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Rick Bowels

Rick Bowels

Work-Based Learning Specialist Thompson School District

Rick Bowles currently works as a work-based learning specialist following his retirement in 2025.   Rick has worked in the Thompson School District for 28 years serving as principal for 17 years and teacher for 12.  


A Colorado Native, Rick has lived in Northern Colorado his entire life.  He attended the University of  Northern Colorado where he obtained both his bachelor and Masters.   He taught at Ivy Stockwell Elementary for nine years before taking his first principal job at Namaqua Elementary.   He then served as principal at Ivy Stockwell Elementary for nearly a decade prior to being hired to open the district's new PK8 school that opened in the fall of 2021.   After five and a half years as principal of Riverview PK8 (including design/construction/etc), he retired and now works part time assisting students with internships, apprenticeships, and general career support.

Wed Oct 288:00 AM – 9:00 AMClassroom 2502A: Constructive Playthings

New K-8: A Vehicle for Growth, Equity, and School Community

Confronted with uneven enrollment, aging schools, limited capital, and equity concerns, Thompson School District studied multiple possibilities and la

Confronted with uneven enrollment, aging schools, limited capital, and equity concerns, Thompson School District studied multiple possibilities and landed on the K–8 model as an effective vehicle for district transformation. This session explores how

Confronted with uneven enrollment, aging schools, limited capital, and equity concerns, Thompson School District studied multiple possibilities and landed on the K–8 model as an effective vehicle for district transformation. This session explores how the district applied K–8 in both a new school and a repurposed campus to align pedagogy and physical space, reshape learner experience, support evolving instructional models, and direct scarce resour

Confronted with uneven enrollment, aging schools, limited capital, and equity concerns, Thompson School District studied multiple possibilities and landed on the K–8 model as an effective vehicle for district transformation. This session explores how the district applied K–8 in both a new school and a repurposed campus to align pedagogy and physical space, reshape learner experience, support evolving instructional models, and direct scarce resources where they could have the greatest educational impact. 

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EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)Session TypeTRACK 1: Learning Spaces, Reimagined — Evolving physical spaces shaping the future of learningSession Track
Todd Piccone
Josh Grenier
Artemis Ettsen
Rick Bowels
Todd Piccone
Todd PicconeChief Operating Officer, Thompson School District
Josh Grenier
Josh GrenierEducation Practice Leader, Wold Architects and Engineers
Artemis Ettsen
Artemis EttsenEducation Practice Leader, Wold Architects and Engineers
Rick Bowels
Rick BowelsWork-Based Learning Specialist , Thompson School District
Todd Piccone
Todd PicconeChief Operating Officer, Thompson School District
Josh Grenier
Josh GrenierEducation Practice Leader, Wold Architects and Engineers
Artemis Ettsen
Artemis EttsenEducation Practice Leader, Wold Architects and Engineers
Rick Bowels
Rick BowelsWork-Based Learning Specialist , Thompson School District
Tags:Group C
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No