A comprehensive overview of education in the Pikes Peak region
Sunday, January 26, 2025
A Special Advertising Section of The Gazette
Expanding options for outdoor education
3 of Colorado’s top performing districts are in El Paso County
4 things to know about school choice
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Sunday, January 26, 2025
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What’s Inside
Colorado expanding options for outdoor education
3 of Colorado’s top performing school districts are in El Paso County Local school districts embracing artificial intelligence
4 things to know about school choice enrollment Newly chartered school provides support for dyslexic students Industry-focused innovation zone coming to Colorado Springs Night classes give local students alternative paths to success
6 10 12 14 16 18 20
Colorado expanding options for outdoor education
By Eric Young eric.young@gazette.com
One might be tempted to think that an outdoors-based school would cancel classes just as much, if not more, than its brick-andmortar counterparts because of inclement weather.
But AdventureMe’s Executive Director Tamara Wineland said it’s quite the contrary.
“We tease that we are the snow day,” she said. “The kids come here and they know that they’re going to have a good time.”
AdventureMe is an outdoor preschool that serves children ages 3-5 and special needs students through age 10 and is based on the idea that education should be more experiential and unstructured than what is offered in more typical schools.
Instead of desks, chairs and worksheets, a typical day includes a group hike and students getting their hands dirty. With the goal of staying outside as much as possible, students take in fresh air and sun while they learn math, reading and natural science
concepts at both a dedicated location in Black Forest and various areas in and around Colorado Springs via a mobile classroom.
Kindergarten teacher Landis Wilson said that she’s observed her students consistently develop emotional regulation through problem-solving and peer socialization through their outdoor interactions.
“It allows them to use their imaginations. It keeps me young,” she said.
Around Colorado Springs, the
splendor and adventure of the great outdoors as a learning tool is something that education, both public and private, is utilizing now more than ever.
Outdoor education in the United States
Forest schools have their roots in the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries of Europe dating back to the 1800s while dedicated outdoor classrooms can be traced back to the early 20 th century in the United States.
Henry Yao, a kindergartner at AdventureMe Forest School, and his classmates search for acorns during a lesson at Bear Creek Nature Center. Parker Seibold, The Gazette
The theory is that education should be experiential with students developing their critical thinking skills by tapping into their individual interests and curiosities in the natural world through exploration and problem-solving at their own pace. Additionally, movement and play-based activities support their physical and psychological well-being.
These theories and approaches can be found in the Waldorf education philosophy, which focuses on cultivating each child’s own knowledge and development through experiences, imaginative play and hands-on activities rather than direct instruction and testing.
Similarly, the Montessori education philosophy believes that self-paced and self-guided inquiry and multi-sensory settings allow students to both learn and develop their own desires for knowledge and understanding.
These concepts and approaches are often found in forest schools and outdoor education programs in play-based activities like tree-
climbing and fort-building while course-work lessons are taught through outdoor reading sessions, math concepts explained through real-world applications and science demonstrated with their natural surroundings.
Billy Kinn, the Catamount Institute’s director of environmental education, said the Colorado Springs-based nonprofit organization consistently hears from local teachers every semester about how the outdoor component to their education was the catalyst for certain students to succeed.
“Where in the classroom, they’re having more behavioral issues or they’re just not engaging, but we’ve really seen them shine in this sort of learning environment,” he said. “And this is something that they had not seen in that student before.”
After noticing a considerable lack of outdoor education options, the nonprofit organization formed in 1997 to partner with public and private schools along with preschools, clubs and
homeschooled students to connect them to the outdoors in and around Colorado Springs through field trips and programming.
In modern-day contexts, research has shown both physical and mental benefits for participating students. Studies have pointed to outdoor activities like hillside sledding improving core strength and cardiovascular health while limiting access to technology and screen time may reduce risks of developing the eye condition myopia.
This approach to instruction is also known for educating students in other ways not typically associated with traditional schooling like environmental stewardship and personal wellbeing.
