As she prepares to step away from a career in public education, Steamboat Springs School District Superintendent Celine Wicks leaves behind a tenure defined by collaboration, growth and navigating some of the most challenging years in modern schooling.

Wicks announced her retirement in late October, passing the torch this summer to incoming superintendent and veteran Douglas County educator Kristin Drury.

Wicks joined the district seven years ago as principal of Strawberry Park Elementary, a move she described as a “wonderful change” after many years on the Front Range.

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When former Superintendent Brad Meeks retired in summer 2022, Wicks’ name had surfaced to head the district on an interim basis. The board then appointed her to that role before she was officially selected on a permanent basis in July 2022.

Her connection to Steamboat, however, stretches back decades. She began visiting in the 1990s, drawn in part by college friends who were natives of the town.

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“Every time I visited, I found myself wanting to stay longer,” Wicks told the Steamboat Pilot & Today in an interview earlier this week. “Eventually, I decided to stop looking for reasons to leave and start looking for ways to make Steamboat home.”

A New Englander at heart and lifelong Red Sox fan with family roots in Rhode Island, Wicks grew up in Connecticut and later spent roughly 15 years in Boston. Even after more than two decades in Colorado, she said she still misses the hallmarks of East Coast life — the Atlantic, sailing and the coastal lifestyle.

“Professionally, my path to education wasn’t traditional,” said Wicks. “Before entering education, I worked in finance on Wall Street and later spent many years in international event marketing, which allowed me to travel extensively.”

“Those experiences taught me leadership, communication and relationship-building skills that ultimately proved invaluable in education,” she added.

Education, however, runs deep in her family. Her grandfather, mother and several extended family members all worked in the field. Still, she did not initially see herself following that path.

“After years in finance and international business, I realized that the most meaningful part of my work was always helping people grow and succeed,” she said. “Education gave me an opportunity to do that every day.”

Wicks moved to Steamboat full time just months before the COVID-19 pandemic upended schools across the country in 2020. She points to that period as a defining chapter of her leadership.

She said she is proud of how staff, students, families and the broader community came together “during one of the most challenging periods in public education.”

“Despite unprecedented circumstances, our focus never wavered from providing the best education possible for our students,” she said.

Among her proudest accomplishments, Wicks pointed to the district’s relationship with the Steamboat Springs Education Association, describing it as positive and collaborative.

Last year, the board approved substantial compensation increases for district employees, including average raises of 4.98% for licensed staff and 6.46% for classified staff.

Just last month, the board and the association came to a tentative bargaining agreement, which includes full funding for both horizontal and vertical salary steps for licensed staff and specialized service providers, as well as a 2.6% hourly wage increase for returning classified staff.

She also highlighted the district’s transition to becoming its own administrative unit, calling it “one of the most significant organizational changes in district history.”

The shift, she said, allowed the district to strengthen special education programming, expand professional learning opportunities and manage resources more effectively.

Wicks also emphasized expanded efforts around mental health and wellness for both students and staff, crediting District Behavioral Health Manager Shelby DeWolfe as “transformative” in that work.

For the first time, Steamboat Springs High School paused regular classes on Friday, May 8 for a Mental Wellness Day, a program focused on mental health, resilience and connection among students and staff.

Beyond academics, she helped push forward the district’s workforce housing project at the Sleeping Giant parcel. 

While uncertainty over cost estimates have delayed construction — forcing the board to regroup over the coming months — Wicks said she’s proud of the board’s effort to lay important groundwork and “move the conversation forward.”

Reflecting on her tenure, Wicks said the district has become “more cohesive, more student-centered and more focused on supporting the whole child.”

“We’ve strengthened partnerships, expanded services and worked intentionally to build a culture where students and staff feel supported,” she said.

At the same time, she acknowledged the weight of leadership in education.

“The most difficult decisions are never about budgets or facilities — they’re about people,” she said. “Every decision in education affects students, families and staff.”

After years in the field, Wicks said stepping away comes with mixed emotions.

“Serving as a superintendent has been one of the greatest honors of my career, but it is also an incredibly demanding role,” she said.

“I have always believed that leaders should bring their full energy and commitment to the work, and after many years of operating at a very fast pace, I felt it was time to create space for family, personal interests and new opportunities,” she added.

While she is leaving district leadership, Wicks said she is not stepping away from education entirely. She will continue teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Northern Colorado in its Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department, while also spending more time traveling and with family and friends.

“After years of moving at full speed, I’m looking forward to having the flexibility to choose my own schedule for a change,” she said. “Retirement, for me, is less about stepping away and more about stepping toward new experiences, new adventures and a different balance in life.”

Asked what she wishes the public better understood about education, Wicks pointed to how much the field has evolved.

“Education is a unique profession because everyone has experienced it,” she said. “As a result, many people understandably believe they know how schools operate because they attended one.”

“The reality is that education today is dramatically different than it was even 10 years ago,” she continued. “Schools are being asked to do more than ever before while facing increasing expectations and limited resources.”

She added that decisions in education are often complex, even when they are not fully visible to the public.

“One challenge in education is that privacy laws often prevent us from sharing the full context behind situations,” she said. “That can create misconceptions that we are unable to publicly correct.”

“I would simply encourage people to assume positive intent and recognize that educators care deeply about the students they serve,” she added.

For Drury, her successor, Wicks offered straightforward advice: “Continue listening, continue building relationships and continue keeping students at the center of every decision.”

“Leadership can sometimes feel isolating, but the strongest leaders are those who remain connected to the people they serve,” she said. “I have every confidence that the district will be in excellent hands.”

As she departs, Wicks leaves the Steamboat community with a final message — to lead with empathy and support local educators.

“Don’t let the noise and division that often dominate the broader world distract from the kindness, generosity and traditions that make Steamboat Springs special,” she said.

“Behind every decision, every classroom, every school, and every district office is a group of people working hard to support students,” she added. “I hope our community continues to recognize that and extend the same respect and compassion to educators that they would want for themselves.”