Sarah Heller is my daughter. She is strong, sensitive, independent, driven and highly artistic. In 2009 at the age of 11, she approached her father and I requesting to audition for Denver School for the Arts. I was surprised and delighted, but a bit apprehensive. She was going into 7th grade at the time, had been in one of the smaller Jefferson County Elementary Schools and now wanted to jump into an entirely new system. We wanted to support her in her path so we agreed.
She auditioned for the dance track and was accepted into the program. For the first several months things seemed to be working well, she didn't mind getting up at 5:00 each morning and going to bed at 10:00 every night. Towards the end of her 7th grade year, she started voicing some concerns; the hour drive both ways was taking up a lot of time, she felt overwhelmed with all of the requirements, she didn't feel a sense of community, she was beginning to hate dance. As a dance educator myself, I had vetted the staff and loved them, I had seen the school and loved it. I knew the schedule was grueling, but something still wasn't connecting for her and I couldn't work out exactly what it was.
She was there for two years, following her 8th grade year, she returned to the Jeffco School District. She started her 9th grade year at Bear Creek High School and went full-time. Half way through the year she broke down and stated that she wanted to do online school. I was worried, my beautiful artist was closing herself deep within an elusive but very defined shell. I encouraged her to try doing a hybrid set up where she could still go to Bear Creek half of the time and do the rest of her classes on-line through Jeffco Virtual. She agreed. By the time she finished her 11th grade year, she had completely pulled out of a bricks and mortar setting and was only doing online. Towards the end of the spring semester she sat me down and asked the following question, "Mom, this will be my senior year and I want you to start a program for me up at the dance studio!"
WOW, my mind was blown....as a state certified educator, with my master's in education, I was well positioned to fulfill her request but I was already maxed.....running a dance studio, teaching at a local community college, and developing dance curriculum at the state level. As a mother, my heart was breaking, I could tell she was deeply unhappy and although I was busy, I would find a way to fulfill her request. I reaching out to the dance studio community to see if there were any other students who were looking for an alternative education. Immediately three of the advanced dancers and their families stepped forward.
I didn't have a plan, but I had a burning desire to find an educational solution. I started to identify the academic and artistic pieces that I felt a program of this nature should have. I looked into a variety of online options and contacted a bunch of artists within my own network. Everyone was willing to help, but the development of a new program like this was basically the foundation of a new charter school and I only had the summer to pull this together. It became clear very quickly that I needed to find an alternative.
Flying back on the plane from a teacher's seminar in New York the answer struck me like a bolt of lightning. Ask Stephen Wynne what he does! Stephen, was a fellow Co-DEO (Colorado Dance Education Organization) board member. I had no idea how this was going to help but I didn't argue. I was scheduled to lead a meeting about endorsement for K-12 teachers and he was scheduled to be at that meeting. So after the meeting I asked him.....what do you do?
He explained to me that he was working with a small Colorado School District in order to create a new type of school. The school would be named Arts Immersion. It's structure would be very different from the traditional bricks and mortar structure. It would also be different from the traditional online structure. Arts Immersion would be a hybrid. Although it would be considered an online school by the state, it would have educational centers set up all over the state in different districts. These educational centers would allow students to do specific site based classes in both arts electives and arts core. These centers would also provide students with academic advising, life coaching, tutoring and a place to interact with their peers. Arts Immersion was slated to serve grades 6-12, be accredited and have completely FREE tuition. My first thought....a dream come true, where do I sign up. My second thought.....is this type of set up actually possible?
Arts Immersion in Conifer holds classes during the school year in Conifer at 26437 Conifer Rd, Conifer CO 80433.
Tune in next month for Art Immersions: The pilot year!
https://youtu.be/RwzSEosrZY4
Please feel free to reach us at: www.artsimmersion.net or call Danielle Heller at 303-518-2974
We will also be at King Soopers in Aspen Park on Saturday, June 18th from 10:00-2:00.
