By: Brock Gustafson, Steering Committee Chair
Greetings from the Steering Committee. We are very lucky to be different in many ways at D’Evelyn, but one of the most important differences is a partnership. In a world that is polarized, with almost daily news stories about school districts on one side and parents on the other, D’Evelyn stands as a vision of partnership. Parents, teachers, and administrators come together to make critical decisions on everything from curriculum, textbooks, and budgets to the strategic direction of our school. In that light, I’d like to especially thank four people for their partnership and service in this week’s issue of Jaguar Tracks. At the end of this school year, the three-year Steering Committee terms for two parents and one teacher member will end. We are grateful for the years of service and countless hours of investment that Jodi Haller, Jeff London, and Greg Holland have given to the school community. I’d also like to thank Dr. Rob Bishop for his leadership over the last year. He has been a good steward of the school and of the D’Evelyn Philosophy this school year and has been a great partner with the members of Steering. As we look forward to next year, we will welcome four new members to the Steering Committee. Because there were an equal number of applicants to openings, there will be no election this April. In addition to our new Principal, Josh Shapiro who will serve as a member of steering, Keith Beams will join in a teacher capacity for a third term on Steering. Ginger Gee and Jason Nelson will serve as our new parent members. Our candidate bios and application question that we publish for each candidate can be accessed below. We are excited to welcome these new members (two of whom are D’Evelyn grads!) and we are grateful for their service! We will be having a candidate forum following the Accountability meeting on April 11. This is the community’s opportunity to ask questions of and hear from our Steering candidates for the next term. If you have any questions or wish to communicate with the Steering Committee, you may email us at [email protected]. Keith Beams is from Colorado and graduated with one of the first HS classes at D’Evelyn in 1998. He attended CU Boulder and graduated with a History major, later adding an M.A. in History. He taught for four years at a private Pre-K through 8th Grade school in Boulder. He then came to teach at D’Evelyn in the fall of 2005. He has been at D’Evelyn ever since, teaching various classes in Social Studies and Spanish, mostly at the Junior High level. Currently he teaches 7th Grade World Geography and 8th Grade US History. He has also served six years on the D’Evelyn Steering Committee previously and currently co-sponsors Jr. High Student Council and sponsors the Strategic Gaming Club on Fridays. He is married to Jennifer and has four kids: ages 10, 6, 5, and 2. His oldest two kids attend Dennison and are excited to one day come to D’Evelyn. Keith is highly active in his local church, teaching both adults and preschoolers. He enjoys baking, gardening, skiing, reading, and board games. Ginger Gee grew up in Scotia, New York, until moving to Lakewood, Colorado, just before turning 16. Although moving across the country was difficult, Ginger was lucky enough to meet her future husband, Dan, in math class during that tumultuous junior year. After graduating from Lakewood High School, she worked in early childhood education while earning her degree from Metro State University of Denver, finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science with a minor in elementary education in December 2007. Less than a year later, Ginger had her daughter, Sarah, and devoted her time to raising her. Over the next few years, Ginger welcomed her son Elliot and spent time raising her kids and working as a Jeffco substitute teacher off and on. She has been a member of Dennison’s Accountability and PTA throughout her children’s time at Dennison, including being the Dennison Eagle Community PTA president from June 2019 - May 2022. Ginger has now shifted most of her focus to D’Evelyn, serving as a voting member of D’Evelyn’s Accountability as well as serving on both curricular and hiring committees. In January, Ginger started working as a part-time Para in the front office (you may have seen her smiling face greeting you in the security vestibule) and library. When not working or volunteering, Ginger spends her time with her family hiking, playing games, baking, and gardening. As a lifelong learner, she has enjoyed delving into D’Evelyn’s history, policies and founding documents. She intends to approach her time on the Steering Committee as an opportunity to give back to the community she values and enjoys. Jason Nelson has lived in Colorado his whole life. He was born in Englewood and went to three different Jeffco elementary schools. For middle school, he enrolled at a new Jeffco Option school, the David S. D’Evelyn Jr. High School. Jason was part of the first graduating class to attend D’Evelyn for all six years and he met his future (and current) wife of 21 years while attending D’Evelyn. After graduation, Jason enrolled at Metropolitan State College of Denver and majored in Civil Engineering. During his time at college, he and his wife had two children, Maggie, a current Sophomore and Mikah a Freshman. Upon completion of his degree and obtaining an Engineer in Training license, he was hired on with a Civil Engineering firm. While he has changed jobs and companies a few times over the years, Jason currently works as a Civil Project Designer and is in the process of attaining a Professional Engineering license. He enjoys grilling on the Traeger, ATV rides in