Program History
Since the beginning of the Greenway Foundation’s efforts to clean up and revitalize the South Platte River, education has been one of the primary objectives. The SPREE program has grown out of an integration of education with stewardship. The Greenway Foundation believes that providing opportunities for children to experience the South Platte River in a hands on way, to learn about the River’s roll in the birth of Denver, and to experience nature in the city are the best ways to ensure that the South Platte is preserved and taken care of for years to come.
SPREE was born out of collaboration between the Greenway Foundation and a group of DPS teachers led by Carl Crookham (pictured above). These teachers saw strength in providing experiential outdoor learning opportunities for their students. From these early years of a few teachers with a few classes, SPREE was born. As the program grew, it was possible to have Carl work full time as a SPREE teacher, taking students from across the district to the banks of the South Platte every year.
Once SPREE was an established education program in the Denver Public School system, the SPREE School concept was born. SPREE Schools are schools that have adopted the South Platte as a centerpiece of their instruction and curriculum. At SPREE Schools, every student comes on a SPREE adventure every year. By building year to year, students at SPREE Schools develop a powerful relationship with the river by the time they graduate from SPREE. There are currently seven SPREE schools spread across Denver.
In the past few years, SPREE has grown by leaps and bounds. With the addition of seasonal staff, more students are participating in SPREE activities than ever before while the SPREE teacher to student ratio has consistently declined.
SPREE Staff
Jolon Clark is the SPREE program's director. Jolon was born in Denver and grew up in the Denver Public School system. As a student, Jolon fell in love with the Balarat Outdoor Education Center, and was a high school guide at both Balarat and the Bluff Lake Nature Center. He continued to follow his passion for the outdoors and working with children as he pursued a degree in Natural Resources with an emphasis on education through Colorado State University. Jolon graduated with honors and began training with Carl Crookham to take over the SPREE Program. Jolon has been the director of SPREE since 2003.
In addition to his education based degree in Natural Resources, Jolon is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association of Interpretation and a member of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education and the North American Association for Environmental Education.
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