Aurora Central's Dena Joslyn-Custer Earns Prestigious Service Award

Aurora Central High School staff member Dena Joslyn-Custer is a dedicated professional who values helping those who may not know how to help themselves. Her work with exceptional students has made her a go-to resource in the field, and she recently earned the 2014 Joe Todd Annual Service Award from the Colorado Council for Exceptional Children. The award recognizes an education professional or paraprofessional who has contributed outstanding service for exceptional children in Colorado.

Congratulations, Dena on your outstanding award! Thank you for your service to APS students.

 

 

 

I love seeing how students can thrive and grow into productive young adults through the work I do with them. Social work practice in the schools is an essential component to ensuring student success.  My job is to address the social and psychological barriers that can block academic progress.  Through collaboration with families, community systems and crisis intervention ... our students can overcome the barriers to their academic success, and as a result, give themselves a better chance to succeed in school and in life.

- Dena Joslyn-Custer

 

Gateway Student Earns One of Only 40 Prestigious Boettcher Scholarships

NEWS RELEASE # 47
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gateway Student Earns One of Only 40 Prestigious Boettcher Scholarships

Brandon Thomas, a senior at Gateway High School, has been named a 2014 Boettcher Foundation Scholarship Recipient. Boettcher Scholars are awarded “full-ride” merit-based scholarships to attend a college or university in Colorado. More than 1,600 students apply each year and only 40 are awarded scholarships.

The “full-ride” scholarship Thomas has been awarded includes virtually all college expenses to attend the Colorado school of his choice: full tuition, fees, a book allowance and an annual stipend for living expenses. The award is granted for eight semesters at either a public or private four-year college or university in the state. Thomas must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.

In recent years, Boettcher Scholars averaged in the top 2 percent of their class by rank and scored 1440 on the SAT and 33 on the ACT. According to the Boettcher Foundation, a successful candidate must also demonstrate a strong potential for continued leadership and service.

“The goal of the Boettcher Scholarship program is to keep the best talent in Colorado here by connecting them with the outstanding opportunities offered by our in-state institutions,” said Tim Schultz, President and Executive Director of the Boettcher Foundation. “We know that these students will become leaders on their campuses and continue serving others with their gifts, thereby contributing to the greater Colorado community.”

Now in its 61^st year, the Boettcher Scholarship program has awarded more than 2,300 scholarships, with more than $3 million paid out each year. This places the program among the largest merit-based scholarship programs in the nation.

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303.326.2755 for more information.

Montview Math and Health Sciences Academy Recognized with Foundations for Great Schools Award

NEWS RELEASE # 40
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2014

WHAT: Montview Math and Health Sciences Academy Recognized with Foundations for Great Schools Award
WHERE: 2055 Moline St., Aurora, CO 80010

Montview Math and Health Sciences Academy Recognized by Foundations for Great Schools Award

Montview Math & Health Sciences Elementary has earned an award from Foundations for Great Schools, which recognizes and rewards outstanding success among metro-area public schools serving high proportions of students from low-income families. The school received a $35,000 grant award to support continued student achievement.

Montview is among nearly two dozen Denver metro-area public schools recognized in the Foundations for Great Schools 2014 Awards Program.  The foundation awarded a total of $500,000 in grants to schools.  Award recipients were selected from a 12-district area based on a variety of factors, including academic performance and growth, high percentage of students qualifying for the federal free and reduced lunch program, school leadership, culture, and instructional effectiveness. 

“We are pleased to recognize these schools, all of which are doing an excellent job for their students.  Each school can point to its own unique combination of success strategies that have not only helped the schools overcome a variety of challenges, but also to achieve very strong results in academic growth and performance,” said Tom Kaesemeyer, executive director of the Fox Family Foundation and spokesperson for Foundations for Great Schools. 

Foundations for Great Schools also gave an “honorable mention” grant to Aurora West College Preparatory Academy for showing strong progress and promise.

About Foundations for Great Schools

Foundations for Great Schools is a coalition of five private Colorado foundations who share a common commitment to supporting quality education in Colorado’s communities and a firm belief in learning from the successes. The foundation partners include The Anschutz Foundation, Daniels Fund, Fox Family Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, and Piton Foundation.  Learn more about Foundations for Great Schools at www.Foundationsforgreatschools.org.

