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Phone: 719-495-5252
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Mr. Dave Ritz
I am currently in my 30th year in District 49 - all but five years of that time at Stetson Elementary School. I have taught now for 31 years overall. I began as a 4th grade teacher for the 1994-95 school year when District 49 adopted the city's first year-round multi-track system, but I moved up at the turn of the century to 5th grade where I remained through the 2018-19 school year. I decided to try a different area of teaching before the 2019-20 school year - physical education. This year will be my fifth year as the Physical Education teacher at SES. I am still truly excited about this opportunity.
I am a TRUE native of Colorado. I grew up in Walsenburg, Colorado, the youngest of three kids. I graduated from The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO, in 1993 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies/Fine Arts with an emphasis in Elementary Education. Being raised in a Roman Catholic household, I grew up a huge Notre Dame fan. My fondest memory growing up was watching Irish football with my dad on Saturdays in the fall!
I have a beautiful wife of 18 years as well as three fantastic kids. My wife, Theresa, is an administrator in District 49. She and I are not only married, but we are also the best of friends. In our free time we love to go to the movies, take advantage of the beautiful outdoors, as well as watch "Shark Week" every July! Our oldest, Connor, graduated from UNC in 2017 with a degree in Jazz Studies. He currently resides in Denver as an established musician. Our middle child, Alex, also graduated from UNC. Since his graduation in 2018, Alex has used his degree in Sports and Exercise Science to become a licensed Emergency Medical Technician and resides here in Colorado Springs. Currently, he is an Emergency Room EMT with Memorial Hospital. The youngest kiddo in our family, Grace, is currently teaching in D49 at Horizon Middle School. She has a triple certification from UCCS that has resulted in a job in her chosen field of certification upon graduating.
My students have always been the reason why I've remained in education all of these years. Even though I'm teaching in a much different environment that I'm used to and my classroom is going to be the gymnasium, I still look to bring that energy and love of teaching into this exciting and new domain! I also plan on providing various after school clubs and activities that will enhance the kids' physical education experience. I'm so excited about meeting and working with each and every student in our school as I continue on this new journey in education!!