What do GradPlus and Ballot Measure 5A have in common?

Did you know the Boulder Chamber has identified workforce development as a priority need for local employers? Expanding career and college readiness opportunities for BVSD students will give them the credentials they need for success and will bolster our local workforce. 

What is GradPlus?

The Boulder Valley School District GradPlus program aims to expand each graduate’s skill sets by providing every student with learning opportunities and credentials that offer a head start on a career, postsecondary education, or both.

Grad Plus is intended to break down barriers between traditional academics and career and technical education, allowing students to maximize the credentials they earn across multiple quadrants. By their high school graduation, every BVSD student will complete one or more: advanced placement course, international baccalaureate course or concurrent/dual enrollment course; a seal of biliteracy; an industry certification; or an internship, apprenticeship, or other work-based learning experience.

Our investments in GradPlus

Impact on Education has been supporting BVSD in the creation and implementation of GradPlus behind the scenes for several years. For the 2022-23 school year, Impact on Education investments will support students in financial need and may include:

• Fees for students to access industry certifications
• Fees for students to take language placement tests and earn college level foreign language credits or tests so they can earn the seal of biliteracy
• Textbook and material fees for students to concurrently enroll in college level classes at CU, Metro State or Front Range Community College
• Subsidizing Front Range Community College courses being offered after school hours to BVSD students
• Fees for students to take AP or IB tests to earn college credit

How Ballot Measure 5A will support GradPlus

Our secondary schools lack learning spaces, experiences and programming to adequately prepare students for  future careers in vocational trades. BVSD must catch up to peer districts like Cherry Creek and St. Vrain Valley, whose Innovation Centers provide paid work experiences, coursework and industry certifications. In a rapidly changing world, our students are missing out on these important experiences that go beyond the traditional classroom environment. 

Ballot Measure 5A includes renovating our secondary schools, which alongside the GradPlus program will allow BVSD to continue providing the high-quality education our students deserve. Students will be able to work with educators and local companies to leverage their talents and join the skilled labor workforce immediately after high school, and they’ll also have a competitive advantage when applying for higher education. 

Allowing students to build their own path to success is important, and GradPlus enables a skills-based curriculum where students don’t have to choose between learning a skilled trade or further academic pursuits.

BEFORE YOU GO …

Impact on Education is a nonprofit organization, and we depend on our community to help us put our mission into action. We need your help to to provide opportunity and resources to 30,000 students and 4,000 educators in the Boulder Valley School District.

Four ways we’re driving change in BVSD classrooms

Over the years, we’ve catalyzed change in the Boulder Valley School District by piloting initiatives and accelerating innovation in classrooms and schools. Right now, we’re seeing four recent investments driving change for students.

Early dyslexia intervention

In 2019, BVSD was working to roll out a new phonics-based curriculum in elementary schools and begin screening Kindergarten students to identify those at risk for dyslexia, but they lacked the funds to quickly train all educators. Impact on Education, in partnership with Boulder Valley Kids Identified with Dyslexia (BVKID), stepped in to fund professional development and training for 46 BVSD interventionists and classroom educators.

The training took place in the summer of 2020 and meant that during the 2020-21 school year, every school in BVSD had at least one interventionist who was trained in the Orton Gillingham approach to better support students. In 2021, IOE also supplemented BVSD’s educator training, but we are pleased to share that this summer, BVSD made their biggest investment to date for this critical training opportunity by funding 85 elementary educators to participate in the training.

Helping students catch up on reading and math

Every student experienced disrupted learning in 2020 and 2021, and many now need extra support with their reading and math skills.

Last year, we partnered with BVSD to invest in the Really Great Reading curriculum to help students build foundation skills in reading, and students made wonderful progress:

• 285 students in eight schools used the curriculum
• 12 teachers were trained and provided materials for implementation
• Students who used RGR were almost twice as likely to improve their reading skills

To catch students up on math skills, we funded licenses for IXL Math at several BVSD schools during the 2021-22 school year. The original request came through our Academic Opportunity Fund and was quickly adopted across the district leading to impressive results:

• 5274 students in 23 schools used the program
• Students answered over 1,107,520 answered questions
• 33,808 skills were mastered and 64,770 skills deemed proficient

Seeing the success of these investments, BVSD is now funding the Really Great Reading curriculum more broadly throughout the district and paying for IXL Math access for all middle school students for the 2022-23 school year.

