Dennison Elementary earns 2nd Blue Ribbon Award

Alex McNa | December 9, 2010 | 0 Comments

Six Colorado schools were recently awarded the U.S. Department of Education’s prestigious Blue Ribbon Award. These schools represent outstanding academic achievement in Colorado and across the nation and share this honor with only 304 schools nationwide. These schools are symbols of high achievement and set the bar for academic progress and achievement as well, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
This year’s Blue Ribbon schools in Colorado are: Colorado Springs Christian Middle School, Colorado Springs; Dennison Elementary School, Lakewood; Douglas Elementary School, Boulder; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, Colorado Springs; Orchard Avenue Elementary School, Grand Junction; and Pine Grove Elementary School, Parker.

Dennison Elementary School, a charter school, is the only Colorado school that has received the Blue Ribbon Award twice, both times for sustaining high achievement over time. The last time the received the award was in 2003. Earlier this week, EdNewsParent had a chance to drop by Dennison to meet with Principal Kathleen Krieger and a couple of teachers to get an inside look at what has made this school so successful over the years. (In the interest of full disclosure, the author is a Dennison alumnus). Watch this short video.

Dennison Community Support Fund Apex Night

Blue Ribbon winners not once, but Twice!

Colorado wind chill couldn’t stop these Eagles!

Accepting the Blue Ribbon School award were (R-to-L) Principal Kathleen Kreiger, and student body council co-chairs, Charlie Doebbler and Bryce Lorenz. Department representative Helen Littlejohn is on the left.

Dennison uses community support and data-driven decisions to take home a second Blue Ribbon!
The windy 37-degree weather didn’t chill the spirits of 600 Dennison Elementary School Eagles yesterday as they celebrated their second Blue Ribbon School award this decade. Students, staff, parents, and community supporters of the Lakewood, Colo., school huddled in the outdoor stadium, warmed by the energy of enthusiastic applause and acknowledgements for their school’s incredible accomplishment.
“There are really three components at work here,” explained Principal Kathleen Kreiger, who has headed the school for the past nine years. “We would not have achieved this award without our amazing staff, parents, and of course our STUDENTS!”
Noting that the award is really a community accolade, Ms. Kreiger gave credit to the hard work by the entire staff – teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff. “This really belongs to all of us,” she said, before presenting certificates of thanks to each person on the staff. “I am so proud of all of you!” she said. Click here to view video of the Blue Ribbon ceremony at Dennison.
The staff at Dennison attributed their success to continually analyzing formal and informal student data to inform their instruction and keep students on target for achieving at least grade-level proficiency in all content areas. The Dennison instructional model includes:

• Systemic and systematic programming in all content areas;
• Self-contained classrooms with an emphasis on whole group instruction;
• Open Court Reading Program emphasizing phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and comprehension;
• An emphasis on both basic skills and higher-level thinking skills;
• A “specials” program that includes art, music, physical education, and computer instruction.