Place-based Science Education with the Roaring Fork Conservancy

Glenwood Springs Elementary School

Glenwood Springs, CO

Requested Amount: $1000

Donation Amount: $50

We want to partner with the Roaring Fork Conservancy to offer science classes that will directly support the science curriculum for every grade level in our school.

My team wants to integrate hands-on standards-based science classes into six of our weekly expeditionary learning "Adventure Days" in order to support academic student learning in each grade level, and help classroom teachers meet their science curriculum needs. The Roaring Fork Conservancy provides quality place-based watershed science classes that align with both the Colorado academic science standards and Next Generation Science Standards, and make connections to the local rivers - Colorado River and Roaring Fork River - that we can see out our classroom windows and flow through our community. My team will work with our classroom teachers to pick a specific RFC science program for each grade level. As a school that is transitioning from a "turn-around" school to an "improvement" school, it is our goal to provide academic learning opportunities that will directly support and enhance the science curriculum for every grade level and student in our school. We believe that having our students participate in the RFC science programs will deepen their interest in science, connect them to real-world experiences, and help better prepare them for academic testing in the future.

Glenwood Springs Elementary School is an Expeditionary Learning (EL) school that has recently transitioned from a "turn-around" school to an "improvement" school. GSES has a 73% Minority Enrollment. 70.5% of our students identify as Hispanic/Latino, 1.6% identify as two or more races, 0.5% identify as African American, 0.2% identify as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 27% identify as White. 51% of our students are considered second language learners. About 10% of our students receive special education services and 60% of our students are considered economically disadvantaged.