By: Dr. Rob Bishop, Principal
You have likely heard or have learned of a new technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots, that are trending and becoming popular with social media platforms along with other uses in business, industry, and education. This technology and its availability is in its infancy, but rapidly developing in many ways. For the purposes of my message here, I will speak to how AI chatbots have entered the academic world here at D’Evelyn. First, it is likely most of us have encountered or interacted with a chatbot. Simply put, a chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, typically through messaging applications, websites, or mobile apps. Chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) and AI techniques to understand and interpret user input and generate responses. Chatbots can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks, such as answering frequently asked questions, providing customer support, booking appointments, making recommendations, and even engaging in more complex conversations. They can be designed to work in a specific domain or to have a more general conversational ability. The above passage is a perfect example of how a chatbot works, as nearly the entire segment (the italicized text) was generated by a chatbot responding to my question “Explain what a chatbot is?”. I did this as a demonstration to show how we all have likely encountered a chatbot through a customer service website, and to show how technology is evolving and entering the world of education. My main purpose here is to make us all aware of the potential use of AI chatbots and how the D’Evelyn faculty and administration will respond as we encounter the use of AI chatbot-generated text in student work. First and foremost, I remind us of the policies and foundational beliefs in the D’Evelyn Founding Document and Steering Committee policies that guide our expectations and daily practices for academic honesty and original student work. First and foremost, the development and adherence to policy in this area are guided by the founding document: “Behavioral standards will be clearly defined and infractions will be dealt with promptly and fairly. All students, staff, and parents will be expected to maintain a behavior standard that demonstrates respect for authority, others, and self. Responsibility, honesty, self-control, kindness, and fairness will be encouraged and expected . . .” (FD 17) This leads to several policies that are in place, and specifically, our behavior expectations speak to honesty, compassion, self-control, responsibility, and courtesy as valued character traits (ST-06-F and ST-06-F2). I will make sure to point out that I observe every one of these character traits on a consistent basis among our students. Finally, I reiterate that our day-to-day expectations of the above are reiterated in several classroom syllabi and routines and specifically addressed in the Academic Integrity section of the student planner: “D’Evelyn Jr/Sr High School holds high academic and behavioral standards for all students, and academic integrity is an extremely important aspect of those expectations. Moral or ethical lapses in academic integrity are tantamount to academic dishonesty.” The past couple of weeks have brought some new insight and perspective to the reality of teaching and learning in the era of AI chatbots and the use of this technology by students at D’Evelyn. I expect this will continue to evolve and have an impact and a subsequent response at every level of education, K-12, undergraduate and graduate levels. At D’Evelyn, the opportunity to address and understand the use of this technology is now. The faculty and administration at D’Evelyn are firm in our belief that any student work (i.e. term papers, lab reports, homework problem sets, etc.) that is not the original work generated by the student is in violation of policies and practices to maintain academic integrity and honesty. This now includes the use of information generated by AI chatbots. I do acknowledge that this technology is new, rapidly evolving, and becoming more accessible. This presents new challenges for us to consider, along with an opportunity to learn more about the technology and thereby update our policies, practices, and expectations. Currently, we do employ a plagiarism-checking software, Turnitin.com, which now has an added feature that can detect AI chatbot-generated text. While this technology is also in its infancy and evolving, we will utilize the tool to check student writing as their original work and not generated by an AI chatbot. And, as per the usual practice, any suspicion of academic dishonesty is a matter to be handled first between the teacher, student, and parent. While it is our responsibility to hold true to our beliefs for academic integrity, we embrace the responsibility to educate our students and ourselves on new and tempting challenges like AI chatbots. I hope that you start a dialogue with your student(s) regarding the importance of doing their own schoolwork in this era of rapidly advancing technology. I hope this message provides insight for you and your student(s) on making good decisions about the use of technology and other tempting trends that may compromise their honest effort to complete their schoolwork. This a reminder to all families that D'Evelyn will have a 2-hour delayed start this Thursday, May 4th. This late start along with this year's previously delayed starts are part of the negotiated agreement between Jeffco Schools and the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA). On these days, the 2-hour delay bell schedule will be followed and the school store will be closed.
By: Crystal Frigo, Post-Grad Secretary
Seniors, please complete the following items before May 16h.