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Interested media may contact the APS Communication Department
at 303-365-7805 for more information

Aurora Quest K-8 Earns 3rd Place in America Recycles Day Challenge

NEWS RELEASE #38
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2014

WHAT: Aurora Quest K-8 Recycling Challenge Recognition
WHEN: January 13, 7:55 a.m.
WHERE: Aurora Quest K-8, 17315 E. 2nd Ave., Aurora, 80011

Aurora Quest K-8 Earns 3^rd Place in America Recycles Day Challenge

USAgain, a textile recycling company based in Denver, is proud to announce that Aurora Quest K-8 has earned a third-place prize in the America Recycles Day Challenge. Representatives from USAgain will present a $500 check to the school at an assembly on Monday, January 13 at 7:55 a.m.

America Recycles Day Challenge is USAgain’s recycling competition for schools across the U.S. Participating schools collected textiles throughout the month of November in a USAgain recycling bin located on school grounds. Aurora Quest recycled an impressive 3,144 pounds of clothing and textiles.

“Aurora Quest did a great job heeding the call of textile recycling,” said Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain. “Their commitment to recycling is a great example for the community. We’re pleased to award them third prize and look forward to a bright future of recycling at the school.”

In total, over 600 schools across the U.S. participated in the seventh annual America Recycles Day Challenge, recycling a total of 198,545 pounds of clothing, shoes and other textiles. This a truly significant amount of materials recycled, as it represents over 1.3 million pounds of climate-changing CO₂ saved from entering the atmosphere.

“Aurora Quest K-8 is proud to be one of the schools participating in this program.  We value the opportunity to contribute to our community by encouraging recycling and reducing our carbon footprint,” said Dave Schoenhals, Principal of Aurora Quest. “We want to thank the PTA for arranging to have the USAgain recycling bins placed in our parking lot and challenging the Quest community to recycle.”

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Interested media may contact the APS Communication
Department at 303.365.7805. 

About USAgain

USAgain – a leader in the textile recycling industry with corporate headquarters in West Chicago, IL. – is a for-profit company that recycles and resells reusable clothing and other textiles. Its mission is to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of surplus clothing, which is diverted from landfills. In 2012, USAgain was awarded an “A” rating by the Better Business Bureau. It maintains more than 12,000 bins in 18 states.

William Smith High School Named 2014 Breakthrough School

NEWS RELEASE # 31
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2013

William Smith High School Named 2014 Breakthrough School 

MetLife Foundation and NASSP are proud to announce and celebrate William Smith High School as one of nine Breakthrough Schools recognized for strong academic success in the face of challenges that result from high student poverty rates.

William Smith will be officially recognized at NASSP’s Ignite 2014 Conference in Dallas, TX, February 6-8.

Since 2007, the MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools program showcases middle level and high schools that are high achieving or have dramatically improved student achievement while serving large numbers of students who live in poverty.

“NASSP applauds these schools for understanding the need to prioritize personalization in the classroom and working to meet the specific needs of each and every student,” said NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti. “The principals of these schools show us all that high poverty doesn’t have to mean low achievement, but that with the right leadership, sufficient time and a clear focus, urban, rural and suburban high-poverty schools can make great strides in academic achievement and overall school success.”

Selection criteria for the award are based on a school’s documented success in implementing strategies that are aligned with the three core areas of NASSP’s Breaking Ranks Framework, including collaborative leadership, personalization, and curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

These Breakthrough Schools have shown continuous growth on state assessments during at least the last three years and made progress toward reducing the achievement gap. Success in implementing the strategies is documented and verified through school site visits, including meetings with principals, teachers, students, and community leaders.

As a Breakthrough School, William Smith will receive a $5,000 grant and principal David Roll will have the opportunity to participate in Ignite ’14 and other events throughout the year to share his experience and success with other school leaders around the nation.

For more information on the Breakthrough Schools program and this year’s winners, visit www.nassp.org/breakthrough.

About NASSP

NASSP is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The association provides research-based professional development and resources, networking, and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development as well, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils.

About MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation is committed to building a secure future for individuals and communities worldwide, through a focus on empowering older adults, preparing young people and building livable communities. In education, it seeks to strengthen public schools through effective teaching and collaborative leadership, and to prepare students for access to and success in higher education, particularly during the crucial first year. The Foundation’s grantmaking is informed by findings from the annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. More information is available at www.metlife.org.

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist 
Paula Hans at 303.326.2755