Compass Wins Rocky Mountain Environmental Hazards Challenge

Serving our community by working on real-world problems is foundational to Compass Community Collaborative School. Congratulations to Clara S., Naya C., Jack D., Lucas V., and Brodie S. and their teacher, Sam Gleeson, for bringing home a $400 prize in the Rocky Mountain Environmental Hazards Challenge!

These hard-working middle schoolers identified a lack of community flood preparedness at a mobile home park as a significant natural hazard issue affecting their community.

The Poudre Valley Mobile Home Park is located just outside of the city limits of Fort Collins and may be at more risk of flooding than other communities due to its location in a floodplain and the vulnerable population living there. The Compass students researched Fort Collins and Larimer County flood preparedness policies, reviewed flood preparedness information from government sites including Ready.Gov, spoke with the mobile home park’s community organization, Mi Voz, and with a representative from City of Fort Collins’ Floodplain Management office.

Through their research, the students developed a proposal to organize a community flood awareness and preparedness event at the Poudre Valley Mobile Home Park. Their project would bring the community together to learn about their flood risk, things they can do to better prepare themselves and protect their property, and provide information on the benefits of flood insurance.