December 12, 2014

To Whom It May Concern,

Understanding Venture Prep requires one primary skill: The ability to distinguish between what we aspire to be and what
truly defines us. At its very core, Venture Prep is a beautiful collision of unparalleled idealism and diehard innovation
that has birthed more than just a school, but also yielded a group of professionals that have only just begun to make their
mark on education. Professionals that have quite literally found the limits of what we can do as an institution, and simply
kept on going. As a member of this enduring group, I have been charged with the task of finding words somehow
commensurate to what Mrs. Kristen Verner has contributed to our community. A task I am not only highly qualified to
perform, but also honored to attempt.
Several gallons of paint, a pile of wobbly desks, and a flooded basement classroom; Thats how we welcomed Mrs.
Verner to Venture Prep. From that first saturated step into her classroom to our quickly approaching fourth graduation
ceremony, Mrs. Verner has accomplished far beyond what she originally promised. The creation of differentiated art
curriculum, the ordering/management of resources, the implementation of a National Art Honor Society chapter, and the
creation of VPs annual art show. And to think, we were just hoping for some new electives. Simply discussing her
incredible accomplishments in the art room however, would be a serious oversimplification of what Kristen Verner brings
to the table. As if finding the time to rollout all the aforementioned projects wasnt hard enough, Mrs. Verner somehow
manages to also coach our girls volleyball team, serve on the graduation committee, run the yearbook elective, and plan
monthly staff events as the schools social coordinator. Doesnt sound possible, does it? I wish that was the best part.
Despite having created all that from absolutely nothing, and possessing the sheer grit to persevere through it all, Kristen
Verners biggest accomplishment is in her effort to teach the rest of us how to do it. For those of us who are often
confined to life inside the box, too afraid to take a creative risk, and even for those that think they know the importance of
art, Kristen Verner exists to ease the transition of understanding. The demand for her expertise was so high one year, that
our administrative team created an art collaborative planning period where Mrs. Verner was made available for teacher
consultation. In other words, we have someone so good at what they do, that we created a time, space, and budget for
developing our staff with their expertise. Thats what Kristen Verner brings to the table.
So after four long years of creating something from nothing, many of us are finding that we have outgrown our beloved
space. For Kristen Verner, she is ready to transition into a role that holds similar veins of inaugural work, but is even
hungrier for the chance to expand in ways that Venture Prep cannot afford her. As my own ambitions lead me away from
Venture Prep, I will always reflect on the notion that our time together was defined by a kind of work ethic that is quickly
eroding among the generation we teach. It is a time and place created by people who believed in something, who had the
tenacity to persevere, and who had steadfast leaders like Kristen Verner to lean against in the face of adversity. The only
consequence to having worked alongside Mrs. Kristen Verner, is that there no going back to a time when I didnt know
how to work so hard.
Sincerely,

David Guillen
Lead Team Administrator/College and Career Coordinator
Venture Prep High School
(303) 893-0805
dguillen@ventureprep.org

2540 Holly St., Denver, Colorado 80207 Tel: 303.893.0805 Fax: 303.957.5673 www.ventureprep.org