Meet our Principal, Kelly Detlefsen!
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I am honored to continue to share, learn, lead, and grow at Cactus Valley Elementary School as I enter my seventh year as the principal. I feel truly grateful to be part of this community and to be able to support our students, staff, and parents as we partner together to achieve our vision of developing happy, high-achieving students and staff.
Having been an educator for 25 years, my experiences with students, parents, and teachers have furthered my passion for working together to make a difference in our children’s lives. My career has spanned from teaching at Basalt, Rifle, and Riverside Middle Schools, and I have had the opportunity to be the Instructional Coach at both Riverside and Cactus Valley Elementary School as well. I am grateful to have spent the past six years as the principal at CVE and to have collaborated with parents, teachers, support staff, and community members to provide a safe, nurturing environment in which our children can learn and grow to their full potential.
You’ll find that I am passionate about teaching and learning; I’m passionate about kids; and, most importantly, I believe that relationships are the key to successful learning for all. As I’ve stepped away from the classroom teacher role, I’ve also come to understand how important it is for our teachers and staff to feel honored and valued as well. Our team has been on a mission these past few years to DREAM BIG and to embrace our motto of We Can, We Will. “Culturizing” has become a common term among our staff as well. Jimmy Casas is the author and the driving force behind this idea to Culturize: To cultivate a community of learners by behaving in a kind, caring, honest, and compassionate manner in order to challenge and inspire each member of the school community to become more than they ever thought possible. I’m continually honored and humbled by the dedication and commitment of our educators and staff at CVE to ensure students are at the heart of what we do every day.
The positive culture and climate that’s been established at CVE are one of the many aspects that make this school so special. This is a crucial time in a child's life to not only build a strong foundation for learning academically but it's also a critical time to nurture students' character both emotionally and socially. By creating an engaging learning environment and continuing to hold high expectations for all, I believe we can, and we will, encourage all students to learn, grow, and ultimately develop happy, high-achieving students and staff at Cactus Valley Elementary School!
Kelly Detlefsen
970-665-7850
[email protected]