May 2025

Join DCSD Superintendent Erin Kane, along with DCSD educators, principals and students at the 2025 State of DCSD Community Event, taking place tomorrow evening.

Thursday, May 8 | 6:00 p.m.

DCSD Legacy Campus

10035 S. Peoria Street, Lone Tree

RSVP at bit.ly/StateofDCSD2025

*This event will also be live streamed at www.youtube.com/DougCoSchools

• Learn more about the current state of our school district, including challenges, celebrations, and our commitment to excellence.
• Hear from students about their experiences in DCSD and their plans for the future.
• Celebrate our schools that received 2024 awards from the Colorado Department of Education.

DCSD has graduates going on to college, entering the workforce, serving in the military, and taking a gap year to travel and see the world. The DCSD Class of 2025 has earned some impressive scholarships! For more information about 2025 graduation schedules and live stream details, visit our graduation webpage. And while you are there, meet some of our outstanding graduates!

Congratulations to the DCSD 2025 Perseverance Scholarship Winners! The Douglas County School District's Perseverance Scholarship has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to seniors since 1988.

Financial need and academic merit are key criteria used in selecting scholarship recipients. In addition, students who are awarded this scholarship have often overcome personal challenges. These students show grit, determination, and resiliency, and need financial assistance to continue their education after graduation from a DCSD school.

Watch the videos featuring some of our 2025 Perseverance Scholarship Winners.

As we celebrate Employee Appreciation Week at DCSD, we hope each and every staff member feels valuable and important in the success of our district. While we acknowledge our staff through out the year, May held several important employee dates including:

Cimarron Middle School recently took part in National Donate Life Month with a week of meaningful activities to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation - and to honor the legacy of current and former students.

The inspiration came from Cimarron student Pochie and his mother, Melanie. As an infant in foster care, Pochie’s liver began to fail, and he received a life-saving transplant. At the time, Melanie was working in the transplant department at a hospital and cared for Pochie - later officially adopting him in 2015.

“It’s important to recognize that without the gift of life that families like Molly’s and others give, people like Pochie wouldn’t be here today,” Melanie said.

Molly Corlett, a Cimarron alum and daughter of former assistant principal Cindy Corlett, passed away unexpectedly in 2022 at age 23. Molly had chosen to be an organ donor when she got her driver’s license at 16 and her donation saved five lives. Continue reading about both stories.

The Ponderosa High School culinary team of Weston Adams, Davis Smith, Reese Walker and Jake Willcockson cooked up a victory last month, taking first place in the Boulder Escoffier Challenge. Led by Family and Consumer Science/Career and Technical Education (CTE) Instructor Kimberly Baldwin, the students showcased exceptional teamwork, creativity and technical skill in creating a menu of salad nicoise and chicken fricassee with rice pilaf.

Each team member also received $3,500 in scholarship funds to the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Learn more about the Hospitality, Human Services and Education Pathway available at DCSD. Our compliments to the student chefs! 🎉

Last month, Venture Academy of Leadership and Entrepreneurship (VALE) hosted the first ever formal for DCSD's Bridge program.

Bridge is DCSD's program for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities aged 18-21. When VALE heard that Bridge had never hosted a formal dance, they jumped in and planned a super special “⭐ Night Under the Stars⭐". Together, the two DCSD programs created an amazing night of music, food and dancing for the students of Bridge.160 guests attended sporting floor length gowns and suits, and got to strut their stuff on the red carpet at the entrance.

Many thanks to the Douglas County community for contributions that made this evening so special, including: Clover’s Closet, Developmental Pathways, DJ Guy, IceBox Eats, Parker Center Animal Clinic and Treehive Chiropractic.

A huge heartfelt 💗 thanks to the VALE Student Council and staff volunteers who raised over $2,100 with a weeklong Star Wars themed fundraiser, and hosted an unforgettable evening!

Whether it's called Wish Week, Make a Difference Week, or something else entirely, these celebratory events go by different names but have the same goal: to support a child in need by raising awareness and acknowledging the bravery of our students and their families. DCSD's amazing students lead this fundraiser to bring hope, joy and unforgettable experiences during challenging times.

