Long-Awaited Grand Opening of New Building for Falcon, CO D49 Charter School

Falcon, CO, September 18, 2008 --(PR.com)-- After more than seven years in a temporary location, Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning, a D49 K-8th grade charter school, finally moves into its very own building on September 23. PPSEL (www.ppsel.org) has seen its enrollment grown exponentially, thanks to raving parents who are relieved to find an alternative to D49 overcrowded classrooms, impersonal environment and unhappy middle-school students.

PPSEL uses Expeditionary Learning techniques, which implement long-term real-world investigations, where the classroom (called crew) investigates their subject. “We have a different method of teaching,” says Principal Don Knapp. “We definitely go for breath over depth. Students get a chance to really study a subject, to observe and wonder, rather than just being told.”

“We are crew, not passengers,” is the first lesson PPSEL students start their year with. The motto exemplifies students’ active involvement in learning. Small class-sizes, personal approach to learning and outward-bound expeditions all foster the positive environment at PPSEL.

“There’s a real sense of community here,” says PPSEL teacher Dean Jaeger when asked what makes the school different from other D49 schools. “Everyone knows each other and looks out for each other.”

The new building on Antler Creek Drive in Falcon will give teachers and students facilities they are now lacking, such as a gym, functional classrooms and child-sized bathrooms. “And a place that’s our own, to hang pictures, simple things like that,” Principal Knapp says.

The Grand Opening on September 23, scheduled from 4:30-6:30 p.m. will celebrate PPSEL with teachers and staff, new and future students and their parents, to include food, fun and tours of the new building. Contact Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning at (719) 683-9544 for more information about the Grand Opening event and enrollment, or visit www.ppsel.org.

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