Preparing students for their futures

Beginning in 2019, we have worked in partnership with BVSD and external experts to build a vision of how to better prepare students for their futures. BVSD’s new GradPlus initiative is a direct result of the $40,000 investment we made to move this work forward and ensure BVSD has a solid roadmap and implementation plan to launch for the 2022-23 school year. GradPlus is a game changer in how BVSD will prepare students for their future and will make it far easier for students to gain credentials, work experience and post-secondary credit towards degrees while still in high school.

Driving change in BVSD

Catalytic change is one of our core values and it’s something we strive to do wherever possible. By investing in new tools for learning we’re providing new opportunities for students of all ages to see success in school.

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BEFORE YOU GO …

Impact on Education is a nonprofit organization, and we depend on our community to help us put our mission into action. We need your help to to provide opportunity and resources to 30,000 students and 4,000 educators of the Boulder Valley School District.

Announcing our 2022 college scholarship awardees

We’re excited to share that we’ve awarded $40,000 in scholarships to seven graduating high school seniors in BVSD. Applications were reviewed by a group of trained community volunteers, and student winners were selected based upon their academic achievement, financial need, and other eligibility requirements.

“This year we saw a deep field of scholarship applicants filled with students on their way to doing great things. We’re grateful to our scholarship review team for taking the time to learn about each applicant and make some tough decisions. Each applicant embodied a student empowered to soar and we’re proud to support our awardees as they take the next steps on their education journey.”

—Matt Tebo, IOE Program Manager

Our newest Earl & Barbara Bolton Scholarship, is awarded from a $500,000 endowment left to Impact on Education by its namesake. The couple grew up in Boulder County, attended Boulder Valley public schools, and were well known in the community for their love of aviation, history, education, and travel. The scholarship is intended for students planning to study engineering, forestry, nursing, or medicine in the state of Colorado.

Earl & Barbara Bolton Scholarship

The $5,000 Earl & Barbara Bolton Scholarship was awarded to Nia Sorel, a senior at Monarch High School. Nia plans to major in Integrative Physiology and Kinesiology at CU-Boulder beginning in the fall. This scholarship award is renewable for up to four years, with the potential to fund $20,000 of Nia’s college expenses.

“My fascination with biology and medicine stemmed, evoking a curiosity about what it would take to be a doctor. As my educational career continues, I crave a deeper understanding of medicine-based sciences; to interpret the human body and the effects of medical intervention.”

—Nia Sorel, 2022 Earl & Barbara Bolton Scholarship Winner

Dennie & Donna Wise Scholarship

One of Impact on Education’s longtime scholarships, the Dennie and Donna Wise Scholarship, was endowed by a former board member to support up to two students a year planning to pursue a vocational, technical, or community college education. 

A $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Jaime Ibarra, a senior at Boulder High School and to Julian Mastrine, a senior at Monarch High School. Jamie plans to attend Front Range Community College in the fall to pursue her interests in psychology and nursing, and Julian plans to study Automotive Service Management at Lincoln Tech in Denver. This scholarship award is renewable for up to two years, funding up to $2,000 of each recipient’s tuition. 

“I always want to make sure my people, and others are safe, that their mental and physical health is doing okay. I am bilingual and I can make a difference with the latino community with being able to translate and attend to Spanish speaking patients.”

—Jaime Ibarra, 2022 Dennie & Donna Wise Scholarship Winner

“I’m a young mechanic who loves a trade that’s dying. If we, as a new generation of mechanics, were able to change the whole idea around how a shop functions, then it could be a whole lot better.”

