The good news just keeps on coming for Summit Elementary School in Divide. One of five schools nominated for the National Blue-Ribbon School Award, Summit was recognized last week by the Woodland Park District School Board of Education.

Summit principal Katie Rexford and many of her teachers and staff celebrated the honor with the board, despite knowing that there would be no reward.

“The federal government cancelled the Blue-Ribbon program,” said Ginger Slocum, the district’s interim superintendent. “The program looks at the high performance of the students.”

The mood was upbeat as Slocum handed Rexford a bouquet of flowers in tribute for the honor. If that weren’t enough, Slocum announced that Rexford was nominated for the Terrel H. Bell Award for Principal of the Year.

Rexford took the bouquet and did a little dance, with lyrics about her students, and plucked the flowers to hand out to members of her staff.

The recognition last week follows a report recently by the 2025 Colorado School Performance Framework that shows Summit ranking 22nd out of 1,833 schools statewide and 12th among 758 elementary schools.

During the meeting, Slocum reported that she had met with Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell and Woodland Park Police Chief Chris Deisler to discuss an emergency response plan.

“Ongoing communication and partnership with our school district officials is vital to providing the highest level of service we can for our community’s children and their families,” Deisler said, in an email. “The Police Department has been and will remain intensely focused on this goal, working alongside all of our joint partners.”

Mikesell, too, is on board.

“We are looking at initiating a security program,” Mikesell said, speaking the day after the meeting. “I hope to bring people back together. This is just the start of a conversation that’s hasn’t happened for years.”

In addition to connecting with law enforcement, Slocum is conducting a survey of the staff and said she intends to visit each classroom for a listening tour and re-establish luncheons with business leaders, officials and residents.

“I want to re-ignite community connections,” she said.

In other business, Mike Bates, the president, announced that the board is finalizing a job description for the next superintendent, a process led by an outside hiring firm.