the mountains, and watching movies with his family. What general goals do you want D’Evelyn to accomplish in the course of the next year? What would you like D‘Evelyn to look like in five years? What is your vision for D’Evelyn ten years from today? Keith Beams: In the next year, I’d like to see a renewed emphasis upon the moral and behavioral values that make learning possible. I know that our current administration is working hard to turn the ship (Covid and current culture have made things challenging) and I’d like to see that continue. Without that emphasis on moral values, citizenship, and upstanding behavior, learning cannot be as successful as it has been in the past. I honestly believe this focus is of equal importance in shaping students for success in their own futures. In five years, I’d like to see enrollment of high school students grow in numbers while maintaining the academic standards that we all hold so strongly. I don’t know what the magic bullet is, or if there is one, but growing the number of students in our middle school is required for a strong high school enrollment. We have always relied upon the integrity, conduct, and pride of our high school students to set the school culture and I have concerns about culture with the addition of the 6th grade and the reality that our middle school will soon outnumber the high school students making a shift in culture a very real possibility. Ten years from now, we’ll have almost a full turnover in our staff from the days of the school’s founding. We are right now losing many teachers who joined in the first 5 years of the school’s founding to retirement, and staff turnover brings a potential shift in culture, a loss of institutional memory and loss of a great stabilizing force. What that means is that the role of the Steering Committee will need to grow stronger and more fervent in articulating, educating, and preserving the school philosophy and Founding Document. The role of institutional memory will pass to the Steering Committee and the Steering Committee must help the administration to recruit and especially to train new staff members who will carry the torch forward. I hope to see new staff additions who will be fully supportive of the school’s philosophy, the Liberal Arts, and the Founding Document, both in word and in deed. Ginger Gee: Education changes as trends do, which leads to a frequent reevaluation of curriculum, materials and methods across the educational industry. The Founding Documents, and in turn the Steering Committee, ensure stability with D’Evelyn curriculum. I would hope in five or ten years, the school does not change drastically. I know some community members have expressed fear that our school is losing its desirability among potential families. That leads to a near constant push from various community members to change different aspects of our policies to encourage more enrollment. However, we have a track record of success that stems from our uncompromising approach to the education of D’Evelyn students. Instead of changing who we are, perhaps we should work to eliminate preconceived notions, rumors, and falsehoods about our school which could encourage more people to pursue D’Evelyn. Our students achieve because our teachers, administration, and staff believe they can (and do) hold every student to the same rigorous behavioral and academic standards. Our community comes from all over Jeffco and from a wide variety of backgrounds. Families have chosen this school because they believe it is the best option for their children’s future success. Changing our standards might make us more desirable to some potential families, but it would diminish what the founders hoped to achieve and what we all hope for: children who are well equipped for all their future endeavors. Jason Nelson: The general goals that I would like D’Evelyn to accomplish in the course of the next year would be to continue the standard of the highest test scores in the State. One of the many great aspects about D’Evelyn that separates it from other schools is there is no teaching to “the test.” Test scores are a result of excellent teachers, a solid curriculum, and the students’ hard work. This only happens because of the Founding Document, which is the guide to the success of the school. In 5 years, I would like to see D’Evelyn continue to have a dedicated and knowledgeable Steering Committee who will uphold the Founding Document in all the decisions that they make within the bounds of the committee. Whether those it be to issue formal recommendations relating to the governance of the school, interpreting and clarifying the school’s philosophy, recommending curriculum, anticipating and responding to neighborhood concerns, maintaining relations and communications with the District, or facilitating compliance with District policies and state and federal laws and regulations. I would also like to see a teacher training/retention program that helps educate new teachers about the D’Evelyn program and its Liberal Arts, teacher-directed, whole group instructional pedagogy and offers refresher training for more tenured teachers as well. I would like to help develop this program that will support teachers who are new or are in need of a refresh on the D’Evelyn Philosophy as outlined in the Founding Document. Comments are closed.
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The Steering Committee is the governing board of the school and establishes policies designed to maintain and enhance its liberal arts philosophy. The Steering Committee appoints Directors to the Board of the D'Evelyn Education Foundation. Archives
March 2023
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