Ellis Elementary in Denver, Colorado has a student body that hails from 30 different countries and represents 25 different languages. The school caters to mixed income backgrounds and has many students from refugee families. While this rich diversity can present challenges, the cheerful and supportive staff is bringing out the best abilities of their students. It is this rich diversity that has created a unique learning environment for Ellis students and gives the school a chance to celebrate differences and cultures.

The school has a well-run ESL program and really works hard to incorporate parents at the school. Additionally, Ellis has received many awards for its teachers, classes, and environmental programs. In fact, as a result of the Earth Day “Green Makeover”, the school won the Bronze Award from the Environmental Leadership Program of Colorado.

Ellis was selected by EDN and Chase Bank for the “Green Makeover” due to its limited resources, dedicated staff, supportive community, and also due to the environmental initiatives that were already occurring at the school. In fact, the makeover was based on school-wide projects being carried out by students and Front Range Earth Force, an environmental organization in Denver.