Design Showcase Highlights Fifth Grade Voices of Change Projects

As Colorado Academy Fifth Graders completed their Lower School journey this May, they knew they’d take with them not only fond memories and essential preparation for Middle School—they’d depart for the summer with the knowledge that their ideas could shape the experiences of all the elementary-age Mustangs who will follow in their footsteps. This year’s “Voices of Change” (VOC) capstone project challenged Fifth Grade students to redesign spaces in and around CA’s Lower School, giving them a sense of ownership—as researchers, architects, and visionaries—of the environment in which they learned, socialized, and grew in so many ways.

Now in its fourth annual iteration, Voices of Change was inaugurated to mark an important milestone for CA students: making the leap from doing well in school to using what you’ve learned in school to do good in the world around you. It’s a big moment, notes Lower School technology Instructor Travis Reynolds, who originated the capstone along with the Fifth Grade teaching team—and one that will continue to resonate throughout the rest of the students’ time at CA and beyond.

“The transformation that’s been at the heart of the VOC concept from the very beginning is helping kids see themselves as change-makers in their world.” Reynolds explains. Turning their minds to improving the environment in which they spend every day offered students an especially rich landscape for innovation. 

The Fifth Graders began their work early in the second half of the school year, by touring the Lower School with Principal Angie Crabtree and identifying the main spaces they would redesign: a Pre-K classroom, a portion of the Lower School library, an elementary-grade classroom, and the Dos Chappell nature trail adjacent to the Lower School on the northernmost edge of campus. 

Next, they interviewed the users of these spaces: fellow students, teachers, CA’s librarians, and others. With an understanding of their clients’ likes and dislikes, wants and needs, the Fifth Graders proceeded to brainstorm via digital “vision boards” to quickly capture ideas, images, products, and references that inspired their thinking. This Design Thinking approach isn’t new to Fifth Graders—it’s common across the curriculum in every grade at CA—but it may have been their first full-blown experience with this proven way of engaging with the real world. 

With the help of Director of Visual & Performing Arts & US Studio Art Senior Instructor Katy Hills, the designers then began drafting floor plans with vellum paper overlays that they could use to experiment with different layouts, furniture, colors, and other changes. They continued to meet with their key stakeholders to revise and refine their blueprints throughout the remainder of the school year.

Finally, as winter turned to spring, they turned their approved plans into 3D models using materials such as recycled cardboard, fabric, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, and even components fabricated using the 3D printers and laser cutter in Reynolds’ Wonder Workshop. Many project teams went a step farther: rendering a digital “walkthrough” of a redesigned space—just like architects and designers who present their clients with immersive proposals.

The culmination of Voices of Change 2025 was an end-of-year “poster walk” in CA’s Dining Hall. Students showcased their ideas on tri-fold posterboard and answered questions from students, teachers, administrators, and proud family members invited to the special occasion. The interactive session mirrored similar events held in the Upper School, during which students in CA’s Advanced Studies and Research (ASR) courses shared their final projects with parents and guests at an evening symposium.

After four years of refining the Voices of Change approach, this year felt just right, says Reynolds, with students excited to engage with people and spaces they already know to create something everyone can appreciate. Crabtree has pledged that the results of this year’s work will be used to help shape the reimagining of CA’s Lower School, a long-term goal that’s in its earliest stages.

That commitment is an indicator of just how much more than models the Fifth Grade created this year. The months-long process of collaborating with stakeholders and peers, refining and iterating their designs, seeking feedback, and ultimately “pitching” their ideas through public presentations nurtures confidence that even the most formidable challenges can be conquered. All it takes is the belief that anyone can be a change-maker.