When Pagosa Springs High School (PSHS) Principal Sean O’Donnell and Assistant Principal/Athletic Director Chantelle Jordan wrapped up their duties at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, the duo also wrapped up a collective 53 years of educational service in Pagosa Springs and Archuleta School District (ASD).
“Together, they have more than 50 years working in the Archuleta School District, helping students and staff in countless ways,” ASD Superintendent Rick Holt wrote in announcing the duo’s retirement in March.
‘I wanted to have that same influence on kids’
O’Donnell served ASD and PSHS for 28 years.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve this school,” O’Donnell said at the school’s May 30 graduation.
He began his teaching career at PSHS, serving seven years as a math teacher before moving into administrative roles.
He then served eight years as assistant principal under David Hamilton before serving as principal for 13 years.
“My entire career has been in this building,” O’Donnell said while sitting in his office during the final week of school. “I actually started in the fall of ‘98 when this building was brand new. My first-ever job was in this brand-new building.”
O’Donnell relayed he went into coaching and teaching to continue the kind of influence he benefited from growing up.
“I had some influences when I was in high school — teachers, but mostly coaches — and I remember I really wanted to become a coach, and specifically a football coach. And education was ... one of the ways.”
He added math was the subject he liked the most, so he became a math teacher.
“There [were] influences that I had when was younger, and I wanted to have that same influence on kids,” he said.
O’Donnell and his wife, Connie Sue O’Donnell, found Pagosa Springs in a round-about way, with both growing up in northern Colorado.
Sean O’Donnell explained when they first engaged, they were talking about where they wanted to live and she mentioned Pagosa Springs, after having played in a volleyball tournament here in high school and liking the area.
But, with having grown up in northern Colorado and all of their family there, Sean O’Donnell explained he had to pull out a map and find Pagosa Springs at the very bottom of the state, “basically” in New Mexico.
He added he questioned why she would want to go that far.
Then, when it came time for their job searches, there were many more teachers than positions and they couldn’t even get interviews in some northern Colorado areas.
Then, he relayed, he got a call from Coe Branch — a friend from college — who noted he’d talked to the principal in Pagosa Springs, Bill Esterbook, and they were looking for a math teacher.
Sean O’Donnell explained he had just gotten a job offer in Cedaredge, but worked it out with them to be able to interview in Pagosa Springs.
He added he got the job in Pagosa Springs and the couple moved down.
He noted the irony that Connie O’Donnell thought that was where they should live and that was where they ended up.
He added they initially thought they could get a year or two of experience under their belts in Pagosa Springs, which would help them land interviews with schools in northern Colorado.
But, by Christmas, he noted, they both agreed, “This is where we’re supposed to be.”
And the rest is history.
He added it ended up being a great move for them as a young married couple to move to a place where they had to make new friends and start new careers.
Many of their family members have since moved to Pagosa Springs.
“Everyone’s in Pagosa now,” he said.
In addition to his teaching and administrative roles at PSHS, Sean O’Donnell fulfilled his hopes of influencing kids as a coach, serving as assistant coach for the football team for four years and nine as head coach.
He also served as an assistant basketball coach for six years and assistant coach for track for seven years.
“When I started, administration was so far off my radar,” Sean O’Donnell said, noting he thought he’d be a longtime teacher and football coach. “I had some folks come to me and encourage me to pursue administration thinking that I would make a good administrator. So, I did, and, ironically, spent the majority of my career as an administrator.”
That, he indicated, has allowed him to influence people in a different way.
Holt notes Sean O’Donnell invested “countless hours in mentoring students both in and out of the classroom” during his career.
“For me, the highlights are always the kids,” Sean O’Donnell said, noting people always make comments about “kids these days” and have his entire career. “To me, kids are kids. The environment around them has changed, their access to things [has] changed, but they’re still kids. And, ... to me, that’s been the absolute best part of this career — ... the kids.”
And Holt indicates Sean O’Donnell has indeed had a lasting influence.
“Throughout his tenure, Sean has been committed to ensuring all students have the opportunity to achieve academically and socially,” Holt wrote in March. “He has supported and expanded Career and Technical Education and student organizations such as HOSA, FBLA, and FFA, while working alongside staff to introduce new, high-interest electives. The impact he has had on generations of students, staff, and families is significant and lasting.”
Sean O’Donnell added he’s also thought about the teachers and administrators he’s worked with throughout the years and the quality of people he’s met and worked with.
He called PSHS a “fortunate place” to have spent his career.
But, he indicated, he and Connie O’Donnell felt like it was time for something new and neither wanted to reach a point where they regretted going to work, noting being principal is a difficult job that can take a toll.
“It just felt like the right time for us,” he said.
Both served the district for 28 years, with Connie O’Donnell also serving as a longtime coach for volleyball and track in addition to teaching social studies.
