FRIDAY FOLDER: A roundup of regional school news

‘Postsecondary and work force readiness'

The Colorado Department of Education and the Department of Higher Education are hosting a joint town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Colorado Springs as part of an ongoing effort to establish a description of "postsecondary and work force readiness."

The meeting will be held 5 to 7 p.m. at the El Pomar Foundation Penrose House, 1661 Mesa Ave., and is open to the public.

The goal is to fulfill a legislative mandate requiring both Colorado departments to adopt a description of "postsecondary and work force readiness" by Dec. 15, 2009.

Toward that end, the town hall meetings will ask questions that include: What do students need to be work force ready? What do students need to be postsecondary ready? Are there special considerations for the work force or higher education in your region of the state?

David Skaggs, executive director of the Department of Higher Education, and Dwight Jones, commissioner for the Department of Education, will be at the meeting, which is one of 10 being held statewide.

For more information, contact Mark Stevens, 1-303-866-3898; Megan McDermott, 1-303-866-2334; or John Karakoulakis, 1-303-866-4742.

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Local students compete for scholarships

Students from three Colorado Springs-area schools are in the running for $18,000 in scholarships through the Qwest Leadership Challenge, a program sponsored by Qwest Communications and Kroenke Sports to recognize student athletes.

The students are nominated by school athletic directors, guidance counselors, teachers or other administrators and asked to develop and execute projects that spotlight their leadership skills and benefit nonprofits or educational groups in their communities.

Wasson and Fountain-Fort Carson high schools each has 12 student nominees; Colorado Springs Christian School has 10.

A panel will winnow the field of Colorado contenders to 10 "superior performers."

The top two - one male and one female - will each receive a $5,000 scholarship. The remaining eight finalists will each receive $1,000 scholarships.

Qwest also will donate $250 to the students' organizations once they complete 30 hours of community service.

Project proposals are due today and the winners will be announced March 16.