New students at Greeley West High School can count on English language arts (ELA), reading and Culturally Linguistically Diverse (CLD) teacher Caleb Flores to greet them with his kindness, warmth and enthusiasm. Recognizing the challenges that students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) face while navigating high school, Flores sets out every day to ensure all students have equitable access to the resources they need to succeed both inside and outside of the classroom. He helps to identify whether new students are English learners through the administration and organization of World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) screeners. With Greeley West being an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School and an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Demonstration School, Flores works as a co-teacher with the ninth grade English team to provide diligent and differentiated lesson plans that align to both IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) curriculum and state academic standards.
In addition to his positive results in the classroom, Flores’ strong work ethic and collaborative mindset shine in his role as a mentor teacher to new hires at Greeley West. As an Equity team leader, Flores led a team of 15 teachers to pilot an asset-based classroom rubric — developed by district leaders and the Colorado Department of Education — intended to expand teachers’ skills in creating rigorous lessons. This year, Flores continues this work and is leading a larger team of teachers.
As a Colorado native and lifelong Greeley resident, Flores serves as a role model for students of all backgrounds at Greeley West. Fluent in Spanish, he helps dissipate language barriers across the curriculum, allowing him to hold his students to high standards, while listening to and advocating for their evolving academic and personal needs. Flores is known for his positive communication with families and has served as a family and community liaison at the community college and in the high school. He also interacts with students outside of school in his new role as a middle school football coach.
Flores is a two-time University of Northern Colorado graduate, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2016 and a Master of Arts in educational leadership and policy studies in 2021.
Press release: National $25,000 Milken Educator Award Goes to Greeley Hometown Honoree
