D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School began its 25th school year on Thursday, August 16th. D’Evelyn was founded as a liberal arts option school in Jefferson County for students in grades 7 - 12 and has honored that direction for the past 24 years. The school opened for students at the Manning School location on August 17, 1994, beginning its first year with students in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. Since that year, D’Evelyn has undergone substantial growth and one major relocation. Nonetheless, we still hold true to the important tenets of the D’Evelyn Founding Document, including maintaining high academic and behavioral expectations for all students and a liberal arts curriculum for students. In its first 24 years, D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School has maintained a standard of excellence for its students, nearly 2,700 of whom have graduated from the school since the first graduation in 1998. D’Evelyn has a rich history of extraordinary student achievement, both inside and outside the classroom. Guided by the educational vision established in the D’Evelyn Founding Document, D’Evelyn students have developed their minds and their character, as seen by great accomplishments in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities. Last week, we learned that for the 18th consecutive year, D’Evelyn juniors earned the highest scores on the SAT (the current statewide assessment for all Colorado juniors) among all public, non-charter schools in the state, with an average score of 1297. Prior to the 2017, juniors in Colorado completed the ACT as the statewide standardized assessment. Whether it has been through the ACT or SAT, D’Evelyn juniors have earned this highest score distinction for 18 consecutive years. Additionally, the D’Evelyn Classes of 2020 and 2021 shined on the PSAT 10 and PSAT respectively. With an average score of 1182, the members of the Class of 2020 earned the highest score among Colorado public, non-charter schools, and with an average score of 1148, the members of the Class of 2021 earned the highest score among all Colorado public schools. Congratulations to those students involved in these great achievements. It reflects your hard work and commitment to academic excellence. These achievements also reflect the valuable support provided by parents and families, the dedication and knowledge of our wonderful faculty, and the great impact carried within our timeless liberal arts academic program. As principal, I am most proud of these results because they reflect the important values embedded in the Founding Document. The purpose of the school is to convey cultural knowledge to its students, with the intent of developing each student’s mind and character. The great school educates the whole child, expanding their knowledge and skills in a manner that allows for transfer to future challenges. The performance of D’Evelyn students on myriad of standardized exams is a clear reflection of the power and influence of this academic program. By dedicating themselves to mastering the academic content of the D’Evelyn Program, our students are prepared for future challenges and triumphs. Outside of the classroom, D’Evelyn students have a long track record of success. In the 24-year history of the school, D’Evelyn student-athletes have represented their school with excellence. Among the many highlights, D’Evelyn sports programs have won 79 conference championships, and earned 11 Colorado state championships. The D’Evelyn Marching Band alone has won an additional six Colorado Bandmasters Association state championships. For eight of the past nine school years, D’Evelyn has earned the Steinmark Award, granted to the Jeffco school that has the most successful all-around athletic program during the year. Dozens of D’Evelyn student-athletes have earned all-state recognitions, along with dozens more who have won individual and relay state championships. The work ethic, dedication, and resilience that D’Evelyn students establish at home and in the classroom support this level of outstanding athletic and extracurricular activities. For a school with such a rich tradition in academics, it is a great tribute to the talent, time management, and hard work of our students that they can reach such great heights in athletic competition. As a school community, I hope that we can work together to honor and celebrate the great achievements of the past and present at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. I also request your support in our efforts to maintain this standard of excellence. I have great conviction that the program offered at D’Evelyn for our students is a wonderful opportunity, and it is a privilege for our students to attend this great school. Please join us in the effort to support, encourage, and positively recognize our students for their great work throughout the course of this school year. The result will make it all worth it! It has been a pleasure to enjoy the recent media exposure D’Evelyn has gained around our 25th anniversary year and the 18 consecutive years of ACT and SAT performance. I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch the following two news reports from the past two weeks about D’Evelyn: 9News - Next with Kyle Clark (televised on Wednesday, August 23rd): https://www.9news.com/article/news/education/local-school-has-states-top-test-scores-for-18-years-in-a-row/73-586670249 7News - Morning News (televised on Thursday, August 16th): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTpTLXZ32Wo 24 years and counting … it has been a great run so far for D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School! The beginning of the 25th year in the school’s rich history presents us with the unique opportunity to both reflect upon and honor the great achievements of the school’s past, and to renew our focus on preserving and strengthening the D’Evelyn program so that 25, 50, and 100 years down the road, this timeless liberal arts public school program is available to students of future generations. As we set to begin this 25th year, it is important to reflect upon the wonderful vision established by the D’Evelyn Founders. While there are many important details outlined in the D’Evelyn Founding Document, this year as a faculty, staff, and community, we will focus on the core mission of the school - providing a school environment where all students are held to high academic and behavioral expectations within the framework of a liberal arts curriculum, in order that the students will be prepared for effective citizenship and a happy, full, and successful life. I am grateful to our Founders for having the knowledge, wisdom, courage, and fortitude to design and open this school that serves Jefferson County. It is a privilege for me to have the responsibility of serving as principal of this great school. It is rare to find a school that offers such an impactful program to all of its students as a public institution with enrollment open to all county residents. It is a privilege for our teachers to teach D’Evelyn students. D’Evelyn teachers have the privilege of teaching, mentoring, and supporting our great students, while dedicating their efforts to teach the thoughtfully designed, timeless D’Evelyn liberal arts curriculum. It is a privilege for our students to attend D’Evelyn. The value of the liberal arts education is boundless - students develop the knowledge, skills, character, and work ethic necessary to success in any future pursuit. The D’Evelyn founding premise that all students should have the opportunity to achieve success within this rigorous program is both inspirational and empowering. Further, with nearly 2,700 graduates in the first 21 D’Evelyn graduating classes, D’Evelyn students have a large pool of role models setting an example for the wonderful foundation the D’Evelyn program provides. By design, the D’Evelyn program will challenge students, and the experiences of different students will be unique as they face those challenges. Please join the D’Evelyn faculty, staff, and administration in support of the effort to encourage growth, improvement, and personal development for your student throughout their D’Evelyn tenure. It is okay for students to face challenges - in fact, facing and overcoming challenges is an important part of preparing adolescents for a happy, successful future. We have numerous intentionally designed systems to support struggling students; however, if you feel your student may need additional support, please use direct communication with the most appropriate involved adult in the building. I could not be more excited for the start of the 2018-2019 school year. I appreciate your support throughout this year and beyond as we work to sustain the greatness of the D’Evelyn program, while working to secure its place as an excellent public school serving our students and families. Back to School Night is an important opportunity for parents and guardians of D’Evelyn students to meet teachers, learn more about the curriculum, and understand specific expectations for individual classes. We encourage attendance at this important start-of-year event. Due to classroom size and furniture restrictions, Back to School Night is limited to the attendance of parents and guardians. The 2018 Back to School Night is Thursday, August 23rd, and begins at 6:00 PM with an address from the Principal in the main Gymnasium. After the Principal’s Address at 6:00 pm, we will dismiss parents to follow their student’s class schedule on an abbreviated rotation. Parents will have a chance to visit each class in our 6-period bell schedule and learn more about the class from the teacher. The bell schedule runs from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. During this meeting with teachers, they will present on many topics, including but not limited to:
New this year - the D’Evelyn Administration will host parent meeting for families new to D’Evelyn (grades 7, 8, and 9) this year on August 23rd in the Auditorium at 5:30 PM. We will have a brief presentation for new parents, as well as opportunities for parents to ask questions and learn more about the D’Evelyn experience. We encourage new parents to attend this meeting to continue learning more about D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. Thank you for your continued support of D’Evelyn. We look forward to welcoming in parents/guardians for Back to School Night on August 23rd. |
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