Partnership spins two schools together
MSU Denver's sport event management class partners with sixth-graders to earn real-world experience.
The day starts with yoga. Sixth-graders at The Boys School of Denver arrive for daily lessons, rooted in movement. Classrooms are designed to encourage students to be active and teachers plan units around targeted goals and mastery plans.?
It might sound like a dream come true for young minds with a lot of energy, but it is also perfect for a partnership with college students who have a passion for sports management and events.
The sport event management class in the Sport Management Department at MSU Denver guides students through planning and executing events. The Boys School of Denver presented an ideal opportunity to get students working on a community event, everything from sticking to a budget to event logistics.
“An idea was presented to hold a Spin-a-Thon at Endorphin studios. Seventeen students in the sport event management class, sophomores and juniors, split into teams to plan the event. They toured the school and talked with students and teachers about the mission and vision of the school,” said sport event management instructor Brandi Rideout.
Endorphin donated the space and everything began to take shape.
“When I went to visit the classroom I was amazed at how well behaved and engaged all the sixth-grade boys were. They asked incredible thought-provoking questions and were outgoing and accepting of us visiting them. Really they are light-years ahead of where I was at that age,” said Alex Lynn, a junior sports management major with a minor in marketing. He felt the experience of working with the students and the school gave him a chance to see something of this magnitude come full circle.
“My favorite part of the project has been getting to know The Boys School. Without this course, I would not have even heard of them. I really believe in their mission and want to do anything I can to the word out about this amazing program,” Lynn said.
The Spin-a-Thon raised $3,300 for The Boys of School of Denver. The school is a branch of The Girls Athletic Leadership School. Both schools have the mission of fostering academic excellence and personal development to empower youth to become powerful advocates in their communities.
