The SPREE Force Program grew out of a collaboration between SPREE (South Platte River Environmental Education) and FrontRange Earth Force. SPREE Force was built around SPREE's desire to expand opportunities for children to extend their learning experience beyond the excursions along the South Platte River and FREF's knowledge and expertise in environmentally-focused Service Learning.
Currently in its second academic year, SPREE Force has a presence in nine elementary schools attended by over 4,000 students in the Denver Public School system. At the beginning of every academic year SPREE and FREF staff members visit over 90 classrooms at the nine schools to promote, explain and encourage students to sign up for the SPREE Force. There are currently over 1,000 active members of the Force!
SPREE (South Platte River Environmental Education) is the educational arm of The Greenway Foundation.
SPREE's mission is to inspire meaningful personal connections with nature in order to foster a lifelong sense of pride in, belonging to, and stewardship for our natural world by connecting the children of Denver to the South Platte River through engaging educational experiences.
SPREE serves over 4,000 students a year from across Denver. Our main focus is on our nine SPREE schools.
SPREE Schools are schools where SPREE and the South Platte River are integral parts of the school’s mission, vision, and curriculum. At SPREE Schools, every student visits the South Platte River at least once per year for a SPREE excursion. In addition to these excursions, the teachers and staff at these schools strive to integrate the river into all aspects of school life. From murals of the river on the walls, to river inspired writing and art projects, the South Platte River provides a constant backdrop for their educational experience. SPREE Schools also participate in special events along the river including fishing days, service projects, and other seasonal activities. Denver's nine Premier SPREE Schools are: Fairview, Gilpin, Grant Ranch, McKinley Thatcher, Palmer, Polaris, Southmoor, Steele, and Teller.
For more information about SPREE please visit the SPREE Homepage.
What is FrontRange Earth Force?
FrontRange Earth Force (or FREF) works in the Denver metro area, engaging young people in solving real problems in their schools, community and the environment.
FREF serves over 2,000 students, trains more than 80 teachers and integrates service learning into 20 schools each year.
Programming at FrontRange Earth Force incorporates
Professional Development: in service-learning and inquiry-based teaching strategies so that educators can help their students design and implement a community-based service-learning project;
Ongoing Support: consultation throughout the planning process and in the classroom. We link educators to technical expertise and help them build supportive networks with other educators;
Youth Leadership Training: we provide youth with the leadership training needed to create Youth Councils at their schools, thus, giving students a voice in both their school and the surrounding community;
Youth Demonstration Events: The outcome of our Earth Force process is a student-driven project that addresses a real community need. Throughout the year, we support opportunities for young people to share their work, including presenting at conferences and meetings with policy makers at all levels. Each spring, we co-host the Youth Summit with the Denver Zoo, an event where over 800 students showcase their projects.
For more information on FrontRange Earth Force please visit the FrontRange Earth Force homepage.
