And The Winner Is: Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center

If you’ve been associated for any length of time with Eagle Rock, you know our focus is on the work. Our singleness of purpose is reengaging students in their own education. And we actively facilitate the work of others around the country that express an interest in doing the same thing.

Point being: We’re not very good at tooting our own horn, singing our own praises, or making much of a ruckus about awards. We’d like to say it’s because we’re incredibly humble, but the truth is, our students and work with schools around the country come first, and public accolades — while genuinely appreciated — follow somewhere else down the list.

Having said all that, we have won many awards since our inception, and we thought it’d be nice to trot out those recognitions on a list. If for no other reason, they give us incentive to keep doing what — apparently — is excellent work:

• In 1999, the Corporation for National & Community Service recognized Eagle Rock as a National Service Learning Leader School.
• The student body at Eagle Rock received the 2006 Governor’s Colorado Cares Award for Volunteer Service.
• The next year, the student body here at Eagle Rock received the Daily Point of Light Award from the Points of Light Foundation.
• In recognition of the long-term contributions of a corporation and foundation funding to independent schools, our organizer — the American Honda Motor Co., of Torrance, Calif. — received the John R. Chandler Award at the CASE•NAIS Independent School Conference in 2007.
• Engaging the Disengaged: How Schools Can Help Struggling Students Succeed, a book about Eagle Rock, by Dr. Lois Brown Easton, won the nod as the 2009 Educator’s Award recipient by Delta Kappa Gamma.
• Also in 2009, Eagle Rock was recognized by the National Youth-At-Risk Conference (sponsored by Georgia Southern University) as one of five “High Flying Schools.”
• The Foundation for Character Development named Eagle Rock School a 2010 and 2012 Colorado State School of Character.
• As part of the National Schools of Character awards program, the Character Education Partnership (CEP) gives annual Promising Practices awards to schools and districts in the United States and elsewhere for implementing unique and specific strategies in character education. Eagle Rock was honored in 2010.
• The Character Education Partnership (CEP) named Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center as a 2012 National School of Character.

In addition, awards have been presented to numerous individuals for their efforts while employed or studying at Eagle Rock. These include:

• The National High School Association named Eagle Rock’s director of Professional Development, Michael Soguero, its Educator of the Year for 1997.
• Dan Condon, Eagle Rock’s associate director of Professional Development, received the CES Small Schools Commitment to Equity Award given by the Coalition of Essential Schools in 2009.
• Karen Ikegami’s math-based Boat Building class was featured by PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) in its Innovation Awards Gallery in 2010. (Karen Ikegami came to Eagle Rock in 2008 as the math instructional specialist and also became the Juniper houseparent that same year. Karen is now the Vice Principal at RiseUp Community School in Denver.)
• Eagle Rock student Joshua Timberlake was honored by Estes Park Lions Club for during its Speech Contest for high school students in the Estes Valley in 2010.

Finally, in 2011, Eagle Rock School students Cody Lessar and Alberto Chavez-Hernandez were the first students (of many to follow) in history of Eagle Rock to be presented with The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA), which recognizes, celebrates and inspires community service leaders and volunteers to lead the volunteerism charge in their communities. Cody and Alberto each documented and submitted more than 100 hours of service in order to receive the award.