The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

A Graduate Profile is a set of skills and competencies beyond traditional academic subjects (i.e., reading, math, writing) that the Haxtun community deems important for success after high school graduation. According to the Colorado Education Initiative it is a "clear, shared visualization of priority goals for teaching and learning that can be easily communicated to students, parents, staff, and the community."

To determine which competencies the Haxtun community values most, surveys and focus groups were held in November and December 2022 to answer the following questions:

What are your hopes and dreams for graduates of Haxtun School District? What skills do you want these graduates to have? Why?

What do you wish you had learned in school? What do you think is most important for students to learn?

What skills do you think are most important for success in our current economy?

What do these skills look like in action?

What are you seeing/not seeing in people you work with or hire? What do you wish you saw in people you work with or hire? What makes for a successful employee?

In January, the data from the focus groups and surveys was aggregated and themed. The themed data was viewed through the lens of CDE's Essential Skills and an initial draft of competencies was released in February.

In March, the BOE finalized a Graduate Profile Design Team consisting of community members, staff and students. The Graduate Profile Design Team met in April and was tasked with refining the competencies and creating drafts of the visual or graphic.

Throughout the summer, the graphic went through eight iterations with feedback from the Board of Education, staff and the Graduate Profile Design Team throughout the various versions.

In August, the final version of Haxtun School District's Graduate Profile was released and staff engaged in a half day training and committed to a variety of strategies to begin implementing the Graduation Profile Competencies including focusing on teaching a trait each month, recognizing students demonstrating the competencies and displaying the competencies on bulletin boards.

The Haxtun Graduate Profile Competencies are:

• Self-Initiative - work ethic, resilience, persistence.

• Civic Engagement - community engagement, service-oriented, strong communication.

• Strong Character - caring, honest, respectful.

• Adaptability - open-minded, positive attitude, critical thinking.

• Future Readiness - career awareness, self-awareness, core knowledge, personal responsibility.

The Graduate Profile graphic includes the Haxtun Brand, an official, registered brand designed by FFA students, which means "Haxtun Schools Moving Forward." The Graduate profile has key features of the Haxtun Community including a bulldog on main street, the water tower and grain bin.