior of students. After nearly a year and a half of struggle, a traditional format was reinstated in the two buildings where it had been piloted. At one point the stress of declining resources led to a petition drive which gained several thousand signatures to push Dr. Leavitt’s dismissal. The BOE did not dismiss him, but did agree to a public forum to explain some of his ideas for education which were radical for the time. One of which was his vision of connecting student placement to skill mastery instead of grade level assignments. Dr. Leavitt left the district to go to Somerville, Massachusetts before his vision could be fully realized.

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Thomas H . Pickens, interim 1972 - 1974

A result of the departure in 1974 of Dr. Leavitt, Thomas H Pickens was reinstated as acting Superintendent. Mr. Pickens did not attempt to change things, but worked at restoring the operation. One issue that faced the superintendent’s office was a dress code for female employees. A group of women administrators asked to wear a style called the “pant suit.” The group studying the suggestion failed to make a definitive decision and admitted to “skirting the issue.” The question soon became moot as times changed across the nation.

With the hiring of a new superintendent, Mr. Pickens retired and served on the Board of Education. In recognition of his dedication to the Aurora schools, the vocational school was named Pickens Technical School. At the ceremony, in reference to the school board policy of naming schools “in recognition of the contribution to education….or an outstanding citizen who is deceased or retired….for at least five years,” Mr. Pickens said, “”Thank you, but I feel fine.”

John G . Stuart, 1974 – 1988

After a few months, the BOE hired Dr. John Goodspeed Stuart as Superintendent. He had come to Denver from a position with the Secondary Principals Association in Washington, D.C. Previously, he had worked in districts in Adams County School District #1 and in Gunnison schools before coming to Aurora. He soon filled many positions with a trusted cadre of appointees. Among those on his leadership team were doctors Gene Albo, Edward Brainard, Hal Sorweid and Victor Ross. A bond issue passed in 1974, which funded the building of Dartmouth Elementary located just north of Meadowood Park at the corner of Dartmouth Avenue and Laredo Street.

A reorganization of the Division of instruction took place in 1975. By this time, the middle school structure was implemented, so the other three levels of elementary school, high school, and vocational education were established. During this time of rapid growth, Dr. Stuart and his team developed a plan for funding new schools which earmarked funds for material and furniture to ensure the smooth opening

of new schools that included Jewell and Yale in 1977; Dalton, Arkansas, and Vassar in 1979; Tollgate, Iowa, and a new Clyde Miller in 1981; Century in 1985; and Side Creek in 1989. By this time, APS had begun to move away from naming a school for the street it faced. Century was named to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first school in Aurora established by William Smith, and Side Creek was named by a committee of parents. Mrachek Middle School was named for Colonel Harry Mrachek, who had been very involved in the establishment of the vocational technical school at Sixth Avenue and Buckley Road.

The colonel’s wife, Ellen, was also influential in the district as a long-time member of the BOE, so the dedication was expanded to include the entire Mrachek family. Schools named for people would eventually include Martha B. Crawford Elementary, Ruth E. Dalton Elementary, and William Smith High School. A process was clearly defined for opening new schools. The rapid growth of the district made moving administrators from site to site necessary. A practice of this administration was to transfer elementary administrators every five years. In 1980, it was necessary to hire five new elementary principals only one of whom was a current employee. This hiring, along with the opening of eight new elementary schools by 1981, brought about the change of leadership in all buildings. Another change was to move consultants working out of 1085 Peoria from subject matter to a new role of curriculum coordinators in all subject areas, for several buildings, on rotating schedules. At the middle school level, administrators tended to be reassigned to different locations as new buildings opened.

In many ways, the organization was very fortunate to be in a continuing growth pattern throughout these years. At least growth was easier to accommodate than cutbacks. At an earlier point cutbacks had been necessary, and the process was difficult for all involved parties—students, staff, and parents. A number of public meetings on school finances were held with parents in attendance that after the first round of budget cutting, placed the blame for the budget problems on the BOE. To avoid future personal attacks, a process was developed that gathered input, made recommendations by the committee, and issued a formal report to the BOE, which reduced some of the conflict from the budget process.

Another strategy for keeping the budget in line was offering early retirement bonuses for employees who

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retired after age 55 and before age 65. The bonus depended on a person’s age with more substantial amounts going to the younger retirees and brought about the retirement of several people who were at the top of the salary schedule, who could be replaced with employees at a lower salary.

Other milestones in the history of the district were the building of Gateway High School in 1972 and Rangeview High School in 1983. In 1985, under the weight of a heavy spring snow storm, the roof at Gateway collapsed during spring break. Gateway students and staff had to attend Rangeview for a year on a split schedule. Rangeview students attended in the morning, and Gateway students attended in the afternoon.

In 1978 the district had begun studying the implementation of a special program for advanced students know as Aurora Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE). Originally, a separate room in each of four elementary schools was set aside for these students. Once a week for half a day, students came from their home schools to these centers. Over time, this concept spread. In 1999, an eight-room temporary building was opened on Mississippi Avenue. Summit Academy, for grades 1-8, opened in August 2008 near the Pickens Technical College at Sixth Avenue and Airport Boulevard.

In the late 1970s, the northwest area began to experience a drop in enrollment. Public meetings were held to explain to the families that Paris Elementary students would be transferred to Montview and Park Lane for the next school year. . Because of some conservative parents’ concerns about the modern trends in education, the Paris Elementary School building was allowed to become a school of choice and become Paris Fundamental Elementary School. Parents from any Aurora school could apply for admission for their student to take advantage of what was defined as a fundamental education. The school closed as a fundamental school in 1987 and reopened as a neighborhood school the following year.

In 1976 Peoria Elementary School at Peoria Street and Del Mar Circle was closed as an elementary school and became a temporary annex for the over-crowded Aurora Central High School. Later the Peoria site housed William Smith High School When William Smith moved to its new location on Airport Boulevard, the school was remodeled and opened as the new Paris Elementary School.

Dr. Stuart created a very stable environment for APS during a period of great growth and change. He was instrumental in providing structure and organization to the rapidly growing school district. The establishment of written board policies and administrative procedures based on input from those affected supported and coordinated change within the school district as it moved from rural to suburban as student enrollment burgeoned to 25,000. In the northern part, the district could be described as inter-city with high mobility of students between Denver and Aurora and the impacts of low-socioeconomics.

