D49 Fantastic 49: Kim Marshall and Sand Creek HS Rally Day Team Honored at September Board Meeting

District 49 recognized two standout honorees through its Fantastic 49 program at the September 24, 2026 Board of Education work session. This month's recipients — a middle school math teacher who stepped up when her school needed her most, and a six-person team that brought an entire high school together — represent exactly the kind of work that goes unnoticed in job descriptions but defines a school community's culture.

Kim Marshall, Skyview Middle School

Kim Marshall teaches 7th grade math at Skyview Middle School in the Falcon Zone. When her school faced a staffing challenge that left multiple classrooms without their assigned teachers, Marshall voluntarily absorbed those responsibilities. She covered the additional roles herself, supported long-term substitutes working alongside her, and maintained the same high academic expectations for all of her students throughout the disruption.

Filling one teaching position when a colleague is out is demanding. Covering multiple simultaneously while keeping instruction coherent requires a different level of commitment. Marshall's decision to take that on, without being asked to, is what Fantastic 49 exists to recognize.

Sand Creek High School Rally Day Planning Team

The second honoree isn't an individual — it's a team. Six Sand Creek High School staff members were recognized together for organizing Rally Day, a school-wide event designed to build community and school pride. The team includes:

• Lauren Alire, Dean of Students
• Brian Barela, teacher
• Kyleigh Bloyd, teacher
• Aly Nicholson, Assistant Principal
• Myranda Taylor, counselor
• Sarah Temple, teacher

Cross-functional school events like Rally Day require coordination across schedules, departments, and logistics that most people outside a school building never see. That this team pulled it off speaks to both their planning and their shared commitment to the student experience at Sand Creek.

About the Fantastic 49 Program

Fantastic 49 is District 49's employee and community recognition program. Nominations are collected throughout the school year, and honorees are celebrated before the monthly Board of Education meetings. The program recognizes staff, students, and community members whose contributions reflect the district's values — and who often wouldn't otherwise get a standing ovation.

D49 serves the Falcon Zone northeast of Colorado Springs. The district's Fantastic 49 nomination form is available at d49.org for anyone who wants to nominate someone for a future month.

What's Next

October's Fantastic 49 recognition will take place before the next D49 Board of Education meeting. If you know a teacher, coach, counselor, support staff member, or community volunteer in District 49 who deserves recognition, nominations are open on an ongoing basis at d49.org. The program is one of the better ways families can say thank you in a form that lands with the district's leadership.

For a full list of this school year's honorees, visit team.d49.org/employee-recognition/fantastic-49.