Venture Spotlight: Exploring Sustainability with Shamayim

Shamayim Watson is one of our new teachers for the 2019-20 school year and she brings a wealth of experience teaching social studies around the world. Originally from England (south London), she is full of energy and enthusiasm for Fort Collins and Compass Community Collaborative School!

Shamayim’s first Venture Project with Compass is offering an opportunity for students in 6th-11th grades to explore sustainability in partnership with the CSU Center for the Built Environment, the City of Fort Collins, and Green Apple Schools Day of Service. The Venture students are creating Compass Climate Action Report that will be submitted to the Green Apple School competition and City of Fort Collins.The class is researching sustainability with focus on climate change and they will be doing a deep dive into the functioning of our school building in terms of energy and water usage, waste production, and culture. The United Nations Climate Report and City Climate Action Plan and are two of the foundational documents from which the students are modeling their own report. Each student’s final report will include suggestions for improvement to our building, improvements to our school culture of sustainability and the economic impact of our response to the plan. At Exhibition, expect to see evidence of research and action on this important topic, including each student’s final, written report, episodes of a video blog, photos, and journalistic reports of a weekly protest of climate change outside of Fort Collins City Hall. Thanks for the great work, Compass!

NEWS FLASH!!!! This just in at 3:00p, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019

The students were out at their first protest when Jan got a call from a woman named Laura. Laura is from Colorado Springs and in town for the day. She called the school after seeing our students and meeting and talking with them. She told Jan that she was “blown away by their spirit, eloquence, and candor”and encouraged us by saying: “What ever you are doing, keep doing it!”. What a nice boost for a Friday afternoon!