I am thankful for the opportunity to serve as D’Evelyn principal. I feel fortunate to lead a school that embodies an educational philosophy that so aligns with my own views of what school should be for our students. I am grateful for the great effort put forth by students, the dedication of our faculty and staff, and the support of D’Evelyn parents and families. The D’Evelyn Education Foundation Annual Dinner Auction on Friday, November 9th was a great reflection of the support and enthusiasm I feel from our community. The enthusiasm and shared belief in the quality of the D’Evelyn education was on full display throughout the evening. This year, the DEF Board of Directors established a new fundraising approach and set out to fundraise to support the complete renovation of the D’Evelyn Main Gym. This improvement to the school will positively impact D’Evelyn students, faculty, staff, families, and community members. I am happy to report that the fundraising efforts from the Dinner Auction were a great success. After expenses, the Auction generated over $70,000 in new funds to support the operations of the Foundation as well as the gym renovation. Additionally, the Live Auction “paddle raise” netted over $30,000, which has been matched by the Foundation from general fund savings accrued over the years. We are on our way to reaching our $250,000 fundraising goal and the DEF will share more specific fundraising details with the community after Thanksgiving Break. The passion, commitment, and support for D’Evelyn shown by our parents, family members, faculty, and staff are overwhelming. The event was sold out, meaning 250 D’Evelyn community members contributed to this outstanding fundraising effort. The community support we enjoy at D’Evelyn is a big part of the great success of the students in the school - past, present, and future. I hope that you and your family enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving and associated Thanksgiving Break. I look forward to an excellent finish to the first semester. It is hard to believe that I find myself writing to wish all members of the D’Evelyn community a Happy Thanksgiving and wonderful Thanksgiving Break. This semester has gone very quickly! While there are a few days of school remaining, please accept my very best wishes on a great holiday celebration with family, friends, and loved ones.
For D’Evelyn students, faculty, and staff, I am hopeful that the week off will be a great time to rest, relax, and recharge after a busy first 12 weeks of the 2018-2019 academic year. School breaks are an important time for all community members to change pace from the daily routine of school, but also a time for giving more undivided attention and energy to personal needs and interests. It is my sincere hope that the week-long break will be a great time for students, faculty, and staff to enjoy time with loved ones, to travel, and to read and exercise for leisure. It has been a great start to the year. D’Evelyn students have been doing outstanding work in the classroom, athletes have achieved great success in competition, and our students in performing arts have turned in great performances and earned well-deserved accolades. Perhaps most importantly, I have observed an improved mindfulness of character amongst the student body over the course of this semester, particularly since our Rachel’s Challenge assembly in October. Once we return from Thanksgiving Break, we will have a busy and exciting four week until the conclusion of fall semester. I look forward to seeing the great work done in D’Evelyn classrooms to wrap up the semester, as well as the beginning of our winter sports season and the numerous winter musical performances from our vocal and instrumental musicians. It is a privilege to serve as the principal of this great school. I am thankful for the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, and staff, and for the strong support of our parents and community members. I am also looking forward to spending more time with my family and friends over the Thanksgiving Break, and recharging for an outstanding finish to the semester. In the first 24 years of the history of D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School, we have seen nearly 2,700 young adults walk across the stage of D’Evelyn graduations, dating back to the first class in 1998. In each ceremony I have attended, dating back to the Class of 2006 commencement ceremony, I always felt a sincere sense that these D’Evelyn graduates were well prepared for a happy, successful, and full life, regardless of the ultimate destination that each graduate seeks. I had the good fortune last week of visiting with a member of the D’Evelyn Class of 2012, Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Alec Comito of the United States Navy. Alec graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2016, but before that, he was an outstanding student-athlete at D’Evelyn. I was privileged to teach Alec in my American Government and Economics courses during his senior year. It was a real pleasure for Alec to visit D’Evelyn, catch up with his junior/senior high school teachers and coaches, and tour the school. Alec was visiting Colorado during a relocation from Florida to southern California, where he will be stationed to continue his service to the US Navy. In a few weeks, he will be deployed to Singapore, where he will embark on the USS John C. Stennis, and serve as a pilot of the E2-C Hawkeye aircraft. I am very proud of Alec, and the accomplishments he has met in his young life. At D’Evelyn, he was an outstanding student, and an accomplished athlete in football, basketball, and track and field throughout his four years as a Jaguar. It gives me great confidence and satisfaction that young men and women of Alec’s character, intellect, and dedication serve this country and protect this great nation. There are thousands of D’Evelyn graduates living throughout not only Jeffco, but Colorado, the nation, and world, doing great things in their communities, within their families, and in their professional careers. As principal of this great school, it gives me great confidence knowing that I have the privilege of leading a program that so thoroughly prepares students for a successful life. During this 25th year, the D’Evelyn administration has taken new measures to build connections within and among our alumni community. Our first step in this process is to build a communication infrastructure to reach our alumni community with important and exciting updates in our school community, as well as sharing opportunities that alums can support the future success of D’Evelyn. I have one request for those reading this article - please share the following link with alumni with whom you are connected, whether it is your child/children, or the children of friends and family. We are working to build a contact list of D’Evelyn graduates, and the best way our graduates of all classes can stay engaged in this great school, is by completing this very short survey. Thank you in advance for your support of engaging our alumni base. I am grateful for your continued and ongoing support for our great school. I look forward to seeing many families at the D’Evelyn Dinner Auction on Friday night. |
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