Born and raised in Washington, Georgia—a small town of about 5,000 people—Impact on Education board member Ann Cooper grew up facing the challenges of poverty, a segregated school system and limited opportunities. Thanks to the encouragement of several teachers, but two particular ones, Ann defied the odds, traveled the world, grew a successful business and has become a passionate advocate for quality public education for all students.

As Kindergarten begins this week, children across the Boulder Valley School District are embarking on an exciting new adventure. For many, especially those from low-income or marginalized families, this transition marks their first exposure to a formal learning environment. Through our Kinder Bridge program, we’re providing these young learners with the targeted support they need to start their school journey with confidence.

As we welcome students back to schools this week, we’re taking a look back at the incredible impact we made together last year. With your support we helped thousands of students across the Boulder Valley School District, and we’ll continue to provide them resources and opportunities for success during this new academic year.

During the pandemic, the Monarch High School library sat unused. Books sat dusty and uncatalogued and, perhaps more importantly, went out of date. Things got worse when the Marshall Fire struck—the Monarch community was disproportionally affected, and many books that students checked out were lost in the fire. As schools resumed in-person learning, Katherine Croasdale set to work fixing the library.

Boulder High School graduate Adriana Aguirre, a recipient of the Earl & Barbara Bolton scholarship, represents the future of nursing with her big dreams of diversifying the industry and providing culturally competent care to her patients.

As homeowners in our community see their property values and tax bills increase, many may assume the additional funds are flowing into our public schools. They’re not wrong – but increases in local property taxes don’t equate to increases in funding for the Boulder Valley School District. The reality of how school funding works is more complex.

We host the Impact Awards each year to honor educators across the Boulder Valley School District. Recognizing their dedication is essential, as they play a vital role in providing excellent and equitable education to all students. While we’re only able to recognize a small number of BVSD educators at the Impact Awards, we value and appreciate the hard work and dedication of every educator across BVSD.

Sara says her life’s mission is empowering others, particularly children who are still learning how to find their own way in the world. Interventionists like McIntosh play a crucial role in ensuring young readers who struggle get on track before they fall too far behind. McIntosh, who goes above and beyond for her students, was recently awarded the 2024 Blake Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Unlike most first-year teachers who join the profession directly after college, Mattys delayed getting her degree so she could see the world instead. She’s now an English Language Arts teacher at Fairview High School and the winner of the 2024 Imogene Maxon New Teacher Award.