Fall Projects
Core Memories
Classes: STEM 9 (Jack), Humanities 1 (Darryl), Spanish 1 (Silvia)
Product/Exhibition: Night light and illustrated children’s book
Community Partners: JeffCo Open School or Goldrick Elementary
Description: In this interdisciplinary project, 5280’s Humanities 1 class will partner with local elementary schools to pair freshmen with a younger reading buddy in kindergarten or 1st grade. In Humanities 1, students will analyze children’s books to identify quality criteria, write stories to develop their own authorial voice, and flesh out an idea into a complete story with kid-friendly characters, plot structure, setting, proper grammar, and vivid illustrations. In STEM 9, students will learn about electricity and circuits, soldering, and designing in Inkscape or TinkerCAD to build a functioning laser-cut or 3D-printed night light. Throughout the learning process, 5280 students will periodically meet with their reading buddies to inform the design and creation of a custom night light and illustrated storybook about one of the Spiritual Principles that will be gifted to their buddy.
The Masks We Live In
Arguing for Action
5280 Recovers
House of Horrors
Blood, Guts, and the Psychology of Fear
Step12 Productions
Multimedia Marketing and Digital Enterprise
Information is Beautiful
Classes: STEM 9 (Jack), Humanities 1 (Darryl), Spanish 1 (Silvia)
Product/Exhibition: Night light and illustrated children’s book
Community Partners: JeffCo Open School or Goldrick Elementary
Description: In this interdisciplinary project, 5280’s Humanities 1 class will partner with local elementary schools to pair freshmen with a younger reading buddy in kindergarten or 1st grade. In Humanities 1, students will analyze children’s books to identify quality criteria, write stories to develop their own authorial voice, and flesh out an idea into a complete story with kid-friendly characters, plot structure, setting, proper grammar, and vivid illustrations. In STEM 9, students will learn about electricity and circuits, soldering, and designing in Inkscape or TinkerCAD to build a functioning laser-cut or 3D-printed night light. Throughout the learning process, 5280 students will periodically meet with their reading buddies to inform the design and creation of a custom night light and illustrated storybook about one of the Spiritual Principles that will be gifted to their buddy.
The Masks We Live In
- Class: Humanities 2 (Thomas)
- Products/Exhibition: Essay on identity and socialization, painted plaster mask exhibited at Wagon Coffee
- Community Partner: Wagon Coffee, Colorado Artists in Recovery, Denver Art Museum
- Description: In this project, Humanities 2 students will do a deep dive into the academic discipline of sociology, through which sociologists investigate the relationship between individuals and their socio-cultural environments: the social forces that impact an individual’s identity and sense of self in relationship to the collective, as well as the way in which individuals can in turn shape the social systems around them. Students will ultimately write essays to reflect on their identity, create identity masks in partnership with Colorado Artists in Recovery, and design a community exhibition at Wagon Coffee to teach community members about the harmful effects of socialization and point to solutions.
Arguing for Action
- Class: Humanities 3
- Products/Exhibition: Public formal team policy debate at FREE Spiritual Community
- Community Partner: Colorado Providers Association, Harm Reduction Action Center
- Description: In this project, Humanities 3 students will conduct a deep dive into local and statewide public health legislation for harm reduction, mental wellness, addiction recovery, access to treatment, and related topics. They will then analyze the holes in current legislation and propose new policies in preparation for a formal team policy debate open to the public, and potentially for an audience of local politicians, including Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. In consultation with the Colorado Providers Association, Harm Reduction Action Center, and Denver University Debate League, students will engage in rigorous research and prepare arguments for both sides of a single piece of proposed legislation. Through this project, 5280’s juniors will gain confidence in public speaking, craft arguments based on evidence, and build critical thinking and research skills.
5280 Recovers
- Class: English 4
- Products/Exhibition: Pilot TV episode of 5280 Recovers to shop to local networks for syndication
- Community Partner: Our Broadcasting Community Network
- Description: In preparation for the schoolwide Youth Recovery Convention in May 2024, 5280’s English 4 class will learn how to research, write, shoot, produce, and edit their own stories to collaboratively create a 30-minute pilot TV episode about 5280 High School using B-roll footage and recorded interviews with community members. Seniors will begin by reviewing the history or docThe resultant pilot episode will then by shopped around to local networks by OBCN for potential syndication.
House of Horrors
Blood, Guts, and the Psychology of Fear
- Class: Biology (Nik)
- Products/Exhibition: Single scene in House of Horrors at 5280HS
- Community Partner: Developmental Disabilities Resource Center
- Description: How do our bodies respond to fear, whether real or perceived? Is it possible for the undead to “rise” into a zombie apocalypse? Why do vampires prefer human blood? And why do we seek out scary experiences? In Biology class this year, 5280 students will start this project by learning the basics of brain science, including brain anatomy and the functions of each lobe. They will then learn about different aspects of fear in relation to the neuroscience of phobias, bacteria and viruses, genetics and blood typing, bloodborne pathogens, and bloodsuckers in nature. After researching a specific fear, students will interview clients from the Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (DRCC) to learn about their fears, their interest in scary experiences, and understand the reasons they might be unable to attend public haunted house experiences. For the final exhibition, students will transform 5280 High School into a House of Horrors specifically for DDRC clients by working in groups to build a frightening scene complete with costumes, makeup, props, sound effects, and lighting.
Step12 Productions
Multimedia Marketing and Digital Enterprise
- Class: Multimedia
- Products/Exhibition: Graphic logo, merch designs, short animation videos for Youth Recovery Convention
- Community Partner: Pureblind Wraps and Graphics (TBD)
- Description: 5280’s Multimedia students will learn about marketing and digital enterprise by designing, printing, and selling recovery-branded merchandise in the Step12Productions store in Etsy Marketplace. Students will learn how to use Adobe Suite and web-based platforms to create professional-grade products using 5280 HS’s new Glowforge Pro laser printer. The quarter will begin with students getting certified on the Glowforge by redesigning school recovery chips to learn th
Information is Beautiful
- Class: Integrated Math 2 and 3
- Products/Exhibition: Large-scale mural infographic
- Description: In this supplemental project, 5280’s math students will learn about statistics and data science to produce beautiful, interesting infographics that communicate statistics about access to treatment, retention in recovery, people who struggle with mental health vs. seek help, and other related data.