Planning, preparing for, and opening a new school is both exciting and challenging. Every school faces challenges in the days and weeks leading up to the first day of school and ongoing throughout the school year. These challenges are multiplied when a school opens its doors for the first time, as staff at DSST: Cole Middle School saw firsthand as they prepared to opened Cole in August. "It was definitely a lot of work," said DSST: Cole Middle School Dean of Students, Nicole Najmy. "Not only opening the school, but [School Director] Jeff 

Nicole Najmy working with students in her science class at DSST: Stapleton Middle School during the 2010-11 school year.

Osborne began his planning more than a year ago. It's been an amazingly rewarding experience to watch our plans come to fruition and see students engaged in Cole's classrooms." 

Nicole, previously a science teacher at DSST: Stapleton Middle School, came to Cole with high expectations. "I was fortunate to spend time at a great school like Stapleton, and when you see great teachers and administrators in action you want to emulate what they do," she explained. "The DSST systems and instructional model are solid and we wanted to replicate these. But we also wanted to create a unique identity for Cole." DSST: Cole English teacher Courtni Frank also came to Cole with experience from DSST: Stapleton. "I wanted to take what I had seen there and make it perfect--but sometimes, in trying to make something perfect, you lose something else that was great. We've had to figure out what works well here and what doesn't."

One change to the DSST model developed and adopted by Cole was an adjustment to the intervention and enrichment time for students. At Stapleton and Green Valley Ranch middle schools, students attend extra intervention lessons when they are struggling in a course or subject. At Cole, however, all students attend intervention. "We want to make sure all students are challenged," explained Nicole. "We want all students to meet and exceed their own expectations and not just stop at getting every student to grade level." It is these small changes that help foster individual DSST school culture and identity.

For Courtni, one unexpected twist to joining a new school staff was the different parent perspectives at Cole vs.Stapleton. "New Cole parents were a little skeptical of our system," she said. "They wanted to make sure we would follow through. At Stapleton, parents already knew how DSST schools work so they can be more hands-off. Once our Cole parents realized we were serious about our expectations for students, they started to

Courtni Frank works with a DSST: Cole student during her English class.

trust us a lot more."

Despite the challenges of opening a new school it's clear that at Cole, success is a true team effort. "When there is just one grade and 14 employees, everyone on the staff gets really close," Courtni explained. "Those relationships are what make us so effective. We're like a family--work doesn't feel like work." As DSST Public Schools continues to expand, lessons learned at Cole and Green Valley Ranch will inform efforts at DSST: Campus 4 and Campus 5.

DSST: Cole, opened in summer 2011, is the 3rd campus in the DSST Public Schools network. DSST: Stapleton is the DSST's founding campus, opened in 2004, and DSST: Green Valley Ranch is DSST's second campus opened in summer 2010. DSST Campus 4 will open in summer 2012. Read more about plans for Campus 4 in our November e-newsletter.

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at DSST? Ever been curious about a typical day in a DSST school or wanted to see DSST teachers in action? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are welcome to visit a DSST campus and take a guided tour.

DSST offers an array of school visit types. Our most in-depth tour is the Charter Management Organization (CMO) tour, intended for educators and school administrators who are running schools or plan to open a school. From curriculum to technology, these comprehensive sessions feature access to DSST leaders and give you an inside view of our culture and practices. In the length of a school day, you will spend time inside classrooms, talk to students and their teachers, and hear from leaders in our organization about their specialties. Five CMO tours will be offered this school year, featuring DSST: Green Valley Ranch Middle School and DSST: Stapleton High School.

If you are not an educator or school administrator but are still interested in how DSST operates, consider a Third Thursday tour. Conducted once per month and less time intensive, the Third Thursday tour is great for an overview of the DSST model, culture and practices. Third Thursday tours feature ample classroom visitation time and interaction with students, teachers and DSST school leaders.

The Parent Tour, our final type of tour, is designed specifically for prospective students and their families. This tour will cover topics most pressing to prospective students. Students applying to the lottery are welcome to join their parents on these tours.    

For more information, dates, and sample schedules, please see the Visitor Tours page on our website. To reserve your spot on an upcoming tour, please email Megan Helseth at megan.helseth@dsstpublicschools.org or call her at 303-524-6324.