Stories

Cherry Creek Schools' Diana Huston, a second-grade teacher at Aspen Crossing Elementary, won an Educator Initiative Grant (EIG) last year for a program called Project A.C.E. The A.C.E. stands for All Children Engaged. Project A.C.E. allowed all students in grades first through fifth to participate in a class they found interesting once a week for four weeks, twice during the school year.

"Everything exists here. It's a great opportunity for kids and families to come find that inspiration." CCSD Superintendent Scott Siegfried was only one of thousands to attend the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation's annual STEAM-A-Palooza event on Nov. 9. For its fifth year, the event featured a wide array of events and activities rooted in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

Karen Hampel, school social worker and behavior support coach at the Hollies, was awarded an Educator Initiative Grant (EIG) last year to purchase different sensory tools and containers, then created a pilot program to introduce students to the tools.

The Cherry Creek Schools Foundation is always looking to invest in the success of students within the Cherry Creek School District. In a world full of new technology and innovation, we were privileged to take part in funding creative new programs that the district's newest elementary school, Altitude, could use to nurture and grow the minds of its young students.

While every one of our partnerships has measurable impacts on our programmatic reach, one of those standout corporate partners who has played an essential role in supporting student achievement at Cherry Creek Schools is Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the flagship brand of Enterprise Holdings. Not only does an Enterprise Rent-A-Car executive serve as the chairman of the Foundation, the company has generously supported students and educators through Foundation giving.

More than 600 business, civic and community leaders attended Cherry Creek Schools Foundation's 5th Annual Invest in Success Gala at the Denver Marriott Tech Center on March 28. Donors and corporate sponsors, together, raised more than $300,000 to support equity and innovation initiatives at Cherry Creek Schools.

Fusing the worlds of art and technology was part of what drove Smoky Hill visual arts teacher Joshua Teplitzky to secure the 3-D Potter tool for his students. Teplitzky, whose interest in the tool was first sparked at a national pottery conference, realized that the tool had the potential to appeal to a wide array of students. Those rooted in the world of traditional visual arts could find a bridge to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), while those students more oriented towards tech could discover a way to tap into their creativity.

Last year was one for the books. Through the generous giving of our donors and corporate partners, Cherry Creek Schools Foundation was able to raise a total of $925,000. Most important of all, we gave $440,000 to our schools between July and December alone thanks to you! Here's how we spent that money to support students and educators.

Cherry Creek Schools Foundation can help you check off your New Year's resolutions while supporting our schools! Through a new partnership with Fine Airport Parking Denver, anyone can save 20 percent off airport parking at Denver International Airport. An additional 10 percent of each transaction will be donated back to the Foundation to support students and educators at Cherry Creek Schools. Start saving today by following these three easy steps.

This year, the Foundation approved 33 percent more grants this year than it did in 2017, and more than half of Cherry Creek Schools student population will be impacted by its 2018 round of giving. As the needs of students continue to grow and evolve at Cherry Creek Schools, our teachers on the front line of education continue to mount difficulties in ensuring every child has opportunity. That's why these grants are more important than ever to fill in the gaps.

We still need your help to win! Click this link http://wshe.es/SKav5fxA , and vote before noon on Nov. 7. Every vote counts as we attempt to reach the third and final round of the competition to win one of three cash prizes, including the grand prize of $15,000.

Cherry Creek Schools Foundation is competing for up to $15,000 in the Plante Moran Cares Charity Contest. (Click here to vote!) We need to make it through three rounds of voting, and the first round ends on Oct. 29. Only the top 20 most voted on charities will move onto Round 2. It's so easy; here are the three steps.

"The Cardboard Challenge is something that is inspired by a child, and so it really shows you how kids thing and how broad they think," said Cherry Creek Schools Foundation board chairman Steve Topalian. "It's an event about creativity. It's an event about letting kids be kids and just building things with whatever comes to mind and what's important to them."

Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Siegfried added that the cornerstones of the Cardboard Challenge, a competition inspired by the 2012 documentary film "Caine's Arcade" directed by Nirvan Mullick, align with the district's recent work around innovation and 21st-century learning. Just as the district has worked to connect students at all levels with tools to encourage creativity, problem-solving and collaboration, so has the Cardboard Challenge encouraged a hands-on approach to learning, building and discovering.

Cherry Creek Schools Foundation is reaching out to the community for volunteers to participate as judges in the 6th Annual Cardboard Challenge on October 10 at Smoky Hill High School. No experience is required, just your enthusiasm!

"Graphic novels are so engaging and easy to get in to, but they also have really deep content," said Dakota Valley English teacher Lauren Bone, who uses contemporary titles to ramp up enthusiasm for reading in her classes.

Buffalo Trail's "Let's Cook" classes seek to impart a wide variety of lessons and skills.

Students at Mission Viejo Elementary School have learned that robots can be pretty amenable to suggestions, as long as they're getting the right commands. A set of programmable robots called Pro-Bots offer lessons about the fundamentals of programming.

Many students are more focused when both mind and body are moving.

More than 550 attended the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation Gala on March 8, and the event raised more than $300,000 for CCSD students, teachers and community members.

A mentorship program rooted in the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program has connected elementary and high school students, with a view of encouraging strong academic habits and envisioning future careers.

Over the course of four years, students have launched more than 100 weather balloon experiments at schools across the district. Funded in part from grants from the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation, the experiments have become a valuable part of STEM ed.

Thanks in part to funding from the CCSF, students at Fox Ridge have access to Google Cardboard, an app that pairs a smartphone with a simple set of cardboard glasses to transport users to another time and place.

On Dec. 6, members of Laredo Middle School's G-STEM (Girls-STEM) Club, an after-school Science, Technology, Engineering and Math club for young black women, visited the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs to explore careers in science.

As in past years, the 2017 STEAM-A-Palooza event invited students, staff and community members from across the district to fuse STEM and the arts, to view traditionally separate fields of study as part of a larger whole.

This year the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation awarded a record number of Educator Initiative Grants across the district.

More than 600 students demonstrated their ingenuity and displayed amazing creatures and contraptions at the 5th Annual Cardboard Challenge.

Students in schools across the Cherry Creek School District submitting projects for this year's Cardboard Challenge, which takes place on Oct. 12 at Smoky Hill High School.

Village East fifth-graders and CCHS DECA members took part in the Young AmeriTowne program through the Young Americans Center for Financial Education, a program that stresses financial literacy.

Thousands of students, teachers, staff members and parents gathered at buildings across the Cherry Creek School District's 108 square miles to watch the solar eclipse on Aug. 21.

The 'Brotherhood' and 'Sisterhood' after-school organizations at Holly Hills teach students to get excited about school, community and the future.

An airshow held at Arrowhead Elementary School on May 8 featured displays of RC airplane flights, as well as interactive activities rooted in STEM and aviation.

At Endeavor, new Arduino equipment has given students a new level of access and insight into STEM projects, connecting them with tactile and challenging tasks with immediate and impressive results.

Smoky Hill High School Unified team's latest championship win sums up spirit of teamwork and hard-work.

Cherry Creek Schools Foundation's 4th Annual Invest in Success Gala was a celebration of impact, innovation and opportunity for all students across the Cherry Creek School District.