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As Westgate Community School continues to grow and evolve, we remain committed to ensuring that every student is known, challenged, and supported. To better serve our students, families, and staff, we are excited to announce several important leadership changes for the 2026-27 school year.

 

 

At a time when districts and schools across Colorado and the nation are reducing gifted programming and limiting access to gifted education services, Westgate is making a different choice. We are not only preserving our commitment to gifted learners—we are expanding and deepening it.

 

 

This role reflects our unwavering commitment to ensuring that gifted students receive exceptional academic, social, and emotional support while continuing to advance gifted best practices throughout our school.

 

We are excited to welcome Kelly Ann Scott to Westgate as our Director of Gifted Education.

 

Kelly brings an extraordinary depth of expertise and leadership in gifted education. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Northern Colorado and holds a Master's Degree in Special Education: Gifted and Talented.

 

Throughout her career, Kelly has served as a Gifted and Talented Facilitator, Coordinator, district leader, and charter school partner, supporting schools across Colorado in developing high-quality gifted programming. Most recently, she served as Charter Liaison for Special Populations with Adams 12 Five Star Schools, partnering with charter schools to strengthen programming, compliance, and services for gifted learners and other special populations.

Kelly's contributions to the field have been recognized across the state and nation. She was inducted into the Colorado Academy of Educators for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative, served as a Network Chair for the National Association for Gifted Children, and is a frequent presenter on topics including gifted identification, neuroscience of giftedness, equity in gifted education, advanced learner programming, and social-emotional needs of gifted students.

What excites us most is Kelly's commitment to ensuring gifted education is both rigorous and inclusive. Her work has focused on identifying and serving students from traditionally underrepresented populations while helping schools create learning environments where gifted learners can truly thrive.

 

We are incredibly fortunate to have a leader of Kelly's caliber joining Westgate and look forward to the impact she will have on our students, families, and staff.

 

 

Over the past several years, Westgate has continued to grow in both enrollment and programmatic complexity. As a K-12 school, we recognize that the developmental needs of a kindergartener are very different from those of a high school student.

To better support students and teachers at every level, we are restructuring our leadership model into distinct elementary (K-6) and secondary divisions (7-12).

 

We are thrilled to announce that Alexia Vasilopoulos will serve as our K-6 Principal.

 

Alexia has been an integral part of the Westgate community and brings a deep understanding of our mission, culture, and instructional vision. Her leadership has consistently reflected a commitment to whole-child development, strong family partnerships, teacher support, and academic excellence. We are excited for Alexia to continue shaping and strengthening the elementary experience for our students and families.

 

Joining Alexia will be Dr. Lora Martinez, who will serve as our K-6 Assistant Principal.

 

Dr. Martinez brings extensive experience as an instructional leader, gifted education coordinator, multilingual learner leader, instructional coach, and classroom teacher. She currently serves on the Instructional Leadership Team at Highline Academy Northeast, where she coaches teachers, leads professional development, oversees multilingual learner programming, and supports school-wide systems of accountability and intervention.

Her doctoral work focused on the experiences of families of traditionally marginalized gifted students, reflecting her deep commitment to equity, inclusion, and ensuring all students have access to opportunities for advanced learning.

 

Dr. Martinez also previously served as a K-12 Gifted and Talented Coordinator, giving her a unique perspective that aligns beautifully with Westgate's mission.

Her expertise in instructional coaching, data-driven decision making, restorative practices, teacher development, and family engagement will be a tremendous asset to our elementary program.

 

 

We are equally excited to announce that Ashleigh Dewar will serve as our 7-12 Principal.

 

Ashleigh's leadership, dedication to students, and understanding of adolescent development make her exceptionally well-suited to lead our secondary program. With a focused middle and high school lens, Ashleigh will continue strengthening academic programming, student support systems, college and career readiness pathways, and opportunities for student leadership and engagement.

 

Joining Ashleigh will be Amanda Novello, who will serve as our 7-12 Assistant Principal.

 

After six years as a High School English Teacher at Westgate Community School, Amanda brings a deep understanding of our students, families, culture, and mission. Throughout her time at Westgate, she has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, a commitment to academic excellence, and a passion for supporting the whole child.

 

Amanda has built strong relationships with students and families while helping create engaging, rigorous learning experiences that challenge students to think critically and grow as learners and individuals. Her experience in the classroom, high school extracurricular activities including Service Learning, combined with her dedication to collaboration and continuous improvement, has made her a respected leader among both students and colleagues.

We are excited to see Amanda expand her impact in this new leadership role, where she will support student success, teacher growth, and the continued development of a strong and connected secondary school community.

 

 

These leadership changes reflect our continued commitment to investing in our people, our programs, and our future.

 

By creating dedicated elementary and secondary leadership teams and adding a Director of Gifted Education, we are positioning Westgate to provide even stronger support for students, teachers, and families while remaining true to our mission of educating the whole child.

 

We are excited about what lies ahead and look forward to the continued growth and success of our Westgate community.

 

Have a wonderful Summer,

Sharon Collins, Executive Director

Westgate Community  School