—Julian Mastrine, 2022 Dennie & Donna Wise Scholarship Winner

Additional scholarship recipients

Independent Order of Odd Fellows  – Boulder Lodge #9 Scholarship
Impact on Education administers a scholarship for the Odd Fellows Boulder Lodge #9. They are a long-established part of the Boulder community and wish to reward and assist graduating seniors in the Boulder Valley School District who demonstrate a strong commitment to their community and personal excellence. Each scholarship is renewable for up to five years, funding up to $5,000 per recipient.

This year’s awardees were Jessica Funk from Monarch High School, Gabriela Borlovan from Centaurus High School, and Amairani Chirinos from New Vista High School.

Panther Pride Excellence in Leadership
An additional award we administer, the $1,000 Panther Pride Excellence in Leadership, was awarded to Madelyn Hardee from Boulder High School.

We offer these scholarships to support Boulder Valley students in financial need who wish to pursue higher education. We’re able to provide this type of important financial support thanks to generous bequests left to the organization from local community members. If you’d like to discuss opportunities for planned giving, including bequests, gifts from a retirement account, charitable trust, or real estate, please contact darcy@impactoneducation.org.

Helping students find their purpose and build confidence

Did someone teach you how to shake hands? When to make a phone call instead of sending an email? How to feel confident in a job interview? These are a few of things students in our Career Readiness Academy have learned over the past two months.

What is the Career Readiness Academy?

We launched the pilot of our Career Readiness Academy in January 2022. This program is designed to provide 20 low-income BVSD high school students with workforce readiness skills, training, and leadership development to help prepare them for success after graduation. 

The sessions are delivered in partnership with industry and community professionals who know firsthand how the application of these skills leads to success. So far, students:

• were guided through a self-knowledge journey and exercises to find their purpose with Ross Wehner of the World Leadership School,

• learned about professional communications and networking, including best practices for emails, phone calls, texting, and tips for expanding their networks, from Royce Hauw of Goodyear and Natasha Wright of Google,

• learned and practiced new skills through an evening of mock interviews with local HR professionals who shared their wisdom and experience.

How one student described the most valuable thing they learned:

“Communication, because I didn’t realize I could make a stronger impression from just shaking someone’s hand.”

Career Readiness Participant

What other skills will participants gain?

In the remaining four workshops, Career Readiness Academy students will learn about different skill sets and what jobs they may align with, the impact of social media, and participate in workplace simulations. We’ll also be working closely with our community partners to help students line up summer employment and put all of their new skills to use.

Is your company is interested in supporting our work?
Learn about corporate partnerships >>

Thank you to our Career Readiness Academy sponsors, Anchor Point Foundation, Seagate Technology, Premier Members Credit Union, Cielo Foundation Boulder, and Google. And thank you to IOE volunteer Cathleen Kendall for leading the preparation for our mock interview session last week and the 20 volunteer business leaders who participated.

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BEFORE YOU GO …

Impact on Education is a nonprofit organization, and we depend on our community to help us put our mission into action. We support Boulder Valley public school students with community funding and resources in order to meet critical needs and eliminate opportunity gaps. Your support keeps us going strong and your donation will help us equalize opportunity, bolster academic success for local students.

We’re excited to announce our new Career Readiness Academy! This program will provide low-income BVSD high school students with workforce readiness skills, training, and leadership development to help prepare them for post-secondary success. 

10th and 11th grade students with an openness to learn, explore and share will be admitted into the first cohort, launching in January 2022. Priority is being given to students facing financial hardship.

Why we’re launching this program

The Career Readiness Academy workshops are designed to introduce and develop critical skills found essential yet lacking in job applicants. The sessions will be delivered in partnership with industry and community professionals who know firsthand how the application of these skills can lead to post-secondary success.

51% of the members of the Society for Human Resources believe education systems have done little or nothing to address the soft skills shortage.

What students will learn

The students will attend a series of professional development workshops focusing on key career readiness competencies that employers value, including: critical thinking and problem solving, teamwork and collaboration, professionalism and work ethic, and oral and written communications. Staff will also help students line up summer jobs that align with their interests and goals.

