Everyone remembers what that first day back to school feels like. It's filled with mixed emotions - happy to reconnect with friends and even enjoy time back in the classroom (at least with the subjects that you enjoy) - but it can also come with some disappointment with summer coming to an end.

But wouldn't it be much more exciting if you were walking into a brand new school that had one focus in mind - to empower innovative risk takers and build entrepreneurs for the future?

Wow.

That's what's so amazing about the new Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy. They have built a foundation that focuses on developing Colorado’s youngest entrepreneurs through their project-based learning model. If you aren't familiar with this model, the goal is to incorporate immersive hands-on, real-world scenarios that allow students to develop real-life skills. So yes, it is still just the "first day of school", but the Aurora School District is working to reimagine how they deliver education and set their students up for success after graduation.

During the repurposing stage, the Clara Brown made it a goal to match the learning environments with the mission and vision so that they could make these immersive hands-on experiences a reality. As you walk throughout the building, you'll notice that each classroom learning environment was carefully examined and designed to allow the teachers to work with students in a way that encourages intellectual risk-taking and collaboration amongst the students.

While this was the vision Clara Brown had for their school, this is also the mission that Kay-Twelve has built over the years - to create better learning environments for students. Not only does Clara Brown's entire dynamic shift away from the traditional model, but it will also begin attracting families and their children in years to come. Even when enrollment has been trending in the wrong direction the last couple years due to the current housing market and other additional factors, their uniqueness and ability to set their students up for success is what has community members believing that the district will start to reach its full capacity yet again.

If you are still curious about the name Clara Brown, the name comes from a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist in Colorado in the mid-1800s. Her journey started while working in a Virginia tobacco field before she settled in Colorado where she opened up her very own laundry business. Her successes as a business owner led her to be inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1989.

The new Clara Brown School recognizes her tremendous entrepreneurial spirit and passion for improving everything around her with the goal to empower all students to be innovative risk takers and creators of their own futures. Now doesn't that get you excited about the first day of school?

Location: Aurora, CO

Project Scope: Full School Renovation Phase I

Project Completed: 2022

Number of Learners Impacted: 423

Designers: Betsy Andrusiak 

Manufacturers: MooreCo, AmTab, and Alumni