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Our School
At Silverton School, we strive to empower every student and family through helping them carve a personalized path to social, emotional, physical, and academic health and success. We want to inspire every student and family to achieve more than they ever thought possible and to do their part to make the world an even better place.
Located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains at 9,318 feet above sea level, our remote and unique school is home to ~75 students and 15 teachers. Our mixed-level grades, abundant fieldwork opportunities, and focus on both academic achievement and social, emotional, and ethical learning makes our school a dynamic place where student, family, and teacher efficacy is central to our culture.
The Silverton School staff shares a united belief that we must meet students where they are on their learning journey to help them thrive. The curriculum at Silverton School is standards-based, provides multiple opportunities for personalized learning and projects, and values quality and depth of learning combined with a constant focus on revising and reflecting on learning and work.
Our new website is under construction.
Please contact business@silvertonschool.org
or call (970) 387-5543 with any questions.
EL Learning
The Silverton Public School follows an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound (EL for short) academic model. EL provides a comprehensive framework to shape and guide our school’s structure and culture. Through this model, much of our academics are centered on learning expeditions. These expeditions and state curriculum standards provide a framework for study by focusing learning on a specific compelling topic; for example, the water cycle, history of U.S. education, Africa, the 20th Century, or the food cycle. Given the small and isolated nature of the Silverton community, the fieldwork aspect of our EL learning model has become an important part of learning.
Focused trips are planned by teachers that bring the real world into their expedition topic studies, and take place throughout the four corners region and occasionally beyond. For example, in 2013-14, the middle school completed a year-long expedition on U.S. immigration, studying the historical aspect (Ellis and Angel Island) as well as current immigration issues. Their culminating fieldwork was a trip to San Francisco where they visited Angel Island, worked with students in refugee and immigrant schools, and toured Chinatown. These types of experiences bring a depth to their studies that cannot be accomplished in any classroom setting.
Vision & Values
Teachers & Staff
Kim White
Superintendent
Elizabeth Barszcz
Principal
Whitney Gaskill
4-5
Katie Shapiro
Middle School