Boulder Prep students get hands on with summer 'intensive' classes

Jul. 10—Boulder Prep high school students are learning math, how to use tools and even conflict resolution as they build and paint picnic tables and benches during the charter high school's "intensive" summer classes.

The project-based learning class, which also built birdhouses and ukuleles using wood kits, was created by graduation coach Dominick Walls.

"The main purpose was to give an opportunity for kids who like hands-on learning to do some real world work," he said. "It's practical math. You put them in a math class, and it's hard. You see that they know so much, but their style of learning is hands on. They can show us proficiency without taking long assessments."

He added he tried to run the weeklong class similar to a job site, helping students with conflict resolution skills when arguments arose as they worked in small groups.

"You give them a project and see what they can do," he said. "It's self discovery. The kids are really loving it."

Students at the Gunbarrel charter school enroll in a class week during the six-week summer program, allowing for more experiential opportunities and community partnerships. The school also is seeking to expand its space to make it easier to offer more experiential classes during the regular school year in response to student interest.

This summer, about 60 students are taking the intensive classes.

"With the intensives, you have more time to explore and dive deep," said Boulder Prep Headmaster Lili Adeli, who taught a botany class over the past week.

Students went on a camping trip in a "Men of Strength Training" class that focuses on sexual violence prevention, learned about lasers and explored leadership through working with horses at Lafayette's Flatirons Equestrian Center. Other classes in the final two weeks include college tours, Shakespeare and sailing through Longmont's Able to Sail.

Teacher Kenny Gillis is leading a biking class next week, starting with bike maintenance and road safety lessons before taking the group on bike rides around Gunbarrel and Boulder. The class ends with a ride to Boulder Reservoir.

"I want to give them an awareness of the road," he said.

On campus this week, students are taking classes in hiking and digital media along with botany and project based learning.

The classroom used for botany was filled with plants plus piles of fruits and vegetables students were examining under a microscope. Assisting in teaching the class was University of Colorado Boulder ecology and evolutionary biology professor Derek Sweeney, who also helps with other classes at Boulder Prep.

The botany class included a trail walk to identify plants and a field trip to CU Boulder's large greenhouse.

"CU has a lot of resources," Sweeney said. "We can show students how they can study these topics in a hands-on way and give them a look at what college is like."

Lola Clark, an incoming sophomore who lives in Lafayette, said she signed up for botany because it looked like the most interesting option for a needed science credit.

"It's been a fun class," she said. "There's a lot of information that we're learning that's interesting. You can learn a lot in a short amount of time."

In project based learning, senior Ethan Yoder, who lives in Longmont, said he struggles with traditional classes and test taking because of his ADHD.

"I'm a lot better at hands-on learning," he said. "There are a lot of hands-on options here."

He also took summer classes on creative writing and kitchen service learning, saying he prefers the one-week format.

"It's so much easier to concentrate on one thing at a time," he said.

Tamara Derryberry, a sophomore who lives in Boulder, said the intensive classes can be "draining," but also provide an opportunity to build strong connections and relationships.

"You learn a lot," she said. "It's an insane amount of knowledge."

She added that she loves the opportunity to learn about topics like equine leadership that aren't traditionally taught in high school.

"It's so nontraditional," she said. "That's what makes it so amazing."