While teachers in numerous states stage protests to demand higher pay and increased school funding, teachers at Denver Public Schools may soon be getting some relief when it comes to purchasing a home in the costly Denver market.
DPS recently announced it is teaming up with Landed, a San Francisco-based company that assists essential professionals, such as teachers, to purchase a home. The Zoma Foundation, co-founded by Ben and Lucy Ana Walton, is also part of the new partnership.
The collaboration will create a down-payment assistance program available to all DPS teachers. Landed partners with the buyer to lend half of the down payment for the home.
“We are excited to be the first district outside of California to welcome Landed,” Superintendent Tom Boasberg said. “Given that state funding in Colorado has fallen so far behind our rapid increase in the cost of living, it is essential that we do everything to help our educators meet their housing needs, while continuing to advocate for greater state funding for education.”
McKinley-Thatcher Elementary (1230 S. Grant St.) received the Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award and was rated green on the School Performance Framework. In addition, Lockheed Martin awarded the school a $15,000 grant through their Lead The Way program. The grant will help pay for new Science, Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) classroom programs during the 2018-2019 school year.
Second- and third-grade students are currently working on the Basil Project. A collaboration with Adelitas Cocina y Cantina, the project teaches students about urban gardening, composting and running a restaurant. Students will transplant their tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and basil into the school garden later this month.
University Park Elementary (UPark) (2300 S. St. Paul St.) principal Grant Varveris will be moving on to take the helm at Skinner Middle School for the 2018-2019 school year. In a letter, he recently thanked the UPark community for their “incredible support” and stated, “This decision has not been an easy one for me as I have enjoyed my time at UPark and believe that this community is truly one of a kind.” A School Principal Advisory Committee (SPAC) consisting of five school staff members and five community members is being assembled and will begin meeting in May to help choose a new principal.
High School students at St. Mary’s Academy (SMA) (4545 S. University Blvd.) honored principal Kathryn McNamee (Ms. Mac) during a town hall meeting in April. Ms. Mac, who has served the SMA community for 43 years, was presented with a handcrafted vase and flower arrangement from the National Honor Society. The surprise celebration also included a video slideshow arranged by Student Council which included current students and alumnae expressing their gratitude and appreciation for Ms. Mac. The celebration concluded when students joined Ms. Mac for singing and dancing to some of her favorite songs.
South High School (1700 E. Louisiana Ave.) hosted a Garden Kick-Off Day in April to celebrate a grant through The Big Green. A nationwide organization, The Big Green aims to build learning gardens at low-income schools across the country to educate students on growing their own healthy food. The garden at South, according to special education teacher Sean Davis, “will primarily serve students with disabilities and provide them with career pathway and graduation opportunities.”
On Thursday, June 7, South is hosting the Inaugural Denver South Football Golf Tournament at Wellshire Golf Course. For more information, or to sign up your foursome, contact Coach Ryan Marini at ryan_marini@dpsk12.net.
A pair of Thomas Jefferson High School (3950 S. Holly St.) students were among 2,300 young women in the United States this year to be awarded the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing award. Leo Busse and Camy Guenther were selected as 2017-2018 Colorado Affiliate Winners for their demonstrated aptitude and interest in information technology/computing and computing-related aspirations.
The Asbury Elementary (1320 E. Asbury Ave.) fifth-grade Destination Imagination (DI) team earned a first-place finish at the DI State Tournament in April and qualified for the Global DI Tournament at the end of May. The Asbury team competed in the Inside Impact category with the goal to improve access to books for homeless children living in Denver shelters. The team partnered with the Family Promise Homeless Shelter and the Denver Public Library to bring the Reading Rocket bookmobile to homeless shelters. In addition, the team held a book drive and collected 1,896 books over the course of a week.
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