In Verrado’s very fun Heritage District, the buzz is all about their shiny new school. Verrado Heritage Elementary School (VHES) is a K-8 campus that will open to students in Verrado this August 3^rd.   Many families are super excited to be of the very first to attend, such as residents Amanda and Brandon Quintana, who moved to Verrado in 2006 before having children.  Their daughter Eden will now be a part of the inaugural 2^nd grade Traditional Academy class at the new campus.

The Quintana’s were planning to build in nearby Sundance, but looked at Verrado on a whim. “We are so very glad we did.  We instantly fell in love with Verrado’s charm and decided to change our plans and move here instead.  I say it’s still one of the best decisions we ever made.”

When it comes to the new school, the convenience of being so close is a huge perk, and Eden is mostly excited to be able to walk or ride her scooter to school now. For her parents, the most exciting part is the “Leader in Me” philosophy that is going to be implemented in all grade levels.

The “Leader in Me” Philosophy assumes:

• All children are good
• Every child is important
• Every child has something of worth to contribute
• Within each child are gifts to be unleashed
• Within every child there are to be found true leadership qualities

The Leader in Me (based off Stephen R. Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) is aligned with best-in-class content and concepts practiced by global education thought leaders. It provides a “logical, sequential and balanced process to help schools proactively design the culture that reflects their vision of the ideal school”.

Content from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a key component of the overall The Leader in Me process. The 7 Habits is a “synthesis of universal, timeless principles of personal and interpersonal effectiveness, such as responsibility, vision, integrity, teamwork, collaboration and renewal, which are secular in nature and common to all people and cultures.”

The Leader in Me is also aligned to many national and state academic standards, including Common Core standards. The process teaches students the skills needed for academic success in any setting. These skills include critical thinking, goal setting, listening and speaking, self-directed learning, presentation-making and the ability to work in groups. Learn more about The Leader in Me.

VHES is the Home of the Everyday HERO for their mascot, and the school colors will be dark blue & lime green.

Amanda is also proud to be a member of the Verrado Heritage Heroes Parent Teacher Student Association, for which she is now the Membership Chair.  She is helping to build an amazing network of parents, teachers, and students this year, and also plans to volunteer in Eden’s classroom as needed.

With regard to moving from the current Verrado Elementary School, Amanda says, “I can’t say enough about the amazing teachers, administration, and PTA that we had at VES.  VES is a fantastic school!  We are sad to leave, but we know that VHES will hold the same high standards that VES does.  We are excited to see what the future of VHES holds for our girls.”

Welcome to Verrado, VHES, we are all looking forward to watching the growth of all the future leaders that will come through your doors and thrive in your classrooms.