Honor the legacy. Empower the future.

Colorado Springs, CO — May 7, 2025 — Colorado Springs School District 11 invites members of the media and community to a monumental moment in the city’s history: the groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation of William J. Palmer High School, the city’s oldest and most iconic high school.

When: Monday, May 12 at 3:15 p.m.
Where: Palmer High School Courtyard (Enter from Boulder Street)

This historic investment will transform Palmer into a future-ready learning environment while honoring its deep legacy in the heart of downtown. The renovation includes a full restoration of the school’s historic core and the construction of a new Academic Wing — designed to support student agency, interdisciplinary learning, and the globally minded International Baccalaureate philosophy that defines the Palmer experience.

“This is more than a renovation,” said Superintendent Michael Gaal. “It’s a re-commitment to public education at the center of our city — and to every student who walks through these doors with a dream and a future worth investing in.”

The design team, composed of RTA Architects and NES Inc. (both local firms with more than 40 years of experience in Colorado Springs) and national education design leader Perkins Eastman, has spent the last year gathering input from students, families, educators, alumni, and community members to bring a shared vision to life.

This event will include remarks from District and City leadership, ceremonial ground-breaking, and opportunities for interviews and photography.

Additional Key Dates:

• Construction Begins: Summer 2025
   

• Phase One Completion: Summer 2028
   

About Palmer High School:
Founded in 1874, William J. Palmer High School is the flagship high school of Colorado Springs School District 11. Located in downtown Colorado Springs, it serves a richly diverse student body and proudly offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme.

Since 1990, the annual Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku and Senryu Competition has celebrated the work of students in grades seven to 12 whose teachers have gone beyond the stereotypical haiku lesson plan emphasizing only one dimension of haiku. This year, the contest, co-sponsored by the Haiku Society of America and Nic Virgilio Haiku Association, received over 2,100 entries from 44 US states and 18 countries, with only six students selected as winners. A true demonstration of the high caliber of teaching found only at Fountain Valley School (FVS), a boarding and day high school located in Colorado Springs, Colo., three of the six winners in 2025 were FVS students! 

Each hailing from Colorado, seniors Phoebe Bain of Colorado Springs, Tenzin Tinley of Erie, and Brynn Jensen of Centennial are delighted to be considered among some of the top high school haiku writers worldwide. They will matriculate to Lewis and Clark College, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Emerson College, respectively, in the fall.

Under the tutelage of English Department Chair David Reynolds—author of the 2024 haiku collection Coming Storm—FVS students benefit from a range of literary opportunities beyond the classroom each school year. These include submitting work to publications such as Modern Haiku and Fountain Valley’s award-winning student literary magazine, Athenaea; competing in Poetry Out Loud and the school’s annual city-wide poetry contest; and participating in a one-act ShakespeareFest performance, to name a few.

In recognition of their writing, each winner has been awarded a $250 prize and published in the journal Frogpond. “We believe the judges’ commentaries add a valuable layer of meaning as we see how leaders, editors, writers, and members of the Haiku Society of America carefully consider the significance of each award-winning poem,” said editor of the Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku and Senryu Competition Anthology, Randy M. Brooks.

In their remarks, the judges described the winning poems below as a “reminder of how precious it is to pick up the phone and make contact,” as a “form uncommon in haiku, but also with its incredible use of consonance,” and as helping “us imagine a stronger connection between what a society asks soldiers to do and how it treats them when their service has ended.” 

autumn leaves

her last words heard

in a voicemail
 

— Phoebe Bain

blood moon

keys between my knuckles

like my mother before me

— Brynn Jensen

war victory

the names of the dead

misspelled

— Tenzin Tinley

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Founded in 1930, Fountain Valley School of Colorado is a boarding and day school for grades 9-12. Situated on 1,100 acres of rolling prairie in Colorado Springs, the School provides a rigorous, global curriculum in academics, arts, athletics, and the outdoors to develop young adults who are courageous, open-minded, self-reliant, curious, and compassionate. Enrollment is approximately 240 students from 20 countries, 26 states, and the Pikes Peak Region. www.fvs.edu

Colorado Springs, CO — The 40th Annual Rotary Champions Pikes Peak Awards Ceremony will take place Monday, May 12, 2025, from 6:00–8:00 PM at Ed Robson Arena, honoring the most accomplished high school scholar-athletes in the Pikes Peak Region.

Founded in 1985 by the Garden of the Gods Rotary Club, the Rotary Champions Program was created to spotlight students who lead with integrity and excel in athletics, academics, leadership, and community service. In the face of negativity surrounding youth at the time, this program aimed to shift the narrative—and 40 years later, it continues to uplift and reward excellence in our next generation of leaders.

