School Administrative Leadership Team
Michelle Koyama, Executive Principal
Amanda Stewart, Principal
Roxanne Ellsworth, Assistant Principal
Click here to learn more about Lake’s Administrative Leadership Team
Click here for the Lake Middle School staff list
Update from Michelle Koyama, Executive Principal:
September 20, 2018
Dear Lake and DPS Community,
The 2018-19 school year has brought great energy and great change to Lake Middle School. The new school leader, Amanda Stewart, brings the vision, the commitment, and the drive to ‘do whatever it takes’ to get Lake Middle School to meet the Denver Plan 2020 expectation of Great Schools in Every Neighborhood. Below is a community update about what has taken place in the first 30 days of school.
To change the negative reputation of the school, Amanda Stewart has had to do intentional and targeted planning and execution to start to change the perception of Lake Middle School within the immediate and broader Denver community. To ensure a successful first 30 days, Ms. Stewart was hired last spring through a traditional DPS Principal hiring process. Amanda was selected from a talented pool of potential leaders who were also interested in the turn-around situation of the school. Ms. Stewart spent the months of April and May in the building establishing relationships with students, as well as staff who were deciding if they would remain at Lake with the change in the leadership and expectations that were ahead. Hiring, planning, and improvements to the facility were the immediate major tasks Ms. Stewart attacked to get the school ready to launch this past August.
The first impression the community was able to have of the new building and of the new administration began August 2 and 3 for Registration. Returning families and students commented non-stop about how bright and welcoming the building felt. Our 8th grade families appreciated the new 8th grade expectations for high school preparation.
The next community impression came during 6th grade Academy which launched August 6 – 8. The culminating project from that week was the “In My Feelings” challenge. The staff and students from 6th grade academy created a video that went viral displaying the positive feelings and feel to the new image and drive of the students and staff to make Lake a GREAT neighborhood middle school.
Back to School Night (Sept. 5) was the next big event that made a mark toward positive change at Lake. Community involvement has been a challenge for a countless number of reasons in past years. With Amanda’s leadership, there has been clear communication about how families can get involved. At a basic level of attending an event like back to school night, it was a highly attended event which despite heavy rain, drew a packed house with a crowded auditorium, and a community potluck where school staff grilled over 700 hotdogs and 60 veggie burgers for families.
Word is already getting out about the myriad of positive changes at Lake. The number of students to enroll at Lake is way over projections at 360 students.
Expectations for a positive learning environment are back in place with Ms. Stewart and her team leading the way, and this strong culture will lead to strong academics put back in place for our Lake Scholars.
‘Always forward’ is the slogan for the school and “Better Every Day” is the goal for students and staff alike. Lake Middle School is back on track in Northwest Denver. Looking “forward” to another positive update for our community in another 30 days.
~Michelle Koyama
Executive Principal
Lake Middle School / Skinner Middle School
