By Kyle Van Frank
Executive Director of FIRE Foundation Denver
Cooler temperatures, football, school supplies – everyone has a favorite part of the back-to-school season. For us at FIRE Denver, it’s the joy of students with disabilities being supported, welcomed and valued in their local Catholic school.
It’s Abram asking his parents every day in the summer if he can return to Blessed Miguel Pro tomorrow.
It’s Taelyn wearing her St. John the Baptist uniform even in the summer, in anticipation of returning to school with her brothers.
This Fall, however, a new joy abounds in local Catholic schools –the promise of inclusion through the 12th grade.
Holy Family High School in Broomfield will join the ranks of FIRE Denver Partner Schools this August, as it works to grow its Learning Services Department into a fully inclusive pathway for students in grades 9 through 12 to graduate from high school. This marks the first Catholic high school in our archdiocese to make such a commitment.
As with any journey of transformation, the story didn’t start here.
Several FIRE Denver Partner Schools naturally matriculate to Holy Family after the 8th grade: Blessed Miguel Pro in Westminster, Nativity: Faith & Reason in Broomfield, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Boulder, St. John the Baptist in Longmont, as well as two FIRE Denver Spark Schools, Frassati Catholic Academy in Thornton and Shrine of St. Anne in Arvada.
As a Catholic, archdiocesan, college preparatory and co-educational school, Holy Family High School offers a Catholic learning environment that stresses academic excellence, fosters mutual respect, demands responsibility and encourages self-growth.
Conversations around inclusion began in 2020 between educators at Holy Family and nearby middle schools. Their concern? What would happen to students with disabilities and learning differences after the eighth grade? Where would they go? How would they continue their Catholic education?
At the time, Holy Family’s Learning Services Department included two teachers, Luanne Bartoletta and Keith Grable, who both continue their work in the department today. These early conversations were heavy not only on the hearts of educators but school leadership as well.
“[Our leadership] was so supportive of our department, our work, our belief in inclusive education and universal design for learning that leads to that least restrictive environment,” Bartoletta said. That combination of sparks from grassroots efforts and vision from school leaders began to ignite a path for inclusion at Holy Family High School.
That’s where FIRE Denver came in.
FIRE Foundation of Denver champions the inclusion of students with disabilities in Catholic schools by providing educational resources, fundraising and promoting a culture of belonging. This work allows us to deliver grants to local schools to support the infrastructure necessary to include children with disabilities fully in Catholic educational environments.
FIRE Denver encourages schools to achieve an inclusive atmosphere by providing funds and resources on best practices. The desire to include is essential, but the skills and tools to achieve success are equally necessary.
“We want to be able to serve all God’s children, but we also want to be able to do it with fidelity and want to put a good program in place. That’s where a FIRE grant comes in,” said Bartoletta. “[These grants] help us get a good special education teacher with a solid background so students can learn alongside their typically developing peers. That’s our mission.”
And work is well underway to achieve that mission at Holy Family High School.
In partnership with the Archdiocese of Denver’s Department of Student Support Services, Holy Family has developed an observation and transition program that allows teachers in local middle schools to collaborate with Holy Family to create transition plans for high school. This partnership provides invaluable opportunities to both educators and families to ensure success for every student as they make the leap to the next chapter of their school journey.
Teachers can share learning plans, students can meet teachers before the school year starts and parents can discuss successes and challenges openly. Student success is placed front and center to ensure young people with disabilities can grow in faith, knowledge and friendship alongside their peers.
Holy Family’s Learning Services Department has grown to a staff of four, including a promotion for Bartoletta, who now serves as the school’s Director of Learning Services and Inclusion. In this role, Bartoletta will continue blazing trails for inclusion and preparing for the introduction of students with more significant needs from local middle schools.
Bartoletta and the other three educators in the Learning Services Department provide the resources and tools necessary for students to succeed. Plans for peer mentorship programs and a transition program for college, trade schools and the workforce are in the school’s future.
Catholic education is not a “thing” or “possession” of this world but a path towards Christ. Holy Family plays a key role in helping students along that path.
Knowing that students like Abram and Taelyn can one day walk across the stage at graduation, diploma in hand and toss their caps in the air at Holy Family is a gift beyond measure.
As the FIRE surges to new levels, we cannot wait to see what’s next!
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FIRE Denver holds several fundraisers and giving opportunities each year to ensure students with disabilities can experience belonging in Catholic schools. Learn more here.
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