Who are the new principals in Fort Collins-Loveland area? 3 PSD high schools to see change
A new school year is about to begin, and there are a lot of new leaders running the show at schools in Fort Collins and Loveland area school districts.
Three of Poudre School District’s six traditional high schools have new principals this fall, as do two of Thompson School District’s three high schools.
There are also new leaders at several traditional middle and elementary schools and multiple alternative-learning and charter schools in Fort Collins and surrounding communities.
Here’s a rundown of the new principals and heads of schools that have been announced for the coming school year:
Poudre School District
Fort Collins High School – Jennifer Roth, principal
For the third time in five years, Fort Collins High School will begin the school year with a new principal.
Roth, a member of Fort Collins High’s staff since 2003 and an administrator there since 2009, is taking over as principal following the unexpected resignation of Penny Stires after a little more than a year in the role. Stires and her husband moved back to their home state of Ohio after her mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer, she said in letter sent May 3 to staff and students’ families.
Stires replaced Tam Smith, who was principal for just two years after replacing Mark Eversole, who retired at the end of the 2018-19 school year.
Roth, in a news release announcing her hiring, said she hopes to work alongside colleagues to build on the positive energy generated at the school since Stires took over, initially on an interim basis, in January 2022.
“What I love about Fort Collins High is being a part of a community of students, staff and families who celebrate the rich history and traditions of the school and, at the same time, are committed to being innovative to meet the challenges of the future,” Roth said in a news release announcing her hiring. “Folks at FCHS create a space where everyone can belong and thrive. After 20 years, it truly is my home.”
Roth taught French before moving into administration. Her previous teaching stops included schools in Pennsylvania, Maryland and France, and she has taught in Colorado at middle schools, high schools, a community college and Colorado State University.
Roth earned her bachelor’s degree at Penn State and both a master’s degree and doctorate in educational leadership from CSU.
She and her husband, David, have lived in Fort Collins since 1996, and both of their children, Zoe and Samuel, are Fort Collins High graduates.
Fossil Ridge High School – Mark Barry, interim principal
Barry, an assistant principal at Fossil Ridge for the past seven years, is taking over the school’s leadership on an interim basis for Julie Chaplain, the former principal who is moving into a new job as one of the district’s three assistant superintendents.
Barry served as a school principal in Alaska earlier in his career and has been on the staff at Fossil Ridge for 18 years.
“I am committed to supporting our students, staff and the broader Fort Collins community in this new role,” he said in a news release announcing his appointment.
PSD anticipates hiring a permanent principal over the winter or in the spring, according to the news release.
Barry has a bachelor’s degree in social science and master’s degree in education leadership from Colorado State University. He has taught in five states and three countries, and during his time as a principal in Alaska helped his school district win the Malcolm Baldridge Award for excellence in education.
Barry enjoys hunting, fishing and other activities in the wilderness. He and his wife, Mary, a language-arts teacher at Timnath Middle-High School, have twin children, Fawn and Clark, who will be juniors at Fossil Ridge this fall.
Wellington Middle-High School – Troy Krotz, principal
Krotz will be the second principal in the two years of Wellington Middle-High School’s operation, replacing Kelby Benedict, who led the school through its opening and inaugural school year in 2022-23.
Benedict is moving into a new role as the director of PSD’s Career and Technical Education/Futures Lab, which has moved to Poudre High School.
Krotz has spent the past 14 years as principal at Poudre Community Academy, overseeing the PSD alternative school’s growth from 30 students in 2009 to 275 last year in grades 8-12. He was in charge of hiring new staff to accommodate the school’s growing enrollment, as well as the addition of an eighth-grade program, a Colorado High School Activities Association athletic program and providing support to more than 500 students at risk of not graduating who went on to earn high school diplomas, PSD said in a news release announcing his hiring.
Additional roles he served included supporting students transitioning back to their schools following expulsions, addressing truancy concerns, supporting students in the foster-care system and coordinating the enrollment of international exchange students in PSD schools.
Krotz has 30 years of experience in education in a wide variety of roles, having served as a mathematics teacher, band director, coach and assistant principal for curriculum.
He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida and a master’s degree at the University of South Florida.
In his free time, Krotz enjoys traveling with family and friends, spending time with his 3-year-old grandson, golfing and cheering on his Florida Gators.
Polaris Expeditionary School – Starr Hill, principal
After nearly nine years as the assistant principal at Polaris, Hill is moving up to lead the K-12 school as its new principal following the retirement of Joe Gawronski after 13 years.
