D6 Cuts Ribbon on Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering

The Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering officially opened to the public Thursday night, August 18, 2022 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and community open house.

 

The school opened its doors to students on August 11, but Thursday was the first time members of the general public have been invited to view the new school, located on 71^st Avenue between 10^th Street and 4^th Street. The Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering is the first non-replacement school to open in District 6 in more than two decades.

 

A naming committee composed of District 6 staff, parents and community members recommended the school be named after Bob and Betty Tointon, long-time Greeley residents and strong supporters of public education. The Tointons have supported blended learning initiatives in the district, as well as starting and supporting the Student Recovery Program. The Tointons have also been strong supporters of the Mill Levy Override and bond issues for District 6.

 

Bob was born on a Kansas farm during the Great Depression. He graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in civil engineering. After serving in the U.S. Airforce, Bob worked for a construction firm, eventually joining Hensel-Phelps Construction in 1963, helping it grow into one of the largest construction companies in the United States. He and Joseph Phelps would eventually form Phelps-Tointon, which owned several companies and properties in downtown Greeley.

 

Betty Tointon was also born in Kansas, the daughter of a superintendent of schools. She graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in food and nutrition and a minor in journalism. Her love of antiques encouraged her to open and manage Antiques at Lincoln Park in downtown Greeley for 20 years.Together, Bob and Betty raised two sons, Bill and Bryan. Betty passed away in July of 2020.

 

Bob, who attended the ceremony with several of his family members, said it is an honor to have the academy carry his family’s name.

 

“On behalf of my family, I want you to know that we are honored and humbled by the naming of this school,” Tointon said during the ceremony. “I am proud that a legacy of the Tointon family in Greeley, Colorado will be this building and that generations of leaders, teachers and students will benefit from all that will happen inside the walls of this school.”

 

District 6 Superintendent Dr. Deirdre Pilch thanked Tointon for his support of students and staff in Greeley and Evans, and thanked the community for passing the 2019 Bond Issue that funded the construction of this new school.

 

“It takes a community to make a strong school system, and I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting us, and supporting this school,” Dr. Pilch said. 

 

The Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering is a preschool-eighth grade school. This year, the school is preschool through sixth grade. Seventh grade will be added next year and eighth grade the following year.

 

Project Lead the Way Curriculum will be used to infuse engineering principles across content areas for every grade level. The school has state-of-the-art science and engineering labs, as well as collaborative and outdoor learning spaces.