He served as Superintendent longer than anyone except Mr. Hinkley. Under his guidance, the district created a system for adoption of text books and other instructional materials. Standing and ad hoc committees of parents, teachers, and others were established to review and revise curriculum in each subject area for recommendation for adoption by the Board of Education. Texts and other teaching materials were purchased with a five-year replacement cycle. Teachers were expected to follow the adopted curriculum with high expectations for the students. In addition, Dr. Stuart ensured:

• Equity in employee salaries• Equity in the distribution of available funds for

schools and grade levels• Avoidance of employment strikes• Success in passing most of the bond and mill levy

issues• Organizing an effective administrative team and

recruiting qualified and capable people • Establishing in-service education opportunities• Canvassing employees and others to determine

the needs and then trying to satisfy them• Attention to energy conservation by installing

solar energy in many new schools

He and his team of administrators provided strong leadership to the Aurora Public Schools and upon his retirement, Dr. Stuart was named Superintendent Emeritus by the Aurora Board of Education.

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Victor Ross, 1988 – 1992

Three years before the retirement of Dr. Stuart, Dr. Victor Ross had become Associate Superintendent for Instructional Services. The board immediately appointed him superintendent and the transition was accomplished without an interim appointment. A significant factor in his selection was his belief in emphasizing test scores as a measure of educational success. For the first time, test scores were seriously considered as a factor in long-range planning. Key members of his leadership team were David Zeckser, David Hartenbach, Gene Albo, Edward Brainard, Ken Vedra, Brian Donovan and Sue Clark.

Dr. Ross believed in strong connections and open communications with staff, parents and the community. He aggressively pursued strategies for building relationships within the school district. He held regular breakfasts with teachers before school so they could have the opportunity to meet with the superintendent and share their ideas for improving the school district. He also met with small groups of administrators for breakfast or lunch. He had the district offer regular “See for Yourself Tours” that were open to parents and community members so they could see all the positive things happening in their school district. In an effort to bring back the small school district attitude, he began one school year with an all staff meeting at Hinkley High School’s football field. The logistics were formidable and the activity was not repeated but staff praised the event which served as a mini-reunion for everyone to get together and reconnect with colleagues who were now scattered across the large school district. Dr. Ross brought a new focus on individual employees when he decided recognition awards should be presented to deserving staff members. In addition, a program was developed for employees to receive service pins reflecting their years with the school district.

Under Dr. Ross’ leadership, the Aurora Education Foundation (AEF) was founded. In the mid-1980s this was a brand new idea for education to create a separate entity to support and help public education. Early in its operation, Mrs. Debbie Lynch was chosen as the executive director and created a very successful program that formed a bridge between the school district, parents and the community.

Highly regarded for his writing skills, Dr. Ross was a frequent contributor to national educational journals and magazines. He was the author of The Forbidden Apple – Sex in the Schools which took on the issue of educators who crossed the line with students. In addition, he was selected by the Executive Educator Magazine for recognition as one of the Top 100 Executive Educators in North America.

In 1987 and 1988, the district faced crippling defeats when a bond election and then a crucial mill-levy override also did not pass. With the oil industry in shambles statewide, Aurora was facing great economic challenges. When the override failed, the district was forced to make cuts in art, music, physical education, reduce gifted and talented programs, increase class size and overhaul all spending in the district. After years of successful elections, growing enrollments and prosperity, Aurora was faced with a time of scarcity and turmoil. Although the district refocused and was able to rebound, these were challenging times for staff and parents. In 1990 the district passed a mill-levy override that provided better financial stability for the school district.

In the early l990s, some district offices moved to the east side of the district. The business and transportation offices moved to an area just east of Buckley Road and south of Pickens Technical Center. The special education office relocated to a building on 1st Avenue and also housed Nutrition Services. In 1992, the Division of Instruction was moved to a building called Highline B near 1st Avenue and Chambers Road and held district in-services and meetings at that site. This area is now actually much closer to the geographic center of the district than 1080 Peoria.

In 1991, Dr. Ross authorized a significant move toward bringing the senior population into the fold as school district advocates. He implemented a program called the Senior Tax Exchange Program (STEP). This put the district in the role of recruiting homeowners over the age of 60 to work as volunteers in schools. They received a tax rebate figured at the rate of the minimum wage not to exceed the amount paid in taxes to the school district. This program was instrumental in building a strong group of advocates for the Aurora Public Schools in the northeast section of the school district and in the Heather Gardens retirement community. The intention was to ensure that bond issues would have the support in these areas which did not have many school-age children. Aurora was not the first district in Colorado to implement this concept.

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John Dale headed the local program and helped start this program in other Front Range communities as well as in Kansas, and one in Wisconsin which receive national recognition from the School Public Relations Professional Association.

After five years, Dr. Ross retired to write and work in the private sector. The BOE almost immediately appointed David Hartenbach as Superintendent.

David L . Hartenbach, 1992 - 2002

Dr. Dave Hartenbach had a long and productive career in the district starting with his position of principal at Hinkley High School and culminating in the superintendent position. In between he had done yeoman’s service as Director of High Schools, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities, and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. Under his leadership, the next ten years brought orderly and calm problem solving. Members of his leadership team included David Zeckser, Sandra Shreve, Bob Adams, Rod Weeks, Joanie Ott, Sue Clark, Debbie Lynch and Brian Donovan.

With the involvement of staff, parents and the community, Dr. Hartenbach led the district in the development of a mission and plan based on performance outcomes to ensure greater success for students. His restructuring efforts were four-pronged and focused on strategic planning, shared decision making, performance-based education and performance-based graduation requirements. Dr. Hartenbach’s philosophy was that better decisions can be made when stakeholders are given the opportunity to be part of those decisions. Performance standards were based on content proficiencies and were supported by five learner outcomes: self-directed learners, collaborative workers, complex thinkers, community contributors and quality producers.

One of his early decisions was to create a new position of Executive Director of Organizational Support, a

defacto deputy superintendent. This person was to handle whatever needed to be done to ensure the goals of the board and superintendent were fulfilled, whether it was establishing year-round schools, the implementation of intercession classes during fall and spring break, or coordinating projects that crossed over different departments and divisions.

Another of Dr. Hartenbach’s strengths was his talent as a public speaker, a carry-over from his Jesuit education. He was always available and eager to speak to groups seven days a week on issues surrounding public education. It was also important to Dr. Hartenbach to be connected and involved regularly scheduled visits at least annually to every school and site and spent time in classrooms interacting with students and work sites connecting with employees. During this era, the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) became a factor in assessing the effectiveness of public schools. The major impact of this would not be fully realized until the next superintendent’s tenure, but

the issue of testing and the use of test scores to judge the effectiveness of schools became a factor in the late 1990s.