Hill previously taught language arts at Cache la Poudre Middle School, Fossil Ridge High School and Cresthill Middle School in Highlands Ranch; and English as a second language in Leadville, according to a news release in March announcing her hiring. She has also served as director of academic affairs for the Salida School District and as an English language development and multisystem support services instructional coach in PSD.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Western Colorado University, master’s degree from CSU, and an administrative license in leadership and policy studies from the University of Colorado-Denver. She also completed director of special education coursework at the University of Northern Colorado.
Hill and her husband, Blake, have two children — Owen and Freya. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time in the mountains, writing for a monthly magazine and spending time with her family.
Poudre Community Academy – Danielle Hir and Lucas Riojas, interim co-principals
Hir, who has been a dean at the school, and Riojas, an assistant principal and athletic director, will serve as interim co-principals at Poudre Community Academy — an alternative school for students in grades 8-12 — until a new principal is hired, PSD announced.
They replace Krotz, who left after 14 years to become the new principal at Wellington Middle-High School.
PSD expects to hire a permanent principal for the school over this winter or next spring.
Hir was previously a math teacher and also has served as a coach, coordinator of a multitiered system of support coordinator, Pride affinity group facilitator, coordinator of a multitiered support system program and summer camp program for students to catch up, and co-facilitator of PSD’s staff equity coalition.
Hir has a bachelor’s degree in math from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Western Governors University.
She enjoys volunteer work, travel, walking her dogs, trying new foods, and spending time with friends and family, including her wife, Brittany Staie, a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Riojas has worked in PSD since 2002 and has held a variety of teaching, coaching and administrative roles at Boltz and Weber middle schools, Poudre High School, PCA and Highland High School in Ault.
“I am a strong believer that our primary role as educators is to help students build the skills necessary to contribute to society in a positive way,” Riojas said in a PSD news release. “I’ve seen first-hand how committed and wonderful staff at PCA are to helping our kids reach that goal, and I’m honored to support the entire PCA community any way I can in this new role.”
Riojas has a bachelor’s degree in technical journalism and master’s degree in educational leadership from CSU and a master’s degree of business administration in sports management and athletic administration from Northcentral University in Arizona.
Riojas and his wife, Liz, a nursing supervisor at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, have two children, Max and Marlie, who will attend Laurel Elementary School this fall.
Compass Community Collaborative – Bobby Young, head of school
Young spent 15 years in public education in the United States before heading overseas to serve as curriculum coordinator of Boston International School in Wixu, China, and, most recently, principal of the International School in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
He is replacing Jan Harrison, Compass’ founder, who is stepping down after leading the project-based learning PSD charter school since its opening for the 2018-19 school year.
“I am honored to be part of this remarkable community and look forward to working together to nurture the intellectual, emotional and social growth of our students,” he wrote in an introductory email to students, their families and staff that was shared with the Coloradoan. “Together, let us create a vibrant learning environment where every student graduates from Compass with a portfolio, post-secondary plan and a clear path to becoming impactful world citizens.”
Young previously served as a principal, assistant principal, curriculum coordinator and teacher at public schools in the United States and spent five years as a residential leader with Outward Bound USA.
He has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and geography from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in educational leadership from CSU.
Young and his wife, Katie, a lactation consultant for UCHealth, have visited or lived in 20 different countries. They have three children – Lily, Iris and Violet.
Lincoln Middle School – Ryan Thompson, principal
After serving as interim principal at Lincoln since Stires left in January 2022 for Fort Collins High, Thompson will move into the leadership role on a permanent basis beginning this fall, PSD announced in a spring news release.
Thompson was previously principal of the Engineering and Energy Academy at Adams City High School in Commerce City. He also has been a math teacher at schools in Greeley and San Bernardino, California.
Thompson has a bachelor’s degree from California State University-San Bernardino and a master’s degree in education from National University of La Jolla, California. He has also completed an education leadership program at CSU.
Thompson and his wife, Stephanie, have three children. They enjoy camping, movies, board games, outdoor games, movies, attending sporting events and travel.
Beattie Elementary School – Cale Whicker, principal
Whicker was named the Assistant Elementary School Principal of the Year in 2022 by the Colorado Association of School Executives, his first year in that role at Beattie, where he is now the new permanent principal.
He replaces David Patterson, who retired in June after nine years at Beattie.
Whicker has previously served as both an interim and assistant principal in PSD and as a director of programs for students with special needs, PSD said in a spring news release announcing his hiring.
He has two master’s degrees, one in educational leadership from CSU and the other in special education from UNC.
