Helix Feed

A teacher, an idea and a new way to inspire reading

Jermaine Robinson kept coming back to one question during his first year at DSST Conservatory Green Middle School: "What would actually make students want to read?"

Topics: Staff Features

'Your predicament is my fault. But it's your problem': Mark Heffron on expectations, accountability & student opportunity

On the morning of Sept. 25, more than 100 experienced teachers from across the DSST network came to the Tivoli Student Union at Auraria Campus for Accomplished Career Teacher (ACT) Day. They came from different schools, different content areas and different chapters of their careers, but they shared something essential: at least five years in the classroom. Research consistently shows that effective teachers are the single most powerful in-school factor in student achievement, capable of generating 1.5 to 3 years of academic growth in a single year.

Topics: Staff Features

Feature Friday: Inside Gina Schmid's student-centered approach to leadership

In her second year at Aurora Science & Tech High School, Associate School Director Gina Schmid has made it unmistakably clear that she's not the kind of leader who leads from a distance. Instead, you'll find her in classrooms, in the hallways, at games, or wherever her students and staff are.

Topics: Staff Features

FAN v. Family Groups: What to know about how to be involved at DSST

At DSST Public Schools, families play a vital role in helping students thrive and strengthening school communities. To support meaningful family engagement, DSST offers multiple opportunities for families to get involved, connect with one another, and contribute to student success.

Topics: Family & Community Resources

Excellence in Middle School ELA: Achieving outstanding results on CMAS Reading & Writing

In 2025-2026 middle school students across our network made exciting gains in ELA - and at AST and Cedar Middle Schools, the results were more than exciting, they were extraordinary. As we unpacked the data we spent time with a few members of both school teams, with the goal of answering the question: "What are teachers & leaders at these schools doing, and how do we replicate it?"

Topics: Staff Features

DSST freshmen spend a day exploring identity, purpose and postsecondary possibilities

Written by Melissa Mayes, DSST: College View Campus Director of College Success

Topics: College Success, Staff Features

Computer lab refreshes are giving DSST students new opportunities

There's a moment in video editing when everything clicks. The cut lands right, the audio syncs up and what was raw footage suddenly becomes something worth watching. For students at DSST: Elevate Northeast High School, that moment is finally within reach, thanks to a refreshed computer lab built for exactly this kind of work.

Topics: Staff Features, STEM Stories

‘Someone has to do it, and I want it to be me’: How one DSST alumna found her path in aerospace

It was 7th grade, the world was in the middle of a pandemic, and Sammie Nguyen (Class of 2026) was sitting in front of a screen in an online classroom at DSST: College View. Her teacher, Ms. Crystal Purvis, now Dr. Purvis, was walking students through different engineering fields. One of them was aerospace.

Topics: College Success, Alumni Stories, STEM Stories

DSST delivers strong results for students across Denver and Aurora

This week, school districts across Colorado received their 2026 School Performance Framework (SPF) results, and DSST has so much to celebrate. Thirteen of our 16 schools earned Green ratings, meaning 84% of DSST students attend a Green‑rated school, one of the strongest network profiles in Denver and Aurora. These results reflect the excellence happening every day in our classrooms and the incredible work of our students, educators, and families.

Topics: Student Stories