The students enrolled in the Career Readiness Academy will:

• gain knowledge about post-secondary options and possible paths
• gain knowledge of and experience with professional (soft) skills
• build self-confidence and self-knowledge
• gain real-world job experience 
• earn valuable skills and a $250 stipend

One of the key focus areas of our work is college and career readiness. In addition to providing college scholarships, this new Career Readiness Academy will be a key initiative for helping students find success after graduation. 

To move through life both professionally and personally, you have to be a good people person.

Yancey Spruill, CEO DigitalOcean

What I Know Now: Yancey Spruill, CEO DigitalOcean

Student Advisory Board Member Noah had the opportunity to speak with Yancey Spruill, CEO of DigitalOcean, just before he graduated from high school. Yancey shared insights from his education and his professional journey from engineer to Wall Street to working in technology. Tune into our latest episode of What I Know Now to hear these highlights and more from Yancey’s interview: 

• using statistics for assessing risk in his day to day life
• the importance of always learning and growing
• the benefits flexibility brings to work and learning environments
• his perspective on issues of race and class

About Yancey Spruill
As Chief Executive Officer, Yancey drives the overall strategy for DigitalOcean leading the company through its next phase of profitable growth. He brings a wealth of technical, financial, and leadership experience and spent the last 15 years in senior executive roles at technology companies including SendGrid and DigitalGlobe. Yancey started his career working as a manufacturing engineer at Corning Incorporated and The Clorox Company. He also has extensive investment banking experience focused on mergers and acquisitions at JPMorgan, Lehman Brothers, and Thomas Weisel Partners. More about Yancey >>

About the Student Advisory Board
Our Student Advisory Board (SAB) is a collaborative leadership experience for Boulder Valley School District high school students. The SAB brings together 13 students enrolled in Boulder Valley’s high schools to share their perspectives in order to advise Impact on Education’s initiatives and guide our investments. More about the SAB >>

What I Know Now: Maris Herold, Boulder Police Chief

I’m a big believer that opportunity structure is the number one reason we have crime and disorder.

Boulder Police Chief, Maris Herold

Sara and Jasper, two members of our Student Advisory Board, had the opportunity to speak with Chief Maris Herold of the Boulder Police Department back in May. Prior to her 2020 appointment as Boulder Police Department’s Chief of Police, she worked for the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) for 23 years where she focused on innovative strategies to better her community and the department itself. Watch Chief Herold’s What I Know Now interview to hear more about the following highlights and more:

• How her early experiences as a social worker and psychology intake worker continue to influence her considerations for underserved populations as Police Chief 
• How her non-traditional career path from social worker to Police Chief has given her unique opportunities to understand and benefit the communities she has worked with 
• Why diverse representation and recruiting practices are critical for police departments to adopt and her own efforts in promoting diversity focused policies
• Her police reform goals for the next several decades 
• The policies Chief Herold adapted when she was first appointed in Boulder County to address police brutality and citizen accessibility in communicating with the department

About Maris Herold
First appointed as Boulder Police Chief in 2020, Chief Herold previously served as Chief at the University of Cincinnati Police Division (UCPD) and has 23 years of experience with the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD). She has an educational background in Sociology with a Bachelor’s degree from Eckerd College and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. Chief Herold has prioritized diversity-focused recruiting initiatives and officer access to enhanced technological platforms. She has been recognized for her crime reduction initiatives and was awarded the 2017 Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem Oriented Policing for her work at CPD. Learn more >>

About the Student Advisory Board
Our Student Advisory Board (SAB) is a collaborative leadership experience for Boulder Valley School District high school students. The SAB brings together students enrolled in Boulder Valley’s 13 high schools to share their perspectives in order to advise Impact on Education’s initiatives and guide our investments. More about the SAB >>

“It doesn’t have to be familiar, it doesn’t have to be safe all the time. I can go and take these risks and grow as a person.”

