<body><div>A walk through the new Pueblo administration center reveals the people and technology supporting thousands of Colorado students <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1FvFar_1H67zHaK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1FvFar_1H67zHaK00" width="1809" height="1054" ></figure>Story and photos by Gregory HowellThe sign says “Our Vision,” and I have to smile. The last time I came to this building, it was for an eye appointment.At the grand opening of GOAL’s Administration Center, 27 Montebello Road in Pueblo, that familiar address offers a different kind of vision: an education built around students whose lives do not always fit a traditional school schedule.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=13tpRa_1H67zHaK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=13tpRa_1H67zHaK00" width="971" height="1379" ></figure>Come along. Our guide, Ramon Arriago, director of student support services, has plenty to show us. Lincoln Earles, a GOAL sophomore and our student representative, joins the walk.First stop: the technology that makes a statewide school feel connected.The training area has large screens, a projector, cameras, microphones and speakers, with broadcasts extending into overflow spaces. Arriago says GOAL also wants community organizations to use the facilities for training and events.Ask about taking photographs, and his instructions are simple: “Just get my good side in there.”Inside the media center, staff can switch cameras and screens and broadcast meetings across Colorado. Around the corner, a production studio’s green screen provides a backdrop for teaching videos, announcements and monthly staff broadcasts. Student interns can gain hands-on experience in communications and production.Arriago puts GOAL’s enrollment at about 6,700 students across 41 Colorado sites, including roughly 800 students locally.Down the hallway are guest offices for visiting staff and smaller training rooms. Cameras capture participants around the room, helping remote colleagues see faces and stay involved. For an online school, Arriago explains, engagement matters in staff meetings, too.We pass human resources and finance, the departments handling recruiting, payroll and the daily business behind the instruction. Arriago’s own responsibilities include counselors, social workers, social and emotional support, and services for students experiencing homelessness.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1sBkeC_1H67zHaK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1sBkeC_1H67zHaK00" width="1601" height="867" ><figcaption>Opposite Page: Central lounge area with a variety of seating options and flatscreen TVs. Above left: Media center and green screen studio. Above right: Computer service and repair center. Below left: Student tour guide Lincoln Earles in pink and senior accountant Margo Harriman at her office door. Below right: Outdoor seating area and green space for recreation. (Photos by Gregory Howell.)</figcaption></figure>At her standing desk, senior accountant Margo Harriman introduces us to another side of student support: the numbers. She handles journal entries and bank reconciliations, preparing the financial information that helps GOAL’s leaders make decisions.Has she always loved numbers?“I do love numbers. Yes, I always have,” she says.Harriman originally wanted to teach math before choosing accounting. Five years into her work at GOAL, what keeps her enthusiastic goes beyond the books.“Our culture is amazing, and it just feels good to know that we’re helping the community, helping kids, changing kids’ lives,” she says.Then we reach the Gladiator Cafe.“This is my favorite room in this building,” Earles says.The natural light helps explain the enthusiasm. Windows, kitchen amenities and patio access give employees somewhere to step away from their desks. Arriago talks plainly about burnout in education and the importance of an uninterrupted break.“We don’t want you to sit at your desk and eat lunch,” he says.The conversation turns to music. GOAL uses partnerships to offer opportunities beyond its own courses, including instruction through Perfect World Music Academy. Earles participates and describes an accessible program with options for different experience levels.“It was really easy to get into,” she says.Past the leadership offices, we head outside toward the breezeway connecting the two buildings. There is a garden honoring a former GOAL CEO, and a stretch of ground Arriago has adopted for chipping golf balls before work.Across the breezeway, the former surgical center houses technology operations. Here, computers are stored, repaired, refurbished and shipped to students and staff.A working laptop is essential to attending an online school. Keeping replacements available helps keep a broken computer from becoming a break in someone’s education.Here, Arriago takes us back to GOAL’s beginnings in the Pueblo Mall, serving students who needed another way to attend school. Work schedules and life circumstances could make a conventional school day impossible. The idea was to bring learning within reach.Today, he says, that includes traditional and competency-based graduation pathways, plus college and career opportunities. About 400 to 500 students take college courses in a given semester, with GOAL covering tuition, books and fees for those who qualify. Partnerships also open routes into nursing assistant training, commercial driving, construction and other trades.“We want them to graduate with their diploma plus something else,” Arriago says.Soon we are back where we started. The former eye care complex has given us a look inside the work of keeping students connected, supported and moving toward graduation.The vision sign fits just fine.</div></body>

Block Source: pueblostarjournal.org

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

A walk through the new Pueblo administration center reveals the people and technology supporting thousands of Colorado students. The sign says “Our Vision,” and I have to smile. The last time I came to this building, it was for an eye appointment. At the grand opening of GOAL’s...

A new vision takes shape at GOAL

NewsBreak

A walk through the new Pueblo administration center reveals the people and technology supporting thousands of Colorado students. The sign says “Our Vision,

A new vision takes shape at GOAL

Comments