The Emily Griffith Campus-- A Commitment and Tribute to an Education Pioneer

A Letter from Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg:

Dear DPS Community:

For a century, the name Emily Griffith has meant community, opportunity and service to all in the Denver community. The educator who in 1895 started her remarkable career in public service as a substitute teacher in DPS' Central School went on to envision, found and lead the Opportunity School--a school that has made a profound difference in the lives of countless members of our community. Emily Griffith opened the Opportunity School in 1916 with Emily's invitation to "all who wish to learn."

A century later, I'm thrilled to announce that our new DPS downtown campus will bear the name of this inspirational pioneer in education and community service. The Emily Griffith Campus will serve as the home of Emily Griffith Technical College, Emily Griffith High School, the Downtown Denver Expeditionary School and the DPS School-Support Center. Watch 9News coverage and a DPS Features video on the campus naming.

The Denver Public Schools' vision of Every Child Succeeds is rooted in Emily's legacy. She spent that opening day in 1916 at a roll-top desk just inside the school's front door, personally greeting each student. And she spent every day after that working tirelessly to open doors for any member of the Denver community who came knocking--making sure that nothing stood in the way of their access to an education and a bright future. That remains our commitment. That's why Emily's name will be emblazoned on the campus that will house her schools, a new elementary school, and the main service center for our schools and our community.

In addition to providing a modern, updated learning facility, the new Emily Griffith Campus will provide wonderful new opportunities for the students it serves. The Emily Griffith Technical College operates several student-run businesses--including a café and a barber shop--which will benefit from upgraded facilities and a central location that will also house many of our Team DPS members.

All three schools at the Emily Griffith Campus will have first-rate learning facilities for their kids and families, and we're very excited about the mentoring, tutoring and service opportunities that are created by having these schools located together with our school-support teams.

In addition to housing three schools, the DPS school-support teams will also relocate to the Emily Griffith Campus. Currently, our school-support teams are housed at several different locations: 900 Grant St., the Department of Technology Services facility, Fox Street, among others. By consolidating most of our offices into this one DPS School-Support Center, we will foster greater collaboration among our teams, be more easily accessible to our community members and schools, and offer much better facilities for community meetings and programs. Additionally, the facility consolidation is expected to save DPS more than $5 million in operating costs over the next 10 years, money which will go back into our classrooms. 

I'm very much looking forward to opening the doors of the Emily Griffith Campus, starting with the Downtown Denver Expeditionary School this April, and continue the legacy of great service to our community and to honor the woman who will serve as a daily inspiration to achieve our shared vision of Every Child Succeeds.

Best,

Tom