The Demon

Dear Students, Families, and Community,

The 2026–2027 school year is well underway, and it has been a joy to see our hallways filled with smiling faces, energy, and the sound of our school community back together. Our students have settled into their routines, and our dedicated staff is guiding them through an inspiring year.

Celebrating Our Students

We have a lot to celebrate already. Every team, group, classroom, student, and teacher have experienced so many successes. We love to celebrate even the smallest success and growth here at DHS! Every one of these moments reflects the hard work of our students and the support of the families and teachers behind them.

These accomplishments are the school theme, LIVE RED!, in action:

• Lead with intention and kindness.
• Include everyone, ensuring every voice matters.
• Value effort and growth over perfection.
• Excel in every endeavor we take on.

• Represent our school community with pride and respect.
• Elevate those around us at every opportunity.
• Demonstrate strong character in every choice we make.

Anchoring our Live Red spirit are our core values: teamwork, kindness, integrity, leadership, and perseverance.

Staying Connected

Thank you for your trust, partnership, and for sharing your wonderful students with us. I will send this newsletter every two weeks with key announcements, upcoming dates, and essential school information, so please watch for each issue.

Let's keep lifting each other up, celebrate every victory, and make this year extraordinary!

With gratitude,

Mrs. Elroy

• Teamwork: We believe that collaboration and mutual support are essential for success. Working together, we can achieve more than we ever could alone.

• Integrity: We uphold the highest standards of honesty, ethical behavior, and personal responsibility.

• Leadership: We encourage all students to develop their leadership skills, whether through formal roles or by leading by example. Every student has the potential to be a leader.

• Kindness: We treat everyone with respect, empathy, and compassion. A kind word or gesture can make a world of difference.

• Perseverance: We embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and are committed to overcoming obstacles through hard work and determination. Never give up on your dreams.

We are excited to introduce the Edmentum Exact Path program at Duncan High School this school year to help personalize and strengthen your student’s learning experience. As part of this initiative, students will take the Exact Path Diagnostic Test—an adaptive, online assessment in math, reading, and language arts that pinpoints where your child excels and where they need extra support.

**See below for the testing windows for these tests. We have scheduled days for your student to take these in their core classes. If they miss this allotted time, they will be responsible for completing the tests during ReThink time and must complete them within the test window.

How It Works

• Adaptive Difficulty: The test adjusts in real time as your child answers questions, becoming more challenging with correct responses and easier with incorrect ones to find their precise learning level.

  
  

• Individualized Learning Path: Once completed, the platform automatically creates a customized digital learning path tailored to close skill gaps or stretch your child beyond grade-level standards.

  
  

• Tracking Growth: Students will take the diagnostic 2–3 times throughout the school year (fall, winter, and spring), allowing teachers and parents to monitor academic progress over time.

  
  

• No Preparation Needed: This is not a traditional pass-or-fail exam. Students do not need to study or stress—they simply need to give their best effort so we receive an accurate snapshot of their needs.

Monday

• FALL BREAK-NO SCHOOL

Tuesday

• 6:00 pm Capital Investment meeting- DHS cafeteria

Wednesday

• Picture re-takes

Thursday

• PSAT

Friday

• Football @ Midwest City

Saturday

• Cross Country Regionals
• Swim alumni meet

Monday

• Senior sunrise

• Vocal Music parent meeting- 6:00pm

Tuesday

• OSSAA Band Regional Marching Contest

Wednesday

• Sophomore RRTC tours

Thursday

• Sophomore RRTC tours
• DHS Cheer/Pom Game day showcase

Friday

• Football vs. Lawton High- Senior Night

Saturday

• Cross Country State

• October 28-29 Sophomore RRTC tours
• October 30- Pep Rally
• November 4- Yearbook group pictures
• November 5- Fall Pre-ACT and ACT testing for 9th-11th
• November 30-December 4- Attendance Appeals Meetings
• December 16-17- Semester tests
• December 18-January 1- Christmas Break

Raising the Bar Inside the Classroom

At Duncan High School, Raising the Bar means delivering high-impact teaching and learning for every student, every day. To keep our academic focus sharp and consistent, our teachers align instruction around the 4 Key Questions of our Champions of Excellence (COE) and put them into action using our 9 DHS Classroom Pillars.

The 4 Questions That Drive Our Instruction

Our teachers collaborate continuously to answer four fundamental questions for every unit:

1. What do we want students to learn?

   We set clear academic targets so every lesson has a purposeful focus.

2. How will we know if they’ve learned it?

   We monitor student progress regularly using active checks for understanding.

3. What will we do when a student struggles?

   We provide targeted support and interventions right away to close learning gaps.

4. What will we do when a student already knows it?

   We extend learning with higher-level challenges to keep advanced students growing.

Our 9 DHS Classroom Pillars (See below)

To bring these goals to life, our daily classroom environments are built around nine high-impact teaching practices.

Duncan High School is committed to fostering a supportive and enriching environment for all students. To achieve this, we have implemented a dedicated 30-minute block of time between the 5th and 7th hour, known as Advisory/ReThink time. This period is designed to provide students with a structured opportunity for a brain break, personal growth, academic support, and reflection.