Please accept my very best wishes to you, your children, and your family on a wonderful, restful, and relaxing summer break.  The 2018-2019 school year has been filled with great success and achievement for D’Evelyn students. I know that success and achievement is the result of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice from students, and requires significant support from parents, family members, and teachers.  I am fortunate to lead such an engaged, dedicated school community, and I appreciate the efforts of all our community members to make this a memorable school year.

I often find myself saying, “summer break arrives at the right time every year.”  This year is no different. It is my most sincere hope that our students, families, teachers, and staff find time to rest, pursue their hobbies and passions, read for leisure, and spend meaningful time with family and friends over the course of the summer break.  I wish all members of the D’Evelyn community safe travels throughout the summer.

During the summer, the D’Evelyn administration will be working to prepare for a great 2019-2020 school year. We look forward to seeing our refreshed and recharged students, families, and teachers ready for another great school year in August.  In the meantime, enjoy your summer.

I am saddened and heartbroken for the STEM School community in the aftermath of the senseless tragedy that occurred in their school on Tuesday, May 7th.  My heart goes out to the victims and their families, and all of their community members whose lives were changed so dramatically Tuesday afternoon.  The frequency and intensity of school violence in recent years has had devastating impact on school communities all over the nation.

            Horrific tragedies like the one at STEM School last week are an important reminder of our essential role to remain vigilant in providing a safe and secure school environment for all of our students.  As I’ve written numerous times this year, the D’Evelyn administration, faculty, and staff are steadfast in our commitment to ensure a safe and secure environment in our school.

            As a D’Evelyn staff, we are dedicated to maintaining physical safety and appropriate training for our community members.  We are reflective in our practice of maintaining safety and work tirelessly to ensure that we are keeping the school safe.  That process of continuous reflection on safety is ongoing.  I have received questions and feedback from community members during the course of the week, and I appreciate your contributions to our conversations.  The D’Evelyn administration and security team is working through those questions/feedback, and we will adjust our safety protocols as appropriate going forward.

            An essential component of school safety is a strong partnership between all D’Evelyn community members with intentional focus on safety, security, and wellbeing of our students and staff.  One of the best preventative measures we have in our community is open, honest communication.  I ask that all D’Evelyn parents, students, faculty, staff, and community members remain dedicated to the important work of vigilant attention to safety.  Please share concerns with the appropriate adults at D’Evelyn as they arise, and if you don’t know who to contact, you may simply call the D’Evelyn Main Office for any concerns that arise during school hours.  The phone number is (303) 982-2600.  I encourage you to input that phone number in your contacts, so that it is immediately available when needed.

            If concerns arise outside of school hours, or anonymity of the reporter is an obstacle that could stop the report, please use the Safe2Tell program we have available in Jeffco.  Safe2Tell gathers information from reporters, and immediately communicates with law enforcement, district security, and school personnel.  Safe2Tell can be accessed by phone or internet:

• https://safe2tell.org/
  
• 1-877-542-7233
  

            Thank you for your ongoing support of our efforts to maintain a safe, secure learning environment.  More importantly, thank you for entrusting us with the safety, wellbeing, and education of your child(ren).

National Teacher Appreciation Week
 
National Teacher Appreciation Week occurs during the week of May 6th.  It is an important time to recognize the dedication, knowledge, skills, and commitment of D’Evelyn teachers.  We are fortunate to have a dedicated parent group that has planned an exciting week to honor the efforts of the D’Evelyn faculty.  I look forward to recognizing our teachers through the week.

I ask parents and family members reading this article to consider ways they may thank and recognize our dedicated faculty.  Please consider taking a few minutes to thank one or more members of the D’Evelyn faculty during Teacher Appreciation Week, as you deem it to be appropriate during the course of the week.  Thank you for your continued support of your student(s) and D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. I am excited
for a great conclusion to the 2018-2019 school year.

I was thrilled to receive the news this week that the US News and World Report named D’Evelyn the best high school in Colorado and the #131 high school in the United States.  It is an honor to be recognized by this publication among so many outstanding high schools in Colorado.  
 
Recognitions such as this from the US News and World Report are a great reflection of the quality of the D’Evelyn program and the efforts of many people. The recognition is a tribute to our outstanding, timeless liberal arts curriculum for students in grades 7 - 12.  The vertical alignment that allows students to progress with increasing complexity and challenge each year results in excellent outcomes from D’Evelyn students.
 
As D’Evelyn principal, I am proud of the efforts of our students and teachers, and grateful for the support of D’Evelyn parents and families.  The D’Evelyn program is rigorous and challenging by design, and as a result requires a lot of work and dedication from students and teachers. I extend my most sincere gratitude and pride to D’Evelyn students for their consistent effort to succeed within the challenging program.  I am proud to lead a faculty of so many highly qualified, passionate, and dedicated teachers. Each day the D’Evelyn faculty shows great commitment to supporting our students to academic success and personal growth.

I am grateful for the commitment of D’Evelyn parents and families, who provide support, counsel, and guidance to students as they grow up at D’Evelyn.  The process of students growing from grade 7 to grade 12 is lengthy and challenging. The support of parents and family members throughout the D’Evelyn tenure of our students is essential to our success as a school.
 
Congratulations to all members of the D’Evelyn community on this exceptional recognition.  As a school community, we should be proud of the accomplishments of our students. I am grateful that we are able to offer a rich educational experience to students across grades 7 - 12.  To read more about this recognition, please visit the report here: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/rankings-overview