$15,601 raised
100% complete
$15,000 Goal
At RMSEL, Expeditionary Learning and an innovative outdoor adventure program build critical thinking skills as students explore rigorous academics, character development, physical fitness, community awareness, and service. Your donation will allow teachers to tap into more classroom resources, expand fieldwork opportunities, enhance and add expedition content.
"RMSEL made learning feel relevant and so I became a self-motivated learner. Caring about what you learn makes pursuing more education intuitive and self-sustaining." - Tom, Class of 2006
"I have the good fortune of having both of my boys at RMSEL. I have watched my oldest grow through their Expeditionary Learning curriculum and take his learning process into his own hands. You should have seen him beaming as he showed me his final expedition project the other night-a true accomplishment." - Derek, RMSEL Parent
As a K-12 community, the mission of Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (RMSEL) is to empower students and staff to be learners, thinkers, citizens, and explorers engaged in and inspired by the real world.
For 25 years, we've embodied our motto: "We are crew, not passengers." We continue to develop learning expeditions that engage students within and outside the classroom and integrate multiple disciplines to develop critical thinking skills. Our students are scientists, urban planners, historians, and activists, investigating community problems and collaborating with peers to develop creative, actionable solutions. The skills and knowledge that students learn are applied to real-world issues and problems, teaching students how to make positive changes in their communities. Our school leaders, teachers, students, and families share rigorous expectations for quality work, achievement, and character, changing not only how students learn but also the culture.
A public school of choice, RMSEL is a vital partnership of five Denver-area school districts: Aurora, Denver, Cherry Creek, Douglas County and Littleton; and a non-profit organization actively involved in the renewal of public education: the Public Education and Business Coalition. Expeditionary Learning captures the power of Outward Bound principles and research about best practices and combines them in the classroom to promote high academic achievement and character development.
RMSEL was founded on the ideals of Outward Bound and organizes its curriculum around multidisciplinary learning expeditions. Academic achievement and character development are placed together at the core of the curriculum. Our standards-based K-12 portfolio assessment system makes explicit the criteria by which success can be measured and documents the accomplishment of high academic and character standards. We place a high value on:
• Interdisciplinary learning
• Collaborative learning
• Active engagement in real issues, content and skills
• Development and demonstrations of deep knowledge, higher-order thinking skills and effective communication
• Service and character
The school, housed in the former Ash Grove Elementary School building in southeast Denver, opened its doors to 215 students in grades K-9 on September 7, 1993. We now enroll up to 400 students in grades K-12, with an approximate mix of 189 students from Denver Public schools, 31 from Douglas County schools, 104 from Cherry Creek schools, 33 from Littleton Public schools and 30 from Aurora Public schools. RMSEL serves a socio-economically diverse population comprising 25% students of color, which reflects the diversity of the five sponsoring districts.
Break the Mold:
In the summer of 1992, the PEBC learned that Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound USA (ELOB) was one of eleven groups selected by the New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) through a highly competitive process to develop new "break the mold" designs for public education. The leadership of ELOB was in the process of identifying pilot sites to help develop and implement the expeditionary learning design.
ELOB is a national organization that continues to be involved with the Expeditionary Learning schools. Expeditionary Learning provides networking and professional development for teachers and administrators, as well as researching and disseminating what the community is learning from the EL experiment. RMSEL, as one of five original ELOB demonstration sites, functions as an EL research and development site and provides models of instructional and community practice.
Making it Happen:
The PEBC convened several of its member school districts to discuss their potential interest in participating in this national project and suggested a cross-district collaborative approach to a Colorado-based pilot site. The PEBC, with support from COBS (Colorado Outward Bound), provided leadership, vision, energy and facilitation to the effort until the normal governance structure was in place. Once the collaborative structure was sketched out, RMSEL applied and was selected though a grant process to participate as a pilot site. Governing bylaws and an intergovernmental agreement were written and signed by the five districts.
RMSEL Opens:
On September 7, 1993 RMSEL opened its doors to 215 students in grades K-9. Today, RMSEL enrolls up to 400 students in grades K-12.
Organization name
Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning
other names
Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning
1993
Tax id (EIN)
84-1240658
Category
Education
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
1700 South Holly StreetDenver County, CO, US