Justice T.J. Cole - Boulder County Magistrate [First Year Lecturer]

Justice T.J. Cole - Boulder County Magistrate [First Year Lecturer] Justice T.J. Cole will be discussing teen violence and the leadership needed to prevent it

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Boulder Valley's Justice High School moving to Lafayette

T.J. Cole: 'We're big and we're getting bigger'

By Vanessa Miller Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 08/13/2010

When Boulder County Magistrate T.J. Cole was laid off earlier this year amid budget cuts, Justice High -- the Boulder Valley charter school for at-risk youth that Cole oversees -- also lost its space at the Boulder County Justice Center.

Had school officials not found new digs by the start of the new school year, the 116 Justice High pupils would have had to cram into small classrooms in a house on Canyon Boulevard, across from the Justice Center at 1777 Sixth St.

But that won't be necessary, thanks to a rental agreement that has Justice High moving out of Boulder and into Lafayette.

In June, Justice High closed a deal to take over the former Flatirons Academy space, at 805 Excalibur St. in Lafayette. It's a one-story building originally constructed in 1979 and expanded in 2002.

"We hope it will be a long-term thing, and to some day buy it and make it our own forever," said Cole, who started Justice High and is continuing to help run the school with Principal Jeremy Jimenez.

Justice High officials, along with teacher and student volunteers, have been working feverishly to get the building ready for teaching on Aug. 23, Cole said. Because of the rushed move, he said, the school pushed back its start from the middle of next week to the start of the following week.

"We will take the extra days to get things like the computer lab ready to go," he said.

Justice High has been growing steadily for years -- increasing its student population from 10 when it started as an independent school in 2002 to 116 now -- and Cole said the new space will allow the school to continue growing.

"We're big and we're getting bigger," he said. "The new building is already built to be a school and will accommodate our growth."

Previously, when Justice High shared space between the house on Canyon Boulevard and the Justice Center, students would have to walk back and forth for lunch and different classes, Cole said. The new building will provide opportunities for convenience and advanced technology that Justice High students didn't have previously.

"Before, we would try to scrunch all in one space," Cole said. "Now we have a library and computer labs and new technology and 'smart boards.'"

Those boards are like giant iPads that teachers can use to access the Internet or feature learning materials.

It's unknown what effect moving Justice High out of the Justice Center will have on the students, Cole said, stressing that nothing is changing about the school except for its location. Its mission will remain intact: To provide a year-round college preparatory education for Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley students through a curriculum for at-risk youth who are disconnected from the traditional school system because of juvenile delinquency, drugs and alcohol, alienation, or other factors.

Deirdre Pilch, Boulder Valley's assistant superintendent of school leadership for middle and high schools, said Boulder Valley is glad that Justice High found a new home in time for the 2010-2011 school year.

"The good thing is that they will be up and running and ready for school, and we're pleased about that," Pilch said.

Read more: Boulder Valley's Justice High School moving to Lafayette - Boulder Daily Camera 
 

Date: Tuesday, March 15

Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Location: Hale Science, CU-Boulder campus