Since its inception in 2016, REDI Lab has become a signature program at CA, where students can live the school’s mission in real and authentic ways. Having served more than 130 CA students and an additional 15 non-CA students through its new summer program, REDI Lab continues to provide students with the opportunity to solve real-world problems and design for specific users, stretching the program’s impact to the greater Denver community.
As a result of the success of the REDI Lab program and to foster its continued growth, we are excited to open the REDI Lab Aimee and Jonathan Coleman Center in the Mariposa District of Denver. The new off-campus space, located one block away from the 10th & Osage Light Rail Station, allows REDI Lab students to take their ideas even further.
The REDI Lab Coleman Center is named for a lead gift from CA parents Aimee and Jonathan Coleman. We are grateful to the Colemans and other CA families who have joined in supporting this project that we hope will spark innovation and creativity to design new solutions for the wider Denver community.
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The Scope and Real-World Application of CA REDI Lab—On and Off Campus
Ponzio Arts Center has been the home for CA REDI Lab since 2016. Sharing a philosophy centered around student agency and creativity, this was the best place to incubate the REDI Lab. The move to the Coleman Center allows the program to encourage students to grow in new ways while honoring the REDI Lab mission of building community around unique passions and interests in order to create value by sharing ideas.
REDI Lab’s off-campus goal became reality when REDI Lab Director Tom Thorpe connected with a partner who shares our ethos for innovation and community engagement. The Denver Housing Authority worked with CA to find the right space—both the right location within Denver and an appropriate space for our needs.
Along with providing student services, the Coleman Center will be home to UnlimitED, a professional learning organization that offers year-round training and workshops for CA teachers and other educators, both from Colorado and from around the country. Serving as a center for education excellence in Denver, the REDI Lab Coleman Center is poised to bring the hallmark of student agency-based and passion-driven deep learning into more classrooms in Denver and beyond.
Additionally, the Coleman Center can be a venue for a variety of CA meetings and gatherings, such as parent education events, Alumni Board meetings, and more.
We expect to begin programming in the new REDI Lab space for students enrolled in Senior REDI Lab in Tri 2.
Additional REDI Lab Updates
- Starting in summer 2021, REDI Lab expanded its reach to serve non-CA students. Thanks to the generosity of Aimee and Jonathan Coleman, REDI Lab Summer Academy hosted two-week entrepreneurial camp and idea incubator sessions for current high school students in the Denver area during the summers of 2021 and 2022. We look forward to hosting two Summer Academy 2023 sessions for CA and non-CA students at the Coleman Center.
- In addition to expanding REDI Lab’s reach beyond CA, we have also worked to include more CA students in the program. Earlier this week, we began our third year of Senior REDI Lab in Trimester 2, which complements Junior REDI Lab in Trimester 3.
- REDI Lab Founder and Director Tom Thorpe now solely oversees and teaches REDI Lab. This allows the Coleman Center to always be staffed by a member of the CA faculty, who will also work toward building connections and relationships in the Mariposa community.
How You Can Help
We are grateful for the generosity of current and past CA families who have already stepped up to support the Coleman Center. We invite you to join them by making a gift to support the new home of one of CA’s signature programs and to help us bring REDI Lab to more students and teachers. Our goal is to raise an additional $100,000 for the Coleman Center by early 2023.
We also want to hear from our REDI Lab alumni! Please complete this short survey to let us know what amazing work you are doing, as well as provide current contact information.
The REDI Lab experience has transformed the lives of many students, and from its new home in the Coleman Center, we look forward to seeing the continued expansion of influence that alumni of the program will have on their community and the world.
The Student Experience
Ways to Support the REDI Lab Coleman Center
- Consider making a gift as part of your year-end philanthropic giving
- Make a gift online
- Mail a check to CA (3800 South Pierce Street / Denver, CO 80235)
- Contact Gravely Wilson (CA Advancement Officer) at 303-914-2543 to:
- Pledge a gift payable over three years
- Set up a monthly recurring gift
- Make a gift of securities
Questions? Contact CA Advancement Officer Gravely Wilson.