about

We will support disciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches, enable new experiential learning opportunities and encourage the generative thinking foundational for college preparation and life thereafter. How we teach and what we teach will make CRMS a compelling and competitive boarding/day school option.

We aspire to inclusive pedagogy, and we will invest in developing, within this student-centered approach, vibrant new pedagogies across the disciplines while supporting the already excellent teaching. We believe that there are opportunities in the academic program - and between the academic program and other CRMS programs - to enhance the students’ development as young adults through greater emphasis on interdisciplinary and collaborative learning. 

In addition, we must provide our students the opportunity to engage in a diversity of experiences with an emphasis on developing cultural humility, understanding of privilege and power, and establishing a culture in which students will be invited to share who they are as they begin their path to owning their education and both discovering and sharing their values. CRMS will be the antidote to disconnection and the disaffection it often breeds. Students will appreciate both the polarities and commonalities of varying political and social beliefs; they will be introduced to the global challenges and opportunities that their generation will face.

We will proactively address and overcome historical challenges in diversity (plurality) that are common in small, rural school communities such as ours. Students and adults will appreciate diverse perspectives and feel welcomed to bring their whole selves and be both valued and respected for doing so. A CRMS graduate will be prepared for lives of achievement and fulfillment in pluralistic societies.

The notion of flourishing also includes adults on campus, all of whom work with or on our students’ behalf. We take pride in our staff, who through their daily efforts, contribute tremendously to the richness of relationships that define CRMS. CRMS will be an inviting and welcoming place for adults and their family members. We will have an intentional hiring practice that supports inclusivity as we seek and retain individuals who will be cultural additions to our community. 

CRMS should be an employer of choice and ensure a lifetime of growth and learning for the adults within a program that constantly strives to deliver the best experiences for its students. Employees should have competitive salaries and benefits, and we should further invest in faculty and staff through professional development and growth.

Additionally, we will invest in developing teaching and scheduling practices that promote out-of-classroom activities that utilize the local resources available in our unique location.

The 21st century provides opportunities to engage with technology, new pedagogies, and new approaches to learning, particularly with the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence. We seek to explore and advance the values, uses, and purposes of technology across disciplines. We imagine a future in which technology facilitates our engagement with the world around us and the learning opportunities and relationships that this access and exposure presents. Our next phase of exploration and the search for solutions must provide space, infrastructure, and programming to connect our students in rural Colorado to the broader world and facilitate and make accessible a global connection. At the heart will be a new, permanent technology center located in a space that will serve as a bridge between the art quad, Jossman classroom building, and the library. 

Even as we embrace modern technologies, we also affirm the importance of the library’s central location on our campus. We recognize how critical it is to house physical materials in this space and how critically important it is to facilitate the relationships and connections that are important to the success of our academic and social community.

In affirming our commitment to a broad liberal arts curriculum, we recognize that "the arts" have always been a vital part of a CRMS education and hold an important place in our curriculum. Thus, we will continue to revitalize our campus infrastructure to enhance our core curricular endeavors in this area. 

We must fully realize our arts quad's potential by developing a space that will address the limitations in some of our current facilities by improving the instructional spaces. This will require that we renovate spaces, such as the Adobe Art Studio, to prolong and maximize the pedagogical value of the structure. We must align our support for teaching in the 21st century by promoting arts integration across disciplines (including technology) and developing our spaces to allow for collaborative problem-solving, creative implementation of technology, and for the display, observation, and celebration of student work. 

Performing arts are a vital part of a CRMS education, having a long history going back as far as the community-wide “big sing.” Performances and talks require a space in the historic barn that will welcome all community members to participate in, view, and support performances throughout the week and larger events during the school year. This facility will include space to show and celebrate student art and artists and provide dedicated learning spaces for the students.

We aspire for our students to achieve academic success in harmony with their overall wellness. This requires that we commit to a more robust and earlier emphasis on social-emotional well-being and a health and wellness program that is inspiring and proactive (as opposed to “down-stream” post-symptom care). To that end, we will refine our community life program to address mental health and well-being to complement the physical activity all students receive in the active program. 

We strive to spend a lot of time in the outdoors, but wellness begins on the inside. It is then nurtured outside through meaningful experiences that all our students have access to and participate in because we introduce them to the regional landscape, help them develop essential skills and a greater understanding of themselves, and promote healthy living. 

Our commitment to a well-rounded and broad-based education includes supporting quality team experiences and providing four-season access to spaces for weekend gatherings and activities. This will allow students to develop sport-specific skills, participate in an active lifestyle and come together through games and activities. This will require that we create a space or surface where students can drill, practice, and play throughout the year regardless of the weather and temperature.

The Bar Fork has served as a vital space of nutritional and social nourishment since its original construction in the 1960s. A partial remodel of the dining area has already taken place in response to the pandemic. Still, a complete renovation will address current space limitations in the dining hall, structural deficiencies, and the need for updated fixtures. The renovation will facilitate food and community gatherings, celebrate the school’s long association between the garden program and our food service, and provide sustenance and nutritional awareness, options, and education to support the student’s needs (every CRMS student is also an athlete). Additionally, these renovations will support smaller, more intimate gatherings, as well as facilitate the coordination of off-campus service and provide students with access to visionaries and leaders outside the campus community.