News Archive

My daughter Ella is coming to the end of her junior year in college. With senior year on the horizon and the pressure to land that first job, there is a growing sense of anxiety. This is not unlike what I experienced last year before my son’s graduation, except now my concern grows with every article I read on the plight of the college graduate. There have been other generations who have felt the pinch of entering the job market during a recession or a pandemic, but this moment feels different because of the unknown impact of AI. 

It’s another day in Mr. Jeff Wolkoff’s history class, but when you walk into his classroom, students are not sitting behind desks. Instead, they are spread out across campus, in conference rooms and quiet corners, reviewing notes and preparing to record. In small groups, they are creating podcasts focused on ideas they are passionate about and changes they hope to see within the Graland community.

In Grade 5 science, students explored the rock cycle not just by studying it, but by demonstrating what they learned through a project that blended scientific knowledge with creative expression. Each student was required to represent all 10 stages of the rock cycle, including the three main types of rock and their variations, while choosing a format that best showcased their thinking. The result was a wide range of projects, from raps and comic books to board games, fashion designs, videos, and even choreographed performances.

Each May, Grade 1 students at Graland open their classroom stores, the culminating project of their yearlong study of neighborhoods and communities. On opening day, classrooms transform into bustling shops, from plant stores and pet shops to arcades and bookstores. Doors are propped open, and students eagerly welcome visitors inside, ready to showcase what they’ve created.

As a fifth-grade language arts teacher, I’m always looking for ways to bring real-world learning into the classroom. Today’s learners seek purpose and authenticity, and they want to know that their ideas matter beyond the page. When Grade 5 writers share their thinking, perform their work, and present to real audiences, the experience becomes more meaningful and memorable.

Horizons Graland is a tuition-free academic and enrichment program for Denver area public school students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Held on Graland’s campus, the six-week summer experience combines rigorous, project-based academics with enrichment opportunities like swimming, field trips, and community-building events. The program also offers year-round engagement through Super Saturday gatherings.

The library has always been viewed as a place where students come to find answers. Today, it is a place where students learn to question them. In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) can generate responses within seconds, this need to question is especially important. AI is an “arrival technology” (Eric Hudson, AI Education Consultant), fundamentally reshaping how we learn, work, and create. In this moment of rapid transformation, the work of teaching must evolve. Strong, well-crafted student work still matters, but it is no longer enough on its own. We, as educators, need to understand not only what our students know but how they think and how they got there, and create opportunities for that thinking to be detectable. This is where an authentic voice becomes essential.

Graland Theatre Company students in Grades 7 and 8 recently brought “Beekle” to the stage, taking on roles both on stage and behind the scenes.

Eggs-tra, eggs-tra, read all about it! Baby chicks have officially hatched in Grade 1.

Grade 6 students recently put their engineering skills to the test during the Recycled Roadshow in science with Mr. Aaron Murray.

After months of raising trout in the classroom, Grade 4 students completed the Trout in the Classroom experience with a release day at River Run Park on Earth Day.

Throughout the year, students have cared for hydroponic Tower Gardens across campus, planting seeds, monitoring water and nutrient levels, and tracking plant growth. The work connects to lessons on sustainability, food systems, and access to fresh produce, while also building responsibility and ownership.

In preparation for their upcoming Rodeo, Kindergarten students explored a new Tinker Time project with Lower School Innovation Specialist Mrs. Elizabeth Leddy.

In Grade 5 history with Mr. Mike Willis and English with Ms. Kimm Lucas, students recently brought their study of ancient Greece to life through a cross-curricular project.

After completing the book "Because of Winn-Dixie," Grade 3 students celebrated the end of their reading unit with a party inspired by the story.

In Grade 8 history with Mr. Ben Simmons, students recently concluded their unit on World War I, the Great Depression, and the New Deal with a stock market simulation.

In science with Mrs. Sarah Jackson, Grade 2 students recently took on an engineering design challenge to create a knee brace.

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.

As part of their weather unit, students in Ms. Sara Flansburg’s preschool class recently explored the water cycle through a cloud experiment in the classroom.

More than 60 student inventions were on display during this year’s Gates Invention and Innovation Expo, as students in Grades 5–8 shared their ideas, designs, and problem-solving skills with the community.

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

In science with Mr. Steve Collins, Grade 7 students recently began their study of biology by exploring a foundational question: what makes something alive?

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.