MEDIA ADVISORY
For Sept. 12, 2019
Press Contacts:
Corey Christiansen (APS) | cpchristiansen@aurorak12.org | 720-591-0140
Stefanie Gilary (AST) | Stefanie.Gilary@scienceandtech.org | 914-960-6079
AURORA, CO – A groundbreaking partnership between Aurora Public Schools (APS) and Aurora Science & Tech (AST) will give APS students the opportunity to learn and work on a world-class medical campus. Join us as we break ground on a new school building for AST, the first DSST Public Schools campus in Aurora.
The grades 6-12 school will be located on the Fitzsimons Innovation Campus and will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Thanks to its proximity to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, this partnership will provide students with a multitude of real-world science and research opportunities.
A few weeks ago, AST welcomed its founding class of 6th graders to a temporary location. It will move into its permanent facility in fall 2020 and add a new grade each year. Students living in northwest Aurora will be given preference for enrollment. Then, enrollment will open up to other APS students. DSST Public Schools has operated some of Denver’s best public schools for over 15 years and AST will be its first school in a district outside of Denver.
WHAT: Aurora Science & Tech Groundbreaking Celebration / Light refreshments will be served
WHEN: Thursday, September 12th at 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: 2540 N. Scranton Ct, Aurora, CO 80045 / Shuttles will be provided from the parking lot to the event tent
WHO: Donors, Educators, Students & Families of AST and APS
SPEAKERS:
Marques Ivey, Aurora Public Schools Board of Education President
Bill Kurtz, DSST Public Schools CEO
Scott Arthur, Vice Chancellor of Advancement, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Peter Sherman, AST Founding School Director
Cassandra Maynard, AST 6th Grader
Photo/Video Oppt: Upon request we will ensure that media has the opportunity to take photographs, videotape the event and interview students and staff – please call Stefanie Gilary at 914.960.6079.
About Aurora Public Schools
Aurora Public Schools is the fifth largest school district in Colorado. APS serves approximately 40,000 students and includes more than 60 schools. It is one of the most diverse districts in the state with students from more than 130 countries who speak over 160 languages. Over the past several years, APS has made noteworthy improvements in graduation rates, dropout rates and overall student growth and achievement. In fact, since 2013, APS graduation rates have increased by nearly 25%. During that same period of time, its dropout rate has sharply declined from 4.8% to 2.6%. APS 2020 is the district's strategic plan, which includes three strategic goals: 1) Every APS student will have a plan for his or her future, 2) Every student will have a set of skills to implement his or her plan and 3) Every student will have credentials that open doors. It is the district's vision that every student shapes a successful future.
About DSST Public Schools
DSST Public Schools (DSST) operates a network of STEM middle and high schools in Denver and Aurora, Colorado. For the 2019-20 school year, DSST will serve over 6,300 students at fifteen schools across ten campuses on behalf of Denver Public Schools and Aurora Public Schools. All DSST students enroll via an open lottery--there are no other admissions criteria. DSST believes students are best served by integrated public schools that reflect the diversity of their community--over 70 percent of DSST students are students of color and more than 60 percent qualify for free or reduced price lunch. DSST’s current growth plan envisions opening three additional schools in each of the districts it currently serves, resulting in a network at full buildout of 21 schools across 12 campuses serving over 10,000 students. Since DSST’s inception in 2004, every DSST high school graduate has been accepted to a four-year college or university.
