News Archive

Before my first year as head of school in August 2017, I decided to put “Carline” on my calendar as a recurring appointment from 7:45-8:15 every day. It seemed simple, a half hour each day, greeting as many students by name as possible, yet it became so much more. Each child had distinct ways of greeting me—handshakes, hugs, or high fives–and approaching me, some were full of life, several were painfully shy, one had daily jokes, another shared a weekend review, and one consistently proposed an educator-student switch day. Each of these individual interactions captivated and rejuvenated me as I engaged in the new head of school experience.

Middle School students Live the Learning through philanthropy, service, and student-led decision-making.

In painting class with Mrs. Sarah Baldwin, seventh and eighth-grade students explored art history through an innovative new medium: virtual reality.

Kindergarten students brought the spirit of the Winter Games to campus by hosting their own Kindergarten Olympics.

In Grade 4 Spanish with Señora Piedad Rodríguez, students learned about the island of Puerto Rico as part of their cultural studies.

Each year, Grade 2 students study Denver’s past and present, exploring how the city has grown and changed over time. This year, Ms. Carrie Vonderhaar’s class added a new element to the unit by learning about the National Western Stock Show and its role in Denver’s history.

As part of their pets and animals unit, students in Ms. Sara Flansburg’s class recently welcomed a special visitor: Luna, Graland’s therapy dog.

In Grade 3, students have been studying how to write persuasive paragraphs. As part of the unit, they learned the key parts of persuasive writing, including an introduction that presents a clear thesis statement, or claim, supporting reasons with details, and a strong concluding statement.

This January, in math class with Ms. Amy St. John, fourth graders designed fraction games to review fraction concepts before a test.

Ahead of their trip to Washington, D.C., this spring, seventh graders in history class with Mr. Jeff Wolkoff worked on a podcasting project focused on proposing meaningful changes to Graland.

Pre-K students recently completed a building study that invited them to explore how structures are designed, built, and used in the world around them.

In Lower School Science with Ms. Elise De Geus, kindergarteners explored an ocean unit that brought marine science to life through observation, experimentation, and play.

This January, first graders in Mrs. Lisa Ross’ class piloted the Peace Path method, a guided way for students to talk through conflicts, listen to one another, and find solutions together. Mrs. Ross learned about the Peace Path through a professional development opportunity this summer with Lower School Counselor Kathy Riley and Director of Equity and Inclusivity Oscar Gonzalez.

In Grade 5 English class with Ms. Kimm Lucas, fifth graders studied how people communicate using emojis and then proposed their own emoji designs for submission to the Unicode Consortium, the organization responsible for approving emojis used across devices and platforms.