Striving for Excellence/Maintaining Balance

It's state basketball tournament time in Colorado so what's on the front page of the Denver Post sports page? The music program at Kit Carson High School (and the boys basketball team). With an enrollment of 113 students in grades pre-k through 12, Kit Carson placed 3 of its starters from the 21-1 basketball team on the all-state band and a fourth player player as an alternate. Center Joe Jolly earned first chair euphonium for the second consecutive year in the 112-member symphonic band, which is like winning the 100-meter dash two straight years against all the runners across the state, according to Ken Singleton coordinator of all-state bands.

My old college friend Jim Trahern is the basketball coach and athletic director:

"Perhaps it's because we're a smaller community, but we like the idea of our kids being well-rounded and taking part in a lot of different activities."

If having high expectations are important to student success, then Kit Carson can teach big and small districts a thing or two.

"The people here only expect the best from us," [Charles] Johnson said. "They probably wouldn't be too thrilled with being runners-up."