Meet the Principal

Carrie Rotherham

About Me

I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. My husband and I moved to Castle Rock, Colorado in 2003 shortly after our twin sons, Benjamin and Bradley, were born! We have never regretted this decision. Both of my boys attend Douglas County Schools and continue to thrive both socially and academically with the support of their teachers each year. My husband, Robert and I have been married since 1995. He is a Lieutenant with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, so our community involvement continues through his work also. We own one horse named Maverick. Robert and Maverick serve on the mounted patrol team for DCSO. We are also dog lovers. Marlee is like my third child! She is a lab/shepherd mix and goes everywhere with us!

Professional Experience

I have been a classroom teacher in second grade through fifth grade and have taught Special Education students grades K-6. I have been an administrator since 2010, I started my Douglas County career at South Ridge Elementary teaching Special Education, 4th and 5th grade. I then had the opportunity to open up Sage Canyon Elementary as the Assistant Principal in 2010. In December of 2012, I was asked to serve as Interim Principal for Buffalo Ridge Elementary. In May of 2013, I was asked to serve as Interim Principal for Prairie Crossing! As of May 2014, PCE became my permanent home. I am proud to be the principal of PCE and watch our students grow and learn. We have a very supportive community and extremely dedicated staff that continuously is here for our kids.I couldn't ask for a better place to be!

Educational Philosophy

I strongly believe that learning should be personal and individualized. I continuously thrive to find, utilize, and support teachers with strategies that enable us to reach each student's ability and interest level.

Douglas County and Prairie Crossing's goal is to provide our students with a an excellent education that supports them academically and emotionally.

We are fortunate to have the technology resources to reach our digital natives, but we will also teach them to be critical thinkers that can be creative and most importantly strong communicators and collaborators. Our job as educators is to prepare our students for a future they can only imagine! To achieve this we need to teach our students to think beyond the classroom walls, to ignite their curiosity, interest and intrigue to want to move beyond the traditional and reach for what may seem to be the impossible--because one day it WILL be their reality!

My teaching career began in 1996 in New Orleans. I became part of Douglas County in 2003I have to say that I absolutely love being part of the Douglas County School Community!

I earned my Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Language Arts and my Master's Degree in Elementary Administration at the University of New Orleans. I also earned my Special Education Endorsement right here in Douglas County. Throughout my careerI have had the opportunity to participate in many educational trainings, including CORE Knowledge, International Baccalaureate, and Project-Based Learning. I have valued my experiences and trainings.