Alexander Dawson School (Lafayette, Colorado)
Dawson School is an independent, private, co-educational, college preparatory day school founded in 1970. Located in Lafayette, Colorado, the school serves children from kindergarten through twelfth grade) in Lower, Middle, and Upper School on a campus of.
History
In 1967, Girard B. Henderson established the Colorado Junior Republic School at Stapps Lake, Colorado. The school started as a summer school for underprivileged children. In 1970, it expanded into a year-round school, and then converted to a college preparatory program.Early years
In 1970, the school moved to Lafayette. Colorado, where construction began on several new buildings. An industrious student body, "citizens" attended class, worked the farm and ranch, prepared meals, built structures, flew airplanes, and ran athletic and theatrical programs.In 1980, the school changed its name to Alexander Dawson School in honor of Henderson's father, Alexander Dawson Henderson. Responding to increasing demand for a rigorous academic program, the school developed into a college preparatory independent school.
In the 1990s, the school grew from 26 students in grades 7-12 to a population of 386, grades K-12, and was now an independent day school.
2000–present
Athletic programs became more competitive; today, most sports participate in post-season play, and the school has earned numerous district, regional, and state trophies. Mandarin was added to the world languages curriculum in 2007, and two years later, the language immersion program expanded into China. The Speech and Debate Club launched that same year, and has earned numerous state championships, and a FIRST Robotics program launched as well.On September 6, 2000, the Alexander Dawson Foundation opened a sister school in the Summerlin, Nevada. The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain is an independent, day school with over 150 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
In 2005, Dawson School celebrated the 100th anniversary of Henderson's birthday at the school in Colorado. In 2020, Dawson School celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Today's campus
Dawson's campus includes an upper school, a middle school, and an elementary/lower school. The Athletic Center contains two gyms and a conditioning facility; The Arts Center includes a theater, dance studio, band room, and fine arts studios. In 2018, the first new construction in 20 years was seen with the opening of the Dining Commons, a multi-purpose space for dining, meetings, and events. In 2010, the previous dining space was repurposed into the Learning Commons, an updated library/student center. In 2020, the Dawson Center for Innovation opened, a 24,500 square foot building with classrooms, labs, maker space, and flexible spaces. The campus also includes cottages with classrooms, tennis courts, baseball fields, soccer and lacrosse fields, a swimming pool, learning gardens, a labyrinth, and an orchard.Academics
Students in grades Kindergarten-5th grade work in homeroom classes with the core subjects of language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science, and have 10+ hours per week of instruction in specials: art, music, physical education, library, technology skills, and Spanish. Special activities include presentations, class plays, semi-annual choral concerts, and visual arts shows. Character and life skills education begins in the Lower School, and students are given opportunities to develop self-confidence, self-worth, and respect for others.All Middle School academics incorporate a focus on four imperative skills: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. Beginning in sixth grade, students have a more departmentalized schedule, anchored by an advisory system. In addition to studying English, mathematics, history, science, and world languages, they choose arts electives -- music, computer graphics, theater, woodworking, visuals arts -- sports electives -- soccer, volleyball, cross-country, tennis, basketball, baseball, canoe & kayak, yoga, and cyclocross. There is also a range of clubs and co-curriculars from which to choose, such as Speech & Debate and Robotics. Additionally, they further their technology and media literacy skills, and have ample opportunity for experiential, outdoor education.
The class and Winterim trips are a hallmark of the Upper School experience. In addition, seniors must complete a Senior Project: Seniors spend the last weeks of their high school career in internships of their own design that expose them to career and community service possibilities for the future, and then to make an extensive presentation to faculty and peers on that experience.
Throughout all divisions, special emphasis is placed on creating a culture of inclusion, community, and mutual respect.
Experiential education
Dawson School's academic program incorporates a serious focus on experiential, outdoor education. In the Lower School, this takes the form of numerous field/overnight trips. Middle and Upper School class trips integrate curriculum with life skills, character development, citizenship, team-building, and science.During Winterim Week, students devote time to an experiential, thematic study of one topic. In grades K-4, special activities are designed for them on campus; grades five and six take week-long trips as a class. From seventh through twelfth grades, students select a week-long Winterim experience. These typically fall into one of these categories: community service, academic enhancement, technology/arts/athletic education, cultural/religious diversity awareness, environmental awareness, or wilderness adventure. International trips can focus on language, culture, and community service; they may also include ecological, cultural, historical, or wilderness adventure programs.
Faculty
Over 75 faculty members work collaboratively with over 40 additional staff to accomplish all of Dawson School's programs. Faculty are nationally recruited for their expertise in their subject areas, as well as for their diverse outside interests. Dawson faculty have an average of 17 years of experience, and 67% have, or are working on, graduate degrees.College counseling
Full-time on-site college counseling is available to all Dawson School students. Beginning in eighth grade, students are introduced to age-appropriate college admissions topics; by Upper School, time is allotted for learning about and completing the admissions process, and sophomores and juniors may participate in college visit trips during Winterim. A focus is maintained on finding the best fit for each student.Special programs
Dawson School offers a number of special programs, including extracurricular activities and summer camps as well as outreach through the Dawson Summer Initiative.Extracurricular activities
Town Council: Representatives are chosen or elected to serve on Lower, Middle, and Upper School Town Councils.Peer Leaders support the transition for ninth grade and new students into the Upper School through interpersonal relationships. There is a similar Middle School program, which trains eighth grade students to model leadership and inclusion in grades 6-8.
Clubs: Over 20 clubs function on campus, ranging from robotics, rocketry, and speech and debate, to those focused on multicultural activities, environmental awareness, and community service.
Dances: Student life on campus includes Upper School homecoming and prom, an annual Middle School dance and a Family dance in the Lower School.
Robotics and Speech and Debate: Dawson has competitive Robotics and Speech and Debate programs.
Summer camps
Dawson School offers an extensive program of summer camps, with more than 100 camps taking place on campus over eight weeks. Programs include sports camps such as soccer, tennis, volleyball, flag football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and cheerleading; arts camps such as cartooning, creative writing, performance, woodworking, and painting; technology, programming, robotics, and filmmaking camps; academic camps focused on math, science, engineering, and languages.Dawson Summer Initiative
Dawson Summer Initiative is a tuition-free, five-week program that provides enriching intellectual opportunities for high-achieving public middle school students from Boulder County and surrounding areas. Students accepted into the program pursue real-world concepts, projects, and ideas in a dynamic and respectful environment. Past themes have included Water, Epidemic, Energy, Food, Climate, and the Digital Divide. Those who successfully complete the previous summer's thematic session may attend a two-week session the following summer focusing on leadership. The programs are underwritten by the Alexander Dawson Foundation and take place on the Dawson School campus.Governance and accreditation
Dawson School is governed by a Board of Trustees: six trustees from the Alexander Dawson Foundation and four volunteer parent and alumni trustees. The board holds the school in trust, and has a fiduciary obligation to safeguard the institution and its future well-being. According to the Foundation’s charter, the board’s primary responsibilities include approving the school’s annual budget and maintaining the authority to hire and fire the Headmaster. The board also assists the school in developing long-term strategies and school policies.Alexander Dawson School is accredited by the ACIS ; they are also a member of CASE, ISM, and NAIS.