Whicker grew up in rural Alaska as the child of two educators. He is married and enjoys hiking, biking and cross-country skiing.
Laurel Elementary School – James Garcia, principal
Garcia, a Larimer County native with nearly 20 years of experience in public education, is the new principal at Laurel Elementary School. He replaces Tommi Sue Cox, who retired at the end of the 2022-23 school year after 21 years as principal at Laurel.
Garcia spent the past five years as principal at Rocky Mountain Elementary School in Longmont, a school that won two Governor’s Bright Spot Awards for academic excellence during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a spring news release announcing his hiring. He previously served four years as dean of students at Timberline, a PK-8 public school in Longmont, also working as an instructional coach for three of those years, according to his LinkedIn page.
Garcia also has taught at two elementary and two high schools in Greeley, an elementary school in Loveland and Lucile Erwin Middle School in Loveland, where he also coached the wrestling team.
He has two children who attend PSD schools.
Garcia earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, master’s degree in educational leadership and principal licensure at UNC.
O’Dea Elementary School – Alex Martin, principal
Martin, a former assistant principal at Dunn, Johnson and Laurel elementary schools, is the new principal at O’Dea. He replaces Laurie Corso, who left PSD after 15 years at the end of the 2022-23 school year to become the elementary-level principal at The American School of Asuncion in Paraguay, PSD said in a spring news release.
Martin, a leadership coach and consultant with FranklinCovey, an educational development company, for the past four years previously worked as a principal in the Thompson School District and as a special-education teacher in PSD at Blevins Middle School and Bennett and Johnson elementaries.
The Kansas native has lived in Fort Collins for 20 years and enjoys exercise, travel and mountain sports. He and his wife, Michelle, have a daughter, Camille, two dogs and several cats and chickens.
Martin earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Kansas, a master’s degree at UNC and a doctorate at CSU.
Thompson School District
Loveland High School – Shawn Collins, principal
Collins, an assistant principal and the master scheduler at Arvada West High School since 2014, has been hired as the new principal at Loveland High School.
He replaces Michael James, who left the district following a tumultuous year that included a brief suspension following a school-shooting threat March 29 that led to the school’s closure for the day.
Collins’ duties at Arvada West included serving as activities director and assessment coordinator while also managing the school's career and technical education programs, Thompson School District’s chief communications officer wrote in a news release announcing the hiring. He has also been actively involved with the Colorado High School Activities Association, planning and guiding the development of Esports opportunities for students.
“I am honored to be chosen as principal at a school that excels at such a high level in academics and that has a rich history in athletics and performing arts,” Collins said in the news release.
Collins has a bachelor’s degree in history from Metro State University Denver and a master’s degree in school leadership from Jones International University in Centennial.
Mountain View High School – Markee Ramirez, principal
Ramirez, an assistant principal at Northridge High School in Greeley since 2014, is becoming the new principal at Mountain View. She replaces Jane Harmon, who is retiring from the district, TSD said in a February news release announcing the hire.
Ramirez’s previous experience includes teaching, serving as a department chairperson and as coordinator of a health science academy at Greeley Central High School.
She has two bachelor’s degrees from UNC, one in kinesiology and the other in biology, and a master’s degree in administration and supervision from the University of Phoenix.
Bill Reed Middle School – John Kleiber, principal
Kleiber, the principal at Garfield Elementary School since 2016, is moving into the same role at Bill Reed Middle School.
He replaces Arnold Jahnke, who retired from the district, TSD officials said in a news release.
Kleiber previously served as an assistant principal at Franklin Middle School and Ann K. Heiman Elementary School in Greeley in addition to other administrative and teaching positions.
Kleiber has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from CSU-Pueblo and a master’s degree in educational leadership from UNC.
Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball – Valerie Lara-Black, principal
Lara-Black, principal at Mary Blair Elementary School since 2012, will serve as principal of the new PK-8 Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball. The new school, opening this fall, is a consolidation of Mary Blair and Monroe elementary schools and Conrad Ball Middle School on the remodeled campus of the middle school.
Lara-Black was previously an assistant principal at Centennial Elementary in Loveland and Chappelow K-8 Arts Magnet School in Evans. She also served as a teacher in English language development and Spanish language cultures at TSD’s Lucile Erwin and Walt Clark middle schools, TSD said when her hiring was announced in January 2022.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, bilingual-bicultural and English language development and a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies, with a principal’s licensure, from UNC and a doctorate in education from the University of Colorado-Denver, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Garfield Elementary School – Kathy Sather, principal
Sather had been principal at Monroe Elementary School since 2014 but is moving over to Garfield with the closure of Monroe, which is being consolidated into the new Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball, TSD said in a spring news release.
