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Stories

Memory: The Opening of the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus

In 2016, CCSD voters approved the construction of a new kind of school – an innovation campus that would give students the chance to learn valuable skills and a pathway to a career.

The Cherry Creek Innovation Campus (CCIC) opened in 2019, but the work to build the building and its curriculum would take years. Fortunately, the Foundation was a key partner in connecting the school district with leaders in the industries that would later become the pathways of the school: Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, Health & Wellness, Hospitality & Tourism, Infrastructure Engineering, IT & STEAM, and Transportation.

“This is an amazing building that brings together the voices of industry, students, educators, and community,” shared Jill Henden, executive director of the Foundation. “This program has given students so much more opportunity to pursue their unique Pathway of Purpose.”

To celebrate this milestone, here are some interesting facts about how the CCIC came to be:

  • Industry leaders gave input on what they wanted out of future employees, citing a need for professional skills. Students at the CCIC are graded on those skills, like time management, communication, and respectfulness.
  • The design of the building put students at the center. One IT company shared the need for flexible seating and a virtual space for students in the IT pathway to practice their craft.
  • District leaders visited multiple schools across the nation to see what ideas could be brought back to CCSD.
  • Students were also asked how they felt the physical building should look to represent the diversity of the student population.
  • There’s a signing wall for students who are hired out of high school or enlist in the military to celebrate the next step of their journey.

Our Impact This Year

  • Grants Awarded to Educators

    $193,000

  • Students Impacted

    53,000

  • Scholarships Awarded

    $55,000

  • Donated to Mental Health

    $122,000

  • JHL Constructors
  • MDC Richmond Foundation
  • Aon
  • Plante Moran
  • Butler Snow
  • 1st Bank
  • DLR Group

    DLR Group

  • Westerra Credit Union
  • Alpine Bank
  • GE Johnson
  • Saunders
  • Cuningham Architecture
  • Health One
  • CCA Foundation
  • CCA
  • ANB Bank
    ANB Bank

    ANB Bank

  • Aurora Housing Authority
    Aurora Housing Authority

    Aurora Housing Authority

  • Powered by Purpose
    Powered by Purpose

    Powered by Purpose

  • Ed and Kacy Adams
    Ed and Kacy Adams

    Ed and Kacy Adams

  • Johnson Controls
    Johnson Controls

    Johnson Controls

  • JP Morgan
    JP Morgan

    JP Morgan

  • Kaiser Permanente
    Kaiser Permanente

    Kaiser Permanente

  • The Knoll Team
    The Knoll Team

    The Knoll Team

  • Kore
    Kore

    Kore

  • Margie and Joe Adams
    Margie and Joe Adams

    Margie and Joe Adams

  • United Healthcare
    United Healthcare
  • CU Denver
    CU Denver
  • Westerra
    Westerra
© 2023 Cherry Creek Schools Foundation

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