Derby High School News

Exciting news! Derby High School’s Student Council (STUCO) Executive Board elections were held on Friday, September 18th, and we are proud to announce this year’s elected officers:

• President: McKeon Gray ('26)

• Vice President: Melanie Fearon ('26)

• Secretary: Nevaeh DaCruz ('29)

• Treasurer: Ashlyn Kish ('26)

This year’s election season brought incredible energy and student engagement. Presidential candidates delivered campaign speeches at our fall pep rally, helping to lead games and events while sharing their leadership and vision with the student body. It was an exciting and positive election, and we are proud of all of our candidates for the effort and enthusiasm they brought to the campaign.

The new Executive Board is ready to lead with energy, vision, and commitment to serving the DHS student body.

Next up: Class Representative elections will take place on Friday, September 25. Applications are open, and there will be two representatives elected per grade. We encourage all students to consider running—your voice and ideas can help shape the year ahead!

The Student Council is a student-led organization that represents the voice of Derby High School. STUCO works to plan events, promote school spirit, and foster a positive school culture. By getting involved, students have the chance to:

• Build leadership and teamwork skills

• Collaborate with peers and faculty

• Make a real impact on school events, activities, and atmosphere

Mr. Butterworth and Ms. Sullivan serve as the Student Council Faculty Advisors and they look forward to another exciting year working with STUCO. Remember: Your voice matters—get involved and help make this year at DHS the best one yet!

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s winning T-shirt design was created by Vinny Nuzzo (Class of 2027)! We are so proud to feature this design on our annual t-shirt fundraiser. THANK YOU to all of the students who designed and submitted a shirt!

The annual Pink Out has become a powerful tradition at Derby High School and across our community, as we come together each October to raise awareness and funds in the fight against breast cancer. Once again, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is organizing this fundraiser, with all proceeds donated directly to Griffin Hospital’s “The Valley Goes Pink Fund.”

T-shirt details:

• Cost: $15 each

• Sizes available: Small – Adult 4XL

• Please indicate your size when ordering

• Students/Staff: include the school you attend or teach at for delivery

• Community members: please indicate how you plan to pick up your order

Payment options:

• Cash/Check/Venmo accepted

• Venmo: @Robert-Swierbitowicz

  • In the notes, please write “Pink Out Shirt”

  • If paying for a student shirt, please include the student’s name

  • Do not mark as a business payment (a fee will be taken out)

Order Deadline:
Orders must be placed by Sunday, September 27, 2026 to guarantee delivery in time for the Pink Out game. Let’s come together as a school and community to support this meaningful cause, honor survivors, and show our Derby pride. 💗

The next WRBR News broadcast is here with student interviews and a segment on DHS sports. Watch this video that is capped off with a hype reel from our first pep rally last Friday. Keep it up!

The DHS Theater Program is getting ready for an exciting spring production of Annie the Musical, and we need you to be part of it!

Mr. Ruel, Music Director, held an interest meeting earlier this week during Advisory and had a great turn out! We are looking for any additional students who are interested in singing, acting, dancing, set design, costumes, lighting, sound, stage crew, or other behind-the-scenes opportunities.

• CAST: Anyone interested in auditioning for a part, please join the Google Classroom and submit your video audition (CODE: 3o5kuwey)
• CREW: Anyone interested in a backstage role, please fill out the Google Form linked below

Annie the musical follows Annie, a determined young orphan living in Depression-era New York City, as she searches for her parents and finds an unexpected home with billionaire Oliver Warbucks. The show features memorable songs including “Tomorrow,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” and “Easy Street.”

Whether you want to be on stage or behind the scenes, there is a place for you! We would love to see students from every grade and every part of DHS come together to create something special.

Red Raiders — the library's Post-it Art Show is here! Pick up a Post-it at the library desk, create your art, and turn it in by October 15th. All entries will be displayed on the bulletin board!

The Fall PSAT School Day administration for Grades 9-11 is Wednesday, October 21, 2026 for Derby High School.

The PSAT are administered in a digital format. The Digital PSAT is a user-friendly test with a shorter duration and more time per question. It includes a built-in calculator and provides opportunities to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program and other scholarships.

The Digital PSAT/NMSQT and digital SAT both consist of a Reading and Writing section and a Math section. The Reading and Writing section is divided into two 32-minute modules, totaling 64 minutes, with 54 questions. The Math section is divided into two 35-minute modules, totaling 70 minutes, with 44 questions.

