Buffalo Ridge welcomes new families; staff
By Elean Gersack
The halls at Buffalo Ridge Elementary School (BRE) are bustling with plenty of new faces. During new family registration on August 8 and 9, more than 60 new students enrolled. Only days later, the first bell of the school year rang on Monday, August 13, and students had the chance to locate classrooms and meet teachers.
But some students had to wait. With the influx of new students, came two last-minute hires to accommodate increased class sizes in kindergarten and fifth grade. Fortunately, the summer at BRE was spent sifting through resumes, interviewing and hiring for several new positions so the school was ready and prepared to hire additional teachers.
Elana Chagolla, a former BRE teacher, was hired for the additional kindergarten section and Jeannine West was hired to teach the added fifth grade class. Within two weeks, all classrooms were set and students were back in the swing of school.
“We are thrilled to welcome all of our new students into our family at BRE. Our caring neighborhood school is just the place for children to blossom into great leaders and exceptional characters,” shared Ally Berggren, Principal at BRE.
In addition to Chagolla and West, other new staff at BRE this year include: Melissa Spector, second grade teacher; Heather Cunningham, third grade teacher; Mike Mizones, fourth grade teacher; Kelly Hartman, fourth grade teacher; Caitlin Streich, fifth grade teacher; Denine Myers, secretary to the principal; Melissa Palcic, learning specialist; Heather Hickman, speech language pathologist; Phillip Salvador, occupational therapist; and Jill Montoya, English language learner specialist. Buffalo Ridge Elementary School is located in Castle Pines just south of Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch Boulevard. It was the first elementary school to open in the area, back in 1997. For more information, go to www.dcsdk12.org/buffalo-ridge.
