Posted August 6, 2026
The Denver Public Schools Foundation invites media, community leaders, and volunteers to attend and participate in Back to Class Bash Season, a multiple event pre-school year celebration of community spirit, school pride, and support for Denver students and educators.
This year’s Back to Class Bash Season offers a variety of ways to support students and schools as the school year begins. The first events include service days, taking place on Friday, August 7 and Friday, August 14. School supplies will be distributed to DPS families through the DPS Community Hubs. And then, after the school year begins, we will wrap up our Back to Class Bash Season with the DPS 5K, A Fun Run with DPS Foundation. The Back to Class Bash Season is a great way to start the school year off strong all while uniting families, corporate sponsors, and community members in hands-on service and student support. For more information, please see below.
Back to Class Bash Season Service Days
Friday, August 7 | 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at Barney Ford Elementary School, Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School, and Goldrick Elementary School.
Friday, August 14 | 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at McMeen Elementary School and Valverde Elementary School.
Service day volunteers will gather to beautify school grounds, assist with campus improvement projects, and prepare welcoming environments for students and staff. The morning will begin with an opening program shortly after 7:30 a.m., with brief remarks from local leaders including Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez and Paul Kashmann as well as school officials. All are welcome to attend and stay for any portion of the day.
“The start of a new school year is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when a community rallies around its youth,” said Sara Hazel, President & CEO of the Denver Public Schools Foundation. “Standing behind our students isn’t just something we do in key moments—it’s an ongoing commitment to ensuring every DPS student feels championed and valued every single day. The Back to Class Bash Season shows unity, bringing us together to build welcoming environments where our students and educators can dream big and thrive.”
DPS Foundation and DPS will be collaborating to host an employee and community 5k and fun run event on October 3, at Berkeley Lake Park, Denver, CO, check in starts at 8am, fun run starts at 9am. This fun run is hosted in collaboration with the DPS Wellness Department and started as an effort to encourage educator wellness and has since expanded for community members to join as well. The morning event is filled with breakfast, swag opportunities, a student DJ, runner t-shirts, and post event activities. Sponsorship opportunities including a variety of sponsor benefits are still available for this student-centered event!
The event is free for DPS educators. Community members who wish to run can register for $20 with code EARLYBIRD before September 1. After September 1, registration is $25 per person.
Lace up and run or walk with Team DPS while helping put students first. Stay tuned for more details. Thank you to Fidelity and Swire Coca-Cola, DPS Foundation’s Back to Class Bash Trailblazer Sponsors as well as all Back to Class Bash Season sponsors for making this possible.
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