Our school district is proud to share that over $891,000 was raised by our student community in the 2024-2025 academic year! DCSD is so proud of our schools coming together, proving that even small actions can create a huge impact and make a real difference in the lives of others.

Congratulations to the 31 DCSD Alternative Licensure teachers who graduated on May 6!

Over the past two years, these dedicated educators have grown tremendously through the support of their mentors, induction providers, administrators and teacher leaders. Their journey has been shaped by the incredible instruction and guidance provided by so many throughout the district. As they enter their third year, they are well prepared and ready to take on new challenges in their teaching careers.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who played a role in supporting and developing these remarkable teachers!

In case you missed it, a recording of the final Parent University webinar of the school year, Family, School and Community Partnerships: What Are They and Why Do They Matter has been posted on our Parent University webpage.

Your feedback helps shape this programming! Please take a minute to answer this survey about future Parent University offerings.

Tuesday, May 27

5:00 p.m.

District Administration Building

620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock

Watch live on YouTube or on Comcast Channel 54

Read past Board Meeting summaries here

Sign up now for “Don’t Bug Me, I’m Reading!” Douglas County Libraries Summer Reading program kicks off May 31, but registration is open now at DCL.org/summer-reading. Summer is better with books and Douglas County Libraries!

Registration is now open for GirlsGetMath @ CSU, a free weeklong, non-residential summer math camp in the Department of Mathematics at Colorado State University – Fort Collins campus! The camp will be held June 2-6. Students will explore a variety of topics in mathematics (such as cryptography, data science, image processing, fractals and graph theory) in a collaborative and inclusive learning environment where they engage with hands-on activities and computer labs. Learn more here.

When the need to fill membership vacancies arises, the FOC seeks candidates from the Douglas County community. If you have a financial background and/or have executive skills and business experience, please apply by completing the FOC Membership Application here. The application period remains open year round. Depending on membership vacancies, interviews are held in the Spring. Thank you for applying!

The charge of the MBOC is to become familiar with the recent Mill Levy Overrides (MLO) and bonds, monitor the progress of the improvements and programs being implemented (including proposed investments in school consolidations) and ensure MLO and bond expenditures are in alignment with the ballot language approved by voters. Please visit this link for recruitment details.

Young local leaders are invited to apply to the Town of Castle Rock Youth Commission and help shape the community's future. The Youth Commission meets monthly from September 2025-May 2026. Participants will represent youth in the community, gain leadership skills and connect with the Town Council. To be eligible, you must be in grades nine through twelve in the 2025 to 2026 school year. Apply online at CRgov.com/YouthCommission

• Looking for ways to encourage your kids to read this summer? We invite you to view this newsletter about Summer Reading Programs for ideas to get kids of all ages reading this summer! Included are various summer reading programs, activities and lots of awesome prizes. Best of all, it is FREE!

• Don’t miss out on the second annual summer reading program hosted by the Distict Library Media Center, May 24-August 15. Please check out the DLMC website for official rules and details.

The Foundation for Douglas County Schools coordinates the Lend A Hand School Supply Drive every summer, with the goal of collecting, purchasing, assembling and distributing backpacks and school supplies to students in need. This annual school supply drive is in its 15th year. The Foundation distributes over 1,500 backpacks annually. Support the Lend A Hand School Supply Drive with a drive in your business, neighborhood or community!

Lend A Hand ensures that every student starting the 2025-2026 school year will have the supplies they need to help them be successful in school. This program continues to be possible through the generosity of our community partners and individuals. Learn more here.

DCSD preschool students enrolled before January 1, 2025 will automatically be registered for kindergarten at their neighborhood elementary school. Learn more about what DCSD kindergarten offers and register your child for kindergarten here.

• Locate academic school year calendars
• Learn about preschool enrollment

We will continue to send these celebratory emails each week during the school year. If we missed a celebration or you have good news to share, please submit it here.