Shaz Zamore, ATLAS Institute

What I Know Now: Shaz Zamore, ATLAS

Dr. Zamore (they/them) obtained their PhD in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University of Washington Seattle in 2015 and is currently an ATLAS Instructor with the University of Colorado. Their work combines a background in neurobiology and neuroengineering and their drive and focus for diverse social engagement. Our Student Advisory Board members, Emery and Paul, had the opportunity to interview Dr. Z, and here are a few highlights from our latest episode of What I Know Now:

• How their experiences with math in early academic spaces and dislike of the subject ended up becoming a critical skill in their career and post student life. 
• Discussing how safety is not always congruent with manifesting personal growth, which is why they encourage students to take risks and explore nontraditional opportunities in high school to diversify and better your academic and extracurricular experiences. 
• Perspectives on how the pandemic will affect academia in the long-term, they note the incredible power online learning has to promote more accessible and flexible education. 

About Dr. Shaz Zamore 
Dr. Shaz Zamore (they/them) is an ATLAS instructor and STEM outreach coordinator at the University of Colorado. Their interests span a range of scientific promise from creating accessible science and education outreach with a focus on neurosciences, to exploring the neural network and sensations of animals. Dr. Zamore is a first generation American who is heavily invested in outreach and inclusion. 

About the Student Advisory Board
Our Student Advisory Board (SAB) is a collaborative leadership experience for Boulder Valley School District high school students. The SAB brings together students enrolled in Boulder Valley’s 13 high schools to share their perspectives in order to advise Impact on Education’s initiatives and guide our investments. More about the SAB >>

“Unconscious bias is huge. How do we address unconscious bias in the culture in our organizations? How do we make our workplace more equitable?”

Dr. Everette Joseph

What I Know Now: Dr. Everette Joseph, Director of NCAR

Student Advisory Board Members Lindsey and James had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Everette Joseph, Director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Prior to his work at NCAR, Dr. Joseph was the Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center at the University of Albany, where he co-led the New York State Mesonet, providing direction for advanced weather detection. Dr. Joseph was also the Director of Howard University’s Program in Atmospheric Sciences. Tune into our latest episode of What I Know Now to hear these and more highlights from Dr. Joseph’s interview: 

• How an interest in aviation and enjoyment of science fiction helped lead him to a career in science and atmospheric research
• Funny stories from his field research in Africa
• The importance of a global education and why he values interdisciplinary collaboration between a wide range of fields for the purpose of accessible communication of knowledge
• How NCAR is working to increase the participation of and recruitment of underrepresented minorities
• How he addresses unconscious bias in his hiring practices
• Questions he uses to challenge himself and his employees

About Dr. Everette Joseph
Everette Joseph became the Director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 2019 after leading the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center at the University of Albany. Dr. Joseph originally received his Ph.D in Physics from the University of Albany with an emphasis on atmospheric science. Since 2014, he has remained a Board member of the Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine alongside his roles as principal investigator of over $90 million of research projects and grants from a range of national research organizations. More about Dr. Joseph >>

About the Student Advisory Board
Our Student Advisory Board (SAB) is a collaborative leadership experience for Boulder Valley School District high school students. The SAB brings together students enrolled in Boulder Valley’s 13 high schools to share their perspectives in order to advise Impact on Education’s initiatives and guide our investments. More about the SAB >>

“As students, we have to start asking the really important question of who’s making the decisions for us.”

Marta Loachamin

What I Know Now: Marta Loachamin, Boulder County Commissioner

Marta Loachamin was elected to the Board of County Commissioners in 2020 and is the first Latina to hold the office in Boulder County. Marta is a long-time Longmont resident who has worked for social, economic, and housing justice by building opportunities for families throughout Boulder County and the Front Range.

Audrey and Bella from our Student Advisory Board joined Marta for a virtual interview in which you’ll learn:

• How her experiences as a student and former educator helped her find both confidence and success. 
• How she connects the dots between student experiences in our community and local government.
• Why she influences and campaigns for diversity and advises our students to do the same.

About Marta Loachamin

Marta was elected to the Board of County Commissioners in 2020, with a term continuing through January 2025, representing District 2. More about Marta >>

About the Student Advisory Board

Our Student Advisory Board (SAB) is a collaborative leadership experience for Boulder Valley School District high school students. The SAB brings together students enrolled in Boulder Valley’s 13 high schools to share their perspectives in order to advise Impact on Education’s initiatives and guide our investments. More about the SAB >>

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