HELIX FEED

FYI on DEI: What you need to know about DEI work at DSST

Here are some of the things our DEI team focused on for the 2021-22 school year.

Back to School Nights give families a fun chance to connect with their students' teachers, school

Over the past couple weeks, each of our schools has held a Back to School Night, which is an opportunity for parents/guardians to meet their student(s)' teachers, get connected to their schools' communications, meet partners and just have some fun.

Student voice: Understanding the impact and importance of Hispanic Heritage Month

A guest post by DSST: Conservatory Green student body president, Aiden H. on the history and importance of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Changing the landscape: How DSST's social work team is confronting systemic barriers impacting mental health support in the Latinx/Hispanic community

September is Hispanic Heritage month and as we honor the culture, we also want to raise awareness of some of the mental health struggles the Latinx/Hispanic community faces. Mental health and mental illness are often stigmatized topics that result in prolonged suffering in silence, which can end in suicide. 

Workday is getting a new look!

Workday is going to look a little different starting Sept. 10. Here is what you need to know about the changes coming to the site.

College doesn't have to mean debt: What to know about DSST's partnership with AdvanceEDU

One of DSST’s driving factors is making sure all students have an equal opportunity for their post-secondary education. We offer many resources designed to help students get to and thrive in a higher-education setting, including a partnership with AdvanceEDU.

DSST supporter, founding board member, Jacquelyn Sullivan talks about why she believes in DSST and its mission

A Q&A with Dr. Jacquelyn Sullivan: DSST supporter and founding board member, Founder of the TeachEngineering digital library, and Co-Founder of the Engineering Plus degree program and the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program and Laboratory at CU Boulder.

Denver teachers, stoked to see their students, know COVID's legacy is still with them

COVID forced everyone at Denver Public Schools to learn from home during the 2020/2021 school year. Kids were mostly back in classes last year, but things were still a little sideways, and they remain as such.

Madi Perry, a calculus teacher at DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School, told us she signed up for an Amazon wishlist for the first time this year. She mostly worried her students’ families would struggle to afford the items on their back-to-school shopping lists.

“I offered folders yesterday, and way over half the class came up and took them from me,” she told us. “Everything I bought has been used. I felt like I was totally right about that.”

Perry also said “massive dips and declines” in academics, which stemmed from the learn-from-home era, are still super apparent.

Back to school: dogs, AP classes and alarm clocks. What Colorado students are looking forward to this school year and what they want changed

Amaryana is launching her senior year. The 17-year-old is excited about the classes at her Denver school, DSST: Montview, and excited for her last year of playing volleyball. When asked if she has played all four years of high school, she answers with a polite, “Yes, ma’am.”

Amaryana said she likes the team bonding on the volleyball squad – it’s like a family. On the team she’s learned the nuances of good communication and knows that will help her in life. She’s also looking forward to her advanced placement classes this year. She doesn’t really like reading but said the heavy reading and writing load gets her ready for college.

“I’m being prepared for that,” she said.

A new COVID booster push begins as Colorado heads into the third fall of the pandemic

It’s the Global Fest in Aurora, where people wait in lines for food from vendors from as far afield as Nigeria and Vietnam.

On a stage, a group of young girls in colorful dresses perform a traditional dance from Mexico. Jacqueline Morales, 14-year-old AST student, was among those in colorful dresses participating in a modeling contest.

Nearby, a nurse under a tent asks a patient, “You want your right arm or your left arm?”

It’s the third fall of the pandemic, and the push is on to get more COVID-19 shots into arms. For two years, this festival was virtual. Now that it’s back, the vaccine tent is bustling..