As a middle school teacher at North Routt Community Charter School from 2014 to 2022, Dan Kohler said teaching at the small, rural school was a “powerful experience” that made a “profound impression.”

Now Kohler is starting his first year as both principal of the kindergarten to eighth-grade school and head of school, which includes administration of the tuition-based Early Childhood Center next door.

“It taught me how important outdoor education and wellness trips are for the social and emotional growth of a young person,” Kohler said of his time teaching and leading outdoor excursions, rafting trips and backcountry skiing adventures at the charter school. “NRCCS also showed me the importance of bringing passion into the classroom. When teachers use passion as the backbone to their lessons, student engagement skyrockets.”

Classes start for the charter school students on Monday as well as for Hayden School District and Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs. Classes start on Aug. 22 for the Steamboat Springs and South Routt school districts.

Former head of the charter school, Jaime Passchier, was named new assistant principal at Strawberry Park Elementary.

During Kohler’s own grade-school years, he loved learning history but rarely connected well with a teacher mentor, which is what drove him to choose teaching as a career.

“I wanted to be that mentor,” Kohler said.

After a one-year stint last school year working as an instructional coach and an assistant principal at Steamboat Springs High School, Kohler was hired from a pool of applicants in June by the charter school board. The charter school operates independently but is authorized by Steamboat Springs School District, which provides some assistance with specialized services such as special education and payroll, Kohler explained.

Charter School Board President Kim Smith, a North Routt community member and retired electrical engineer, said the staff are excited about the new head of school who is very upbeat, enthusiastic and positive. Two of Kohler’s three young daughters attend the charter school.

“Dan brings a deep love and commitment to our community and can uphold the traditions of our school while looking forward with a strong vision for our future,” Smith said. “We have a unique learning environment at NRCCS with our commitment to get kids outdoors and expand education beyond the classroom. Dan understands and embodies this mission.”

In 2022, the charter school, as well as Soda Creek Elementary School in Steamboat, earned a John Irwin Schools of Excellence Award from the Colorado Department of Education. The award is given to schools that demonstrate exceptional academic achievement over time.

The charter school enrollment currently is 85 students in K-8, up from 80 last school year, not including early childhood students, Smith said. Enrollment in K-8 is still open at some specific grade levels with the classrooms grouped in grades K-1, 2-3, 4-5 and 6-8.

Similar to other school district personnel leaders, Kohler has stayed busy in the past few weeks hiring new staff, including a remaining opening for the second middle school teacher. Deena Tarleton was hired as the new director at the Early Childhood Center, which is at its full enrollment of 15 children ages 3-5.

North Routt resident Kohler, 43, began his professional career in the Yampa Valley teaching social studies from 2007 to 2014 at Soroco Middle School.

“I learned how important it is for educators to form meaningful connections with students,” Kohler recalled. “Once a safe relationship is established, students can feel comfortable expanding their comfort zone and pushing into unknown territory. It is so exciting to watch a student challenge themselves.”

Additional area school staffing updates

Steamboat Springs School District Director of Communications Laura Milius reported Tuesday that all certified teaching positions in the district are now filled.

“This week our principals have a full agenda of professional development for staff,” Milius said.

“We are still hiring special education paraprofessionals. We are in the process of hiring several paraprofessionals and continue to interview and recruit for these and other roles.”

The district hosted four days of “on-the-spot interviews” in early August that attracted 10 interested candidates for positions as substitutes, paraprofessionals and a bus driver, Milius said.

In other developments, Principal Jay Hamric settles into his first official year of leadership at Steamboat Springs High School, taking the place of an interim principal. Karla Setter, former principal at Yampa Valley High School, starts as a new assistant principal at SSHS joining assistant principals Tanya Rivera-Vigil and Luke DeWolfe.

Kristyl Boies, former gifted and talented teacher at Steamboat Springs Middle School, was hired in May as the new principal of Yampa Valley High School.