Wineland came to discover these benefits through her own research and pursuits of education alternatives for her son who was born with a heart defect. Rather than having him sit for extended periods of time in a traditional school, she opted for an alternative approach that had him moving around more.
“And 15 years later, he is one of very few kids with his defect that has never needed open-heart surgery,” she said. “And I contribute that to him being outside all the time.”
Wineland expanded AdventureMe’s services to include occupational therapy for special needs students through age 10 after observing the benefits their approach provided them. Students who struggled to walk would find their footing on naturally uneven surfaces while others improved their spatial awareness with their eyes being “forced to look up around and out.”
In the U.S., the trend of forest schools is a recent one, with only two open in the entire country back in 2009 before “exploding after COVID” according to Wineland. Kinn affirmed this trend, noting the increased interest in their programming in recent years that’s shown no signs of waning.
“There was just this large influx of parents who were like ‘Anything that gets my kid out of the house
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
and off their screen is going to help them socially and emotionally right now,’” he said.
Outdoor education in Colorado Springs
Despite the methods and approaches differing greatly from traditional public schools, that doesn’t mean these forest schools and nature programs are exclusive to private options.
Academy D-20 has offered the School in the Woods to its fourthgrade students dating back to 1999. The school provides natural, sciencefocused instruction at a largely outdoor location in Black Forest.
Sixth-grade students in Manitou Springs D-14’s Mountain Academy of Arts & Sciences are able to take advantage of the Colorado’s outdoor spaces year-round through activities that teach them science, technology, engineering, the arts and math concepts in addition to environmental practices.
In Colorado Springs D-11, Howbert Elementary School became the first and only K-5 outdoor education school in El
Paso County for the 2023-24 school year. It offers students experiential learning opportunities and naturefocused instruction.
Howbert, along with other local schools and districts, partner with the Catamount Institute for various in-school and after-school programming throughout the school year to provide students
with similar programs field trips to nearby areas like Garden of the Gods and Black Forest.
“All of our programming is aligned with the Colorado Department of Education’s standards,” Peterson said. “So schools love working with us because it gives the kids a new opportunity to learn the basics
of what they’re learning in the classroom in a new way.”
Applying concepts from Waldorfbased education, the Mountain Song Community School also incorporates agricultural arts and education programming that features a geodesic greenhouse, fruit trees, an outdoor oven and livestock. All students participate in some form of outdoor education that includes crop production, environmental science, farm-totable cooking and other outdoor education initiatives.
As its popularity and exposure continues to grow, Kinn said that he could see outdoor education get implemented further into public education through either updated state standards or further initiatives by schools and districts.
“I think it’s going to get more leaned into for all grades, especially,” he said. “Because I think, historically, it’s only been a lot of K-5 schools and each year I’m noticing more high school groups looking for how to get this to their kids as well. So, I think it will grow and expand as the need keeps growing.”
Logan Schisler, a kindergartner at AdventureMe Forest School, picks up acorns during an outdoor lesson focusing on the five senses at Bear Creek Nature Center. Parker Seibold, The Gazette
3 of Colorado’s top performing school districts are in El Paso County
By Eric Young eric.young@gazette.com
Only four of 178 public school districts in Colorado have earned the state’s highest accreditation ranking every year since the accountability system was implemented in 2009, and three of them are in El Paso County.
Academy District 20, Cheyenne Mountain D-38 and Lewis-Palmer D-38 in the Colorado Springs area have all achieved this streak of success with the other being Telluride District R-1.
So, what has contributed to this consistent success? The common answer from the districts’ leadership was as much constant refinement on their part to
support and engagement on their communities’ part.
“We have a community in El Paso County and parents who are highly invested in the educational system,” said Amber Whetstine, D-38 assistant superintendent. “They want their students to be successful, they want to partner with teachers and schools. We are a highly educated community and we highly value public education.”
Accreditation and accountability in Colorado
Following the passage of the Education Accountability Act of 2009, the Colorado State Board of Education is required to annually
accredit each school district and the Charter School Institute to ensure that every student receives a successful education.
