Back to School Bus Tour Aug. 15-16
Grand Junction, CO - Members of the media are invited to hop on a bright yellow school bus and head back to school with D51 Superintendent Brian Hill, School Board members and other district leaders while visiting D51 schools on the first Monday and Tuesday of the 2022-23 school year!
The bus tour will visit the following schools.
Bookcliff Middle School
Bookcliff Middle School is home to both a traditional middle school and the middle school wing of Dual Immersion Academy. Dual Immersion blends students from English-dominant households and Spanish-dominant households and teaches them in both languages through eighth-grade as the students work toward the 8th grade Seal of Biliteracy.
Central High School
Central High School, home of the Warriors, is the first Nationally Certified STEM Campus in Colorado (N.I.S.E) and the first school in the district (and the seventh school in the state) to house a P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) program. Students in Central's STEM program take specific courses to help prepare them for careers in science, technology, engineering, or math and can receive a specific STEM diploma. CHS P-TECH students have the opportunity to earn an associate's degree in a STEM field without their families having to pay a cent for tuition. The school focuses on teaching strategies and opportunities for all students to flourish in STEM careers.
Chatfield Elementary School
In 2019, Chatfield received a School Performance Frameworks grade of Turnaround from the state, meaning the school had to create a turnaround plan to improve student test performance and growth within five years. Through thoughtful planning, goal setting, research and positive changes, Chatfield rose to the challenge and received the top score possible for School Performance Frameworks - Performance - in 2021.
Monument Ridge Elementary School
Monument Ridge is the newest school in District 51. Opened in August 2020, Monument Ridge is the 25th elementary school in the district and serves more than 300 students in the north Fruita area. The new school features an open concept library, a comprehensive computer lab, and lots of natural light. The building was funded through project savings from the 2017 Bond Measure. Funding also came from bond dollars no longer needed for the new Orchard Mesa Middle School due to a BEST grant the district earned after the passage of the 2017 Bond Measure.
New Emerson School
New Emerson is a magnet school that elementary students from across the district can apply to attend. Students are picked from a lottery system. The school has a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) focus and emphasizes hands-on learning, inquiry-based instruction, student collaboration, and project-based learning. The school just opened a STEM-themed playground.
R-5 High School
The tour stop at R-5 will be for a check presentation from Stuff the Bus to each D51 high school, with the money going toward school supplies for high school families in need. R-5 is an alternative option for high school students between the ages of 16 and 21 who want to attend school in a smaller setting and take a self-paced learning approach to education. The school also has a Young Parent Program for students who are pregnant or have young children.
Tope Elementary
Following a year of celebrating the school's 80th anniversary, Tope Elementary School is ready for another special year of learning. Tope has STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) programming that flourishes in the school's Makerspace and students regularly engage in project-based learning, where they pick a problem in the community, research the problem, invent a solution to the problem, and present their idea to a panel of adult judges.
Western Colorado Community College
While not a D51 school, WCCC is being included on this tour to highlight the strong partnership between District 51 and WCCC and Colorado Mesa University. Last year, more than 800 students participated in concurrent enrollment classes through CMU or WCCC, and P-TECH students at Central, Grand Junction High School, and the D51 Career Center can earn an associate's degree at WCCC before they graduate high school.