By: Eric McCaslin-Hahn, Assistant Principal, Athletics and Activities Director
Congratulations to the Scholar of the Month winners for the month of April. They were chosen by the Math Department. Dillon Hart - 7th Grade Dillon is very deserving of this award for a number of reasons. He works extremely hard in class and on homework, participates well, and is diligent about learning from his mistakes. Amongst his peers, Dillon leads by example daily. He continually allows others to speak in class, encourages those around him to be bold in class, is always kind, and he is beyond helpful to those around him. Dillon is a wonderful young man and exemplifies what it means to be a D'Evelyn Jaguar. -Ms. Choun: Math Teacher 
Hanbei Bao - 8th Grade
She comes to class each day with enthusiasm and is always extremely well-prepared. As an 8th grader, she is never shy about participating in class even though almost all of the other students in Honors Algebra 3 are in high school. Hanbei thinks outside the box and often has correct approaches to solutions that her teacher has not even considered. In addition, Hanbei has been actively involved in MathCounts for 3 years and advanced to the state-level competition in the last two years. Congratulations, Hanbei! -Ms. Smith: Math Teacher 
Chloe Harris - 11th Grade
As a quiet junior in a class of loud seniors, Chloe flies under the radar. However, anyone who has seen her spotless tests knows she is a master of Calculus. Though Chloe has exceptional natural ability, she doesn't rely on her gifts, working diligently on every set and fun sheet. Way to go Chloe! -Mr. Ryckman: Math Teacher 
John Famariss - 9th Grade
John Famariss is an exceptional student in Algebra 2. He has a natural ability for mathematics and he loves learning. He is humble, gracious, and quick to find his errors (of which he has very few)! John is conscientious and a wonderful student to have in class. Ms. Weber: Math Teacher 
By: Eric McCaslin-Hahn, Assistant Principal, Athletics and Activities Director
Congratulations to the Heart of D’Evelyn winners for the month of April. The Heart of D’Evelyn Award is intended to recognize students who exemplify the core values that we find in D’Evelyn’s Founding Document. These core values are Responsibility, Honesty, Self-Control, Kindness, and Fairness. These winners were chosen by their teachers based on their actions and behaviors in class, the lunchroom, and the hallways. Sadie Knoedler - 6th Grade Sadie is our 6th Grade Jr. High Student Council president and she goes above and beyond in her work on student council. She is enthusiastic, full of great ideas, and committed to service. The 6th Grade Dance on March 17 is her idea and she's pursued it with a plan and the details to actually make it happen. She inspires other students and keeps people moving forwards. At Trick or Treat Street, she brought in all of the coats for our Narnia section and stayed to the very end to help clean up. She is a real inspiration to all the people around her and she's looking for ways to make the school a better place. - Mr. Beams, Social Studies Teacher 
Giselle Meza Sauzameda - 9th Grade
Giselle is an incredibly caring young lady with a positive attitude. She is dedicated to learning and is always engaged, participating in class on a daily basis. She is eager to do well and genuinely cares about both her peers and her teachers. We are so lucky to have her as a role model in our D'Evelyn community! -Ms. Sweney, English Teacher 
By: Eric McCaslin-Hahn, Assistant Principal, Athletics and Activities Director
Congratulations to the Athlete of the Month winners for the month of April. These winners were chosen by their coaches based on their leadership qualities, work ethic, and other traits that represent what D’Evelyn wants to see in all of their Student-Athletes. They were chosen out of all the Student-Athletes at D’Evelyn. Reid Benfield - 12th Grade Reid has been selected as athlete of the month because of his fierce competitiveness, his desire to improve, his hard work ethic, and his excellent athletic ability. Reid is currently leading the team in Kills (123) Kills per set (2.2) Assists (259) and hitting percentage (.306). Reid has been a captain for 2 of his 3 years on the team and has been an excellent leader. He is also a leader at his church youth group. Reid is an excellent academic student and is planning on attending either the University of Colorado or the University of Wyoming to get his engineering degree. Coach Chris Powers, Head Boys Volleyball Coach 
Jett Cowee - 11th Grade
Jett demonstrates all of the qualities that you want younger athletes to emulate: Among these are preparation, consistency, and leadership. He works diligently during the offseason to ensure that he is ready to train hard and compete when the season begins. He is our top point scorer this season and he leads the team warm-up every single day. And all this while carrying a 3.9 GPA. Congratulations Jett. Coach Erik Bell, Head Boys Track & Field Coach 
Allison Fawcett - 10th Grade
Although only a sophomore in her first season of Track & Field, Allison Fawcett is an integral part of our team. She is currently the girl’s team leader in season points and works incredibly hard and is always willing to run anything from the 200m to the 800m and contributes to any relay. Allie is very involved and expertly balances being a good student, a member of the student council, and a committed athlete in Cross Country, Basketball, and now in Track and Field. Allie is a strong leader and role model for her peers. Her positive attitude, dedication, and competitive spirit make her a perfect candidate for Athlete of the Month. Congratulations Allie! -Coach Lisa Bell, Head Girls Track & Field Coach 
By: Eric McCaslin-Hahn, Assistant Principal, Athletics and Activities Director
Please join us in congratulating the April Teacher of the Month, Brian Haller. Brian is an outstanding member of our community and is dedicated to the school. He was nominated by students, staff, and parents. Brian is in his 27th year teaching English at D’Evelyn and 31st year teaching overall. Below is what people nominating him said:
Congratulations Brian! Thank you for being such a valuable member of our community! 
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May 7 - Baccalaureate, in the D’Evelyn Auditorium, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (volunteer) May 8
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May 17 - Senior Banquet 6:00 pm at the Denver Marriott West Hotel May 18 - Senior Picnic, 11 am - 2 pm at Applewood Park (volunteer) May 19 - Graduation Rehearsal in the Auditorium, 12:30 pm May 20 - Graduation @ the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 9:00 am (students arrive by 8:00 am) May 22 - Steering Committee Meeting, 4:30 pm May 23 - Volunteer event to stuff Finals Care Packages, Library (room L200C) 12:30-2:15 pm May 24 - Finals for 5th and 6th periods, students dismissed at 12:00 pm May 25 - Finals for 3rd and 4th periods, students dismissed at 12:00 pm May 26
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