She replaces John Kleiber, who moved over to Bill Reed Middle School as the new principal there.
Sather previously served as an early literacy teacher, instructional coach and gifted and talented teacher in TSD and began her educational career as an instructor in the Long Beach (California) Unified School District.
Sather earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education/special education at UNC and a master’s degree in educational leadership from CSU.
Sarah Milner Elementary School – Lucinda Orr, principal
Orr, previously an assistant principal at Grandview Elementary School in Windsor, has been hired as the new principal at Sarah Milner Elementary, TSD said in a spring news release.
She replaces Dale Bryant, who is retiring from the district.
Orr’s previous work experience includes serving as an elementary school teacher as well as a learning coach, gifted and talented and technology teacher.
She has a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies from CSU and master’s degrees in elementary education and educational leadership and policy studies, both from UNC.
Weld RE-4 (Windsor-Severance) School District
Tozer Primary School – Moriah Diederich, principal
Diederich, an assistant principal at Mountain View Elementary School since 2019 and at both Tozer and Mountain View from 2017 to 2019, is the new principal of Tozer Elementary. Tozer serves students in kindergarten through second grade, most of whom move on to complete grades 3-5 at Mountain View.
She replaces Shelly Butcher, now principal at the new Peakview Elementary School in Windsor, scheduled to open for the 2024-25 school year.
Diederich previously worked as a third-grade teacher and reading and math specialist at Mountain View and, before that, developed and led a significant special needs program in Yuma, Arizona, a Weld-RE-4 spokesperson wrote in an email.
She has a bachelor’s degree in family studies and human development from the University of Arizona, a master’s degree in education from Northern Arizona University and an educational leadership certificate from UNC.
Range View Elementary School – Hattie Fritch, principal
Fritch, the assistant principal at Range View since 2017, is moving into the top job as principal. She replaces Kelly Johnson, who resigned to pursue other opportunities, a Weld RE-4 spokesperson said.
Fritch was previously an instructional coach, International Baccalaureate coordinator and third- and fifth-grade teacher at Leroy Elementary School in Northglenn.
She has a bachelor’s degree in English from CSU, a master’s in educational psychology from CU-Denver and a certificate in educational leadership from Lamar University.
Colorado Charter School Institute
Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins High School – Allison Smith, head of school
Smith, previously principal of Pikes Peak Online High School and a principal consultant with the Colorado Department of Education this past school year, was hired in May to run Colorado Early Colleges-Fort Collins High School, a public charter school authorized through the Charter School Institute.
She replaces Collin Turbert, who was fired Feb. 22 for what the CEC network’s chief executive officer described as “complaints related to staff violations of the employee code of conduct.” Students staged a walkout in protest eight days later.
Pikes Peak Online High School’s graduate and completion rates increased by 30% under her leadership, CEC said in an email to the Coloradoan announcing her hiring.
Smith has also worked as an assistant principal of Monfort Elementary School in Greeley for one year and for two years as an assessment coordinator at Aims Community College in Greeley. Her LinkedIn profile lists a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies from CSU, a master’s degree in education leadership and innovation from the University of Northern Colorado and a doctorate in education organizational leadership from Grand Canyon University.
Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins Middle School – Dee Dee Vicino, head of school
Vicino is taking over as the new head of school at CEC Fort Collins Middle School. She previously was an English teacher and assistant principal of a K-8 charter school that served a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse population, CEC said in a news release.
She replaces Jeb Holt, who was also fired Feb. 22 for what was described by CEC’s chief executive officer as complaints related to staff violations of the employee code of conduct.
Vicino’s previous work experience includes community activism, representing abused and neglected children in court, providing housing for homeless families and initiating sustainability projects and providing educational opportunities to girls in western Africa, according to the school's email to the Coloradoan. She has also worked as a professional development facilitator and has been an outspoken leader in promoting school choice, parental rights and transparency in education.
“From my experience, I’ve seen that all students have the ability to succeed when given the right opportunities and support,” she said in the email.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida Atlantic University, a master’s degree in liberal studies, international development policy from Duke University and a graduate certificate in educational leadership from Florida’s Nova Southeastern University, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Correction: This story was updated Aug. 10 to correct the spelling of Lucas Riojas, one of two interim co-principals at Poudre Community Academy.
Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, twitter.com/KellyLyell or facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Here are new principals in Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Wellington
