Tambi L. Tyler has faced a global pandemic for the past 19 months as the leader of the famous Broadmoor neighborhood landmark. She overcame mind-blowing challenges and met with brilliant success at every turn.

“Nothing is the same anymore,” said Tyler, principal of the Colorado Springs school. She moved to Colorado Springs in April 2020, just as the pandemic was emerging. She took over the reins of CSS two months later.

Tyler faced immediate challenges in his new leadership role in a new community. She had planned to contact staff, students and families in person during the summer of 2020 to engage and connect with them before the start of the school year. Instead, she found herself mostly interacting virtually through online contact.

Tyler sees his greatest success in executing a plan to safely return to in-person learning at CSS in the fall of 2020. The risk has been mitigated by diligent troubleshooting, strict use of PPE (equipment protection), continuous disinfection and adjustments for adequate social distancing. Thus, 85% of learning during the 2020-2021 school year took place face-to-face, with a minimum of virtual contacts.

It is fortunate that CSS (which has served students from preschool to high school since its opening in 1962) is housed in eight buildings over 20 acres on the grounds of Baldwin’s historic estate, Claremont. The beautiful and ornate CSS main building was built in 1907 and today houses classrooms, the library and administrative offices.

Compliance with federal, state and local regulations required constant monitoring due to frequent changes. Tyler realized that each family unit associated with the school was managing an individual approach to safely maneuvering the many challenges presented by the pandemic.

Since becoming the school principal at CSS, Tyler has found herself making difficult decisions that have had a significant impact on the lives of people who did not know her and had not yet had the opportunity. to develop confidence in their leadership. Tyler’s goal from day one was to foster positive relationships not only within the school, but throughout the community.

With a focus not only on the experiential learning mode that plays a vital role in the CSS program, Tyler has also managed ongoing physical and mental health challenges. She notes that teachers were faced with an uncertain environment and that the decisions she had to make resulted in many sleepless nights.

Experiential learning at CSS continued despite the limitations of the pandemic. Rather than via global expeditions like in previous years, the March experience-centric seminars were limited to destinations within or near the state. In the hope of greater travel accessibility by March 2022, future ECS offerings include: understanding local roaming; see how Puerto Ricans have rebuilt themselves since Hurricane Maria; the art and mathematics of espionage (skills and techniques employed by spies); sail on a tall ship in the Caribbean; and study how ecological data is collected and analyzed in Yellowstone.

School ECS experiences only require active participation and primary research in an environment outside of the classroom.

Tyler emphasizes that the CSS brand is experiential and hands-on education, and that there is no other program in Colorado Springs that compares. Students come from more than 35 postcodes and six countries offering cultural, social and economic diversity within a unique bubble of opportunity.

One of Tyler’s success mottos is, “Sit down at the round table even when you don’t agree. In this way, everyone can feel involved and be heard despite possible conflicts and oppositions. Students are encouraged to take an active part in what is happening, to reflect and meditate on the results.

The key to Tyler’s education is that all students are interconnected through their learning experience.

In 2022, CSS will be celebrating its 60th anniversary and Tyler sees himself as an important opportunity to ensure that the school will continue to be a leading institution for at least 60 years.

Noteworthy is a welcome newcomer to the CSS campus, Tyler’s Maltese / Bichon puppy, Kodi. Its name is an abbreviated version of the school mascot’s nickname, “Kodiaks”. The little guy accompanies Tyler to school on a daily basis and begins to fulfill a unique role as a service dog. Students are encouraged to relieve anxiety and stress by having a cuddle time with the rowdy puppy. He’s definitely a kid magnet, and he’s the campus dog. Tyler found that students tend to open up and feel more relaxed with Kodi cuddling in their arms.