Mo Mathews, a civil engineer and graduate of West Point, spent 24 years in the Army, including 5½ of them in Germany. There he became interested in the history and design of the many old churches and cathedrals that were carefully and lovingly rebuilt after WWII. He has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Greece, Russia, Israel and Turkey, visiting many cathedrals that he will discuss during these three sessions. The first session will introduce us to the cathedrals of the early Christian Church, followed by sessions on Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals. Whether you have already visited these cathedrals yourself, plan to do so in the future, or just appreciate the history they represent, you’ll come away from this class knowing more about them.

The challenges faced by too many DPS students and their families are daunting. Extremely high dropout/low graduation rates have hamstrung the hopes of many young people-especially minority students- leaving Denver’s schools. This bad trend is being gradually turned around. Our speaker will help us better understand the complex factors leading to such poor outcomes and tell us about the strategies that have helped her organization make a positive difference.