Aaron Nichols

Setting and Context

Tricia Engelhardt
10/28/2018

Demographics of Rocky Mountain High School:

1. Rocky Mountain High School

Location: 1300 West Swallow Road, Fort Collins.
2. School Enrollment: 2017
3. Teachers: 101.35
4. Ratio: 19.9
5. Free and Reduced Lunch: 154
6. State School ID: CO-1550-7470
7. School Schedule: Block Schedule
8. Demographics:
a. American Indian/Alaska Native: 10
b. Asian: 50
c. Black: 23
d. Hispanic: 297
e. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 4
f. White: 1548
g. Two or More Races: 85
By Gender:
a) Male: 1040
b) Female: 977
By Grade:
a) 9th: 521
b) 10th: 507
c) 11th: 488
d) 12th: 501

“Search for Public Schools - School Detail for ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL.”
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of
Education,
nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&InstName=Rocky%2BMountain%2B
High%2BSchool&City=Fort%2BCollins&State=08&SchoolType=4&SpecificSchlTypes=all&In
cGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&HiGrade=-1&ID=080399000545.

School Culture:

RMHS has a thriving culture of student engagement. Everywhere you look, there is a
poster advertising some club. All clubs are student-led, so anyone can make a club centered
around anything they want (within reason). Examples include: A Taylor Swift club, a lumberjack
club, a fashion club, and my personal favorite, the Ms. Magee fanclub (Kit Magee is a peer of
mine, a humble, hardworking student, the fact that students made a fanclub for her is a source of
embarrassment to her that I think deserves to be advertised). There are also many after-school
programs, like the astronomy club.

Rocky Mountain’s mission statement is: “Rocky Mountain High School inspires, guides,
and supports our students, faculty and staff to reach their maximum potential in a caring,
challenging and safe environment. In accordance with the tradition of the "Lobo Way," we, the
Rocky Mountain High School community, believe:
 in the value and dignity of each individual
 in the development of intellectual and creative skills
 in the importance of self-discovery
 in equal opportunity for learning
 in preparation for life's work and lifelong learning
 in a safe environment
 in opportunities for service to society
 that all members are empowered through participation
 that education thrives in a democratic environment”

“Mission Statement.” Rocky Mountain High School, rmh.psdschools.org/about-

us/mission-statement.

Parental Involvement:

I attended Parent/Teacher conferences with my mentor teacher, Laura Druse. From my

limited experience, parent involvement seems to be very high at RMHS. More than 90% of the
parents of the kids in our class showed up, which are huge numbers by any measure. In the realm
of athletics and drama, parents seem to handle everything.

Programs supporting and encouraging “appropriate” student behavior:

The only program I experienced on my “Tour de Rocky” that does this is the wellness
center. This is a space for students to color, breathe, meditate, read, and if needed, hit a punching
bag. It’s designed to help struggling students blow off steam if needed, and get them back on
track. We had nothing like this in my school, and every time I walk by, there are several students
doing activities inside. It’s a great resource.

Students and Classroom:

The Students I will be directly interacting with and teaching are (in no particular order)
named Ty, Fritzna, Brookelynn, Madison, Kylee, Juan, Erik, Roberto, Angelica, RJ, Krissy, Lea,
Caden, Kaydence, Colin, Dante, Nora, Chayraia, Natalee, and Malik. We have two African
American Students, three hispanic students, and the rest are Caucasian. They are in a reading
intervention class called “voyager 9”, so they all read at a low-to-mid level for their grade. We
have five IEP’s that I am aware of, but we had students transfer in at the end of the quarter, so I
am not sure of the total number at this very moment.
 The class culture is often chaotic. These students have trouble sitting still, and they are
often off-topic. There are two students, one male and one female, who often derail the class out
of a need for attention.

The environment is peaceful. Mrs. Druse has kinetic sand for the students to play with,
and she wrote a grant proposal a few years ago for bulbs that mimic natural light, instead of
artificial. As a result, the classroom is a bright, warm place to learn.

We have read three book so far, ranging from the topics of sexual assault to bullying.
Mrs. Druse uses this as a space to have challenging conversations. This class is mainly centered
around reading and text, but there is a spelling component too. Mrs. Druse gets one student to
teach spelling every day, and this has been a huge success.