DSST Public Schools Receives Award For Excellence from El Pomar Foundation

For Release on:  September 23, 2011          

Contact:  Christine Nelson, 303-524-6322, nelson.christine@dsstpublicschools.org                                             

 

DSST Public Schools Receives Award for Excellence from El Pomar Foundation

 

DENVER –DSST Public Schools (DSST) announced today that it has received the Charles L. Tutt Award for Excellence in Education from the El Pomar Foundation for 2011. The award, announced at a presentation ceremony in Black Hawk, Colorado on Sept 19, comes with a $25,000 grant.  

 

“DSST Public Schools is thrilled and humbled to be recognized as a recipient of this prestigious award.  DSST is an organization that is committed to extraordinary excellence for our students in the context of a values-driven culture.  We are grateful that the El Pomar Foundation believes in our work on behalf of Colorado children,” said Bill Kurtz, CEO of DSST Public Schools.

 

In total, seven organizations and three individuals were honored by El Pomar and $215,000 was granted.  The complete list of 2011 awards can be found at http://www.elpomar.org/news/118.

 

Awards for Excellence, a program directed by Colorado Springs-based El Pomar Foundation, annually recognizes the state’s highest performing nonprofit organizations.  Since its inception in 1989, the program has awarded more than $4.8 million in grants to more than 400 different nonprofit organizations throughout the state.

 

About DSST Public Schools

DSST Public Schools (DSST) operates open-enrollment STEM charter schools and is part of the Denver Public Schools (DPS) district. DSST currently serves approximately 1,500 students with five schools on three campuses. DSST has been approved to open five additional schools on three campuses over the next five years. At full enrollment, DSST Public Schools will serve over 4,400 students, and will nearly double the number of four-year college-ready DPS graduates by 2020.

 

DSST Public Schools was founded as the Denver School of Science and Technology in 2001 and the founding campus at Stapleton opened in 2004. DSST: Stapleton serves students from all parts of Denver with a student population of 65% minority and 45% low income. At DSST’s second campus, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, the student population is 83% minority and 60% low income. DSST opened its 3rd campus at Cole K-8 in the Whittier neighborhood on July 5, 2011.

 

DSST: Stapleton is widely considered to be one of the leading open enrollment STEM schools (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in the U.S. and has become a destination for educators nationwide. DSST: Stapleton has consistently been the highest performing high school in DPS, based on growth and absolute performance. DSST: Stapleton’s first four graduating classes earned 100% acceptances into four-year colleges. DSST: Stapleton Middle School was one of six middle schools nationally to earn an EPIC award for outstanding student growth and achievement results.

 

Students are selected to attend DSST through a random lottery; there are no admissions criteria. Additional information about DSST Public Schools is available at www.dsstpublicschools.org.

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