Derby - 6th Team Visit

Our Derby visit began at the Derby Recreation Commission. Superintendent Heather Bohaty joined us for breakfast. After breakfast we went to Derby High School. We visited their student run bank, their ceramics room, the airbrush class, and the production class. The instructor had created a soundproof room for recording. The Academic Hall of Fame is something every school should have! Their vending machines had little tv's on them - they were showing animals at the zoo when we walked by. 

Our next stop was Opportunity Project South, a pre-school for poverty and low-income families. It was full of incredible children's art, children eating family style, and beautiful classrooms. The school was started by a family who built the school and ran it for a few years, expecting the school to become self-supporting (which it is). The school even supports sending family members to college if they choose.

 Derby North Middle School was our next stop. They built solar panels with the help of Westar Energy that saves the school $200 per month in utilites. Students are able to see the data on kiosks in the lunchroom. We observed the classroom of Brent Wolf, who was a KTOY finalist last year. He told us about a medallion hunt he hosts, where students earn clues to it's location. His class also has a podcast titled "Apparent Podcast".

Tanglewood Elementary is an open concept school, with multiple classes in one room with moveable walls. Every grade takes a field trip to a different area college each year. The principal of this room had created a Zen Room for the staff with a treadmill, massage chair, tv for yoga, & a mini-fridge full of water. 

A quick stop at Derby Middle School allowed us to see their Girl Powered Robotics class, where the girls had qualified to compete at nationals.

We then headed to Derby Hills Elementary. This is a trauma-informed school, focusing on relationship building. If you watch the movie "Paper Tigers" it explains the belief system of this school. There was lots of flexible seating & an actual phone booth used to make positive phone calls home. Even their lost & found was impressive.