A major challenge for the school district was the influx of Spanish speakers into the northwest area and a dramatic increase in the need to help students become proficient in English. In a short span of a few years, the district saw its Latino population increase dramatically.

A director for English Language Acquisition to help the district respond to the needs of so many students whose first language was not English. During this time, increasing enrollment led to the Federal Aviation Administration Building at 15th Avenue and Hanover Street being remodeled into a kindergarten though fifth grade school (K-5) that opened in August, 2000, as Fletcher Elementary School.

One strategy to help students reach proficiency was a special intersession offered at no charge to parents during fall and spring breaks to allow additional instructional time.. Unfortunately, despite the need, attendance was poor as parents and students chose vacation time rather than academic time. Later,

David Hartenback meets with a group of students.

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schools were awarded grants for after-school reading and math instruction blocks.

In 1995 Dr. Hartenbach was named the Colorado Superintendent of the year and has been recognized by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce as the Humanitarian of the year and the University of Northern Colorado as an Outstanding Leader in Education. After leaving the school district, he directed the Teacher in Residence Program at Metropolitan state College in Denver and then became one of the driving forces in creating School Leaders for Colorado, a non-profit educational leadership program connected with the University of Colorado that offers an alternative licensing program for school administrators.

Dr. Hartenbach believes that the continued work of the employees of Aurora Public Schools to educate all students shows that his contributions continue to be valued. “Dr. H,” as he was often called, admired the work of former Superintendent John Stuart and got his greatest reward from watching employees grow in their roles. He hopes that future leaders will develop a vision and draw on the learning community to develop a district-wide plan for widely-recognized excellence. Hopefully, these thoughts will help future Aurora Public School leaders understand why Dr. David Hartenbach’s years as superintendent of Aurora Public Schools were so highly productive and he was so highly regarded.

Robert Adams, 2002 - 2006

When Dr. Hartenbach retired, his replacement, Dr. Robert Adams, was a familiar face to the organization. He came to Aurora from Eagle County as a high school principal when he was hired as the Director of Employee Relations and later became Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. By this time the Colorado Student Achievement Program was in full force, and it became Dr. Adams’ role to oversee strategies to improve test scores. Superintendent Adams and the staff were charged with improving test scores and could not rest on the district’s past successes, but were faced with implementing strategies that would work. Members of his leadership team included Debbie Backus, Tony Van Gytenbeek, Anthony Sturges, Georgia Durán, Rod Weeks and Brian Donovan.

The Superintendent increased his involvement in supervision by visiting sites with a team of instructional improvement specialists who helped building principals develop school improvement plans. At his direction a variety of new strategies were implemented. The expansion of instructional improvement caused the district to cancel both the comprehensive city-wide summer school and the evening adult education program. This high level of focus on instruction took away from some of the superintendent’s involvement in traditional roles such as rallying volunteers in a bond election campaign and speaking at service clubs, and put him in the classroom working directly with students and teachers.

Due to an emphasis on improving student achievement, test scores remained stable during a time of rapidly changing demographics. The impact of mobility and non-English speaking students on test scores continued to be a major challenge. Another major change in the school district was the building of two new schools east of the core city. Murphy Creek and Aurora Frontier were opened in 2005 and 2006 as K-8 schools.

Dr. Adams practiced a hands-on administration. His stated goal was to improve student learning and achievement. He understood that the world of the Aurora Public Schools had changed and that traditional methods had to be rethought. He developed a cadre of professional teacher coaches to assist teachers in improving their practice. Teachers evaluated on-going assessments to plan differentiated instruction to meet the individual needs of their learners. Dr. Adams believed that the superintendent was the catalyst for change and improvement. He worked very hard on this goal by serving as a part of the team that visited

Bob Adams working with a student.

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schools. His philosophy was “the district only exists because of children no matter whom they are or where they come from.” He enjoyed working directly with students and staff to improve student learning. This direct approach brought about remarkable changes in the way schools functioned. When Dr. Adams became superintendent, seven schools were performing at an unsatisfactory level according to CSAP scores. By 2007, this number was reduced to one, which is a remarkable achievement in light of Aurora’s demographic changes.

Dr. Adams considers State Superintendent of Schools Cal Frazier, former Superintendent David Hartenbach, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Deborah Backus, Aurora Education Association President Gary Hoy, Levant Caszatt, and Chuck Schwahn as major influences on his development as a leader.

In 2002 the largest bond authorization in the history of the district passed. The voters authorized $225 million and, through sound management within the district, another $25 million was available. Revenue from the 2002 bond authorization has resulted in all schools being air-conditioned. Older buildings received much-need upgrading, new schools were built and the use of technology was expanded To meet the demands of a modern society. In 2002 the largest bond authorization in the history of the district passed. Boston Elementary has been remodeled with a planned opening for September 2008.

The emphasis on instructional improvement has laid the groundwork for future gains, and many schools have improved scores. Future plans include building a new high school on the east side of the district.

In the spring of 2006, Dr. Adams retired and moved to Arizona. He will be remembered for his integrity and willingness to face tough issues.

John Barry, 2006 – Present

The search for a new superintendent was extensive and involved significant input from the community. In July 2006, the appointment of retired Two-Star Major General John L. Barry was announced. The Board of Education chose Mr. Barry because they wanted someone who would be a change agent for

the district. His appointment brought about many changes in the operation of the district; both physical and instructional.

Mr. Barry’s broad range of experiences in the military prepared him well to take on the leadership of Aurora Public Schools, which had over 33,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees by 2006. The population was 72% students of color, 39% of whom did not have English as their first language, 69% on free or reduced lunch, and a 40% mobility rate. Test scores were among the lowest in the state, and the need for change was immediate.

In 2004, Mr. Barry was a fellow at the Broad Academy for School Superintendents, where he spent 10 months visiting nine major urban areas and studying the state of urban school districts. The foundation’s mission is to dramatically improve K-12 urban education through better governance, management, labor relations, and competition. He also attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 1993 and 1994 and was a White House Fellow in 1995 and 1996.

One of the first things Barry did upon assuming the superintendency was to undertake a listening tour to learn from staff, students, parents and the community what was needed to make Aurora Public Schools a world class district. The result was the strategic plan, VISTA 2010. VISTA 2010 contains a vision and mission and clearly outlines goals with specific measureable objectives, actions and timelines for realizing that vision. The primary focus of the strategic plan is student achievement, which serves as the district’s constant compass. The plan is the compelling guide that sets direction and provides a common mission that supports a common purpose.

John Barry with rebound graduates.