“This is, for Connie and I, this has been us,” he said, adding they’d been married about a year when they moved here and it’s been a blessing to work within the same district, have the same schedules and the same schedules as their kids. “[It’s] hard to believe.”
Sean O’Donnell relayed that, after they told their children they were retiring, their son called back the next day to make sure they weren’t moving.
Sean O’Donnell added they aren’t leaving the community.
“It’s a cool place,” he said.
He noted he’s not sure what the future holds, but that, right now, he’s looking forward to enjoying fall in Pagosa Springs.
‘That’s why we’re here’
Jordan served the district for 25 years before her retirement this spring.
“Throughout her career, Chantelle has been passionate about supporting teachers to ensure all students get what they need, bringing a student-centered and collaborative approach to her work,” Holt wrote in March.
Jordan taught fifth grade for a total of 11 years at what was then the intermediate school (it’s now the middle school), also serving as the school’s gifted and talented coordinator there for about a year.
Following her time at the intermediate school, Jordan served as assistant principal at Pagosa Springs Elementary School under principals Kate Lister and Justin Cowan before moving into the assistant principal/athletic director role at PSHS for her last five years.
Jordan noted it’s unusual for educators, especially at the elementary level, to teach the same grade for so many years.
And, education wasn’t even Jordan’s initial career choice.
Jordan, who grew up in a very small town in Oregon, explained both of her parents are trained educators who told her, “Whatever you do, don’t be a teacher.”
Instead of teaching, Jordan went into dietetics and became a registered dietitian.
She also moved from Oregon to Colorado Springs, Colo., for an internship, leaving her small town behind.
But, she added, the kind of jobs she liked in the field meant likely living in cities.
“I’m not a city girl,” she said. “So, it was just sort of a natural progression back to the field of education, and I think I kind of had chalk dust in my veins, so to speak.”
She went back to school at Fort Lewis College and earned her teaching certification.
As time progressed, Jordan indicated, she found herself closer and closer to Pagosa Springs.
She worked part-time in Alamosa as an outpatient dietitian, she noted, then began working seasonally at Wolf Creek Ski Area beginning in 1995.
From there, she lived in South Fork, then Pagosa Springs.
And, similar to feeling like there was chalk dust in her veins leading her into education, Jordan explained she was naturally drawn to being an administrator.
She called it “naturally what I’m good at.”
Jordan noted she’s always veered toward leadership roles, from helping fellow students cross the highway to get to school as a kindergartner to leadership roles in athletics.
“I think it’s just always been sort of a good fit,” she said.
Jordan added her favorite part of any job she’s held in education has been supporting other educators — she likes removing roadblocks for teachers more than teaching and supporting coaches more than coaching.
“It’s just what I liked,” she said, adding the she felt she was better at it.
Jordan also noted her highlights aren’t what people would always call highlights, giving the example of a highlight as just taking a step back at a game and knowing all the minutiae and people that went into making the event work and then seeing kids be able play.
She added it was also always fun to see kids win scholarships and teams make the playoffs, but the “big showy things” aren’t the top memories for her.
Instead, it’s the every day successes — like the student who finally gets what they’re learning and getting to work with fellow educators.
Jordan also called graduation one of her favorite days of the year.
“That’s what it’s about,” she said. “That’s why we’re here, to help these kids get a high school diploma. ... It’s fun to celebrate with them.”
Jordan also highlighted that education isn’t “cutthroat” like many business and other fields — educators are there to nurture, help and support students and each other.
She called that environment “hugely rewarding.”
Jordan indicated there’s a lot that she’ll miss about serving within the school district and those are likely to continue to surface, but there’s a lot she’s looking forward to, including two sons getting married this summer and visiting family.
“My husband’s very happy that he gets his adventure buddy back,” she said.
That, she noted, doesn’t mean she won’t look back and feel sad at times.
“A huge thank you,” Jordan said, thanking the administrators who hired her, the teachers and staff who “put up” with her, all the people she worked with along the way in the community, and the students.
Passing the baton
After taking the baton from longtime principal Chris Hinger at Pagosa Springs Middle School last year, Josh Sanchez was chosen to take the baton at Pagosa Springs High School beginning next year, with Janae Ash taking the principal position at the middle school.
“We are pleased to announce that current Pagosa Springs Middle School Principal Joshua Sanchez has been selected as the next Principal of Pagosa Springs High School,” Holt wrote in announcing Sanchez would take the role. “Joshua has deep roots in Pagosa Springs—including graduating from Pagosa Spring[s] High School–-and a strong background in educational leadership. Over the course of his career, he has served as a teacher, assistant principal, middle school principal, and district administrator.”
“I am so excited to be a part of the Pagosa Springs High School Community,” Sanchez shared via the district’s announcement. “I know firsthand the strength of this community and the potential within these students and am excited to build a tradition of excellence based on what this town and the high school instilled in me, the value of hard work, responsibility, and helping others. I am proud to now serve the students of this community who will shape its future.”
randi@pagosasun.com
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