Florence Crittenton High School welcomes pregnant and and parenting teens, like seniors Jade-Marie Burgess and Naira Gonzalez, who are working to complete their high-school education. Until recently, however, teachers and students thought their learning environment felt like anything but a school.
It didnt feel like a school, said teacher Rebecca Carr. It was makeshift — where things were made into classrooms that never were meant to be made into a classroom.
After struggling to find a school, Jade-Marie and Naira fell in love with the program, preschool and parenting services provided by Florence Crittenton and its nonprofit partner Florence Crittenton Services. But the small four-story building hadnt the space, facilities or layout to complement the community or curriculum, keeping many students from attending.
The former office building pushed 158 students into two floors of oddly shaped classrooms fraught with obstructions. Food services were limited, students were bused to rec centers, pregnant students had to walk four flights of stairs to attend some classes and space for teacher planning or individual discussions with students was absent.
There was no breathing room, said Jade-Marie. Students werent able to talk to teachers comfortably and did not have as strong a connection.
That was before 2012 Denver bond and mill levy funding, combined with support from the school’s non-profit partner, were used to rebuild Florence Crittenton as a modern campus with expanded childcare, parenting classrooms and a health care clinic serving young womens needs.
Now, Florence Crittenton looks like a school, with ten spacious classrooms, a library and a dual gym-cafeteria. Breakout rooms and office space for teacher and student collaboration have improved its culture. And for seniors Jade-Marie and Naira, both planning to work in science-related fields, expanded science labs give them confidence for the future.
We felt like DPS didnt care about us, said Naira. The new school motivates us because we see that somebody believes and invested in us. We are thankful for that.
The new school motivates us because we see that somebody believes and invested in us. We are thankful for that.