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VISTA 2010 clearly states that the organization’s vision is to: “Graduate every student with the choice to attend college without remediation.” It outlines core values such as respect, integrity, compassion, diversity, and excellence, clearly articulates how these values fit in the long-range plans, and sets goals in the broad areas of people, achievement, community, and environment.

The appointment of a deputy superintendent to handle day-to-day operations allows the superintendent time for greater involvement within the community. A gifted speaker, he is always available to present the vision of the district to community organizations and business leaders. He works long hours to be a visible force in Aurora.

Another significant change was moving the district headquarters to the physical center of the district, close to First Avenue and Chambers Road. In 2006 this became the district’s central office area, with three buildings designated Educational Services Center 1, 2 and 3. The building at 1085 Peoria became known as Educational Services Center 4. Offices such as Construction Management, Maintenance and Operations and Environmental Compliance are housed on Airport Boulevard. In 2007 Pickens

Technical Center was renamed Pickens Technical College. This facility serves APS and other school districts, including Cherry Creek, Bennett, Strasburg and Byers. As the student population shifts toward the east, the population center of the school district may shift again. As the size of the district continues to expand, especially to the east and south, school buses have become more common for transporting students. On an average day in 2007, district school buses logged 6,000 miles on their appointed rounds from the bus barn on Airport Boulevard.

Mr. Barry clearly wants to accelerate student achievement and sees that as the measure of success. He genuinely enjoys being with students. He admires David Hartenbach for his down-to-earth approach to understanding the need for realistic solutions that guarantee the success of public schooling. The people who he counts as his greatest helpers are members of the APS Board of Education and Leadership Team and key education leaders in the community such as Linda Bowman, President of the Community College of Aurora. John Barry views VISTA 2010 as the most important accomplishment of his first two years at the helm of APS. This comprehensive strategic plan covers all operations of the district and focuses instructional improvement based on the collection and use of data.

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History Update: Jan . 2008 – April 2012 Building on the strong foundation of VISTA 2010, APS adopted a new strategic plan, VISTA 2015, in August 2010. VISTA 2015 reflects the district’s dedication, determination and collaboration to prepare students for success in the 21st century. The APS mission to teach every student, within a safe environment, the knowledge, skills and values to enter college or a career and become a contributing member of society who flourishes in a diverse, dynamic world is inspired by the APS vision and shaped by its values.

Through the VISTA 2010 and VISTA 2015 strategic plans, APS has made several notable accomplishments:• Academic and Career Pathways—APS students at eighteen schools now have the opportunity to explore careers

and fields of study based on their own interests and motivations. By 2015, every school will offer one or more of the four academic and career pathways: Arts and Communication; Business; Health Sciences; and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

• Community Workforce Planning Team—APS has partnered with local organizations, including workforce development, industry, economic development and higher education, to create the Community Workforce Planning Team. The CWPT has worked with APS to develop a five-year plan that will be the cornerstone for the development of academic and career pathways.

• Equity and Family Engagement—At the start of the 2008-09 school year, APS created a new division, Equity and Family Engagement. The Chief Equity and Engagement Officer now serves on the Superintendent’s Leadership Team and oversees programs including the APS equity initiative, truancy reduction and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBiS).

• Truancy reduction—During the past five years, the percentage of APS students who were habitually truant has decreased from 15.2% to 10%.

• Drop-out rates—Drop rates in APS have decreased for five straight years—dropping from 10% in 2005-06 to 6% in 2010-11.

• Graduation rate increases—The four year on-time graduation rate for 2010-11 was 48.5%, an increase of 3% over the 2009-10 school year (54.5% excluding alternative schools). The five year graduation rate for APS students was 56.1%, an increase of 3.7% over the 2009-10 school year (63.4% excluding alternative schools).

• CSAP achievement gains—From 2006 to 2011, Aurora Public Schools CSAP proficiency scores have increased 3.9 percent while the state scores increased 1.9 percent.

Another significant achievement was the passage of a $215 million bond measure and a $14.7 million mill levy override in November 2008. Aurora Public Schools employed grassroots efforts to educate voters about the election measures and gain voter support. In partnership with a citizens’ campaign committee, Superintendent Barry and the Board of Education reached out to the community through a speakers bureau, door-to-door campaigning, and numerous community events. Aurora Public Schools passed both measures despite the fact that 52 percent of such measures failed in other Colorado school districts.

In 2011, the APS Leadership Team experienced significant changes due to the retirement or departure of several LT members, including the Deputy Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer, Chief Personnel Officer, Chief Equity and Engagement Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The current Leadership Team includes Former Chief Academic Officer William Stuart, who serves as Deputy Superintendent. The Leadership Team continues to focus on the VISTA 2015 commitment of preparing every APS student for college, careers and overall success in life.

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First Creek: now used as a private residence

Clyde Miller: established as a one-room building called Duffy School at Colfax Avenue and Tower Road; moved to a five-room building on 26th Avenue east of Tower Road in 1955; in 1981 this building was sold to a church and a new school was built at 1701 Espana Street.

Altura: area from Chambers Road to Laredo Street was called Altura but was not incorporated; in the 1970s the building was used as a satellite Arapahoe County Court House; currently renamed Alternative Center and now used for secondary education; new elementary school building opened in 1964 using the same name

Sable: at one time an eight-room two-story structure; in 1960 the upper story was removed because of intolerable airplane noise from Stapleton Airport; original building incorporated into the current structure

Toll Gate: in the vicinity of Mississippi Avenue and Chambers Road; the building later served as headquarters for Comitis (a center for youth in crisis, later relocated to 17th Avenue and Del Mar Parkway, and currently is in a remodeled building at Fitzsimons); demolished; the building currently called Tollgate is all one word.

Appendix I: Consolidation of school districts that became part of Adams-Arapahoe Joint School District 28-J

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Elementary Schools Date Reason for NameAltura 1964 historic area; originally a small settlementArkansas 1979 facing streetBoston 1956 facing streetCentury 1985 celebrating 100th birthday of Aurora Public SchoolsClyde Miler 1981 long-time Adams County CommissionerCrawford 1892 long-time first grade teacher, Martha B. CrawfordDalton 1979 long-time teacher administrator, Ruth DaltonDartmouth 1975 facing streetElkhart 1963 facing streetFletcher 2000 original name of Aurora Aurora Frontier 2006 selected by student bodyFulton 1952 facing streetIowa 1981 facing streetJamaica 1956 facing streetJewell 1977 facing streetKenton 1951 facing streetLansing 1959 facing streetLaredo 1967 facing streetLyn Knoll 1964 subdivision areaMontview 1951 facing streetMurphy Creek 2005 subdivision areaParis 1956/2006 facing streetPark Lane 1959 facing streetPeoria 1954 facing streetAurora Quest Academy 1999 special functionSable 1885 facing street Side Creek 1987 parent inputSixth Avenue 1955 nearby streetTollgate 1981 historic nameVassar 1979 facing streetVaughn 1951 facing streetVirginia Court 1964 facing streetWheeling 1965 facing streetYale 1977 facing street

