Rocky Mountain Class

Rocky Mountain Class @ Trail Ridge Middle School

The Rocky Mountain Class launched in 2014 and currently serves 60 Dreamer Scholars. These Dreamer Scholars are now in the 11th graders at Skyline High School and several other school across the St. Vrain Valley School District.  They are expected to graduate high school in May 2024.

Program Team Members Oli & Matt explain a typical day, “In any given week, the Rocky class can be found throughout the city of Longmont. In an effort to get a variety of experiences and focuses, we spend two days a week at Skyline High School, and the other two days off site far away from the school setting. Mondays and Wednesdays are our enrichment days, leaving Tuesdays and Thursdays for getting things done! While at school, we provide the space for academic and homework support, one-on-one tutoring, and simply a change of pace from the normal school day.”

“When we are not in the classroom, we’ve prioritized community service and enrichment activities. We have developed many great relationships with many local organizations and services that have helped us with this focus. We volunteer bi-weekly at a food pantry in Longmont, seasonal volunteering at Growing Gardens, support custodial staff at the school, and pick up trash at nearby parks. For our enrichment activities we have an on running list of activities that we are constantly looking to grow: Climbing Collective, Wild Game, Union Reservoir, Centennial Lanes, Regal Village at the Peaks Movie Theatre, Get Air, Boulder Studio Art, Ninja Playground, High Altitude Archery, Crackpots, Tennis, Longmont Ice Skating, and the Longmont Rec Center. And when the cards are right, there is at least one annual trip to the great outdoors that allows us to fully immerse ourselves in nature.”

When asked what makes their class unique, Matt says, “Given Oli’s outdoor education background and passion, the Rocky Class finds itself outside a lot. Taking a minimum of one overnight/camping trip a year, we have attended Big City Mountaineers multiple times, as well as High Trails Outdoor Ed Center and Cal-Wood. Most recently we got a three day trip in at Colorado Springs, where we white water rafted, toured the Olympic training center, and soaked in the Garden of the Gods. We are also the first class to take a group aboard for a 12 day trek to fully embrace first hand European cultures.”

Site Team 

Olimpia “Oli” Mejia, Program Director

Skyline High School | 720-369-3442 | olimpia.mejia@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Matt Gleason, Program Coordinator

Skyline High School | matthew.gleason@ihaveadreamboulder.org