{"id":16133,"date":"2025-10-15T16:13:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T22:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/battle-rock-charter-school-celebrates-growth-and-plans-fundraiser\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:55:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:55:00","slug":"battle-rock-charter-school-celebrates-growth-and-plans-fundraiser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/battle-rock-charter-school-celebrates-growth-and-plans-fundraiser\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle Rock Charter School celebrates growth and plans fundraiser"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Battle
Battle Rock students and staff pose in front of the bus the school purchased at the beginning of 2025. (Moqui Mustain-Fury\/Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Battle Rock Charter School, one of Colorado\u2019s earliest charter schools, was built in 1915 and continues to serve local students. The school is celebrating its growth and will host a fundraiser Saturday, Oct. 18, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Sutcliffe Vineyards.<\/p>\n

The school serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade and is authorized by the Colorado Charter School Institute.<\/p>\n

Karen Casgrain, the school\u2019s financial administrator, said Battle Rock became a charter school in the 1990s after the district planned to close it. Community members formed a board and nonprofit that successfully petitioned RE-1 to keep the school open.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur McElmo community did not want our school to close and the students bused into Cortez,\u201d said Moqui Mustain-Fury, Cliffrose classroom lead and Quest Enrichment coordinator. \u201cBy becoming a charter, the school could open its boundaries up to include any interested families from surrounding communities \u2013 Montezuma, Dolores, Mancos, Lewis area and Towoac \u2026 even a few Utah border families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2014, enrollment at Battle Rock has quadrupled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started in 2014, anytime I mentioned our school, people in the community either had never heard of it, or thought it had closed. We have quadrupled the number of students enrolled since that time, and our school performance framework has increased significantly,\u201d said Tegan Lewis, Pinon class mentor teacher and leadership team member.<\/p>\n

The school has added a transportation department, built a commercial kitchen, opened a library, received a grant for a nature-based playground, and improved CMAS scores.<\/p>\n

\"The
The newly installed a commercial kitchen at Battle Rock Charter School. (Moqui Mustain-Fury\/Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The library was designed by Battle Rock graduate Matt Clark, in partnership with Timberage in Durango. The playground, inspired by local landmarks, was funded by the Colorado Health Foundation and constructed with help from Linda Robinson Studio, Hicks Stone and Legacy Tree Solutions.<\/p>\n

Though finalized 2025 CMAS scores and state performance frameworks won\u2019t be released until December, Casgrain said the school was \u201cvery pleased\u201d to see improvement in math achievement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very pleased to see that our focus on improving in math achievement and growth had a strong positive effect in the 2025 CMAS results,\u201d Casgrain said. \u201cWe will continue that focus on math this year and have built out a math intervention program staffed with a part-time master\u2019s-level teacher that we believe will help our students continue to grow and achieve at even higher levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Battle Rock chose CSI authorization over Montezuma-Cortez RE-1, it created its own transportation department and converted teacher housing into a commercial kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew that both food service and transportation would be large hurdles for us to clear and that those services are vitally important to our school community. Happily, everyone in the Battle Rock community rallied together and we were able to build in-house transportation and food service departments,\u201d Casgrain said.<\/p>\n

\"Battle
Battle Rock students also engage in a plethora of learning activities outside the classroom. (Moqui Mustain-Fury\/Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The school\u2019s fleet includes a 14-seat minibus, a 77-capacity bus purchased earlier this year, and two full-time drivers. Casgrain said they received guidance from the state and Mancos Transportation Department.<\/p>\n

Paula Fury, also a sixth grade teacher, directs transportation.<\/p>\n

The commercial kitchen serves Battle Rock and Kwiyagat Academy students, making them one of only two CSI charter schools that prepare lunch from scratch, according to Lewis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also partnering with KCA, under a grant written by Dr. Richard Fulton, to incorporate at least one Native food in our lunch menu each month, and are participating in field trips to visit local food sources, such as the Ute Mountain Farm, to understand where our food comes from,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

Under Kanto McPherson\u2019s leadership, students receive home-cooked meals. This week\u2019s menu includes pork chili Verde, French bread pizza, Caribbean turkey pita, BBQ meatballs and a turkey bacon wrap. Breakfast features biscuits and gravy, banana bread, pancakes with pork sausage and a fluffy apple cinnamon oat bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have added a greenhouse this summer and look forward to preparing fruits and vegetables grown on campus in our meals going forward,\u201d Casgrain said. \u201cFood is so important for fueling learning, for a sense of community, for teaching students about how to care for themselves in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Battle Rock will serve lunch to Colorado Sen. Cleave Simpson during his campus visit later this month.<\/p>\n

The school will host a fundraiser Saturday, Oct. 18, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Sutcliffe Vineyards, east of the school.<\/p>\n

Tickets cost $60 per person and $100 per couple. Community members can purchase tickets by calling Sutcliffe Vineyards at (970) 565-0825 or emailing info@sutcliffewines.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More information is available at www.sutcliffewines.com\/upcomingevents\/battlerock-fund-raiser<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The event aims to offset costs for the commercial kitchen, which is also available for community rentals.<\/p>\n

Donations can be made via Venmo<\/a> at https:\/\/venmo.com\/u\/BattleRock or through PayPal.<\/p>\n

\"Battle
Battle Rock Charter School. (Moqui Mustain-Fury\/Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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