WEATHER ALERT: Please note that due to weather,
this year's Cherry Creek Diversity Conference has been canceled.

About Us

We cordially invite you to attend the 19th annual Cherry Creek Diversity Conference on Saturday, February 4, 2012!

At its inception, eighteen schools gathered for what has now grown into the largest diversity conference in the state of Colorado. Last year we were pleased to have 88 schools and organizations participating, with a total attendance over 1,000. This day-long conference is the only statewide conference dealing with issues of diversity entirely planned by and for students.

While most people associate the word 'diversity' with ethnicity or race, the conference deals a wide range of topics including cliques, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental challenges, multicultural art and music, socio-economic concerns, and teenage social problems.

Conference Goals

The conference's goals have remained the same over the past 18 years, though the conference itself changes dynamically each year under the guidance of our Executive Committee, a group of some sixty students and adults who volunteer their time and make all decisions regarding the conference.

Our goals are:

to promote diversity and understanding within and among students attending Colorado's public and private high schools;
to focus on any issue that might impact a student's ability to achieve academically or socially, both in and out of the school setting;
to provide an opportunity for students from public and private, large and small, urban and rural schools to share ideas in a cooperative atmosphere;
to establish a supportive network of students, faculty and administrators committed to carrying out these goals; and
to empower participants to speak out or take action in their local schools and communities and increase tolerance and appreciation of diversity.

Evaluations

We invite you to learn more about our unique conference. Review our evaluations from past participants. We've also collected quotes from attendees, funders, community leaders and other words of support that reflect the true meaning of this event.

Leadership

While our conference is designed by the Executive Committee with some sixty-plus students and adults, no conference could take place without dedicated leaders. Below are biographies of our conference's Co-Directors. They can be contacted via information on the contact us page.

Janet Sammons

Janet has been a social studies teacher for the past 41 years, ten in Kansas and the remainder at Cherry Creek High School. Janet co-sponsors the CCHS Diversity Task Force Club. In addition, she is one of four facilitators who organizes required equity training for the faculty and staff of her school.

In 1993, Janet came up with the idea of having Cherry Creek High School host a statewide diversity conference and, after gaining the approval of her principal, she put things in motion to make the conference a reality.

Regarding the conference, Janet says: "Knowing these students and sponsors are sacrificing their Saturday to learn how to make a difference in their schools and communities makes all the hard work worth it! I believe this conference is truly a labor of love."

Caleb Munro

Caleb lives in New York. He has worked on the Diversity Conference since his senior year at Cherry Creek High School in 1999. For the past 12 years he has steadily become more and more involved--though no longer located in Colorado--by playing a role on the Executive Committee, creating the conference website, administering several key databases, and managing logistics on the conference day.