The Digital PSAT/NMSQT will not count towards your college admissions applications, but it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship . Students may win scholarship money or become eligible for the College Board National Recognition Programs

The College Board National Recognition Programs award academic honors to sophomores and juniors who take eligible administrations PSAT/NMSQT exams, have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and identify as African American or Black, Hispanic or Latino, Indigenous or Native, or attend high school in a rural area or small town. Students can apply on BigFuture® during the second semester of 10th or 11th grade. So while you shouldn’t stress out about the Digital PSAT on test day, you certainly shouldn’t ignore it either. Use the Digital PSAT/NMSQT as practice for the Digital SAT and an important guidepost on your college admissions journey.

Prior to the testing day, students will be given time during Advisory to complete their PSAT registration information, review the schedule for the testing session and explore the digital tools for each tests.

• Breakfast- our cafeteria will be open at 7:10 am for a free hot or cold breakfast for all students

• Testing Begins- students will report directly to their assigned PSAT testing room on test day. We will begin reading directions at 7:45 AM. We ask that students please be on time to school. Once the testing doors close, then we cannot allow anyone to enter the room.

• After Testing: we will have an early release at the conclusion of the exam and lunch

Seniors will participate in a college and career planning activity with our school counselors on PSAT Day. It is a mandatory session for seniors and there will be no approved late arrivals on this day. (***Parents we kindly ask for your support with this so your student can work in small groups with our counselors for their post-secondary planning***) All 12th graders should come to school for the regular start time at 7:30 AM.

Seniors: Please come prepared to engage in a work session.

• Charged Laptops- all students should bring in a charged laptop. There will be a college application work session, resume writing, and career exploration.

Please see the College Application Timeline link below from College Board's Big Future which helps break the year down into manageable chunks to help students stay on track including applications, recommendations, test scores, financial aid, and more.

We will also have a Voter Registration for students who are 18 or will turn 18 before Election Day (Tuesday, November 3, 2026)

We wanted to remind you about an important change about progress reports. Derby Public Schools no longer sends mid-quarter progress reports. Instead, parents are encouraged to check their child’s academic progress regularly in the PowerSchool Parent Portal to receive up-to-the-minute access to their child's grades.

Derby High School has established best practices for regularly updating/inputting grades and assignments. This will ensure consistency across all classes and help keep students and parents informed about their child's progress. You can expect:

• Teachers will update PowerSchool grades at least once per week.
• Teachers will use clear labels such as "collected," "missing," or "late" to indicate the status of assignments.
• Most assignments will be graded and entered in PowerSchool within 3 days; larger projects and major assignments will be graded within 5 days. (In some circumstances, teachers may need additional time for grading, but they will communicate timelines)

Given this process, we want to ensure that all families are signed up for the Student/Parent Portal and have instant access to assignments, grades, and attendance. If you haven't signed up yet or have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Progress Checks

• We encourage students and parents to take this opportunity to check grades in PowerSchool.

• It provides students a ‘heads up’ about how well they are doing so far and gives them a chance to make adjustments. (No need to worry---there's still plenty of time to improve!)

• Due to a number of factors including schedule changes, teachers setting up the classroom rules and expectations, etc., there is generally less graded work in the first few weeks at beginning of the school year compared to all other times during the school year. Continue to stay on top of your assignments throughout the marking period.
  

Specific things that can be done to help improve or maintain a grade in classes:

• Stay organized and complete all assignments during the semester.

• Make sure all work is turned in (students often forget to "submit" their assignments)

• If a class is missed due to an absence, keep up on assignments in Google Classroom.

• Work turned in late (for fewer points) is much better than work not turned in at all (zero points). However, it is much better to turn it in on time (full credit awarded).

If you have not set up a Student or Parent PowerSchool account, please take a few minutes to complete it so you can stay informed throughout the year. Accessing the Parent Portal:

Setting up your account for the first time?

If you are setting up the account for the first time, please visit http://derby.powerschool.com and select the "Create Account" tab first. You will be asked to enter some parent information and then add student(s) to your account using the credentials from the webID information on their last report card. If you don't have their report card and need the webID letter, please email Mr. Maldonado at vmaldonado@derbyps.org and he will send it to you.

If you already have a Parent Portal account, you can add more students using their credentials. There is no need to set up separate accounts if you have more than one child in the district.

