Over the past three years, Trailblazer Elementary has embarked on a journey of empowering students and educators through personalized learning. By engaging in this work, we discovered that our community not only wanted, but needed, opportunities for passion-based learning during and beyond the traditional school day.

We also began to realize just how little say our learners had in the design of their experiences. Through a visioning process, Trailblazer staff committed to designing experiences that were both interest-based and enriching for all learners.

However, we were still missing one piece. Thanks to Maria, we found it.

Our school sits in an idyllic location, nestled up against the foothills with Ute Valley Park--an open space with miles of trails right outside our front doors. Hiking club, one of our extended-day enrichment opportunities, fills up fast! We trek along the dirt paths exploring nature, engaging in playful conversation, and discussing civic responsibilities while on a trail, all while immersing ourselves in the surrounding ecosystem. It was on one of these hikes that a third grader, Maria,* began pointing out flora and fauna, naming nature in both English and Spanish. Several students along the trail began asking her about each item we passed "How would you say that in Spanish?" This simple interaction resulted in our next big idea--born from the agency of an 8-year-old girl. 

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