The principal of Montezuma-Cortez High School, Dr. Jennifer Boniface, has been named the 2026 Colorado Secondary School Principal Rookie of the Year.
The award, which recognizes outstanding first- and second-year administrators, is given by the Colorado Association of School Executives, or CASE.
“This is a huge honor for our community and our school,” Assistant Principal Brandon Thurston said in an email.
CASE is associated with the Colorado Association of Secondary School Principals (CASSP).
CASE’s mission is “to empower Colorado education leaders through advocacy, professional learning, and networking to deliver on the promise of public education,” according to its website.
Established in 1969, CASE serves as the voice for approximately 3,300 public school administrators from nearly all of Colorado's 178 school districts.
No one from CASE could be reached for more information.
Thurston said that since Boniface became high-school principal in 2023, the school reversed its previous trends and posted major growth in state testing proficiency.
In addition, overall student attendance has increased by 4 percent.
Boniface implemented an “Academic Wall” to showcase student achievements beyond athletic victories and expanded concurrent enrollment options with Pueblo Community College, Thurston said.
And she transitioned MCHS to a seven-period school day, which lowered classroom sizes and gave teacher some dedicated preparation time. Boniface was reportedly nominated for the award by fellow staff and a former student.
“Taking over a high school leadership role can be daunting,” Thurston wrote in an email, “but Dr. Boniface met the challenge by focusing heavily on student engagement, schedule flexibility, and academic transparency.”
Boniface, who is a mother of four, was raised in Bayfield, Colo. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Fort Lewis College in Durango and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State University.
Later, she earned an education specialist degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a doctorate in organizational leadership from Grand Canyon University.
She taught English and drama at Ignacio High School and served as an adjunct professor at both Fort Lewis College and San Juan
College.
She will be honored at the annual CASE conference in Breckenridge at the end of July.
