A School of Student CEOs

A university president once tried to take $5 million away from a group of students. One of them fought back, changed state law, and is now rewriting the rules of education.

That was Kristina Scala, 20 years before she cofounded Aspen Academy, a Pre-K through 8th grade school in Greenwood Village where kids build real businesses, not pretend ones. Scala majored in business at California State University, Chico, one of the few academic programs in the country where all on-campus businesses were entirely student-owned and operated. When the university’s president decided to reallocate the revenue from the student businesses to cover the school’s deficit, Scala, who had been elected student body president, refused to back down. She organized a door-knocking campaign and, together with elected officials, drafted legislation that was ultimately signed into law, establishing a landmark case of Eminent Domain for private enterprise on public university campuses.

Scala applies that same tenacity to her work as President of Aspen Academy, a private school located in Greenwood Village that aims to create “a learning model that’s steeped in leadership, academic rigor, entrepreneurial development, community strength, and community service.” Aspen Academy serves early learners and pre-K through 8th grade. Its signature curriculum, known as Leadership, Finance, and Entrepreneurship (LiFE), is unique in the nation, enhancing the school’s internationally recognized academic programs such as Singapore Math, as well as its classes in STEAM, Spanish, arts, and fitness. By the time Aspen Academy’s students graduate, they will have received over 200 hours of personal financial education and had a stake in creating no fewer than ten businesses. “Most adults have never run a business, read a P&L, or pitched an idea to investors,” Scala says. ”Our students do all three before they finish 8th grade.”

Building Bright Futures

Still, gaining business experience is just one of Aspen Academy’s core pillars. The school’s early learners (ages 2 to 5) spend 50% of each day outdoors, away from screens, while older students benefit from multiple recesses. This allows for more real-world interaction, which in turn strengthens their “durable skills,” generally defined as “human-centric” or “soft skills” (such as collaboration and communication) that transcend industries and are always in demand. Aspen Academy also recently joined the International School Partnerships, a network of 120 schools in 26 countries, facilitating cross-cultural exchange, global learning, and exposure to foreign languages.

Aspen students have gone on to win Future Business Leaders of America honors at the state and national levels. The school’s values—be kind, do good, work hard, make the world better—represent a holistic view of learning, leadership, and community-oriented service. “We started Aspen Academy in a 10x12 foot office because we believed kids could do real things, not someday, now,” Scala explains. “20 years later, our 7th graders run businesses that earned over $54,000 last year.” The lesson hasn’t changed. The kids at Aspen Academy aren’t being prepared for the real world—they’re already in it.

One fight might still be ahead of her. No one—not parents, not teachers, not the people building the technology—knows what AI is going to do for the next 20 years of childhood. Aspen Academy is already building the one thing that won’t go out of date: durable skills. If the last two decades are any indication, Scala isn’t waiting to find out what that means; she’s laying the groundwork for future success right now. Like the trees after which Aspen Academy is named, its students are given the freedom to grow independently while remaining connected to their shared roots, a critical foundation that enables them to meet every season of their lives with determination, creativity, and resounding confidence.