These factors are largely based on annual test scores and help the state board determine needs, support and improvement plans for all school districts. Accreditation rankings for districts range from “Distinction” where they are exceeding the expectations set by the board, to “Turnaround,” where they are given five years to implement and demonstrate needed improvements in student performance.
A school district may also become “unaccredited” if it fails to demonstrate improvement
MERIT ACADEMY
over the set timeframe which can result in state intervention such as reorganization or converting schools into charter schools. D-20, D-12 and D-38 have repeatedly exceeded standards set by the state for Achievement, Growth, Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness based on their students’ scores in the CMAS, SAT and PSAT testing.
Points of Distinction
Having held administrative positions elsewhere in Colorado and Washington, Academy District 20 Superintendent Jinger Haberer said focus and commitment to learning communities is one trait she’s seen consistently among high-performing school districts.
“We are a firm believer in continuous improvement to our instruction and continue to be committed to that approach to educational research,” she said. Haberer also pointed to the increased professional learning committees and externships provided for staff as one reason for the high-performance outcomes. In addition to the consistent dialogue between fellow educators, district leadership has begun meeting with students to learn what they believe are the most important qualities to possess by graduation to “weave into the fabric” of the district and its goals and outcomes.
In D-12, Superintendent David Peak said its data-driven approach to student success across both high- and low-stakes assessments allows for closer monitoring of students’ learning.
“Importantly, our principals and educators are empowered with the autonomy to act quickly and responsively to meet student needs as data reveals necessary adjustments,” he said.
Michael Brom, D-38’s director of assessment, pointed to the evidence statement analysis report the district receives every year that has helped staff assess how they are meeting the state’s standards,
how they compare with the rest of Colorado’s schools, and what their teachers can gain from it.
“So, that gives us some insight into our strengths and weaknesses in instruction,” he said.
Community relationships
While the three districts may differ in size and populations served, each is notable for the strong support received outside of standard funding and programming.
In D-38’s case, which reported an enrollment of 6,545 during the 2023-24 school year, assistant superintendent Amber Whetstine noted the small population of their district has resulted in a “tight-knit community” relationship with its families.
“It is very much everybody working together to support our students to help them learn and grow,” she said.
One notable example can be found in the Lewis-Palmer District 38 Education Foundation, which has long helped the school district secure funding for educational advances that wouldn’t otherwise be available. Through its respective ADVANCE and INSPIRE grants, the foundation has funded various
projects and resources for classes costing up to $5,000 each and raised through local donations.
Enrolling about 20,000 more students than D-38 during the 2023-24 school year, D-20 can’t echo quite the same kind of community, but Haberer noted the unique relationships it’s cultivated with both its families over the years through local business partnerships and monthly meetings with a parent sounding board.
She said this engagement has resulted in newer mainstays in D-20 like externships for teachers and staff to help foster those relationships and enhance their own instructions to better meet students’ interests.
Regarding community and family engagement, Peak said the relationship with D-12 and its families starts in preschool and continues through graduation.
“From the moment families enter our district, they become part of a committed and invested team of educators who work tirelessly to ensure their child’s success,” he said.
“Our strong relationships with families and community partners create a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared accountability that supports each student’s learning journey.”
How to enroll in your school of choice
To attend a school inside or outside the zone where they live, parents or guardians can fill out an application on their desired district’s website. Once a student is accepted, their family does not need to fill out another application the next year if they intend to stay at that school. Application deadlines and acceptance policies vary by district. Parents are encouraged to research each district and school for its specific educational programs, school capacity and transportation logistics when they are applying.
Local school districts embracing artificial intelligence
By Eric Young eric.young@gazette.com
Few, if any, technological innovations have erated the amount debate and deliberation that artificial or AI, has in
Some view it as a revolutionary streamlining workflow while others fear it will jobs and industries
Public education
In response to these without much of a off, the Colorado Department Education and Colorado Initiative released in K-12 education strategies and resources integration into schools and learning in August.
More specifically, AI” refers to a type intelligence that autonomously new, original content or text in response and has been the primary recent considerations.
