Marshall Fire

As the anniversary of the Marshall Fire approaches, the trauma remains raw for students at Monarch High School and the rest of their community. They say the sights and sounds of the season often bring back memories from the tragedy that destroyed more than a thousand homes, killed two people and changed their lives forever.

Monarch High students, staff and families have been living in challenging times. The school serves the most impacted families in the district (200+) affected by the devastating Marshall Fire in December, which came within feet of the school and burned hundreds of homes just across the street. Like many in our BVSD community, the effects from the stress of living through the pandemic and the impacts of the fires have spotlighted the need to focus on student wellness. 

The BVSD School Age Care (SAC) staff has always provided a safe gathering place before and after school where children can learn, grow and laugh before and after the school bell. Over the last two years, the Coal Creek Elementary SAC site has become a haven of relative normalcy amidst the pandemic and the Marshall wildfire for students and parents alike.

For the past five years, many BVSD educators have received training in RISE (Resilience in Schools and Educators), a whole-school social-emotional learning program that builds trauma-responsive school climates and promotes resilience in staff and students. The RISE approach includes a set of practices and strategies that build social-emotional and academic competencies

As the Marshall Fire grew out of control, a handful of Boulder Valley School District bus drivers answered the call. With little notice, they volunteered to come in during Winter Break and drove towards danger to help with evacuations.