Canyons School District Ms. Mary Bailey, Principal 12943 S 700 E Draper, UT 84020-6200 Document Generated On February 16, 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 6 Additional Information 9
Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1
Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? (CCHS) serves the community of Draper, Utah, in the southeast corner of the Salt Lake County. The city is 18 miles south of Salt Lake City. The city is bordered by the Wasatch Mountain range on the east and the Traverse Mountain range on the south. The CCHS school boundaries only include the city of Draper. As of 2015, CCHS has 95 permit students. These students are from all over the Salt Lake Valley. CCHS is currently under a moratorium for school permits due to CCHS reaching full capacity of the school facilities. Draper City is known for high-quality, single family neighborhoods and has more than 14,000 households. The population as of 2015 is at approximately 50,000. The population consists of children under 18 (33% of the total population) and children under 5 years old (8.6%) and a small population of people over 65 years of age (5.4%). The ethnic makeup of the community is predominantly Caucasian (90.4%) with 7% Hispanic or Latino. The community is comprised of 96% high school graduates, with 39% having a bachelor's degree or higher. The faculty is comprised of 85 teachers and is 90% Caucasian, 6% Hispanic, and 4% Other (Chinese, Maori). The student body (2,136) is approximately 85% Caucasian, with 169 Hispanic, 23 Asian, 8 American Indian, 8 African-American, 6 Pacific Islander, and 110 Multiracial students. CCHS opened its doors to 9th-12th grade students for the first time in August of 2013. The first year of existence came with many new challenges. In the 2013-2014 school year, the Canyons School District realigned to include ninth grade at the high-school level, so in that first year CCHS had approximately 1,100 students (freshmen and sophomores) who were new to high school. Furthermore, high schools in Canyon School District were implementing Common Core math (Secondary Math I, II) for the first time that year. Due to our increased population from 2013 to the present, CCHS currently has 12 portable classrooms, along with teachers who are required to travel to different classrooms. Page 2
School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The mission of is "To inspire excellence in education, in character, and in life." To fulfill this mission and to align to the Canyons School District Academic Framework, we focus on - Promoting school and community engagement that supports students in becoming college/career/citizenship ready. - Implementing a comprehensive educational system that aligns quality curriculum, instruction, and assessment resulting in students becoming college/career/citizenship ready. - Recruiting, developing, supporting, and retaining quality educators who are committed to preparing students for college and careers. Our Creed, which is a shared and established statement of belief, is Care Honor Achieve Respect Give Engage To fulfill this creed, we continually emphasize the components in announcements, emails to families, student incentives ("CHARGE cards"), classroom posters, Freshman Academy activities and department posters on how CHARGE applies in specific areas of the school. Our motto is Semper Excelsius, which is Latin for "Always Higher." We know that students come to us at different levels of academic, emotional, and physical preparedness. No matter where they start, we expect students to be continuously working to be better in every way with each day: always seeking to be better citizens, with better grades, and stronger bodies. We introduce the motto to our freshmen and reinforce it each year at assemblies, in announcements, and at awards presentations. Our Graduate profile: Students will graduate from possessing the CHARGER C's. CONTINUOUSLY GROWING - Develop a sense of self worth and purpose - Engage strategically and capably with new technologies and digital media - Strive for information literacy - Expand intercultural knowledge - Acquire online information efficiently and integrate it with offline learning - Exhibit the self-discipline to pursue physical, cognitive, and emotional health - Accept the challenges of lifelong learning - Demonstrate emotional intelligence, including self-knowledge and the ability to manage emotions - Seek opportunities to lead and make contributions to society - Apply prudent strategies to secure financial security Page 3
- Remain open to change COMMUNICATORS - Understand others' perspectives and cultures - Refine and share knowledge through writing and speaking - Construct effective arguments and conveys intricate or multifaceted information - Set and adjust purpose for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use as warranted by the task - Resolve conflicts peacefully and fairly - Listen to, empathize with, and help clarify others' ideas - Maintain a sense of humor COLLABORATORS - Engage in civic endeavors - Understand the workplace culture - Understand how to work as a team member to achieve a goal and learn from others - Learn to find joy, happiness, friendship, and companionship in others - Experience the satisfaction of giving service to others - Understand the abstract ideas of justice and community - Integrate a knowledge of culture to become a fully participatory global citizen - Respect the contributions, learning styles, perspectives, and strengths of team members CREATORS - Demonstrate initiative and self-direction - Understand and use the arts and literature as lenses to view society and to express themselves - Are reflective and self evaluative - Take responsible risks and develops resiliency - Strive for harmony and balance - Examine alternative possibilities from many angles - Are intrinsically rather than extrinsically motivated - Are passionate about learning, inquiring, and mastering CRITICAL THINKERS - Comprehend and critique written communications - Value evidence, use it appropriately to support arguments, and evaluate others' use of evidence - Question assumptions and premises and assess the veracity of others' reasoning - Evaluate other points of view critically and constructively - Understand and engage complex problems; collect, analyze and synthesize information - Demonstrate ethical decision making, self control, and the ability to make responsible choices that contribute to self development - Persist when faced with challenges; analyze and strategize solutions to problems - Manage impulsivity; sets a goal before acting - Plan for, reflects on, and evaluates the quality of personal endeavors - Question, pose problems, and propose solutions to those problems - Apply past knowledge to new situations - Think interdependently: draws energy from others' ideas and reciprocates energy Page 4
