After Ponderosa High School assistant principle Mike Baumann was
awarded the Colorado Assistant Principle of the Year, he felt
humbled. He credits the staff and students he interacts with daily
for the recognition of his peers.
“It’s all about the great teachers I work with and the great
school that Ponderosa High School is,” he said. “Kudos to their
hard work everyday.”
Baumann heard the winning news the first week of December from
the sponsors of the competition, the Colorado Association of School
Executives, CASE.
Baumann was nominated by a fellow staff member and was required
to submit a four-to six-page report on why PHS deserved to be
recognized.
“In my report I highlighted the good things we are doing here,”
he said. “We are building relationships and creating a rigorous and
relevant experience for our students to prepare them for
college.”
Baumann was formally interviewed and then chosen as the 2011
Colorado Assistant Principal of the year. As a state winner, he is
eligible for the National Assistant Principal of the Year award,
which will be announced in late February.
Baumann, who has been at Ponderosa for seven years, six as the
assistant principal, said he is drawn to the education field
because he is able to help students who need that extra boost and
the students who may be falling through the cracks. He said as an
educator he is able to increase students’ abilities to be
successful, and PHS is a great environment for that growth.
“There is a good feeling here and a good climate,” he said. “We
don’t work in black and white, and we try to do what is best for
each kid. Everyone takes care of each other.”
Baumann said as assistant principal he hopes he leads by example
and creates positives relationships with the students, teachers and
the community.
