Dawson School
Address
10455 Dawson Drive

Lafayette
,
Colorado
80026

United States
Coordinates40°3′47″N 105°6′39″W / 40.06306°N 105.11083°W / 40.06306; -105.11083
Information
TypeIndependent, Day school
MottoNothing Without Labor
Established1970 (1970)
CEEB code060867
Head teacherGeorge P. Moore
Enrollment520
Average class size15 students
Student to teacher ratio7:1
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Blue and white
  
Athletics13 sports
MascotMustang
Websitewww.dawsonschool.org

Dawson School is an independent, private, co-educational, college preparatory day school founded in 1970. Located in Lafayette, Colorado, United States. The school serves children from kindergarten through twelfth grade (K–12) in Lower, Middle, and Upper School on a campus of 107 acres (430,000 m2).[1]

History

In 1967, Girard B. Henderson established the Colorado Junior Republic (CJR) School at Stapp Lakes, 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.[2][3][4]

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.[5]

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.[2]

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. The school introduced the concept of community service or service-learning when it began and became a hot education topic where it is a graduation requirement. Bill Clinton adopted the idea as one of the key reforms for improving American schools.[6]

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 Competition program launched as well.[7]

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.[8][9]

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.[7]

2021 Sex Abuse Scandal

In 2021, a music teacher at Dawson School was arrested and charged on multiple class 4 felony counts of sexual assault of a child by one in a position of trust, and misdemeanor unlawful sexual contact. The victims ranged in age from 17-19 and were all students at Dawson School. The victims reported the crimes all occurred on school property during normal school operating hours.[10] The teacher was ultimately convicted and sentenced to prison for these crimes. The Boulder Deputy District Attorney M. Breck Roesch was quoted as noting the teacher "had been fired from a school in California and a camp in Oregon for similar behavior prior to his arrival at Dawson."[11]

A civil lawsuit was filed against Dawson School on behalf of the victims. The lawsuit alleges "the school failed to conduct due diligence in hiring its staff and instead hired a sexual predator who had just been accused of sexual misconduct at another elite private school. What is more, the school failed to heed the concerns voiced by its own staff related to the teacher’s clear grooming behavior—concerns that were raised at the very beginning of the school year," and further details "the school’s callous disregard for the safety and well-being of its students—which appears to fit a long-standing pattern of covering up and minimizing sexual assault on its campus and marginalizing the victims of those assaults."[12]

A task force was formed in 2022 of parents, former students and staff. The task force reported uncovering "about 20 reports from parents, faculty and alumni detailing sexual misconduct incidents that took place in the past five years," including a reported "five more additional faculty members accused of sexual assault or misconduct who 'have quietly departed Dawson without any third-party investigations and without parents having been informed.'"[13]

Today's campus

Dawson's 107-acre (430,000 m2) campus includes an Upper School, a Middle School, and a 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, and an updated library/student center was added. In 2020, the Dawson School Arts Center opened, a 24,500 acres (9,900 ha) 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 gymnasium, and an orchard.[14]

Academics

The class and Winterim trips (see Experiential education) 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.[7]

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.[7]

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.[7]

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.[7]

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.[7]

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.[7]

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.[1]

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.[7]

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.[7]

Dawson School is accredited by the ACIS (Association of Colorado Independent Schools); they are also a member of CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education), ISM (Independent School Management), and NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools).[4]

Publications

  • Alexander Dawson School, Nothing Without Labor and Love of the Land, Alexander Dawson School, Lafayette, Colorado, 2012
  • The Hub, The Colorado Junior Republic, Volume 2, 1973-1974
  • Add A Fourth "R"...Responsibility," Colorado Junior Republic School, Lafayette, Colorado, ca. 1973

References

  1. 1 2 Peterson's (2011). Private Secondary Schools. ISBN 9780768935189. Retrieved 2023-06-08. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. 1 2 Bryan Welch (November 8, 1981). "Colorado's Free Enterprise High". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  3. ↑ "Ashram buys pristine mountain retreat". The Daily Sentinel. Grand Junction, Colorado. August 8, 1988. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  4. 1 2 Bill Boas (March 19, 1986). "Alexander Dawson School goes preppy". The Louisville Times. Louisville, Colorado. 73 (39). Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  5. ↑ "Colorado Junior Republic Holds Open House". The Lafayette Leader. Lafayette, Colorado. 70 (4). January 28, 1971. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  6. ↑ "Teens learn how to serve others and discover how the world works". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. December 25, 1993. p. 26. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "History At A Glance". Lafayette. Colorado: Alexander Dawson School. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  8. ↑ The Southwest View newspaper, "School to Open This Fall," by Judy DeLoretta, Wednesday, March 22, 2000, pg. 1A, 12A
  9. ↑ "The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain". Private School Review. Las Vegas, Nevada. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  10. ↑ Mitchell Byars (March 21, 2022). "Boulder DA files another sex assault charge against former Dawson music teacher". Daily Camera.
  11. ↑ Mitchell Byars (January 27, 2023). "Former Dawson teacher sentenced to prison for sexual misconduct with students". Daily Camera.
  12. ↑ Doe et al v. Alexander Dawson School, LLC, et al, 1:21-cv-02880-LTB (U.S. District Court - District of Colorado September 30, 2021).
  13. ↑ Amy Bounds (February 25, 2022). "Dawson School parent task force pushes sexual misconduct policy changes". Daily Camera.
  14. ↑ Ford, Alan (2007). A Sense of Entry Designing the Welcoming School. ISBN 9781864702385. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
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