News Release
April 17, 2007
Denison Elementary Has Reason To Celebrate Earth Day: A Green Dream Comes True
Over spring break, earth movers began transforming a barren 8,000 square-foot lot of pea gravel into a native habitat and outdoor classroom at Denison Montessori Elementary School in southwest Denver. On Earth Day, April 22, students, parents, teachers and friends of Denison will gather to plant trees and shrubs native to Colorado's high plains and foothills. Part work-day, part celebration, the Denison Earth Day event will feature digging, drumming, singing, cooking, and the world's smallest green parade.
The Schoolyard Habitat and Outdoor Classroom project began in January 2006, with research and planning. In the area between the school's library and Jewell Avenue, students will learn about the environment through direct observation and hands-on involvement. Project features include an irrigation system, landscaping with native plants and, in Phase 2, a shade structure.
Since January 2006, the project has fostered a strong sense of community throughout the school. In Habitat Club, a Lights Out After School program, Denison students learn about grassland and foothill ecosystems, and conduct research about appropriate plants. Project partners helped with curriculum development, funding and project stewardship. A cadre of teachers and parents from Denison and four other Denver schools participated in the National Wildlife Federation's Schoolyard Habitat Stewardship training, and committed to seeing that the habitats established on school grounds thrive and evolve as teaching and learning tools.
"This is going to be a wonderful asset for our school," said Beth Hamilton, principal of Denison. "It's amazing what happens when you tap into a network like this. It's a great example of what a group of determined people can accomplish."
Project partners include the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Colorado Garden and Home Show, the National Wildlife Federation, Thorne Natural Science School, Project Learning Tree, Denver Public Schools, DPS Early Childhood Education and Denison Parent Organization.
Denison Montessori Elementary is a magnet school in Denver Public Schools. Denison's students are ethnically, culturally, and socio-economically diverse, and its standardized test scores are consistently among the highest in DPS. Denison is widely considered to be a national model for public Montessori education.
For more details, please contact Dixie Griffin Good, the Denison Habitat Steward at 303-521-8142. Denison Montessori is located at 1821 S. Yates Street, Denver.