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Welcome from Principal Kim Avalos
Get to know Principal Kim Avalos and her passion for mental health in this letter to the community.
A Celebration Years in the Making
The Cherry Creek Schools community gathered to celebrate a huge milestone: the official ribbon-cutting and opening of Traverse Academy.
Did You Know?
The name, Traverse Academy, is a nod to the four great traverses in Colorado mountain climbing, representing the obstacles to overcome as one moves from one peak to the next.Traverse Calendar of Events
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all day
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Stutler Bowl 9300 E Union Ave, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
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Hamilton Gym at; Ritchie Center ~ 2240 E. Buchtel Blvd. Denver, CO 80210
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Hamilton Gym at; Ritchie Center ~ 2240 E. Buchtel Blvd. Denver, CO 80210
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Ritchie Center ~ 2240 E. Buchtel Blvd. Denver, CO 80210
What's Happening at Traverse Academy
![Eaglecrest High School students hold diplomas at graduation]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1738795930/cherrycreekschoolsorg/cpxt8in6xfuyfy1kqys2/EaglecrestGraduation2024-43-cropped.jpg","width":200}])
The Cherry Creek School District achieved its highest-ever graduation rate with an on-time (or four-year) graduation rate for the class of 2024 of 91.2%. The new graduation rate is up from 90.3% for the class of 2023 and comes as the district continues to implement the CCSD Strategic Plan, which outlines three key priorities: 1) Literacy; 2) Health and Wellbeing; and 3) Disproportionality.
![Education building]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1738794633/cherrycreekschoolsorg/wcrfto7qn3bsgsvpnm0a/DBJ-thumbnail.png","width":200}])
Another example of the power of collaboration is the recent launch of the Aspiring Educator Pathway, developed by the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) in partnership with the Community College of Aurora. According to the Colorado Department of Education’s most recently published workforce survey results, for the 2023-2024 school year, over 8,000 teaching and support staff positions needed to be filled. This represents approximately 12% of all teaching positions and 15% of all support staff positions in Colorado.
![students working at a table]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1738796036/cherrycreekschoolsorg/humjv9ggdhwdjujfo7g7/Generic.png","width":200}])
Governor Jared Polis is proposing changes to how students in Colorado are counted, in an effort to slash the education budget by $147 million for the next fiscal year. On Thursday, several district leaders and others testified at a legislative hearing hoping to convince leaders not to cut funding.
District Announcements
Funding for Cherry Creek Schools - Make your voice heard
We have been sharing information about a proposed funding cut to K-12 education and the Cherry Creek School District. We know there have been questions about school funding, how we might be impacted, and how you can take action.
The video above with Superintendent Chris Smith and Chief Financial and Operating Officer Scott Smith explains more about how these cuts to K-12 education funding would dramatically impact our students and community. Please take the time to watch the video and continue to make your voice heard. Please visit www.kidsmattertoo.org to send a letter or visit our CCSD Legislative Updates page to call CCSD lawmakers.
Mission & Vision
Mission & Vision
In Colorado, facilities that serve students in mental health crises or other severe needs have decreased significantly in recent years. In response, the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD), with money from a bond measure approved by voters in 2020, built its own therapeutic mental health facility to serve students in the district. The total cost of the project was $19 million. Through a coordinated partnership with the CU Department of Psychiatry, Traverse Academy will provide an integrated model of care offering intensive therapeutic services along with a full array of educational offerings to help students understand their mental health needs and successfully transition back to their homeschool settings. The program will offer short-term, comprehensive outpatient care aimed at supporting students and their families to learn tools and develop resiliency to manage their student’s mental health care needs and be successful in their educational journey as they find their Pathway of Purpose. The facility opened in October 2023 as the first-in-the-nation program of its kind to be built and operated by a school district.