Denver Public School fifth grade teachers have the opportunity to choose an excursion that is either two or three days in length. The overnight programs immerses students and teachers in a 750-acre mountain environment located near Jamestown, CO. Balarat provides an opportunity for students to “acquire knowledge, skills and values to become self-sufficient citizens by providing personalized learning experiences in a unique educational setting” (DPS Strategic Plan).

Balarat’s activities are designed to address academic themes such as:

• Language Arts
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Physical Education
• Health
• Art

As students in our urban school district become increasingly disconnected from the natural environment, a core concern should be to provide sequential, directed educational experiences that help learners of all styles make associations with their world, each other, and the abstract ideas they encounter in their classrooms.