Graduation Day 2024
On May 23rd, 2024, we were so proud to hand diplomas to four graduates of our fully accredited school, the Bansbach Academy. During the ceremony, each of the graduates gave a speech and chose two staff from the agency to speak on their behalf. None of our grads have had an easy journey, but each of them showed courage, resilience, and a willingness to learn and grow to get this day.
One of the graduates, Ava, opened their remarks this way:
“Today my speech will be about mistakes, a concept I’m sure everyone here is familiar with. We usually see mistakes as failure, excuses to call ourselves horrible people. What if instead we call them what they are... lessons. Grounds to try again.”
That’s what DCH is all about. We are here to help build skills and give kids a chance to try again, to build a new life for themselves with our support. We get to help them be kids again, and that includes attending and graduating from high school.
Ava closed their remarks with a quote from Søren Kierkegaard, “Hope is passion for what is possible.” There’s nothing that gives me more passion for what is possible than hearing Ava say to DCH, “Thank you for giving me somewhere to call home” and cheering them on as they accepted their diploma and embarked on their next step.
Another grad, Nate, would be the first to tell you that, when he was admitted to Denver Children’s Home in March 2023, he never thought he would be the kind of kid to graduate high school. But after a rocky first meeting in Rebecca’s office, Nate realized DCH was a place where he could let down his walls and be himself. He went on to make up more than a year of school so he could graduate on time last May.
And, along the way, Nate created a home at DCH and found a family that our team reminds him “has no expiration date.” He brought sparkle to the lunch room (there’s a reason his nickname is “the lunch lady”), went above and beyond to care about others, and was even chosen to be honored as a Denver Nugget for the day — meeting DeAndre Jordan and hanging out on the court!
During graduation, Rebecca said that Nate went from being “the most shocking intake she’s ever had” to “one of the most remarkable kids we have ever helped.” She told Nate, “You restore faith in what is possible. You allow people to support you.” This is the magic of DCH in a nutshell.
To the Bansbach Class of 2024 — Ava, Nate, Tony, and Asher — congratulations!! DCH truly believes that when you change the life of a child, you change the world.
