Article by Julie Waechter, Special to Adams State
Known as a major agricultural region, the San Luis Valley also grows its own educators. That “produce” is exemplified by Michelle Rubidoux-Wilson, recently named 2025 Colorado Elementary Distinguished Principal of the Year by the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE). Educated in the Alamosa School District and at Adams State University, she has been principal of Alamosa Elementary 3-5 since 2019. She was selected for this honor by a committee of Colorado elementary principals through a competitive process.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by this award. Alamosa is a place of true greatness, both in our schools and within our community. The educators at 3-5, and throughout the district create extraordinary learning experiences every day, and it’s truly inspiring to witness.”
Under Wilson’s leadership, Alamosa Elementary 3-5 is currently rated as “Performance” based on CMAS, Colorado Measures of Academic Success. However, that rating did not come without the grit and resilience of our students and staff. In 2022, AES 3-5 was rated “Priority Improvement” based on CMAS student achievement and growth data. This rating came in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused widespread disruptions to normalcy in education.
“I knew that didn’t reflect who we are or where we truly stood in academics and instruction so we took a thorough look at the standards, identified our priority standards, paced our curriculum/instruction, developed proficiency scales with common formative assessments and finally a standards-based report card that reflects the work students are doing in the classroom. This is work that continually gets revisited and adjusted as needed to meet the needs for all students. This school year was the first year we rolled out our standards-based report card and teams have identified areas for improvement.” In 2023 and 2024, AES 3-5 has a “Performance” rating as measured by the State of Colorado.
Wilson married her high school sweetheart in 1997, Shawn Wilson, and earned her undergraduate degree in December 1999. Although her father, Robert Rubidoux, was an educator, she didn’t initially consider a career in education. “I took business classes for one semester, but then took some education classes and fell in love with teaching.”
Wilson earned her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Adams State in December 1999, followed by a Master of Arts in culturally and linguistically diverse, a reading teacher endorsement, and another master’s degree in educational leadership, all by 2010.
Wilson began her teaching career in first grade in 2000, shortly after she and her husband suffered the loss of their infant daughter, Karlie.
“I was a new teacher, and our baby had passed away on August 14, but I knew I was where I was meant to be. The kindness I received from everyone made me feel so supported, and that year remains one of my most memorable. I will forever be grateful to those who supported me,” she remembered. “School has always been my safe place.”
Continually expanding her experience, Wilson moved up to teaching second and third grade. In 2018, she was named school dean, then interim principal in February 2019. She became principal of the 600-student school in fall, 2019 – right before covid hit. “We had 27 classroom teachers that year, nine teachers in each grade, it was my largest group yet.”
Returning to school after COVID definitely came with some struggles. “We recognized the need for mental health support for students, and now we have three tiers of counselors at our school, offering extensive support. We also recognized some instructional setbacks; however, we are making great strides and continuing to see growth,” Wilson said. “In the classroom, the needs have evolved and I believe we’re better at identifying and addressing those needs for all students.”
Both of Wilson’s parents and sister are Adams State alumni as well. “What I love about Adams State is that it represents the community where I was born and raised and cares about their students and faculty.”
She and Shawn have two daughters, Emily and Kelli Jo, who are in veterinary school and nursing school, respectively.
