A grant of $ 170,000 from the Daniels Fund will increase opportunities, equipment, classroom programming and other resources for students at Cherry Creek Innovation Campus.
The grant, paid to CCIC through the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation, will impact multiple learning paths in the Cherry Creek School District’s innovative facility designed to connect students with professional learning opportunities and career-oriented. The money will increase students’ access to programs that allow them to earn college credits and industry certifications, particularly in the Aviation and Health and Wellness academic tracks of CCIC.
“We are very grateful for the support of the Daniels Fund to help support, develop and enhance career and technical education opportunities for our community,” said CCIC Director Steve Day. “This support and the courses we can offer as a result are changing lives every day by providing authentic learning opportunities that directly lead to greater confidence, industry certifications and valuable professional skills. “
The grant will connect aviation students to new training equipment that simulates aircraft systems; provide an industrial grade metal shears that will connect the students to the cell’s production materials; and offer extended access to classes outside of traditional school hours, evenings and weekends. In addition, the grant money will provide additional equipment related to drone flights and airframe maintenance, all supported by teacher training.
CCIC’s health and wellness students will also benefit from the grant, as the money will be used to provide more mannequins for the school’s certified nursing program; these realistic mannequins simulate patient care for students. The money will also support virtual reality hardware and software for the school’s Behavioral Health Technician program, which provides students with a real-world applicable learning experience in a wide range of mental health scenarios.
In addition to these specific resources for aviation and health and wellness students, the money will help expand CCIC afternoon, evening and weekend classes for all students, and deliver courses to the wider community, including, but not limited to, CCSD students.
Cherry Creek Schools Foundation Executive Director Jill Henden worked closely with the Daniels Fund and CCIC staff to help secure the money, which aligns with the Daniels Fund’s broader mission of ‘Improve the quality of life for residents of Colorado and other western states through scholarships, ethics initiatives and grants.
Steve Day said that while the grant money will impact many different aspects of CCIC’s curriculum, it will serve the common good of the entire community.
“In all the different resources this grant provides, it will open the door for students and community members to have fantastic experiences in what I would call pre-industrial education,” Day said. “CCIC students have the opportunity to pursue college education and careers with significant rewards, and it’s a direct result of this type of community support.
– Submitted by Adam Goldstein, Digital Communications Specialist for the Cherry Creek School District.
