It was a joy and honor to recognize the D’Evelyn Class of 2019 at the graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 18th in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Class of 2019 marks the 22nd graduating class in the rich history of D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. We were fortunate to have many great speeches and performances designed to honor this outstanding graduating class. It is a privilege to serve as principal of this great school. The occasions like graduations, and other ceremonies celebrating our wonderful students, are an important reminder to me of the significant nature of our work as educators. The D’Evelyn Program is challenging by design. The school intends to offer our students a rich liberal arts education with high expectations for all students. I know that members of the graduating class of 2019 embraced this challenge head on, and demonstrated hard work, perseverance, grit, and fortitude during their time in the school. I also know that this experience will shape and empower our graduations to lead happy, full, and successful lives, regardless of their chosen future pursuits. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this outstanding school and feel fortunate to be at the helm of such a wonderful community. Please join me in celebrating the D’Evelyn Class of 2019 and congratulate them on their outstanding achievement of reaching that stage this past Saturday. I look forward to seeing many more D’Evelyn graduating classes walk across that stage. Congratulations, D’Evelyn Class of 2019! Best wishes on your future journeys! 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:
On Thursday, May 2nd, the Jeffco Schools Board of Education approved a proposal regarding the addition of a 6th grade program to D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. Beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, D’Evelyn will offer a 6th grade program. We are grateful to the Jeffco Schools Board of Education (BOE) for their support of this proposal and appreciate their decision to provide funding for the building addition that this change will require. On behalf of the D’Evelyn administration and Steering Committee, I am happy that we will have an opportunity to address the “double shift” matter facing many D’Evelyn families as a result of Jeffco Schools transition to a K-5 / 6-8 model.
This decision by the BOE was not easy or straightforward. The Dennison/D’Evelyn 6th Grade Task Force has been working on the question of 6th grade programming between the two schools since the Fall of 2017. The decision of what to do with 6th grade was challenging and, in many ways, brought the programs in the two schools into conflict. Ultimately, that reality contributed to the challenges and struggles that necessitated the nearly two-year process to a resolution. As part of the BOE decision, Dennison Elementary will ultimately eliminate their 6th grade program. Between the 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 school years, both Dennison and D’Evelyn will offer 6th grade programs. However, beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, Dennison Elementary School will be a K-5 program, and D’Evelyn will be a 6-12 program. I am sad for the Dennison community as I know that this course change will have a big impact. Dennison Elementary School has been a crown jewel elementary program in Jeffco Schools for decades. Dennison offers a rich academic program that supports the academic and personal development of their students with extraordinary success. D’Evelyn is fortunate each year to welcome Dennison graduates into our 7th grade program - more fortunate than I can adequately explain in writing. I remain hopeful that this change will be an opportunity for Dennison and D’Evelyn teachers and administrators to build even stronger connections and additional productive collaboration going forward. The new D’Evelyn 6th grade program will be aligned with the Dennison Elementary 6th grade program, and I know that there are many, many things that we can learn from Dennison teachers, leaders, students, and families as we go forth with the design of our new program. Ultimately, between the two schools, our objectives are common. We seek to provide our students a rich, traditional educational experience that will prepare them for a great life. I am confident that this common objective will unify our school communities as we work together in the future. Please accept my most sincere thank you to all members of the Dennison and D’Evelyn communities for their support and thoughtful consideration throughout the process of considering the 6th grade matter. I know that there are people who disagree with the decision made by the BOE, but I ask for your support going forward as we work to design the most outstanding 6th grade program possible at D’Evelyn. 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 |
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