While the goal is understanding and AI statewide, some Springs have already new technology.
Shortly after the the AI language application among students and 2022, Academy District conducting professional courses for its staff with the new field of possible applications
D-20’s technology specialist Dianna Fricke purpose of the courses whether the advent “crisis or opportunity.”
“And, ultimately, an opportunity,” she Over the past year, a technology advisory comprised of teachers, parents and guardians shared understanding purpose in their education. areas of focus identified and fluency, professional educators, ethical considerations revising existing district include AI .
Some of the concerns AI in public education the potential for students work, potential for exposed and possible AI programs. Suggestions presented committee’s final report implementing both literacy into existing appropriate, using
have genamount of deliberation
artificial intelligence, recent years. revolutionary step in workflow and productivity will threaten entire obsolete. is no exception. these possibilities framework to work Department of Colorado Education a roadmap for AI that details resources for its schools for teaching August. specifically, “generative type of artificial autonomously creates content like images response to user prompts primary focus of considerations. to increase the implementation of districts in Colorado already embraced the rise in popularity of application ChatGPT and teachers in late District 20 began professional learning to familiarize them of technology, its applications and ethical use. technology integration Fricke said the courses was to determine of AI was either opportunity.” we’re looking at it as she said. year, D-20 formed advisory committee teachers, staff, students, guardians to develop a understanding of AI’s place and education. The main identified were AI literacy professional learning for considerations and district policies to concerns raised with education have included students to plagiarize private data to get possible biases rooted in presented in the report included AI and AI existing curricula when existing standards
and guidelines to develop effective AI policies for the district, and approving specific AI tools.
To date, D-20 staff have received no extra training outside a series of webinar sessions on how to effectively implement AI into their instruction.
“They were excited to learn about it,” Frickle said. “Initially, there was a lot of fear. Will students use this to cheat? Will this replace their jobs? But I think this did calm a lot of those fears.”
To date, AI programs like PowerBuddy and MagicSchool have been used by some teachers to personalize instruction for individual students while also saving time. Meanwhile, among the students’ new skills were learning how to write appropriate prompts for research and how to cite their work to avoid plagiarism.
AI has also helped students improve their study skills and classwork by comparing them with AI approaches to the same material through back-andforth conversations.
A more nuanced application could be found in an AP psychology class at D-20’s Liberty High School, where students interacted with Curipod. After “viewing” students’ drawings of
abstract concepts of intelligence, the program would then pose questions asking students to explain their sketch and demonstrate their understanding of the material.
“And I heard from a lot of students from that class who said, ‘Yeah, this was really helpful.’ And for this program to be able to look at student sketches to understand these concepts of intelligence, it was really cool,” Frickle said.
To the south, Harrison D-2 implemented its own AI learning plan ahead of the current school year. In a January presentation to the state board of education, 92% of the district’s high school teachers reported using AI to support their teaching practices.
Much like D-20, D-2 educators have used chatbots to personalize student learning through unique phrases and colloquialisms and assist with more advanced research projects. Also, they said AI has aided them with lesson planning and preparation along with grading and student assessments.
Other local school districts have utilized AI to address issues outside the classrooms.
During the 2023-2024 school year, to address a shortage of bus drivers, Colorado Springs D-11 utilized an AI
“Generative AI” refers to a type of artificial intelligence that autonomously creates new, original content like images or text in response to user prompts. The Gazette’s Samantha Thomas created these illustrations using Adobe Firefly, a generative machine-learning text-to-image tool.
program developed by the rideshare company HopSkipDrive to identify deficiencies with its current bus route system. The solution was to consolidate and optimize existing routes and utilize smaller vehicles in areas that reach fewer students.
The changes increased on-time arrival rates, decreased staff needs and created budget savings for the district.
“When we started, we had bus routes without drivers, furious parents, overwhelmed staff, and kids missing invaluable learning time. That is all changing,” D-11 Superintendent Michael Gaal said in a case study.
