Tim Gardner would have been so proud; and so are we.
On February 23, 2024, St. Elizabeth’s School hosted the inaugural Tim Gardner Hackathon. Tim Gardner, a former trustee at St. Elizabeth's, passed away last year after a courageous battle with cancer. Tim's legacy of grappling with complexity and empowering students to explore innovative solutions to societal challenges inspired this event. This event offers us a chance to forever honor his profound impact at St. Elizabeth’s, as we look to expand the event next year and invite other schools in the Denver community to participate.
At this all-day workshop, over a dozen 5th to 8th-grade students spent the day learning about the housing crisis impacting Denver, collaborating with experts from various fields, and developing innovative solutions. The event culminated in presentations to a panel of judges, honoring outstanding examples of both innovation and collaboration.
"We were excited to bring together our students to tackle such an important issue in our community," said Adriana Murphy, Head of School at St. Elizabeth's School. “The Tim Gardner Social Justice Hackathon aligns perfectly with our school's commitment to social justice and experiential learning," she added.
Denver. Community partners, Archway Communities, Clermont Eliot, Grovewood Community Development, Hope Communities, Lyons Educational Consulting, Urban Land Conservancy, and various parent volunteers, provided on-site expertise on homelessness, design thinking, empathy mapping, and public speaking to help students learn about the complexities of the issue and how they might best present their solution to a panel of judges.
Many thanks to all the volunteers who made this event possible including Shawnice Burke, Andy Cohen, Jo Ellen Davidson, Deja Dunn, Julie Hoebel, Taunia Hottman, Tonya Lemmons, Asia Lyons, Cliff Lyons, Katie McKenna, Emily Musser, Jonathan Musser, Sandy Nagler, Ruth Poulsen, Raeneice Sawyer, and Vonzel Sawyer.
All the students’ work was innovative, inspiring, and served to amplify St. Elizabeth’s mission and values. One group designed a house that had rooms where residents could visit to collectively share their experiences through art and talk therapy with a counselor. Another group devised a unique double-decker bus solution that was designed to provide temporary shelter to unhoused individuals, and also offered on the go medical care and supplies to those in need.
The students named their project “The Phoenix” symbolizing the notion of hope and resilience, and encapsulating the journey from homelessness to permanent housing. One standout group will have the opportunity to meet with housing experts over the next year to continue problem-solving around this serious issue.
The Tim Gardner Hackathon illustrates our students’ ability to tackle real world problems with compassion, grace, and collaboration. It reinforces our belief that we have a number of emerging world leaders in our midst. We can’t wait until next year!