CHARACTER-DRIVEN - Demonstrate professionalism - Integrate ethical thinking with ethical actions - Pursue excellence by relying on self-discipline - Demonstrate integrity in every aspect of life - Demonstrate respect for others - Accept responsibility for moral reasoning and ethical decision-making COMPETENT - Demonstrate a mastery of skill sets that allow for success in the highly rigorous coursework of post secondary education - Transfer learning and problem-solving across domains - Comprehend and evaluate complex texts across disciplines - Demonstrate a capacity for mathematical analysis, scientific processing, and logical reasoning - Apply mathematical skills to solve problems - Demonstrate a command of standard English and acquire/use highly-developed vocabulary - Strive for accuracy and precision - Demonstrate strong content knowledge Page 5
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. The most notable achievement in the past three years is the establishment of a culture of academic/athletic-activity/behavioral/and community engagement excellence. The Draper community had never had a secondary school, and the opening of Corner Canyon was a full community event. We held numerous public meetings to invite input into the school's design and to inform the community about construction and program development. We held open houses to introduce head coaches and department chairs. Finally, we appealed to the state to allow us to form a School Community Council the year before we opened so the council could help guide the development of the culture. CULTURE-SETTING EXAMPLES: During construction, we asked the architect to design a circular series of blue lights inside the bell tower atop the school. When a student or faculty member achieves something notable, we turn on the "Victory Light" so that the community can share in the celebration. The School Community Council raised the funds for the addition of the lights and proudly tells newcomers to Draper about them. The principal wanted to create a natural tie between the design of the building and the storied history of Draper. The architect suggested adding a dome to the front of the school; a reminder of the domed "roundhouse" built in 1903, which served as the social center of town. When the roundhouse became structurally unsound, the town replaced it (in the 1950s) with a large, domed gazebo. Our dome is larger, but directly proportional to the dome on the gazebo. The original elementary school in Draper, the Draper Park School, was named after John R. Park, who was a teacher there and eventually principal. Mr. Park went on to become the President of the University of Deseret (University of Utah). In the 1930's a local artist painted a mural on the wall of the Draper Park School. The Draper Historical Society, fearful that the mural would be damaged by natural elements in the now empty building, paid for its removal and restoration. They approached the Corner Canyon principal about permanently housing the mural in the new school. The school helped pay for the final restoration and installment of this mural of which the community is so fond. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS: - We have increased our AP offerings from 12 (2013) to 22 (2015), and we have added AP science labs. - We offer 13 Concurrent Enrollment courses (multiple sections) in conjunction with Salt Lake Community College. - We piloted the TEALS program, as one of two schools in Utah. Computer experts from Microsoft volunteer to teach on a daily basis alongside our Computer Science instructor to provide out students with real-world applications. - We have two teachers who are released from a teaching period to serve as mentors to new teachers. Our new teachers meet as a cohort several times a year. - We have Math Lab classes to support each Secondary Math class, and we run an after-school math lab for general assistance. - We have developed common formative assessments in many of our departments, which allow us to self-assess our progress with students. - We offer 5 World Languages programs: Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and ASL. Our Chinese and French students have won top awards each year at the BYU Language Fair. - Each senior student in English 12 completes a Capstone project--an interactive media presentation based on research. - We publish a school newspaper (Charger Connection), and a literary Magazine (Under the Dome). - We have a thriving Robotics program, which has doubled in enrollment since 2013. Each year, our Robotics students participate in First, a Page 6
national robotics competition. - Started celebrating the Utah College Application Week in 2014. Nearly 98% of our seniors this year applied to one or more colleges/universities. - We formed a reading class this year to help those students identified as below level in reading skills. ATHLETIC/ACTIVITY ACHIEVEMENTS: - State winner, 2015: Drama - State winner, 2015: Cheerleading - Region winners, 2013 and 2015: Football - Region winner, 2015: Drill Team - Region winner, 2015: Wrestling - State winners, Wrestling 2105, Boys' Golf 2015, DECA 2015, Drama 2014 and 2015) - Sweepstakes Award, Utah Shakespeare Festival Competition, 2013, 2014, 2015 - JAMZ Grand Champions (Cheerleading) 2015 - USU Leadership Award 2015: Student Government Officers - Superior ratings at state choir and band competitions 2013, 2014, 2015 - Artstock winner, 2015: Art Students - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in the Las Vegas National Furniture Show: woodworking students BEHAVIORAL/SUPPORT ACHIEVEMENTS: - CREW was developed (2014) as a unique class for students who require personalized assistance with socialization and academics. Nearly 100 students now participate in CREW. - Our Freshman Academy is a one- or two-day exploration of what it means to be a high school student. Students participate in a conferencestyle series of breakout