Middle Schools Year Reason for NameAurora Hills 1974 subdivision areaColumbia 1982 facing streetEast 1965 general areaMrachek 1975 familyNorth 1958 general areaSouth 1960 general areaWest 1950 general area

High Schools Date Reason for NameAurora Central 1960 first high schoolGateway 1972 city sloganHinkley, William C 1963 superintendent from 1949-1968Rangeview 1983 view of the front rangePickens, Thomas H. 1972 interim superintendent (twice) and BOE member

Appendix II: School Names

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1922 – 1936 Jack McCollough1934 – 1939 Carl A. Hansen1939 – 1942 John McConnell1942 – 1949 Ray Moorehead1949 – 1968 William C. Hinkley1968 Thomas H. Pickens, appointed interim1968 – 1970 Rollio Ingraham1970 – 1972 Urban Leavitt1972 – 1974 Thomas H. Pickens, appointed interim 1974 – 1988 John G. Stuart1988 – 1992 Victor Ross1992 – 2002 David Hartenbach2002 – 2006 Robert Adams2006 – John Barry

Appendix III: Chronological list of Superintendents

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Appendix IV: School Board Members

E.G. SmithWilliam SmithWilliam PhebusJay T. ChapinDr. Jay BoutonI.J. SollenbergerDr. F.M. ShipmanArnold TargersonJohn L. CleavesW.C. HancockBern HallC.L. HarrisonBush J. LoucksMae KloppelCarl PeeryDelbert AllenEthel KathrynsWilliam Final SmithFoster PutneyMaurice BauerAnita BryantBert PurseHazel SterlingPauline LincolnOrville SchislerKeith MauckGeorge GarrisonMargaret MeansDonald SessionsEllin MrachekDr. Robert H. HughesLeRoy G. KriegerTracy N. BurtJohn S. CraigWalter O. EptingPaul W. SchairerWilliam A. DavisGlenna JamesDeWitte C. GordonDouglas A. JohnsonDoyle K. SeawrightDaniel TaurielloT.H. PickensDr. Edward L. LordDouglas A. JohnsonGlenna G. JamesLarry L. YatesJeanette Ray-GoinsJoseph D. BasileDr. Santos C. Vega

Patricia P. LordJanice Schauf-NaffRichard J. MerrittRobert N. DonaldsonRuth M. WhitmoreArtimese B. CowanStephen HungerfordGerald (J.C.) CummingsJohn RichardsBarbara JohnsonMadolyn ParoskeBarbara YamrickDebbie BartonSteve MetzgerWillie JonesSteve WarstlerMarc HueblSusan TabacheckMatthew CookJeanette CarmanyJudith EdbergJane BarberPeter CukaleMary LewisAmy Prince

Current Board 2009Matthew Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PresidentJeanette Carmany . . . . . . . . . . Vice PresidentJane Barber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SecretaryPeter Cukale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TreasurerJudith Edberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DirectorMary Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DirectorAmy Prince . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director

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1960 Boys’ Gymnastics Aurora Central 1961 Boys’ Gymnastics Aurora Central1963 Boys’ Gymnastics Aurora Central1963 Baseball Aurora Central1964 Boys’ Gymnastics Aurora Central 1967 Boys’ Gymnastics Aurora Central1969 Baseball Aurora Central1972 Boys’ Gymnastics Aurora Central1978 Boys’ Gymnastics Aurora Central1979 Baseball Hinkley1980 Boys’ Gymnastics Aurora Central1981 Girls’ Track and Field Aurora Central1982 Girls’ Track and Field Aurora Central1983 Boys’ Wrestling Aurora Central1983 Boys’ Basketball Aurora Central1985 Boys’ Basketball Rangeview1986 Boys’ Track and Field Aurora Central 1987 Boys’ Cross Country Rangeview1987 Girls’ Track and Field Aurora Central1988 Girls’ Track and Field Aurora Central1989 Girls’ Track and Field Aurora Central 1990 Girls’ Cross Country Rangeview1993 Softball Gateway1994 Boys’ Basketball Hinkley1994 Girls’ Soccer Rangeview1997 Football Hinkley1998 Boys’ Basketball Hinkley

Appendix V: State Champions

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Appendix VI: Prominent APS Graduates

Name Description High SchoolSteve Burkholder Mayor of Lakewood CentralTerry Campbell Caron Educator CentralMichael Coffman Co. State Treasurer CentralDina Cowan Berta Journalist CentralRick Crandall Television News CentralSara Dale Educator CentralCharles Gibbens Educator GatewayDave Gonzales Power lifter CentralRobert Hagerdorn State Senator CentralJoann Hart Compton Architect CentralRear Admiral Michelle Howard Rear Admiral - US Navy GatewayJohn Huggins Entrepreneur CentralPatrick Johnson Architect CentralEdward Lord Medical Doctor Aurora HighPatricia Lord Community Activist Aurora HighLane Lyon TV News Anchor RangeviewPamela McClain Periodontist CentralMaribeth Messervey-Hunt Nobel Prize Winner HinkleyWilliam Ritter, Jr. Governor of Colorado GatewayJean Ritter Colorado First Lady GatewayClyde Rucker Entrepreneur GatewayMargaret Sandoval Ott Educator Aurora HighSteve Seybold Computer Science CentralJoAnne Sterling Avery Long time resident of Aurora Aurora HighAnthony Sturges Educative Admin. HinkleyJohn Tipton Law Professor CentralCraig Truman Attorney CentralDavid Von Drehle Columnist Gateway

From JoAnne Sterling Avery – long time resident of AuroraI was fortunate to be able to go through the Aurora School System from Grades 1-12.1. My 1st grade teachers was Mrs. Crawford whose classroom was in the basement. One day I looked out the

window and my little dog was looking in. Trixie had followed me to school! Mrs. Crawford showed compassion and understanding by letting me get Trixie and put her under my desk for the rest of the day.

2. The schools were overcrowded when I was in 7th and 8th grades. We had our “own school” in a cinderblock building (may have been the old shop building) just each of William Smith High School. We felt a little like orphans.

3. The new Aurora High School was opened in 1951 and our Class of 1953 felt special as we were the first to graduate having gone all 3 years in the new school.

