In 2004, DPS Cole Middle School became the first and only school in Colorado to be “Taken Over” by the Colorado Department of Education. Following state law, the Board of Education awarded a contract to a charter school management organization with the hope they could turn things around. But three years later, the CMO ended the contract, handed control of the school back to DPS having not achieved the success it promised.

For years, families who lived in the neighborhood around Cole didn’t have a quality school choice. That’s why we were honored in 2010 when the community invited DSST to open a school on this historic campus.  We honored to receive this invitation and wanted to honor the parents hopes that we could provide a world-class education to students who wouldn’t have access to it otherwise. 

 

Seven years later, it is very gratifying to celebrate that all 78 students in DSST: Cole High School’s Class of 2018 have earned acceptance into a college or university. Many of these students started with us as sixth graders at the middle school when it opened. Their accomplishment speaks to the power determination of our teachers, staff, students and families.

 

These seniors received acceptance letters from across the nation, including Stanford University, the University of Denver, Colorado School of Mines, the University of Southern California, and the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as other schools across Colorado and the nation. 

 

Of Cole’s seniors, 59% are Latino, 23% are African American, and 12% Caucasian; and 71% of the student body is FRL-eligible. Additionally, 56% of the Class of 2018 will be first-generation college students. They remind us of the power of an integrated student body and why our city needs to look at ways to reverse the current hypersegregation in schools.

 

This is just the first step for these seniors. Like our other graduating seniors, DSST will continue to support them so they go on to enroll and graduate from college. 

 

We should all take the time to appreciate the historical significance of the Cole community’s accomplishment. Congratulations, Dragons! I look forward to celebrating future accomplishments of the Class of 2018 and their younger peers in the years to come.