sessions, tours, activities, and technology training. - We sponsor a "Wellness Week" annually, which features assemblies, evening presentations, guest lectures, and lunchtime activities. The emphasis is on staying well socially, physically, mentally, and academically. - We initiated two suicide-prevention programs this year: Lifelines and HOPE4Utah. - We have 38 clubs for students to join. Each year, we have a Rush Week where clubs recruit new members. Approximately half of our students belong to a club. Our Mountain Biking Club is the largest of its kind in the United States. - GRIT is a program designed and implemented by our counselors to help 9th grade students understand the importance of developing good study habits. - TAG is a cooperative program between our school and Draper Park Middle in which we identify students who require weekly "check-ins" on attendance and academics. About 200 students are "tagged." - ETC is a program designed by one of our assistant principals to identify students who struggle socially. Our hall monitors and SRO work closely with this program. - Our Cool to Care program rewards students for positive behaviors. Students are given "Charge Cards" which can be redeemed for prizes. - Students can earn a Charger Medallion to wear at graduation by accumulating points for participating in school activities. - Students can earn honor cords in 19 areas, including attendance, and wear the cords at graduation. - Our Peer Leadership Team serves as a support to all clubs and organizations in the school. Students learn the value of leadership and service in their lives. - Each quarter, we host a Perfect Attendance Breakfast for qualifying students. - We have an active Latinos in Action program with 26 students. - Twice a year, at the beginning of semesters, we hold new student breakfasts where we introduce our new students to buddies and to school procedures. Page 7
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACHIEVEMENTS: - The Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy selected our school to host a delegation from the Emirate of Jordan. They spent time dialoging with our students on economic and political issues. - We are the host school for the state Sterling Scholar Final Competition each year. - In 2014-15, we hosted a delegation of students from Taiwan, who attended school with Corner Canyon "buddies." - Our students serve on the Mayor's Youth Council and learn the art of politics first-hand. - We sponsor Zero Fatality Nights with guest speakers 4 times a year. - Each year, we hold a Chargers for Charity Drive, selecting different charities to receive the funds raised. In the past two years, we have raised over $90,000. - Our students populate a Peer Court in conjunction with Draper City to hear misdemeanor charges and determine consequences. - We have active Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts that keep the community informed. - Our annual school musical performs to sell-out audiences each year. - The Draper City Arts Council uses our building for four months each year to rehearse and perform a musical variety show. - We held a Career Fair in 2014, with every student participating. - Our Work-Based Learning program provides job shadowing, internship, and career explorations opportunities for our students. - We have an Elementary Tutoring class students can take in which they go to a feeder elementary school each day to tutor students. - Each year, we host 5-7 Foreign Exchange Students. - Our pre-school is open to the community. - Our Marketing students participate in "Charger Tank," making presentations on entrepreneurial ideas to local business owners. INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS: - Principal Mary Bailey was selected as the UASSP High School Principal of the Year, 2016. - Quinn Linde won the State PTSA Golden Apple Award (Teacher of the Year), 2014. - Our DECA program was named a National Top Ten new program, 2015. - Phaidra Atkinson won the Regional Theatre Teacher of the Year Award 2015. and the UHSAA Theatre Teacher of the Year Award in 2014. - Randal Clark won the Beverly Sorenson Award of Excellence in 2014. - Charlotte Finlinson won the Utah Foreign Language Association Teacher of the Year Award in 2013. - Teachers with Masters Degrees: 41; Doctorates: 3 - We have 19 teachers Canvas certified, 6 who have reached the Black Diamond level, and 2 who have reached the Double Black Diamond level. - Our FCCA Advisor, Charri Jensen, was named the State Advisor of the Year, 2015. - Our HOSA Advisor, Lisa Prudden, was named the State HOSA Advisor of the Year, 2015-16. Page 8
Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. operates on an A/B block schedule with 4 periods per day of 84 minutes each. Periods 2 and 6 are slightly longer to allow for announcements. Because of the increased student body population we shifted from two lunches to three (A, B, and C) during the 2014-2015 school year. We reserve 3 days per week for teachers to meet with students in the morning from 7:00-7:50 a.m. during Charger Time. Some departments use this opportunity to provide structured test reviews, while others provide assistance in an open-house style. Until January of 2016, Charger Time was held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. To accommodate part-time teachers and ensure they had time to meet with students every week, we switched to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On Tuesdays and Fridays (previously Tuesdays and Thursdays), teachers have time to work as a faculty, on committees, and with smaller teams: Teachers collaborate frequently, both on a formal and informal basis. Tuesday mornings follow this weekly schedule: 1) faculty meeting, 2) BLT meeting, 3) department meetings, 4) school-wide professional development. Fridays are reserved for teams and department IPLCs for the first, third, and fourth weeks of the month, while the second Friday is reserved for technology training. Teachers also provide a variety of other services at the school, serving as coaches and club advisors, IPLC team leads, department chairs, district team representatives, and members of various committees, including the following: accreditation, graduation, freshman transition, Building Leadership Team, School Advisory Committee, School Community Council, CREW (at-risk intervention), Special Programs, safety, technology, and UCAW. Page 9