Aurora High School – 1953

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From Dina BertaJournalist Dina Cowan Berta is a product of the Aurora Public Schools., having attended Vaughn and Montview elementary schools, North Middle School and Aurora Central High School where she graduated in 1979.

Dina currently is a senior editor for Nation’s Restaurant News, a weekly national trade publication based in New York that covers the restaurant industry. As Rocky Mountain Bureau chief, she reports on foodservice happenings in Colorado and surrounding states. She also writes about human resources issues in the industry.

Dina received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1983. She lives in Denver with her husband and teenage son.

“I credit my elementary, junior and high school teachers with encouraging me to write. From my second-grade teacher Mrs. Glenn who praised my colorful adjective-filled sentences to my high school English teacher Mrs. Bailey who submitted my work in writing contests, my teachers in APS helped me to believe in myself and realize I had talent for writing.

“After a Mizzou graduate visited my journalism class at Aurora Central, I decided I would go there and pursue a career in journalism. I remain a writer today, almost 30 years later”.

Aurora Central – 1979

From Steve Burkholder – former Mayor of LakewoodSteve Burkholder is the executive director of a Colorado private non-profit. He was the Mayor of Lakewood, 1999-2007. He served on boards of directors for both private and public institutions.

Steve Attributes his desire for community involvement and passion for life-long learning to the solid educational opportunities presented to him as a student in the Aurora Public Schools.

Steve and his wife, Anne, have been married 43 years.

Aurora Central High School – 1959


From Terry Campbell CaronTerry Campbell Caron is a true Aurora native. She was born at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. She attended Crawford Elementary School, West Junior High School and Aurora Central High School, graduating in 1975. Born with severe hearing impairment, Terry had to be taught how to use the hearing she has and how to speak. She credits the APS Special Education Department for helping her succeed in school and in life . . .

Despite her counselors telling her that because of her hearing impairment that she should not go to college, but, “just get a job an work”, she went to attend Colorado State University and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Communication Disorders. Her Master degree from Webster University is in Management and Human Relations.

Terry started her 25 year career at the Community College of Aurora in 1982. She served in a number of different positions, but the position that she held the longest and was the most dear to her heart, was Coordinator of Disability Services, working with students with disabilities. In this role she worked closely with professionals in the Special Education Departments from both Aurora and Cherry Creek Public Schools to ensure students with disabilities had the opportunity to go to college.

In 2007, after Terry’s long and devoted career with the Community College of Aurora, she retired, fulfilling her long time dream of retiring at 50. She continues to work in the Aurora community to make her hometown a better place for everyone.


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From Mike Coffman – Colorado State TreasurerFrom 1972 – 1994, Mike Coffman served in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Army Reserve, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the Marine Corps Reserve.

From 1998 – 2006, Mike served as State Representative, State Senator and State Treasurer. Most recently, he is serving as Secretary of State. He took 2 leaves of absence during public service to serve on active duty in the Middle East. He retired from military service after 20 years of service.

Aurora Central High School

From Joann Hart Compton – ArchitectI have been fortunate to create a wonderful family and challenging construction career while exploring some interesting parts of the world. This success is due to a foundation provided by my close knit family, humble beginnings in Hoffman Heights at Peoria Elementary School with many dedicated teachers following, a supportive community, a sense of adventure, and the abilities to use money wisely and learn from my mistakes.


From Rick Crandall – KESWIn May of 1974, as a senior at Aurora Central High School, a drama teacher named Richard Moosmann saw something in me that I didn’t, and cast me in the lead role of the Sound of Music. I’ve been in front of a microphone ever since.



From Sara R . Dale – TeachersBeing raised by APS educators, John and Anne Dale, impacted me greatly. During my K-12 schooling in APS, I felt inspired by many, including Sue Hensler and Connie Anderson at Peoria Elementary, and Pat Thorpe at Central High. Their encouragement to think independently guided my education at Colorado College and continues in my own teaching today.

Aurora Central – 1981

From Charles GibbensAfter taking several years off after high school, I decided to attend college. It was then that I realized how strong my education was from Aurora Public Schools. I did not have to take remedial courses. I was prepared for college level work. Since then I have earned a master’s degree and am currently completing my Doctorate in Educational Leadership. The staff and faculty at Gateway High School, through their dedication, professionalism and caring prepared me to be the educator I am today.

Gateway High School – 1982

From Dave Gonzales – Teacher1979 – Aurora Central Graduate1984 – BS Degree Physical Education University of Northern Colorado1994 – Master of Science Degree Exercise Science Chapman University, CA1984 – Present – Teaching and and coaching in Denver Public School and Aurora Public School systems.

Dave has been married 17 years to wife Cyndie - also an APS graduate of Gateway / class of 1985. Two children: son Max 8 and daughter Rikki 13 - both attend Frontier (APS).

Hobbies: World and National champion drug-free power lifter competing in USAPL federation.


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From Patrick Johnson – ArchitectPatrick Johnson attended 6th Avenue, South and Central APS schools. After graduation from CU, became an architect and has worked on many community based buildings in the area. Patrick married his high school sweetheart, Taya, and resided in Littleton with their three children. Patrick is a Principal at H&L Architecture.

Aurora Cental High School – 1985

From Bob Hagerdorn – Colorado State LegislatorState Senator Bob Hagerdorn (D-Aurora), Chair, Senate Health and Human Services Committee – 1970 Graduate of Aurora Central High School.

From his involvement in the school yearbook and newspaper, Bob Hagerdorn pursued a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado, School of Journalism (BS, ’74). As a working journalist, he covered, among other areas, local government. In 1979, Hagerdorn received a masters degree in urban affairs, and did doctoral work in public policy, all at CU-Denver, Graduate School of Public Affairs. He was elected to the Colorado House of Representative in 1992, and then to the Colorado State Senate, where he is chair of the Senate Health and Human Services and is recognized as one of the most knowledgeable legislators on healthcare policy, insurance and reform, in addition, he’s a nationally-ecognized legislative leader in the ara of health information technology.


From Rear Admiral Michelle HowardRear Admiral Michelle Howard is a 1978 graduate of Gateway High School in Aurora, Colorado. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 and from the Army’s Command and General Staff College in 1998, with a Masters in Military Arts and Schiences.

Rear Adm. Howard’s initial sear tours were in USS Hunley (AS 31) and USS Lexington (AVT 16). While serving onboard Lexington, she received the Secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins award in May 1987.

She took command of USS Rushmore (LSD 47) on 12 March 1999, becoming the first African American woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy.

