Teacher Belt Awarded to Jill Allsopp at Trails West Elementary

Trails West Elementary’s Jill Allsopp Honored with Teacher Belt of Excellence | December 2025

Jill Allsopp has served as a moderate needs special education teacher at Trails West Elementary for the past four years, and today she was awarded the Teacher Belt of Excellence in recognition of her outstanding impact on the CCSD community. Allsopp exemplifies the Cherry Creek School District’s Core Values in every interaction. She builds authentic, caring relationships with students and centers their Whole Wellbeing in her work each day. When challenges arise, she approaches them with a calm, solution-focused mindset that fosters confidence and collaboration. Just as importantly, she brings genuine joy and positivity to her role, uplifting those around her and helping make Trails West an exceptional place to learn and grow.

Her dedication also shines through her work as a mentor in the Aspiring Educator Pathway, where she supports first-year apprentice Michaela Garcia y Ortiz. The duo was featured in a Denver7 story earlier this fall, in which Garcia y Ortiz shared, “Jill has just been offering me so much grace and given me space to learn all of this and to process it all and get there at my own pace, which is so amazing.”

Jill is a true champion for her students, her colleagues, and the entire CCSD community. Congratulations, Jill!

Eaglecrest’s Michelleann Kim Honored with Teacher Belt of Excellence | November 2025

Receiving the Teacher Belt is a symbol of excellence and Eaglecrest High School’s Michelleann Kim exemplifies it through her leadership, dedication, and impact on students. As a Business and Academic Support teacher, Kim wears many hats: she advises Student Leadership, sponsors Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR), the Pan Asian Culture Club, serves on the Equity Team and Advisory Committee, and has recently become the Career & Technical Education (CTE) Department Coordinator.

Since helping launch SOAR in 2020, Kim has played a key role in fostering a culture of inclusion and empathy at Eaglecrest. Her guidance has empowered students to engage in meaningful conversations around race and belonging while promoting understanding across the school community. In her new role as CTE Coordinator, she continues to elevate instruction and collaboration, helping teachers and students connect classroom learning to real-world opportunities.

Through every role she serves, Michelleann Kim embodies Eaglecrest’s core values modeling leadership, compassion, and purpose in ways that strengthen the entire school community.