Chinook Trail Elementary Opens Its Doors
October 15, 2007 | 
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A new elementary school with an attractive and eye-catching building and a smattering of angles and whimsically shaped sub-structures opened its doors in the Cordera development in northern Colorado Springs in late August 2007. The school’s ribbon-cutting ceremony featured the Chinese Lion Dance, signaling that something new was about to begin in Colorado Springs. Chinook Trail Elementary in District 20 is the only elementary school in Colorado Springs (and only one of three schools in Colorado) that teaches its K-5 students mandatory Mandarin Chinese.
Within the United States, only about 25,000 students learn Chinese daily in elementary schools. Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world; about a sixth of the world’s population speaks it as their mother tongue. In addition, China, where most Chinese speakers live, is a growing economic power with influences around the world.
It cost more than $14 million to construct Chinook Trail Elementary School, whose dream is “to grow the cross-cultural mind and the international citizen in our own neighborhood.” The school, located in a flourishing and rapidly growing neighborhood near the intersection of Powers Boulevard and Briargate Parkway, presently hosts one hundred students and is expected to grow into a middle school in the future.
Chinook Trail integrates world language and culture into its daily activities as soon as the students enter the building. Gail Kozhevnikov, Chinook Trail’s Principal, and her team have created multi-cultural displays throughout the building. Art, artifacts, and cultural realia from China, Egypt, Israel, Mexico, Japan and Russia fill the hallways’ display cases as do Native-American artifacts that celebrate Colorado’s indigenous people. These multicultural themes reinforce the school’s global vision throughout, and enhance the spacious library complex that contains materials in English, Chinese, Spanish, and other languages. District 20’s “qualities of good character” grace the walls in English and Chinese calligraphy. A mosaic rendition of the word “Knowledge” provides a visual focus for students as they move about the building.
Every student at Chinook Trail Elementary attends Chinese class for thirty minutes every day. Jen Pan, who teaches Chinese with Deling Maxon, uses technology to teach students how to listen to and understand Chinese. The students sing songs, listen to stories in Chinese, and use on-line curriculum to make learning Chinese fun. Jen Pan is very proud that “the students love Chinese. They look forward to their Chinese classes.”
In addition to being unique in its emphasis upon Chinese language and culture, Chinook Trail is one of the most “wired” elementary schools I have ever seen. The school houses a computer lab with 33 desktop and 15 mobile computers for the students, with high-speed Internet connection included. Each classroom contains two desktop computers and state-of-the-art projection technology that rivals that of schools many times its size. Each teacher has a laptop to plan lessons and units.
Chinook Trail Elementary is sure to become one of the most academically successful elementary schools in the city and the state thanks to the vision of District 20’s academic planners, the creative leadership of its Principal, and the enthusiasm of its staff and faculty. We wish the students, staff, and faculty of Chinook Trail a most enlightened journey into learning.
Gail Kozhevnikov, Principal, Chinook Trail
Elementarary School
Gail Wilson never doubted what her calling would be. As she “taught class” to her siblings and the neighborhood children in the back yard of her parents’ home in central Colorado, she made sure that they paid attention, followed the rules, and had fun in the process. Now, three decades after Gail’s impromptu class sessions in her old neighborhood, Mrs. Kozhevnikov continues to ensure that the Chinook Trail Elementary School students and staff thrive in an environment that fosters creativity, academic quality, and great fun.
Gail’s transition from five-year-old “teacher” to second-language teacher cum administrator has been filled with excitement, challenges, and frequent bouts of wonderment. Her early mentors, one supremely dedicated French university professor and her surrogate family of political activists, saw in Gail the makings of a consummate educator and community leader. Both these mentor groups encouraged Gail to explore the world, hone her language teaching skills, and be the change she wanted to see in it. Now, after having created cutting-edge French and Russian language programs in Colorado Springs high schools and two Colorado Springs universities, Gail has been given the task of spearheading the growth of a truly unique globally savvy elementary school.
Gail views her principalship at Chinook Trail Elementary schools as an opportunity to “create a unique reality,” a visible, energized environment where students and staff “care about exploring quality education.” Her school, envisioned initially by former District 20 Superintendent Ken Vedra, required one full year of individual concept-building, joint planning, and intense collaboration. Now, this 73,000+ square foot complex boasts of state-of-the-art equipment and more importantly, dedicated staff and programs.
Gail created Chinook Trail’s motto, “growing the cross-cultural mind and the international citizen in our own neighborhood” because “this community deserves more varied options for our youngest students.” After exploring other Chinese schools from coast to coast and visiting mainland China to learn even more about Chinese culture, she has collaborated with her staff to create a singular language model in which learners, sing, dance, play, and learn about their neighbors to the east.
Chinese teachers Deling Maxon and Jen Pan teach Mandarin Chinese presently share a half-time position at Chinook Trails Elementary School. They meet with students from K through 5 for 30 minutes daily, and “deliver the whole gamut” of learning possibilities in order that learners speak the language normally. In addition, Gail has invited local high school helpers to assist teachers in classes every other day for 90 minutes, with the goal of apprenticing them as possible future teachers and Chinese speakers.
Gail’s “tiny, mighty little staff” presently is making a name for itself as a Colorado Springs microcosm of proactive language development. She shared a most special part of her dream during our interview. “You [the staff] need to direct me on this two-way street to create a collaborative, caring, academic oasis for multi-level adventures and growth.” With Gail at the helm, we have no doubt that her dream will become a reality.
J & M
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