Boulder Valley School District is making changes in a lot of places, including its programs for alternative students. New Principal Joan Bludorn will be heading up one of the most changed BVSD schools this fall, which is currently being called “Arapahoe Campus.”

“The staff is still undergoing the visioning process and naming the campus is first on our agenda this fall,” said Bludorn, formerly assistant principal of BVSD’s Arapahoe Ridge High School, which is now being merged with Boulder TEC (Technical Education Center). Bludorn has been with BVSD since 2004 and had 16 years of previous experience in education.

“Joan has dedicated her career to meeting the needs of non-traditional learners,” said Deirdre Pilch, Ed.D., BVSD assistant superintendent of school leadership for middle schools and high schools. “Her experience and excellent interpersonal skills are just a couple of the many assets that will benefit her in bringing the campus together as one school. We are very excited to have her as our new principal!”
 

Bludorn earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from South Dakota State University and is currently pursuing a doctorate in education leadership at Northern Colorado University. The focus of her professional interest has long been alternative education for students whose needs are not met by traditional educational methods.

“All of us at the restructured Arapahoe Campus are excited about the work to be done in Career Technical Education and alternative education in the Boulder Valley School District,” said Bludorn. “The district-wide visioning process has been ongoing for the past six months and has included Front Range Community College and other local partnerships in education.”

This restructuring of Arapahoe Campus is part of a larger initiative spearheaded by BVSD Deputy Superintendent Ellen Miller-Brown to provide intervention services to students who most need them in an effort to ensure their success and help close the achievement gap. For more about this undertaking, please see http://bvsd.org/frontnews/Pages/studentsupportreorg.aspx on the BVSD website.

"We worked with a visioning committee throughout this last semester to begin to restructure the Arapahoe Ridge High School and Boulder TEC," explained Dr. Pilch. "This in-depth work resulted in the merging of these two schools as well as some proposed program restructuring. Mrs. Bludorn and her staff will be the leaders of implementing this new vision."

“This is an awesome opportunity for students and I am honored to be a part of the process,” stated Bludorn.