Ridgeview Elementary School Principal Crystal Miller was among 40 Colorado principals selected out of more than 200 applicants to attend the prestigious Tointon Institute for Educational Change this summer, according to a news release from Moffat County School District.

Miller, in her second year as principal at Ridgeview and a longtime MCSD educator and leader, will attend the Tointon Institute Principal Leadership Academy in June at University of Northern Colorado. The seminar is a five-day series of lectures and discussions with skilled facilitators and expert educators and instructional leaders.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow through the Principal Leadership Academy,” Miller said in the release. “I’m devoted to becoming a better leader for my staff and students and I appreciate the chance to collaborate with and learn from such dedicated leaders.”

Miller will follow MCSD’s Sara Linsacum, principal of Craig Middle School, as a graduate of the Tointon Institute. Mrs. Linsacum attended the academy in the summer of 2009 as an assistant principal and in 2023 as a principal. She also took a CMS team in 2024.

“This isn’t a ‘How to be a principal’ conference, this is truly developing you as a leader,” Linsacum said in the release. “It’s revolutionary, to be honest.”

The Tointon Institute for Educational Change has been in action since 1995 as part of a gift to UNC from Bob and Betty Tointon of Greeley. Since its inception, the Tointon Institute has provided professional development to over 4,300 principals, teachers, and superintendents in the state of Colorado, according to the release.

“The majority of participants in these academies claim that their experiences at the Tointon Institute’s Academies are some of the most valuable they have had in their career,” the release stated.