Cougar Run Elementary is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School.  Cougar Run is located in beautiful Highlands Ranch, Colorado, a suburb just south of Denver.  Highlands Ranch is home to over  101,000 residents in one of the best counties to raise kids.  Originally named “Elementary #23,” Cougar Run opened its doors in 1996 to 400 children in kindergarten through sixth grade.  Currently, Cougar Run supports just over 280 families with 365 children in kindergarten through sixth grade, and an additional 40 children in our Little Cougars, pre-kindergarten program.  

The strength of our organization is the daily dedication of the entire learning community to encourage, inspire and empower children to achieve and learn in our CRUNFamily, working to become the very best version of themselves. Our stakeholders sincerely care about what our children learn and who they become. The passion of the leaders, teachers and community sets our school apart as a unique place that prepares our students for career and college readiness. The Cougar Run learning community’s core philosophy is to always do what is best for our children each and every day. We implement the research based PBIS model through our ROCKS where we teach, preach, walk and talk Respect/Responsibility, the Power of One, Compassion, Kindness and Safety.

When you first visit Cougar Run Elementary, you will notice several majestic Bradford Pear trees lining the walkways, and several hundred painted rocks along the xeriscape areas.  At first glance you might think these rocks look like jelly beans, but upon closer inspection you will notice that each rock is painted with unique designs, colors, dates and many include names of students, staff and families. Together, the rocks capture the essence of the eclectic but connected learning community at Cougar Run Elementary. Separately, each rock represents an individual, but together they provide a pathway to excellence. Each spring students add their own unique rock as a symbol of their place in our community.

Some of the ideals that set our school apart include our investment in student performance data, our support of the social and emotional growth of our students, our priority on creating/nurturing a strong school culture, our teachers, and our parent community.  

Our school is highly invested in collecting and analyzing student performance data to appropriately drive meaningful and differentiated instruction for each student’s individualized learning needs.  Our Multi Tiered System of Support is a district model that supports at-risk and advanced students.  The MTSS program has been instrumental in Cougar Run’s achievement of the Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award. This award acknowledges schools that demonstrate exceptional student growth. We also just received the John Irwin Award of Excellence in 2022 for our work on outstanding achievement of academics.

We are also fully invested in supporting the social and emotional growth of our students, and helping them become responsible citizens who give back to the community.  Our ROCKS Character Education Program, focusing on Respect, Responsibility, Power of One, Compassion, Kindness and Safety, as well as our emphasis on Restorative Practices, illustrate our belief in the importance of identifying and recognizing positive behavior.  Our intent is to decrease challenging behaviors, create a better understanding of positive/healthy relationships and their influence on building a quality learning community, and identify a process to restore relationships when they have been negatively impacted.  

Cougar Run Elementary has consistently been rated as a high performing school for the past decade.  Student achievement and growth are celebrated and consistently keep pace with the top schools in the state. We focus on creating  our instructional philosophy to encompass balancing the Colorado Academic Standards with research based best practices into our pedagogy.  With our focus on pedagogical best practices, we developed our library into what we call a Learning Commons. This unique educational space provides support for staff and students engaging in a variety of activities such as use of information technology, library research, collaboration, content creation, meetings and an all around place for students to learn and grow.  

Our teachers are exceptionally caring and dedicated professionals.  90% of our teachers have advanced degrees and many of these teachers work on district leadership committees.  The experience of our teachers provides authentic staff development in support of district initiatives and enhances the craft of instruction. Our support staff consistently works to support the staff, students and parents of Cougar Run to achieve a culture and climate that values thoughtful communication, respect, attention to detail, and puts customer service as the highest priority.

Our parent community is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the building.  Volunteers are key in supporting the teachers, classrooms, clubs, health and wellness initiatives, Learning Commons and safety initiatives. Our parent teacher association, PTA and our SAC (School Accountability Committee) are instrumental in providing fundraising opportunities, managing community engagement events and providing recommendations to our leadership team that represents the thinking/desires of our community for the benefit of our students.  Uniquely, there are many staff members who are also parents of Cougar Run students.  This fact offers a clear affirmation of one of our catch phrases, “Cougar Run is a great place to work and learn".

We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the school.

Sincerely,

Shannon McPherson

Principal

Cougar Run Elementary