In this special Season 3 finale of Leadership Laps, Superintendent Michael Giles, Jr. returns to close out where he began - as our very first guest in Episode 1 and now our 30th guest. When we last spoke a year and a half ago in 'The Starting Line,' Mr. Giles was 18 months into the superintendency. Now, wrapping up year three and having just received a five-year contract extension from the Board of Education, he reflects on the journey so far and the road ahead. From launching Destination APS...
May 22
32 min
In this episode of Leadership Laps, we sit down with Hannah Lecount, Principal of Vassar Elementary, in her first year as a school leader. After 20 years in education - from classroom teacher to instructional coach to assistant principal - Hannah made the leap to the principalship this year. When asked midyear how she was feeling, her response was remarkable: 'feeling fantastic' and 'so lucky to be here.' Hannah shares what made her first year as principal not just survivable but truly positi...
May 9
19 min
In this episode of Leadership Laps, we sit down with Jaelyn Coates, Executive Director of Culture, Equity, and Engagement Departments (CEED), wrapping up her third year with Aurora Public Schools. As a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Advocate, Jaelyn shares her journey to equity work and how CEED's wide-ranging portfolio connects family engagement, student engagement, and staff professional learning on culturally sustaining practices. She discusses her team's instrumental rol...
Apr 24
37 min
In this episode of Leadership Laps, we sit down with Anabel Rafoul, founding principal of Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez, Aurora Public Schools' first dual language school opening this fall. Currently in 'year zero' which is a planning year before welcoming students, Anabel shares her experience building a school from the ground up, from curriculum adoption to the naming process honoring Betty Benavidez, from hiring staff to recruiting founding families. With a background in dual language e...
Apr 11
37 min
In this episode of Leadership Laps, we sit down with Christie Imholt, Executive Director of Policy and Strategy, in her eighth year with Aurora Public Schools. Christie shares her remarkable journey from classroom teacher in Boston, Washington DC, and Arlington to federal education policy work with the Department of Education, the White House, the House of Representatives, and the American Enterprise Institute, and finally to district-level transformation in Denver and Aurora. She discusses h...
Mar 28
33 min
In this episode of Leadership Laps, we sit down with Karla Fought, Principal of Lansing Elementary in her fourth year as principal and 27th year with Aurora Public Schools. Last semester brought historic news: Lansing achieved Performance rating for the first time in 10 years! For Karla, after nearly three decades in APS, it's the first time in her entire career that she's worked in a Performance-rated school. She shares her remarkable journey through 27 years in APS, the strategies that move...
Mar 12
20 min
In this episode of Leadership Laps, we welcome Sara Gips Goodall, APS's new Director of Literacy in her first year with the district. Sara shares her journey from her New England roots to successful turnaround school leadership in Denver and back to the East Coast, where she became known for transformative work with the science of reading. Now returned to Colorado, Sara discusses what drew her back to APS, her vision for literacy instruction across our diverse district where students speak 16...
Mar 2
29 min
In this episode of Leadership Laps, we sit down with Garrett Rosa, APS's most tenured Instructional Director, who has been supporting principals since 2018. Before stepping into this role, Garrett was the founding principal of Vista Peak Prep, leading it to Performance rating. With APS running deep in his family spanning employees, alumni, and current students, Garrett shares his story of how he came to education, his journey from teacher to founding principal to principal supervisor, a...
Feb 13
34 min
In this episode of Leadership Laps, we sit down with Kurtis Quig, Principal of Aurora Central High School, to celebrate a historic milestone - for the first time in more than 15 years, Aurora Central has achieved Improvement status on the Colorado School Performance Framework. In his fourth year as principal, Kurtis shares his journey to educational leadership, what he found when he arrived at Central, and the strategies that built a culture of commitment among students, staff, and families. ...
Jan 30
29 min
Meet Kevin and Ella, two student leaders from Vista Peak Prep who participated in the Colorado Association of School Boards student leadership academy. They share their journeys in Aurora Public Schools, what they're passionate about and involved in at Vista Peak, and what leadership means to them as young people shaping their schools today. Kevin and Ella offer authentic perspectives on what makes APS special. Their insights remind us why centering student voice matters as we work toward #De...
Jan 17
47 min
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