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CEO of DSST to leave after current school year

The man who founded the DSST charter school network announced Friday that he's leaving DSST at the end of the current school.

Bill Kurtz started DSST Public Schools with a founding team of 13 staff members at Montview High School in 2003. He said he plans to leave in June to allow for plenty of time for a "well-thought-out" succession plan.

Check out the full story here.

All DSST high schools with graduating classes ranked among top 50 in Colorado

The U.S. News and World Report has released its list for the top high schools in Colorado. According to the report, U.S. News analyzed 24,980 public high schools across the U.S.

Back to School: DSST schools celebrating 20th anniversary

Denver 7 helped welcome DSST students back to school for the 2023-24 school year and the 20th anniversary! 

Check out the full story here.

DSST's annual Infusion event sparks inspiration, honors staff ahead of 2023-24 school year

On Monday, Aug. 7 DSST hosted the annual Infusion event to kick off the 2023-24 school year with some celebrations, laughs and lots of inspiration.

We honored dozens of teachers and staff who have been with DSST for more than five, 10 and 15 years as well as our alumni who now work at DSST. 

Part of the day also included Flower Person awards, which celebrate staff members who go above and beyond to spread joy and happiness wherever they go, while also exemplifying DSST's core values.

As part of the awards, staff members from each school put together a video about why they chose each winner. You can watch the middle school videos here and the high school videos here.

We are so excited to start the 23-24 school year and we know the energy, inspiration and relationships that started at Infusion will carry on throughout the year!

Click here to see all the photos from the event! 

Byers charter school changed its name to distance itself from namesake tied to the Sand Creek Massacre

Denver's 9 News did a story on the decision to change DSST: Byers to DSST: Cedar. 

Check out the full 9 news story here.

DSST school nixes namesake William Byers, Denver newspaper founder who defended Sand Creek Massacre

The Denver-based DSST charter school network is changing the name of another of its schools in a move that distances the schools from a prominent, long-deceased Denverite who held racist views.

DSST: Byers Middle and High schools will no longer bear the name of William Byers, founder of the now-closed Rocky Mountain News and a defender of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, in which U.S. soldiers attacked a peaceful camp of Cheyenne and Arapaho people on Colorado’s Eastern Plains. The schools will now be called DSST: Cedar Middle and High schools.

DSST: Byers Middle School to change name because of connections to Sand Creek Massacre

A school in Denver announced Thursday plans to change its name because of its connection to the Sand Creek Massacre.

DSST: Byers Middle School was named for William Byers, one of Denver's earliest boosters, according to a historical article on the Denver Public Library's website. He was also the founder of the Rocky Mountain News newspaper.

Popular NE Denver Youth Leadership Program Faces Uncertain Future

A small business owner has called the police because a homeless person set up a tent in front of his store and won’t leave. When the young officers arrive on the scene, they know they need to treat everyone with respect while defusing the tense situation.

“I thought it was going to be easy, but when I was supposed to react, my mind went blank,” says Nahom Amanuel. But Amanuel is not a police officer—he’s a rising sophomore at DSST: Green Valley Ranch. And the situation wasn’t real—it was part of an immersive video simulation at the Denver Police Academy.

CU Boulder alum invests in engineers of the future

Marco Campos, a University of Colorado Boulder alum and Denver entrepreneur, is giving back to local first generation and underrepresented students through fully funded scholarships and programs.

One of the programs Campos funds is for underrepresented high school students through CSU’s Walter Scott Jr. College of Engineering. Campos visited the camp to support the students while they built solar ovens to make s’mores.

Osman Ashmaig was one of the students who participated in making the solar ovens. He’s in the 10th grade at DSST: Montview. Growing up, he said he was curious at home and would build things, which is how he got interested in engineering.

Local principal learns to box for fundraiser

Denver 7 highlighted Aurora Science & Tech High School school director, Kryszelda Gorrell over the summer.

Gorrell learned to box and participated in a sanctioned boxing event for charity.