Her shore assignments include, Course Coordinator/Instructor for the Steam Engineering Office of the Watch course, Actional Officer and Navy’s liaison to the Defencse Advisory Committee on Women in the Military Services in the Beureau of Personnel; Action Office J-3, Global Operations, Readiness on the Joint Staff from 2001-2003; Executive Assistant to the Joint Staff Director of Operations from February 2003 to February 2004; and Deputy Director N3 on the OPNAV staff from December 2005 to July 2006.

She was the Deputy Director, Expeditionary Warfare Division, OPNAV staff from July 2006 to December 2006, and currently serves as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy.

Quoted from the United States Navy Bio

Aurora Gateway High School – 1978

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From John J . Huggins – EntrepreneurI grew up in Aurora, attending Peoria Elementary, South Junior and Aurora Central High Schools, graduating from Central in 1976. I then attended the University of Chicago and the Kennedy School of government at Harvard. I have worked in both the public and private sectors, for local government in community and economic development and as an entrepreneur. I co-founded an internet company that developed what is today known as streaming media.

I had many great teachers in Aurora. Two stand out in particular: Connie Anderson, for sixth grade, who taught me to be aware and interested in the world of politics and government, and Betty Lee Jacobs, for high school English, who introduced me to the world of arts and ideas beyond Aurora. These teachers gave me a wonderful sense of self determination, curiosity, and confidence that have been key ingredients in my work.


From Meribeth Hunt – ScientistHunt graduated from Hinkley High School in 1968. She earned bachelor’s degrees in political science from Nebraska Wesleyan University and in chemistry from the University of Colorado. Hunt works for the United Nations International Atomic Agency in Vienna, Austria. In 2005, Hunt and the IAEA earned the Nobel Prize for Peace for their efforts to ensure that nuclear energy is used safely and for peaceful purposes. Hunt’s father, John Messervey, is a former Aurora Central High School principal.

Aurora Hinkley High School – 1968

From Dr . Edward (Ed) Lord – GynecologistOne of my greatest accomplishments has been sharing the trust, respect and love for thousands of patients for 38 years. A great family has given me support, education has provided tools, and a wonderful community has shared their lives with me. Giving back to the community has been my way of giving thanks to all those families.


From Patricia Lord – Community ActivistEducation and had work have enabled me throughout my life to enjoy activities which interest me and to help my community. The criteria for achievement include family support, success in school and a multitude of friends. Always do your best, keep your word and get involved in your community, state and country.


From Lane Lyon – TV news anchorLane Lyon attended Dalton Elementary, Columbia Middle and Rangeview High School. A 6th grader when he discovered his love of journalism and video technology, Lane graduated from Colorado State in 1994. Lane’s broadcast career took him to Minnesota, Idaho, and Utah before returning home to Colorado and KMGH-TV in 2004.

Rangeview High School – 1988


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From Pamela Kay McClain, D .D .S – PeriodontistPamela Kay Schallhorn, the fourth of six children to Dr. Robert and Mrs. JoAnn Schallhorn, moved to Aurora, Colorado in 1965. After attending Lansing Elementary, South Junior High and graduating from Aurora Central High School in 1976, I completed my undergraduate degree in Dental Hygiene at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. I was always passionate about learning and was fortunate to have many role models at home and in the classroom. Numerous APS teachers made a difference in my life. They all had different teaching styles but they loved what they were doing, had high expectations, and knew how to motivate their students.

I married my high school sweetheart, Michael John McClain. My desire for more education pushed me to consider a career in teaching. Taking my father’s advice, I completed my dental career Magna Cum Laude at the top of my class including earning a certificate in Periodontics. After completing my graduate program I joined my father’s practice in Aurora in 1987. I lecture on a variety of topics throughout the world, have been president of my regional professional organization and sit on the Board of Trustees for my national organization. Being married to my best friend, raising three beautiful children and loving a profession is more rewarding than I could ever imagine.

From Margaret (Peggy) Sandoval OttMargaret is a true product of the Aurora Public Schools. She started first grade in 1935 and graduated in 1947 from William Smith High School. As a student, she had the opportunities for many rolls from plays to president of clubs, and editor of the annual. School was her foundation because she grew up in foster homes. She married her High School sweetheart in 1947. She received her BA and MA from the University of Colorado and her doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado. She worked as a school secretary for Aurora before she received her BA and MA from the University of Colorado and her doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado. She then began teaching 4th grade at Peoria School in 1960 and later became a guidance counselor. She went into administration and served as a teaching consultant, was on the first team to open a Middle School; She received an appointment to the American Association of School Administration as executive Assistant in 1976-77. She opened a new school, Vassar, in 1980 served as Assistant Superintendent. She retired as a Principal after 30 years at Aurora Public Schools. She taught at Metro State College for a time. Margaret is now fully retired, living in Virginia with her artist husband Charles Ott of 62 years, near her musician son Daryl, 5 grand children and one great grandchild. The foundation and constant care of the staff of the Aurora Schools gave Margaret her life and career.


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From Bill Ritter – Governor of ColoradoBill Ritter Jr. was elected as Colorado’s 41st governor in 2006 – the first Colorado-born governor in more than 35 years.

Governor Ritter has quickly established Colorado as a national leader in renewable energy by creating a New Energy Economy and doubling the state’s renewable energy portfolio.

He is reforming national resource issues, bringing great balance, requiring responsible development and ensuring the protection of our air, land, water, wildlife and communities.

The sixth of 12 children, Governor Ritter was raised on a small farm in Arapahoe County. He was a member of the first graduating class of Gateway High School (1974), and he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Colorado State University (1978) and his law degree from the University of Colorado (1981).

His first job out of law school was as deputy district attorney in Denver. In 1987 Governor Ritter and his wife, First Lady Jeannie Ritter, left Denver to run a food distribution and nutrition center in Zambia, Africa. They returned home in 1990, and three years later Ritter was appointed as Denver’s top prosecutor, a position he held until January 2005. He earned a national reputation as one of the countries most effective and innovative prosecutors, and several of his programs continue to serve as state and national models.

The governor and first lady have four children: August, Abe, Sam and Tally.



From Jeannie Lewis RitterJeannie Lewis Ritter was born on May 23, 1956 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The family lived in Texas, Georgia, California, Washington, Rhode Island, and North Carolina, before settling in Colorado in 1972.

Jeannie met Bill Ritter during their junior year at Gateway High School in Aurora, and the two began dating as seniors. The first member of her immediate family she graduated the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, in 1978 with a degree in special education.

In 1990 Jeannie, Bill, and their two young children returned to Colorado where their third son, Sam, and daughter Tally were born. In 1996, while she and Bill were juggling four children and Bill’s young career as Denver’s District Attorney, Jeannie began working as a substitute teacher for Denver Public Schools, specializing in classrooms for emotionally disturbed children.