“Our creative and hard-working transportation team, in partnership with HopSkipDrive RouteWise AI, is transforming our district’s approach to transportation.”
The Colorado Board of Education received an update from the Colorado Education Initiative during its January meeting on the current state of AI in state schools. The report echoed many of the observations and solutions found in D-20’s report along with providing recommendations like establishing committees to drive statewide coherence and support toward implementing AI in education over the next 24 months.
Colorado families are able to attend any public school in the state for free, regardless of where they live through open enrollment.
4 things to know about school choice enrollment
By Eric Young eric.young@gazette.com
Colorado families are able to attend any public school in the state for free, regardless of where they live through open enrollment. The application process for school choice is now underway for the 2025-2026 school year in El Paso County and here are four things families should know when applying.
1. How does school choice work?
School choice has been an option opened to parents and students since the passage of Colorado’s Public Schools of Choice law in 1994. The law ensures that parents or guardians can enroll their child somewhere outside their zoned school through an application. These days, applications can
be filled out the website of the preferred district.
Once the student is accepted, their parents don’t need to fill out another application the next year if the student stays at that school.
2. What should go into the decision process?
Beyond academics and educational offerings, parents and guardians should consider additional factors like transportation and school capacity when applying. Unlike with their neighborhood school, transportation is not a guarantee.
3.How likely is placement at a school of choice?
Acceptance depends largely on classroom capacity, which differs from school to school and district to district based on local demographics. Parents are encouraged to tour
schools and ask their principals and administrators about capacity before making a choice.
Other schools may have special stipulations that might result in a rejection. This is often the case with charter schools, but different districts have their own criteria. Possible factors include expulsion history, course prerequisites or age restrictions. Smaller schools may also lack the capacity to care for certain special needs.
4. When is the deadline?
Application windows vary by district, and parents should check the website of their school of choice. Charter schools authorized by each district will appear on their websites. Those that are authorized through the state charter school institute can be found on the official state website.
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Newly chartered school provides support for dyslexic students
By Eric Young eric.young@gazette.com
Experts estimate that one in five children have dyslexia, a neurological disability that affects a person’s aptitude for reading, writing and spelling — and presents greater challenges for success in school.
While many local public schools and districts provide additional resources for dyslexic students, there’s only one school in Colorado Springs that provides comprehensive resources and services exclusively for them at no additional cost.
“The way reading is taught in a traditional school is not the way that they learn,” Orton Academy Principal Cindy Kanuch said of dyslexic students. “And so, kids that could learn to read all across the country aren’t (learning).”
Orton Academy was founded in 2020 to serve students in grades 2-8
who have dyslexia or other reading difficulties. Formerly operating under contract with the Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Education Services, the school began its first year as a charter school contracted with Colorado Springs District 11 in 2024.
Orton and the James Irwin Elementary-Canada Drive campus are the only two new charters in the Colorado Springs area to open for the 2024-25 school year.
Housed in the former location of the Holy Trinity Catholic School, 3115 Larkspur Drive, Orton’s classes implement specialized learning tools like audiobooks and screenreaders and employ a cohort of certified academic language therapists, practitioners in training and qualified dyslexia instructors. Certified teachers at Orton receive additional dyslexic training to adjust their instruction to students’ needs — from English to math to physical education classes.
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“They don’t even blink about reading things aloud. It’s just become a natural thing to do,” Kanuch said. Along with the degree and state licensure to become a teacher, training to become a dyslexia specialist includes additional certifications by either the Center for Effective Reading Instruction or the Academic Language Therapy Association. The commitment includes hundreds of hours of clinical work and classroom study, and passing a certification exam.
Orton’s instruction strays from other public schools in the state by utilizing the science of reading approach instead of the whole language approach. Rather than teaching younger students literacy primarily through reading, listening, speaking and listening simultaneously, the science of reading approach utilizes a greater focus on phonemic awareness and text comprehension throughout adolescence.
