Bayfield School District Announces Leadership

Press Release - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bayfield School District Announces Leadership

Bayfield, Colo. (April 4, 2022) – Bayfield School District has appointed Ms. Janine “Jan” Alderton to Bayfield Primary School Principal and Mr. William “Bill” Hesford to Assistant Superintendent. These selections are a result of the District’s successful search of qualified candidates for over a month and interviews that were held last week. Currently, Alderton is the acting principal at Bayfield Primary School and will officially start her new role on August 8. Hesford took over as the principal at Bayfield Middle School in November 2021 and will transition to his new position effective July 1.

“The Bayfield School District is thrilled we received such a large applicant pool of qualified candidates for both positions,” Leon Hanhardt, Interim Superintendent, said. “I am pleased that within our organization we were able to retain and promote two outstanding educators to our administration team, and know they will continue to help this district keep our main focus on students and their education.” 

Alderton brings 21 years of service with Bayfield School District to the role as principal at Bayfield Primary School. She started with Bayfield School District in 2001 as the first K-5 Spanish teacher, served as the Bayfield Elementary School librarian, and in 2004 moved to the first-grade classroom. Alderton taught first and second grades for 12 years and in 2016 moved to the role of Title I Interventionist and Colorado READ Act Specialist. In addition to serving in these roles, over the past two years she has been the K-2 ELL teacher and taught a reading intervention class at Bayfield High School. Alderton has also served on the Instructional Leadership Team for 16 of her 21 years with the district.

Alderton graduated from Fort Lewis College with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Multicultural Communications. In 2007 she completed her Master of Arts in Education at Adams State University. She has since completed multiple courses in the areas of leadership, curriculum, assessment and instruction.

“Bayfield is an incredible community, and I’m delighted and honored to be chosen to lead Bayfield Primary School. I’m excited to join the administrative team and to guide the BPS staff deeper into professional excellence. At the primary school level, we have the opportunity to set our youngest learners up for long-term success and my goal is to do just that. I look forward to joining forces with Bayfield staff, family members, and the community. Go Wolverines!” said Alderton.

Hanhardt commented, “Ms. Alderton will bring a well-rounded level of experience to her new role as principal. With over two decades in education I know she will lead the primary school successfully and prepare the students for what lies ahead.”

Hesford started as a student teacher with the Bayfield School District in 2005 and was later hired in 2006 as a teacher at the former Bayfield Elementary School. During his tenure with the district, Hesford has served the Bayfield community as a coach, teacher, assistant principal, and in 2018 became the principal at Bayfield Intermediate School. He is currently an applicant for the Rural Superintendent’s Academy hosted by the Colorado Education Initiative in an effort to further his education and contribute to supporting rural school district work in Colorado.

Hesford graduated from Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts, in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. He went on to complete his teacher licensure at Fort Lewis College in 2006.

“I am grateful to be able to serve the students and families of the Bayfield School District in a district-level role as the assistant superintendent. We have a great team in the district and we are ready to do amazing work for our students and families in the 2022/23 school year,” commented Hesford.

“As a long-standing educator within the district, Mr. Hesford is a well-respected leader throughout the district and he will be the perfect fit for his new role as the assistant superintendent. We are thrilled Mr. Hesford will continue his 16-year career here at Bayfield School District as he transitions to his district office administrative role,” said Leon Hanhardt, Interim Superintendent.

Bayfield School District will post the Bayfield Middle School Principal position on our website this week. We are looking for highly qualified candidates who have proven experience leading a middle school. 

 # # #