• October 7: Early Dismissal (Professional Development)
• October 12: No School Columbus Day
• November 3: No School Election Day
• November 6: Quarter 1 grades close

• November 10: DHS Q1 Report Card Parent/Teacher Conferences (Early Dismissal)
• November 13 :Report Cards Issued (Early Dismissal)
• November 13: Fall Athletes Academic Eligibility Verified (must be passing 5 credits)
• November 14: Winter Sports Academic Eligibility Determined (based on Q1)
• November 25: Early Dismissal
• November 26-27: No School (Happy Thanksgiving!)

SMILE! School Picture Day is coming to Derby High School on Monday, 9/21! All students in Grades 9-11 and staff will have their photo taken for the yearbook and student ID badges, so dress to impress (yes, that means no uniform)! If you would like to order a package, you can access the order form here: www.mylifetouch.com CODE: EVTH4ZPNC

• Picture Day Absentees/Retakes for Grades 9-11 is Mon, 10/26
• Senior Portrait Absentees/Retakes is Thurs, 10/29
• FallSportsPicsDateTBA

Derby High School is proud to host our Annual College/Post-Secondary Fair on Friday, October 9, 2026. Our school counseling team has been working hard to provide students with meaningful experiences to support their college and career readiness and understanding of education to career pathways for their future.

With so many schools to choose from, it can be hard to decide. The College/Post-Secondary Fair will offer students an opportunity to learn more about a variety of institutions and the various pathways available to them. Students will have the opportunity to interact with admissions representatives and recruiters from a variety of colleges, technical schools & the military to learn more about what they offer. A complete schedule and directory of participating schools will be posted via Google Classroom.

The DHS PTO is excited to kick off another school year and looks forward to working together to make this year a success for all students. Our first PTO meeting will be held on Monday, September 21 @ 6:30 pm. Family and staff involvement is an important part of the success of PTO events and the support provided to DHS students. We encourage everyone to please consider signing up. Parents and staff can get involved by volunteering at events, helping with fundraisers, or becoming a family/staff sponsor.

Our meeting will be in person, but you may also join remotely using this Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84143024732?pwd=7fdKLAHt39DehlwWjdPkVLaavBHtuR.1

If you are unable to attend or have questions, please email our PTO President, Ms. Brittany Mouning at dhsptopride@gmail.com. Together, we can make this a great year for our students. We hope to see you at the first meeting!

Be part of a Valley tradition! The Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race kicks off at 8:00 AM in downtown Shelton, winds through Derby, and loops back to Shelton.

With a scenic course through two historic downtowns—and plenty of time to make it home for your holiday celebrations—it’s the perfect way to start Thanksgiving morning.

REGISTRATION COST

$25 – Under 18 Years Old

$35 – 19 to 69 years Old
Free – 70 and Older

Spots sell out quickly, so don’t wait! Arrive early to enjoy pre- and post-race refreshments and the festive atmosphere.

RACE DAY VILLAGE

Complimentary: Coffee, Hot Chocolate, Bagels, Fruit, Water, etc

For Purchase: TBA
Awards Ceremony

We are here for you if you need to help! The main office is open from 7:15 - 3:30 PM.

Principal Mrs. Jennifer Olson jolson@derbyps.org

Assistant Principal: Mr. Ray Coplin rcoplin@derbyps.org

Special Education Supervisor: Mr. Mike Giordano, mgiordano@derbyps.org

Freshman Academy Coordinator: Mrs. Carlin Ali cali@derbyps.org

Admin Assistant: Mrs. Angela Lillemoe alillemoe@derbyps.org

Guidance Administrative Asst: Mr. Victor Maldonado vmaldonado@derbyps.org

School Counselor: Mr. Brian Nutcher bnutcher@derbyps.org

School Counselor: Mrs. Jennifer Ostrosky jostrosky@derbyps.org

College & Career Paraeducator: Ms. Jennylee Hoffman jehoffman@derbyps.org

School Social Worker: Mrs. Nichole McKitty nmckitty@derbyps.org

School Nurse: Mrs. Erin Gregoire, RN egregoire@derbyps.org

Athletic Director: Ms. Jennifer Moffat jmoffat@derbyps.org

Principal

Derby High School

#GoBigRed!

Email: jolson@derbyps.org
Website: https://www.derbyps.org
Location: 75 Chatfield Street, Derby, CT, USA
Phone: 203-516-4073
Twitter: @DerbyRedRaider