Announcing the launch of Aurora’s first DSST high school

A note from DSST CEO, Bill Kurtz

Aurora Science & Tech High School will open its doors this fall for its first class of ninth graders. We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Aurora Public Schools and to serve the students and families of Aurora. The high school, like the middle school, will be located on the Fitzsimons Innovation Campus adjacent to the Anschutz Medical Campus, continuing the exciting partnership that allows our students on-the-ground experience in the fields of medicine, science, technology, engineering and more.

Today, I am also proud to announce Ms. Kryszelda Mendoza as the Founding School Director for Aurora Science & Tech High School.

Bringing a wealth of valuable experience, Ms. Mendoza taught high school physics in Chicago Public Schools for six years before moving to Denver to join the DSST team. She started as a Director of Curriculum and Instruction for two years at Conservatory Green Middle School, and in 2018 she won the Core Values Award for Curiosity. She then moved to serve at our Henry campus as Associate School Director, before finally landing a home at Aurora Science & Tech Middle School – first as Associate School Director then School Director in Training under mentor School Director Becca Bloch. 

Ms. Mendoza is excited to engage our students in real life science through AST’s continued partnership with the Anschutz Campus through exposure, side-by-side learning, research and mentorship. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to build a unique one-of-a-kind open-enrollment health sciences high school that will be a national model.

I'd like to thank our partners who have invested in Aurora Science & Tech High School. We are hugely grateful to Aurora Public Schools, the APS Bond Program and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for their partnership and their commitment to the students and families of Aurora. Thank you to our generous donors for their support:

• Anschutz Foundation
• Gates Family Foundation
• Gates Frontiers Fund 
• Sturm Family Foundation
• University of Colorado Anschutz
• UCHealth

I'm confident under Ms. Mendoza’s leadership in service of our students and our mission, our DSST community will continue to thrive in Aurora. I look forward to creating a world-class STEM and health science high school in the coming years.