January 2025
He helped open two high schools in Parker, has won multiple awards and dedicated the last 26 years of his life leading students to success one note at a time. Orlando Otisβs career as a band director in Douglas County School District is coming to an end, but the impact he has had on musicians at both Chaparral and Legend high schools will be remembered for years to come.
New year, new program! The Douglas County School District Senior Gold Card is now available to Douglas County residents aged 60 and older. The Gold Card offers our senior neighbors free admission to most DCSD home athletic events and most student fine arts performances, including plays, concerts and choir performances. Weβre also excited to offer discounts at some of our DCSD student-run businesses and free continuing education opportunities through our Gold Card partner, AdventHealth Castle Rock. Itβs our way of saying "thank you" to our older Douglas County community for the many years of support and contributions to DCSD schools and students. Learn more about this program here.
January 9 was Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Thanks to the passage of the 2023 Mill Levy Override, DCSD has hired Campus Security Specialists at each of our elementary schools and added additional School Resource Officers at the middle and high school levels. These amazing individuals are making a tremendous impact!
Thank you to our law enforcement partners at the Castle Rock Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Lone Tree Police Department and Parker Police Department!
Molly Murphy: Highlands Ranch HS - Class of 2015
ICU Nurses are known for resilience, critical thinking and problem solving skills in high pressure situations. Graduates from the U.S. Armyβs Ranger School, the two-month course that prepares soldiers for combat arms-related skills, also possess these qualities. Combine these accomplishments in one person and meet Captain Molly Murphy, the first female ICU nurse to graduate from Army Ranger school.
After graduating HRHS in 2015, Molly attended the University of Nebraska where she enrolled in the ROTC (Reserve Officersβ Training Corps), completing airborne training school and receiving the prestigious German Armed Forces Award given to soldiers who demonstrate proficiency with marksmanship. Molly was then stationed in Hawaii for four years where she completed multiple trainings and received the Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB) which is awarded to military members who demonstrate exceptional medical skills, combat readiness and battlefield evacuation skills. The EFMB is considered one of the most difficult badges to earn in the Army, with a historical pass rate of 11β27%. Finally, Molly graduated first in her class as a critical care nurse.
Empowering Young Minds: Navigating the Digital World
Wednesday, January 22
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Joining us to share at January's Parent University is Nick Thompson, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Nick has been working with youth and their families for over 15 years in a variety of settings. Nick will offer insight into building healthy parent-child relationships and what parents can do to help their child have a more balanced and healthy relationship with screens and social media. Joining Nick will be DCSD Chief of Staff, Steve Colella who will provide insight into DCSD's Digital Literacy guidelines. All previous webinar recordings are available on the DCSD Parent University page.
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.
Share Your Schoolβs Good News!
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.