Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy

Garden Leader: Molly O’Malley - molly_omalley@dpsk12.org

Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy is only two years old (KCAA) and is already winning awards. The new DPS school opened last year as a K-8 public school that will become a K-12 school in the next few years. The school was awarded the top new Art School by the Art School Network. This exciting school has a rigorous academic curriculum that addresses the Colorado State Standards but also has as its mission the integration of the arts in all areas.

A school garden is vital to the goals of our school. Although we have started small with a few raised bed boxes, the garden committee has big plans. We hope to beautify our entire campus with various micro gardens including flowers, butterfly plants, and vegetables. Our gardens will be a place for students to both create and showcase their art.

The gardens will be a resource for our health and nutrition lessons as we address childhood obesity issues. We hope neighbors will join us to garden and plan to have spaces to share with the community in the future. We have started with small grants from Slow Food Denver and the Front Range Organic Gardeners (FROGS). Thank you to both of these two groups for this seed money to get our garden started.

The garden committee of teachers, parents, friends and students meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month at 8:00 am in the faculty lunchroom. Please join us to plan the KCAA Garden of Art.

After a very successful day, the KCAA Tangram Garden is well under way! Altogether, there must have been close to 50 people show up to help. Here is the “evidence” of a truly productive day’s work. Students, beware – we now know that in addition to his other skills, Mr. Isaac swings a mean pick-axe! What a wonderful job by everyone, especially our hardworking teachers and students!!!

A huge ”Thank You” to everyone who helped KCAA shovel our way to a more beautiful campus!!!