Orton students are provided extra wait time during class to process information before giving an answer, which is often through verbal discussions, pictures, diagrams and other demonstrations of knowledge outside of writing. Outside of literacy where students receive extra support, core subject materials are all read by their teachers to break down instructional barriers typically found in other schools.
Orton also provides more resources and movement for students diagnosed with attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) like wiggle seats, additional
P.E. time and standing space in class because the condition is often diagnosed with dyslexia. Class sizes are intentionally kept small for more focused instruction and stronger student-teacher relationships.
Options currently available for dyslexic students are provided through local private schools and private practicing therapists along with public school services like ALLIES in District 49, Encompass Heights Elementary School in Academy District 20 and Take Flight therapy offered in select D-11 schools.
What separates Orton from these options is its distinction as the only tuition-free school in Colorado Springs that provides each student with daily one-hour reading therapy from a certified academic reading therapist at no added cost.
This type of therapy typically ranges from $50-$100 per hour and requires at least three hours a week to be considered effective.
“And so, this is an injustice to our students,” Kanuch said. “It’s a social injustice, especially since there are many families that just can’t afford that.”
Along with financial strains, these services also come at the expense of time for students and their families.
Assistant Principal Andrea Sedoryk, who herself is dyslexic, said that
All classes taught at Orton Academy implement a greater focus on literacy for dyslexic students with many utilizing phonemic flash cards and other aids for students during lessons. Eric Young, The Gazette
therapy sessions outside of school can often interfere with after-school activities or other social interactions with their peers.
By providing therapy in-house along with their own extracurricular activities, the social gap that existed before is being filled.
“So, it makes it a real special opportunity for kids that I and others might not have had because what we weren’t getting at school,
we had to go get somewhere else,” Sedoryk said.
The supplemental services and the similar conditions shared among students have cultivated a supportive culture without stigma throughout the school by students and staff alike who understand what everyone is working through.
Unlike perhaps a typical school, it’s not uncommon for students to help each other when they are struggling.
COMMEMORATING
150 YEARS OF CULTIVATING CHANGEMAKERS
Kanuch recalled one recent situation during which a fifth-grade student noticed a classmate struggling to sound out words like “cat” and “dog.”
The student’s response? Walking over to block out certain letters and help their classmate work through each word.
“And I thought, ‘That would never happen in a regular fifth-grade classroom.’ The child that was struggling would have been eaten alive,” Kanuch said.
“It’s funny, we have the typical squabbles and drama here that you’d find at a regular school, but nobody messes with each other when it comes to academics.”
Orton’s enrollment recently totaled 116 with most students coming from recommendations by local therapists and even various public schools that lack sufficient resources. Given the school’s unique services, student families have traveled as far as Woodland Park, Evergreen and Washington County on the eastern Plains to attend classes.
Now as a chartered school in D-11, the hope is for local outreach, enrollment and class space to increase. Although the school only serves students through middle school, its goal is to prepare students to succeed independently in high school and beyond.
By Eric Young eric.young@gazette.com
As Colorado Springs’ economy and job market continue to grow, local educators, businesses and government are coming together to prepare tomorrow’s workforce for modern-day industries.
Starting next fall, the Colorado Springs School of Technology will offer students opportunities to immerse themselves in a learning ecosystem that will expose them to technical fields and industries not just unique to Colorado Springs, but to public education in general.
Since Colorado Springs’ economy has surged in industries like aerospace and defense, microchip manufacturing and cybersecurity with businesses emerging and
Industry-focused innovation zone coming to Colorado Springs
government contracts increasing in recent years, so has the city’s need for a highly-skilled workforce to fill these new jobs.
With this and the opportunity to offer students education more detailed to their interests, the idea of the Colorado Springs School of Technology was born in early 2024 when Colorado Springs D-11’s board of education first approved its application that was subsequently approved by the state board or education.
“There is a lot of fascination in what we’re into and a lot of hope in what we’re doing,” said Nathan Gorsch, School of Technology principal and executive director.
The innovation zone will specialize in areas not typically associated with public education:
technology, space, cybersecurity, and entrepreneurship through ethical leadership training and character development. Along with licensed teachers, staff personnel will be rounded out by local universities, government agencies and businesses .
