Reimagining Montbello

DPS Reimagining Montbello Campus 2021

Project Status and Background

Get up-to-date information and all of the background directly from the Denver Public Schools’ (DPS) Reimagining Montbello site here. Read the DPS project brief here.

Phase 1: School Program & Facility Design Framework
(Feb-May 2021)

DPS has contracted with DMCI to support community voice empowerment through Dialogue Circles and 1-on-1 Conversations.

Overarching Goals

Promote youth leadership and participation every step of the way
Ensure reach to Spanish-speaking and Latinx community
Provide a platform for equity, giving many opportunities for the diverse community to lead

Deliverables

40 small group input sessions, reflective of the community’s demographics
160 1-on-1 Conversations
Four summary progress reports
One final cumulative report of all Dialogues and Conversations

Dialogue Circles

The community is the primary partner and director of this work and the resulting reports. As an effort to provide the best platform for elevating Montbello’s community voice, six organizational and individual community leaders (Community Advocates) have taken up ownership of the conducting Dialogue Circles throughout the Montbello neighborhood regarding Denver Public School’s Reimagining Montbello process. The Dialogues are structured with intent to increase equity by providing intentionally smaller and more comfortable settings for residents and community members to participate and be heard. During the length of Reimagining Montbello, the Dialogues will be used to glean input at every stage of the process.

1-on-1 Conversations

To provide even more equitable platforms for galvanizing, Community Advocates will also lead 1-on-1 Dialogues throughout the community. This will give space for community members that do not prefer group meeting dynamics a chance to voice their opinions, experiences, and desires for the Reimagining Montbello process.

Montbello Community Advocates

Topics

Vision, Mission, and Academics
Renovation, New Build, and/or Shared Campus
School Culture, Staff Culture, Student Experience
Middle School

Timeline

3/15 - 4/2

Facilitate 10 Dialogue Circles for Topic #1
Hold 40 One-on-One Conversations for Topic #1

4/5 -4/16

Facilitate 10 Dialogue Circles for Topic #2
Hold 40 One-on-One Conversations for Topic #2
Presentation of Topic #1 report to the RCWG

4/19 - 4/30

Facilitate 10 Dialogue Circles for Topic #3
Hold 40 One-on-One Conversations for Topic #3
Presentation of Topic #2 report to the RCWG

5/3 - 5/14

Facilitate 10 Dialogue Circles for Topic #4
Hold 40 One-on-One Conversations for Topic #4
Presentation of Topic #3 report to the RCWG

5/17 - 5/28

Presentation of Topic #4 report to the RCWG

7/14

Final cumulative report to DPS

Data Processing

To support the work of organizational and individual community leaders as Community Advocates, DMCI has been tasked to handle the data synthesis, analysis, and reporting. DMCI also serves as an administrative and strategy backbone organization to the ongoing efforts.

Reports

The following are snapshots and progress reports for the ongoing Community Dialogue Circles occurring in conjunction with Denver Public School District’s Reimagining Montbello Process. The purpose of this is to provide the Working Group & Steering Committee a direct stream of qualitative data sourced from the community to better inform decision points. A full and comprehensive report on all of the Dialogue topics will be published in June 2021.

Topic 1: Vision, Mission, and Academics (4/15/2021)

Topic 2: Renovation, New Build, and/or Shared Campus (4/29/2021)

Topic 3: School Culture, Staff Culture, Student Experience (5/13/2021)

Topic 4: Middle School (5/27/2021)

Final Comprehensive Report (7/14/2021)

For additional information on this project, please contact Ana Gadson, Community Voice Program Manager, at Ana@dmcimpact.org or 720-460-0045.