Today, Jeannie sits on the board for Project PAVE (Promoting Alternatives to Violence through Education) which works to end the cycles of relationships violence, focusing on domestic violence, child abuse, teen dating violence, and bullying. Jeannie also sits on the board of Ralston House (formerly the Arvada Child Advocacy Center) which cares for children who have suffered abuse.

Additionally, Jeannie sits on the steering committee for Mental Health America of Colorado’s Triage/Crisis-Intervention Project. In early 2008, Jeannie jointed the Advisory Board of the Kempe Foundation for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect and the Steering Committee for the Colorado Chapter of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.

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From Clyde Rucker – Executive Vice President of QuiznosClyde Rucker is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Quiznos. Over the past 20 years, Rucker has built his reputation in leadership positions throughout major food companies including: Burger King, Arby’s and PepsiCo/Kentucky Fried Chicken. Rucker’s career began early on with his superior education at Aurora Public Schools’ Gateway High School.

Aurora Gateway High School – 1981

From Steve Seybold – Computer ProgrammerThank you for including me in your book and considering me an outstanding graduate.

I’m happy to have the opportunity to contribute to this project as I have lots of fond memories of my school days and I’m grateful for the care and guidance provided by the staff and several key teachers in particular.

I have had many teachers, and at all grade levels, with both a gift for teaching and a genuine concern for the students well being. That environment instilled within me a drive to continue to learn and succeed professionally.

T.J. Henderson at ACHS was very inspiriting and was gifted with developing confidence. Gerry Gussy made learning fun and interesting, and helped develop the curiosity to continue. Those are just a few and there are a lot of others but it’s getting late and I’m surely exceeding 50 words.

From Anthony Sturges – Chief Operating OfficerI attended the following APS schools: Park Lane Elementary, North Middle School, Hinkley High School, 1981. Whatever success I have enjoyed in my life and professional career is due in large part to the caring and nurturing community in Aurora and APS during my school career. Every adult in my school career took an active interest in me and my education. I have especially fond memories of the many fine coaches that I played for. These men instilled in me the important values of hard work, playing together and getting back on your feet when you’ve been knocked down. These traits will be part of who I am for as long as I live.

Aurora Hinkley High School – 1981

From John TiptonAs a member of Colorado Governor Roy Romer’s Cabinet, Mr. Tipton served as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Revenue. Mr. Tipton currently serves as an adjunct professor of law for the University of Denver College of Law. Mr. Tipton has a broad background in Far East cultures. He lived for several years in Japan and Korea and travels extensively in the Far East and other parts of the world. He has provided legal and business advice to individuals and companies from many countries. His understanding of the culture and language of the Chinese and Japanese facilitates his abilities in the Pacific Rim. 7/68 -6/72 Chinese Linguist, United States Air Force, Vietnam Era Veteran, Honorable Discharge.


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From Craig Truman – Criminal Defense AttorneyCraig Truman is a criminal defense attorney in Denver. He attended Crawford Elementary, West Junior High, and Aurora Central High. Martha Crawford was his principal at Crawford. Craig thanks his dedicated teachers, and deeply appreciates the education and lifelong friendships he made during 12 years in the Aurora Public Schools.

Aurora Central High School

From David Von Drehle – Columnist for NewsweekI’m honored to be included in your list of distinguished graduates of the Aurora Public Schools. I started kindergarten at Lyn Knoll in 1966 and graduated from Gateway in 1979 – and many fine teachers, coaches and principals along the way encouraged me to believe that I could achieve my goals through hard work and teamwork. I shall always be grateful for that.

Author and journalist David Von Drehle is editor-at-large for Time magazine, having spent many years as a senior writer and editor at The Washington Post. In an award winning career he has covered presidents, popes, princes and prisoners. He is married to journalist Karen Ball; they have four children.


Dorward, Becky, Aurora: First Sun of Colorado. Carlsbad, California: Heritage Media Corporation, 2001

Mehls, Steven F., Carol J. Drake, and James E. Fell, Jr. Aurora: Gateway to the Rockies. Aurora, Colorado: Cordillera Press, Inc., 1985.

Interviews:

Appendix VII: Sources and Acknowledgements

Mary Fox Teacher

Millie Hafer Secretary

Dr. David L. Hartenbach Superintendent

Josh Hensley District Planner

John W. Hinkley Architect

Ralph Jordan Assistant Principal

Charla Knox Secretary

Chris Jordan Transportation

Janyce Martin Secretary

John Messervey Principal

Jane and Bill Murray District AV Department

Jose Paz District Translator

Jewel and Rolla Rissler Teacher and Principal

Juanita Sparks Teacher

JoAnne Sterling Avery 1953 APS graduate, daughter of long-time BOE member Hazel Sterling

Janelle Thomas Assistant Principal Dorothy Von Drehle Citizen

Mike Vermillion Director of Business Services

Janet White Teacher

Kristin Wehri Secretary

Dr. Robert Adams Superintendent

Dr. Eugene Albo Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources

Dr. S. J. Alioto Assistant Superintendent for Instruction

Connie Anderson Teacher

Tony Antolini Director of Athletics

Gayle Baker Social Studies Consultant

Bennet Public Schools Bennett, Colorado

Jo and Robert Caviness Teachers

Cathy Confer Secretary

Cheryl Dalton Assistant to the Superintendent

Gordon Davis Aurora History Museum

Don Drollinger Teacher

Alice De Boer Director of High Schools

Harold Dunning Director of Vocational Education

Charlotte Fowler Instruction

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Aurora Public SchoolsSuperintendents

John L. BarryJuly 2006 to Present

Robert D. Adams, Ph.D.June 2001 to July 2006

David L. Hartenbach, Ed.D.January 1992 to June 2001

Victor J. Ross, Ed.D.July 1988 to January 1992

John G. Stuart, Ed.D.July 1974 to June 1988

Mr. T. H. Pickens1972 to 1974

Urban J. D. Leavitt1970 to 1972

Roland Ingraham1968-1970

T. H. PickensActing Superintendent 1968

William Hinkley1949 to 1968

Myron Moorehead1947 to 1949

John A. Simpson1942 to 1947

John McConnell1939 to 1942

Carl Hansen1935 to 1939

Jack McCullough1922 to 1935

The History of the Aurora Public Schools District - Adams ...also housed at William Smith. From 1960...

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Transcript of The History of the Aurora Public Schools District - Adams ...also housed at William Smith. From 1960...