Posted June 2, 2023
DCIS is proud to be a 2022-23 Whole Child Distinguished School! We have uplifted whole child priorities by exceeding all staff requirements for nursing, school counseling, and mental health professionals. Read more below about this award and learn how DCIS continues to support our amazing students.
Whole Child AwardDCIS is a 6-12 international studies school in the heart of Denver, Colorado. Serving approximately 450 students, our mission is to prepare students for college and career by developing multilingual, inter-culturally competent citizens who are actively involved in our rapidly changing world. Collectively DCIS staff revisited the vision statement last summer at a retreat and we now proudly uphold the vision of ”Empowering our community to change the world with curiosity and compassion.” This vision is leading the way in which we engage in learning and leading. DCIS has a diverse student body, drawing students from all over the city of Denver and beyond. In addition to an academically rigorous curriculum, DCIS offers students unique opportunities to explore other cultures, become proficient in any one of seven different world languages, and engage in innovative, globally-focused instruction. DCIS offers AP classes, MLE support, Honors classes, Concurrent Enrollment and GT support, as well as a host of unique electives aligned to the school’s mission such as Global Service Learning, Cross Cultural Communication and Passages, our signature course devoted to student independent research and student-designed experiential growth opportunities.
Each year DCIS collaborates with its phenomenal PTSA and DCIS Foundation to make domestic and international travel affordable for all students. In the last year we have sent students to Italy, Guatemala, Paris, New York, and across the States to such towns as Kilgore, Texas and Bangor, Maine to better understand the social-political-culture landscape of ‘place’ and how it informs ‘community.’ For all of these travel opportunities DCIS students paid a third of the cost or less due to grants and robust fundraising. In the next year we are set to explore China, Japan, and Colombia as well as host students from Japan, Italy, and from six different states. What student travel means for our community is captured HERE on the DCIS Foundation website that uplifts student and staff travel vignettes.
DCIS is currently working to deepen its support of Indigenous learners. This month a dozen staff members along with our head principal engaged in an out-of-state site visit to New Mexico to observe a strong model of Indigenous programming and lean into culturally responsive practices to support children who are Native American identifying as either returning DCIS students or incoming scholars from the American Indian Academy of Denver. DCIS has also formed the Native and Indigenous Parents Council and held the inaugural meeting with them to elevate parent voice in this work.
Another priority for retention this 2023-24 school year is to grow the number of Special Service Providers in the building. We currently have three full time school counselors, a full time social worker, a full time psychologist, and a full time school nurse. In 23-24 we will maintain all positions and add a fourth school counselor through the Counseling Corps grant. This counselors’ work will be focused on supporting our Native American and Indigenous community. We highly exceed the recommended minimum staffing for mental health and counseling professionals due to our deep commitment to supporting the whole child.