Courses in artificial intelligence, aerospace, engineering and robotics and AP computer science will be offered to students alongside their required coursework .
For these different careers and pathways, classes may start out as electives during the freshmen year before moving up to intro, intermediate and advanced classes.
Along with industry certifications, internships and mentorships, students will have opportunities for dual enrollment with the University
of Colorado Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak State College.
The School of Technology’s board of directors includes leaders from the National Cyber Security Center, UCCS, Pikes Peak State College, the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation, D-11 and the Air Force Academy.
From workforce development to student retention and graduation to college enrollment, the collection of local leadership came together early in the zone’s development .
“To me, these are potential winwins where we’re working with our industry partners,” Gorsch said.
“And rather than us creating a program and then bringing it to them, we’re actually getting them at the table as we start it and asking, ‘If we were going to build
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something that would really benefit your industry, what would you like it to look like?’ and I’m being met a lot with, ‘This is the first time I’ve been asked. Thank you for asking.’”
What is an innovation zone?
Under state law passed in 2022, schools and districts are able to use alternative governance structures permitted by their local school board for greater autonomy — helping spur the creation of charter schools and opportunities for innovative approaches to instruction and student learning. This can apply to singular innovation schools or a network of schools acting as an innovation zone.
CSST will join School District 49’s POWER Zone, which implements frameworks and educational methods developed by educational researcher and author Robert J. Marzano, as the only other innovation zone in the region and the 10th zone in the state.
In addition to its unique instructional approach, the School of Technology will operate as a zone because it will bring students from multiple school districts together at a single location despite being under D-11.
Where will CSST fit?
The School of Technology will blend higher education, industry and government organizations to offer students exposure to real-world applications of their education while they receive it. Where it differs from more traditional internships and established career and technical education programming is both the careers themselves and the people who will be teaching students.
Gorsch, who was the founding principal of Academy District 20’s hybrid Village High School, said he was drawn to the school’s potential to push public education forward and jumped at the opportunity after learning about all the different people and stakeholders involved.
He then connected with various industry professionals as began hiring staff and he visited schools across the country as he’s developed the zone’s curricula.
Students will be given the opportunity to explore career pathways without fully committing to them as they fulfill their requirements to graduate high school. If a student decides that they don’t want to pursue a future in technology, space or entrepreneurship, Gorsch’s hope is that they still take away applicable
real-world skills from the experience.
The idea of a “professional playground” comes from the educational concept of playbased learning coined by American psychologist Peter Gray, who theorized the intent and effectiveness of play-based learning reflective of their society. As huntergatherers play with toys of bows and arrows or agrarian cultures with toys of tools and machinery, they become trained for their eventual work as adults.
“And as our kids go into a world where technology is the dominant tool, doesn’t it make sense to provide opportunities for them to play and learn while they’re playing with the same tools they’ll use professionally?” Gorsch noted.
“I like the idea of a professional playground,” he said.
“And so, part of this is letting students play with ideas. And if the goal is to get that certification, sometimes it becomes more work than play.”
A 2020 study conducted by EdWeek, a nonprofit research organization, and cyber.org found that the majority of schools across the country didn’t offer some type of cybersecurity education and those that did often did so in a way that infused it with existing curricula
rather than standalone coursework.
A 2021 study by Old Dominion University concluded that greater efforts are needed to both motivate students into pursuing these careers and designing curriculum in K-12 education as cyberattacks and the shortage of cybersecurity professionals increase.
Along with the innovative classwork, a key component for CSST is having industry professionals teach some of the classes rather than licensed teachers.
“I might be able to hire someone within the cybersecurity industry that doesn’t have, maybe, a teaching license but has a ton experience in industry certifications and experience that knows the content and I might be able to have them teach that class,” Gorsch said.
Classes will be held at the Kevin W. O’Neil Cybersecurity Education and Research Center, which also houses the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center. Because of this setting, the flow and pacing of the school day hopes to resemble more of a Silicon Valley office space with its open concept floor plans, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and neighboring businesses and individuals passing and interacting on a daily basis.
