Michael Canzona is coming full circle.
Canzona, chief of operations for the Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1, is leaving his position and his last day will be sometime next month.
Following his resignation from Re-1, Canzona looked to a familiar school as the next step in his career. The school is where his career in education started.
He was recently named the new director of Battle Rock Charter School where more than 20 years ago he worked as a paraprofessional.
After teaching there, Canzona remained in the McElmo Canyon area to become a ranching hand before moving to Durango where he taught for 10 years. He also did his administrative training in Durango.
Canzona has worked in his current position for the past four years, and prior to this job, he worked as a teacher and principal in Southwest Colorado communities before becoming a superintendent for the Mancos School District.
Canzona, who admitted he will earn less money in his new job, said other factors, and not money, were behind the decision.
Canzona is replacing Sherri Wright as the schools director.
I always kept my eye on Battle Rock, and when Sherri Wright left I applied, Canzona said. Its a very small school.
He said he hopes Battle Rock will be his last stop in his career and likes that the school is very individualized for students.
Canzona, who graduated from Fort Lewis College, said he never envisioned he would return to Battle Rock.
I would have never thought I would be coming back, he said. Its a blessing and quite an opportunity.
The kindergarten to sixth-grade school currently has less than 35 students, and Canzona said the idea is to limit enrollment to no more than 45 students. He said there could be exceptions to this number but those will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
We dont want to get too big, Canzona said.
Besides being the director of the charter school, Canzona will also work as a teacher, joining the other two teachers at the McElmo Canyon school.
Canzona said there is no question there will be a transition from never working with students at his current job to working with them at the charter school.
I got into this profession to work with kids, and this is the closest thing to my heart, he said.
Battle Rock Charter School is a one-room school in a 97-year-old building that also includes a modular building. The school has one teacher who instructs students from kindergarten to second grade and the other teacher will have the students in the higher grades.
I will be taking a cut in pay, but I will be doing something that is closer to my heart, Canzona said, and added the charter school is an interesting option for children.
He said the school serves students who live in McElmo Canyon, Cortez, Dolores and the Navajo Nation.
We have kids that come from all over, he said, adding some parents want more of a private option for their children.
He said a rural school in a small community in a private kind of environment is more conducive to learning for certain students.
Hopefully we can help families have a sense of community and a sense of place, he said.
Reach Michael Maresh at michaelm@cortezjournal.com