Colorado Springs, CO – Fountain resident Dr. Wendy Birhanzel has been recognized by
Mayor Bach and the City of Colorado Springs for her many successes in education.

Dr. Wendy Birhanzel received the Mayor’s Young Leader Award for Innovation in Education for
her work as the former principal of Centennial Elementary School in Colorado Springs. Currently
she is the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Officer for Harrison School District 2.

Dr. Birhanzel has been the principal of two low-performing schools and within 2-3 years’ time at
each school, earned state and national awards for increasing achievement and decreasing the
achievement gap.

In 2009, she became Principal of Wildflower Elementary and within two years’ time the school
was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the Department of Education for drastically
increasing achievement at a diverse school while also decreasing the achievement gap. Then,
in 2011 she moved to become Principal at Centennial Elementary and within three years’ time,
she had turned the achievement around from being the lowest in the city to one of the top
performing schools in the area.

Her success is also due to her vision of high expectations of all to ensure opportunities for all
students. She accomplished this greatly through the training and support of staff. She is the type
of leader that will mop the floor, direct the bus, or teach a lesson depending on where her
expertise is needed. In addition, she empowers the staff to be leaders and masters of their craft
while holding them accountable for student learning. Finally, she brought families into the
education process to partner in helping their students succeed.

More information about the Mayor’s Young Leader Award can be found here:
http://www.mayorstevebach.com/mayor-bach-news/mayors-young-leader-awards.