On February 3, 2018, the 25th Annual Cherry Creek Diversity Conference was held at Cherry Creek High School located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The Diversity Conference exists to provide high school students various tools which assist in self empowerment. This year, 95 schools and organizations participated and Colorado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Stapleton was proud to donate its time and knowledge by sending a crew of ladies, lead by BJJ Stapleton’s Ladies Jiu Jitsu Instructor Teri Stewart, to teach a ladies only introduction to self-defense seminar! The day-long Diversity 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, socioeconomic concerns, and teenage social problems. The Diversity Conference website (click here) states:
“The conference’s goals have remained the same over the past 20+ years, though the conference itself changes dynamically each year under the guidance of our Executive Committee, a group of some thirty 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; Focus on any issue that might impact a student’s ability to achieve academically or socially, both in and out of the school setting; Provide an opportunity for students from public and private, large and small, urban and rural schools to share ideas in a cooperative atmosphere; Establish a supportive network of students, faculty and administrators committed to carrying out these goals; and Empower participants to speak out or take action in their local schools and communities and increase tolerance and appreciation of diversity.”
Thank you to Heather “The Martyr” Westman, Stephanie “Peggy” Burke, and Kate “The Purple People Eater” Stewart for assisting as instructors for the Diversity Conference introduction to self-defense seminar! You ladies rock! Stephanie had this to say on Facebook about the Diversity Conference:
“Stephanie Burke added 13 new photos — attending 25th Annual Cherry Creek Diversity Conference with Heather Sarles Westman and 2 others at Cherry Creek High School · Greenwood Village ·
The ladies of Colorado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Stapleton spent the day teaching self defense to a group of exceptional high school ladies at Cherry Creek’s Diversity Conference. Moments like this show how bright the future can be – these ladies worked hard, caught on quickly and were such a joy to work with. Our fearless leader and coach, Teri Stewart, did a remarkable job instructing, encouraging, and pouring the strength, passion and love of our team into the next generation. It’s truly an honor to wear the Stapleton patch – much love to the conference for inviting us to share our sport.”
PICTURES FROM THE 25TH ANNUAL CHERRY CREEK DIVERSITY CONFERENCE:
BJJ Stapleton – Excellent Instruction – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – Martial Arts – MMA – Self Defense – Fitness – Community – Fun – Denver – Aurora – Colorado
