Grade 8: Partnering With a Global Organization to Support Education
As a build-up to their culminating capstone project, eighth graders have been investigating the UN Sustainable Development Goals in their history, science, English, and math classes. With the specific goals they are researching in mind, students have also been busy in the community, partnering with local organizations that carry out the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Colorado and beyond. During this time, the eighth graders collectively completed a service project in support of goal number four, “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
After the regular update of the Middle School’s math curriculum at Graland, the school had over 700 gently used Math in Focus textbooks that needed a new home. After some research, the school discovered the organization Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO). SHOFCO is a grassroots operation that provides vital services, such as clean water, healthcare, education for women and girls, and sustainable livelihood programs to some of the most impoverished communities in Kenya.
With the help of Associate Director of Programs Nanette Newman, students personally met with Marty Caplan, an education consultant at SHOFCO and former Graland mathematics teacher and department chair. During his presentation, Marty told the eighth graders about how SHOFCO came to be, explained their critical work, and how it aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, Marty shared that the math books from Graland would be “incredibly helpful” in updating the curriculum and providing enough material so that the students in Kenya would no longer have to share textbooks.
Following their meeting with Marty, several eighth graders spent the afternoon boxing up the books to send abroad. To learn more about SHOFCO and their work, click here.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
