Project Description
Renard Simmons, Fellow
Denver Center for 21st Century Learning at Wyman
Denver, CO
Renard Simmons has been an administrator of the Denver Center for 21st Century Learning (DC21) in Denver, Colorado for 11 years: 8 as principal and the previous 3 as AP. DC21 is a 6-12 school that strives to re-involve and accelerate at-promise students and prepare them for careers in the 21st century. A product of Denver Public Schools himself, Renard is passionately committed to the concept of education as the great equalizer and is relentless in his quest to energize his DC21 scholars with this same belief. After graduating from Austin Peay State University in Tennessee (BS in Communication), Renard first worked with teens at Denver Health Department, and it was there that he realized his calling to become an educator. In 2003 he began a career as a special education teacher, taking on various leadership roles before embarking on his MA and principal certification. A life-long learner, he is a Catapult Fellow, a Relay Fellow and has most recently served on the advisory board to the new superintendent of Denver Public Schools. As a 'servant leader', he inspires students every day with his favorite quote: "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of a true education." --Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nicholas Lopez, Ally
Assistant Principal
Denver Center for 21st Century Learning at Wyman
Denver, CO
Nick Lopez is an Assistant Principal at DC21, an alternative, public high school in downtown Denver, Colorado, where he uses his many talents as a leader of a team effort, transforming the lives of at-risk students, leading them to high school graduation and beyond. In 2001 he earned a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from the University of Northern Colorado where he played college football and won a National Championship. He found his calling in 2003 when he began working with youth: counseling, coaching, teaching, and leading. In 2012 he earned his MA along with his principal license as a RELAY graduate. Nick loves his work and is passionate about serving his students and helping them create plans for productive futures.