Steamboat Springs School District Hires Kristen Atwood as New Director of Exceptional Student Services

Steamboat Springs School District Hires Kristen Atwood as New Director of Exceptional Student Services

Steamboat Springs, Colo. - April  7, 2023 - The Steamboat Springs School District has hired Kristen Atwood as the new Director of Exceptional Student Services. Atwood is slated to begin in July, before the 2023-2024 school year starts.  

Atwood has over 26 years of experience in education. She has a proven track record of developing and implementing policies and procedures that improve the quality of special education services and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. 

She is currently a special education teacher at Sleeping Giant School. She previously served as the assistant director of special education for Northwest BOCES, where she worked to maintain existing systems while improving the success of the districts’ best practices. She also served as the principal of an innovation school in Denver, where she developed a school emphasizing rigor and hands-on science courses that challenged the exceptional learner. She grew the school from 100 to over 450 students and had state-level growth scores that were the top in the district. 

“I am committed to our district and want to see us succeed on all levels,” Atwood said. “I will ensure our district is systematically meeting the needs of our diverse learners and that we offer our teachers and paraprofessionals impactful professional development opportunities that allow them to grow and inspire them to succeed. I am ready to take on this fantastic opportunity.” 

Atwood holds a bachelor’s in special education from Bowling Green State University. She also has a master’s in special education and language, literacy, and culture from the University of Colorado Denver. She is licensed as a principal and a director of special education.

“Atwood is already such an asset in her current role at Sleeping Giant School and throughout the district,” said Dr. Celine Wicks, superintendent. “We are excited to bring her into this  position where I am confident she will implement creative ways to enhance the opportunities for our exceptional learners.” 

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Media Contact: 
Laura Milius, Director of Communications 
lmilius@ssk12.org