What does it mean to be a BCD student? BCD Students Are... Challenged.
BCD students come to school ready to learn. Small class size means teachers can give individualized attention.
“BCD looks at each child in terms of the whole person, not just the academic piece. We also give them the social skills they need to prepare them to succeed in life.”– BCD teacher
Fourth graders attend a one-day program at Cal-wood. Students may participate in the Pioneer Days program that extends the literature genre of historical fiction/westward expansion, or they may do Pond Studies, which provides hand-on experiences extending the science curriculum. Team building activities and hiking round out the day.
In November the fifth grade classes enthusiastically participate in an overnight trip to Cal-Wood Education Center. Cal-Wood is 15 miles northwest of Boulder, and is at an elevation of 7,800 feet. It is a private outdoor learning center with over 1, 000 acres of land available for student educational opportunities.
While there, students participate in a variety of activities. They experience life at a traditional Native American tipi, learn how to navigate using a compass, and work cooperatively to solve group challenges. During the evening sessions, students participate in storytelling, and each cabin group creates and performs a skit that explains a question from nature. This is a fabulous experience for our fifth graders and they look forward to this event every year with great anticipation.
Sixth grade students spend three days and two nights at the Gore Range Natural Science School (GRNSS) camp to learn about earth science. In 2007, students stayed at the Leadville Outward Bound Camp and studied rocks, minerals, and earth formations in what is a remarkable geologic region. This program usually takes place in October. Students learn the scientific method and apply research to understanding the land and rocks around them.
The seventh grade GRNSS program is also three days and two nights at the Leadville Outward Bound Camp. The program occurs the last week of November and its purpose is life science. The students study winter ecology, learning to identify plants, animal tracks, and resources necessary for winter survival at high altitude. Students also learn how to stake out a research site and evaluate it for richness and diversity of plant and animal life to evaluate a research hypothesis using the scientific method.
Outward Bound in Leadville is also be the site for the eighth grade GRNSS field trip. They usually do this trip the last week of January to study snow physics. They use the scientific method to evaluate the snowpack and develop an understanding of snow conditions that lead to avalanche problems, water content of the snow, and relative qualities of snowfields (compressed snow vs. non-compressed, etc.) and winter survival skills.
The eighth grade also takes a one week journey to Washington, D.C. in April to visit the nation's capital and to learn more about the history of our nation through the use of museums, monuments, and historic tours (Mount Vernon and Gettysburg). The trip is managed by the Worldstrides Organization, and is a fantastic educational experience for every child.