This year’s ceremony will feature special guest Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade, who will present the prestigious $10,000 scholarships to the overall Male and Female Champions—selected from a field of more than 300 nominees across 44 high schools.

Returning as Masters of Ceremonies are Jessica Mendoza, Sports Director at KKTV, and Jesse Kurtz, Executive Producer of the Mountain West Network—two beloved voices in regional athletics.

What to Expect:

• Presentation of 27 sport-specific Medallion Awards
   

• Spirit of Champions Award, honoring resilience through adversity
   

• Ian Weikel Champion of Service Award, recognizing community impact and honoring a local hero
   

• Two $10,000 Scholarships to the top Male and Female scholar-athletes
   

Since its founding, the Rotary Champions Program has honored over 11,000 student-athletes and awarded more than $350,000 in scholarships. Former honorees have gone on to serve in the military, education, medicine, engineering, professional sports, and public service.

Event Details:

Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Ed Robson Arena, Colorado College
Admission: Open to press and public (limited seating – RSVP recommended)

Join us to celebrate the very best of youth leadership, service, and achievement in Southern Colorado.

PRESS RELEASE

May 7, 2025

Colorado Springs, Colo.  –  Peak Vista Community Health Centers (Peak Vista) partners with El Paso County Public Health Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Community Partnership for Child Development (CPCD) to provide easy access to wrap-around services for families in Colorado Springs. The two organizations are onsite at Peak Vista’s Pediatric Health Center at International Circle (2828 International Circle, Ste 140, Colorado Springs, CO 80910) on certain days of the week through the end of the year for families to ask questions, enroll in programs and get the support they need. Walk-ins for these services are accepted, and those interested do not need to be Peak Vista patients to visit these groups.

“Offering these complementary services in one location is so helpful for caregivers and their hectic schedules,” said Mayra Apresa, practice manager of community-based practices & programs at Peak Vista. “We know caring for children is hard. Creating this hub of services not just for our patients, but for the whole community was important to us. If we’ve made caregivers’ lives even a fraction easier, that’s a win.”

Peak Vista’s Pediatric Health Center at International Circle sees more than 1,500 patients between zero to 18 years of age annually. In addition to providing medical, dental and behavioral health care, this health center hosts several other internal wrap-around services, including:

• The First Visitor Program, which provides free education, resources and support to caregivers of children ages zero to five.
• A Well-Child Waiting Area, in which staff members watch over patients’ kids during appointments for free to allow them to focus on their health or their sick children’s health.
• The Care Coordination department, which connects patient families to local resources and helps them reach their health goals.

WIC

WIC provides supplemental food benefits; breastfeeding support; information about healthy eating; connections to free, healthy food; and referrals to care beyond WIC. A WIC representative is onsite at the Pediatric Health Center at International Circle on the third Wednesday of the month from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

For WIC Appointments

WIC Educator: Vanessa

Day/Time: Third Wednesday of the month, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. 

To Make an Appointment: Call WIC for an appointment or inquiries at (719) 578-3199, option 6.  Walk-ins are welcome as availability allows.

Arriving For Your Appointment: Upon arrival, let staff know that you are there and go to Suite 120.  

CPCD

CPCD offers three core programs reaching children zero to five to prepare children for success in school and life by providing comprehensive early childhood services in partnership with diverse families and the community. Research shows that early childhood education with family support can help break the cycle of poverty and move a family to stability and success.

For CPCD Appointments

A bus from CPCD visits the Pediatric Health Center at International Circle Mondays from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Interested families can check in at the bus to register for Early Head Start and Head Start.

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About Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Peak Vista Community Health Centers is a nonprofit organization providing exceptional health care to people facing access barriers through clinical programs and education. Celebrating over 50 years of community health service, Peak Vista offers primary medical, integrated behavioral health and dental care services. We proudly serve over 74,000 patients annually through 21 outpatient centers in Colorado’s Pikes Peak and East Central regions. To learn more about Peak Vista, visit PeakVista.org.

About WIC Mobile Clinic at Peak Vista Community Health Centers

El Paso County Public Health WIC (Women, Infants and Children) mobile clinics provide full WIC services within partner locations. This includes WIC appointments, supplemental food benefits, eWIC cards, breast pump loans and more. WIC mobile clinics are available during limited hours and dates.

About Community Partnership for Child Development (CPCD)… giving children a head start

CPCD serves low-income families with children ages birth to five. Through quality early childhood education with family support services, CPCD provides comprehensive services addressing the needs of the whole family. Learn more at cpcdheadstart.org.