In the week that follows, we aim to raise $100,000 to cover school expenses like an IB education, educational supports, and basic supplies. To get our community excited for this very special week, the kids will have a spirit week where they will dress in the color they are seeking to earn that day, which will then be added as a color station to the Color Run at the end of the week. For every $25k raised, a new color is earned!

Swigert Gives is the most important annual fundraising campaign for our school.

Swigert is an International Baccalaureate school where your child receives the intellectual, personal, emotional, and social skills to live, learn, and work in a rapidly globalizing world. To be certified as an IB at a school, we must fund an IB coordinator, a foreign language program, and supplement funds to keep our teachers IB trained. This comes at a cost of more than $100,000 each year. This cost is not covered by the Denver Public Schools.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why?

Core funding for our school comes from Denver Public Schools. This funding, which ranks in the bottom half of the United States, does not support or sustain a quality education that includes IB curriculum, art, gifted and talented programs, math interventions, social emotional education, reading supports, STEM, and more. To provide a well-rounded educational experience, we have developed a culture of giving at Swigert International School. We encourage parents to give of their time, money and talent every year.

Where do these contributions go?

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How much should I give?

We are asking for a one-time donation of $450 per student attending Swigert for the current school year. In the past, we have held multiple fundraisers throughout the year, or had kids participate in fundraising sales. After feedback from our community, we want to offer a single donation option for families. You can donate the $450/student upfront and know you have met your family's fundraising responsibility for the year. If you prefer to give throughout the year, there are options to break up your donation into monthly or quarterly installments. For those able to donate more than $450/student, please donate what you can to help support those unable to contribute at this level. It takes a village, and we need all the support we can get to reach our goal!

Can family and friends donate too?

Of course! All support is welcome. Please mention the campaign to other family members, neighbors, and friends to help us reach our individual goal.

Does your company match?

Don’t forget to check with your company to see if they match your donations. Hundreds of companies do corporate matching, and this is a great way to maximize your donation.

What is the Color Run?

It’s a fun run around the field where students will run through color stations of “chalk” which is colorful cornstarch. By reaching a daily fundraising goal, the students "earn" a color station for the run, building a palette of fun by the end of the week. The Swigert PTA wants all students to be passionate about IB and our school. Every child participates and celebrates the donations, regardless if their family was able to contribute.

Where is the Color Run?

The run will take place on the playground on the large grass field inside the gates during school hours October 3th. Parents are welcome to come watch, but risk being chalked if they enter the gates! We will have cones up for the kids’ path. Please stay on the outside observation area. Your child CAN NOT leave with you until you check them out with their teacher.

What should my student wear?

Every child will receive a t-shirt to wear over their clothes for the run.  Wear older clothes and bring sunglasses.

Can I make the color stay?

 Probably not. Since the shirts are white, we do not wet the kids enough to really latch onto the powder. It’s still super fun and the kids enjoy the day. You can wash the child’s shirt alone in the wash, removing the color, and you now have a free Spirit Wear shirt! Feel free to tie dye them or get creative for future school spirit events!

What if my child doesn’t want to do the run?

Every year we have kids who do not want to be wet, do not want color, etc. We will honor your child’s wishes and they can opt out by letting their teacher know. The youngest Eagles always get the kindest “throws” of powder from the parent volunteers. The 5th graders seem to enjoy getting doused by their final year.

Thank you for your support - Swigert couldn't be such an amazing school without people like you!