Night classes give local students alternative paths to success
By Eric Young eric.young@gazette.com
From the rigors of school-life balances to the social challenges amongst students, the traditional approach to public education isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t mean some students should give it up because they don’t fit the mold.
Recognizing this, Widefield D-3 has created a new pathway for those who may have given up on their schools — or their schools on them.
“These are not bad kids,” Discovery High School teacher Kim Thomas said. “Oftentimes, these are kids that need someone in their corner.”
Discovery High’s night classes began in 2023-24 thanks to funding from the state’s Empowering Action for School Improvement grant.
Discovery Principal Dr. Albert Wiggens said the school was approved for the grant after successfully identifying an opportunity for educational achievement and engagement with its students.
The opportunity? Flexible options for classes and times. The students? Those on the verge of dropping out or missing graduation by only a few credits.
Wiggens said he was inspired to apply for the grant after witnessing this with a former student.
“And I was like, ‘Not like this. We can’t lose this kid like this,’” he said.
Discovery joins Sierra High School in Harrison D-2 as the only night school option in the Colorado Springs area.
Some students come from unstable homes or need to support their families outside the typical school schedule. Others with anxiety who don’t perform well in typical school environments have also taken night classes as an alternative.
The goal to succeed is the common thread among these students, whether taking a couple of make-up classes or extending their school day into the evening.
“And I think that gives us a foundation to the type of culture we have where we have students that want to be here and are willing to stay and put in the effort,” Wiggens said.
Alternative education
If someone were to walk in on a night class at Discovery High School, they would find an atmosphere notably calmer and quieter than a typical
Students sign “What a Wonderful World” during their American Sign Language class, offered through Discovery High School’s night school program. Parker Seibold, The Gazette
high school classroom.
Along with a darker hue and smaller class sizes than daytime school, the low-key environments are largely due to a mutual understanding between teachers and students.
“The students here are a little older and because they are choosing to be here, they’re usually a lot more self-motivated so it feels more collegiate,” Thomas said.
Featuring varying ages, life experiences and a shared desire to graduate, the school has developed a culture devoid of the drama or conflicts in most high school hallways and classrooms.
In addition to its credit recovery and credit acceleration model, Discovery’s designation as an alternative school allows it to specialize its curriculum for high-risk students while still meeting state curriculum standards.
A horror film in American literature class, a parenting course, and forensic-focused classes for math and science are among the “teacher-guided” courses that have been developed.
“When we ask for our teachers who have interest to teach night school, they step up and then they’re like, “Hey, I want to teach this. How can we do it,’” Wiggins said.
The school has also partnered with D-3’s Manufacturing Industry Learning Lab so students can earn certifications. As a result, one student has graduated and began an internship in California this year.
Tapping into something else
Senior student Ben Akin, moments after finishing his finals, and before learning he had passed,
exhibited the nerves and anxiety commonly felt during testing season. Wrapping up his third year as a senior, he admitted to falling behind in his classes earlier in high school but jumped at the opportunity to catch up.
“I really didn’t want to be a senior while I was 20 years old,” he said. “And I was running the risk of aging out, so that’s why I started taking these classes.”
The program has proven successful, according to Wiggens, who said two students who were about to drop out during its first year are now on pace to graduate this spring.
“I have one student that’s on track to be done in May who would have been on track for a year and a half if they weren’t taking these classes,” he said.
The program itself has also developed. Since its first year, when it only had half-credit classes for six weeks to Discovery students, additional classes are now offered to all D-3 high school students for full credits over nine weeks.
While the grant funding will continue the night school for the next two years, work has already been done to make the program permanent. Through other grants or greater district support, Wiggens hopes that capacity, programming and community outreach with the program will grow in years to come.
“The night school program has been an additional piece of how we want our students to be able to find success, be able to graduate, be able to enjoy their love of learning and be able to tap into something else that they may not get during the typical school day,” he said.
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