Kallhoff: DCSS does ‘things that matter’
Although the typical school year has been interrupted due to COVID-19, the Demopolis City School System’s progress is not slowing down.
“With everything taking place it is important to let folks know we are still open for business,” said Supt. Kyle Kallhoff in a statement released Thursday. He added that in the next few weeks, the school system will start advertising an online enrollment process.
“The DCSS continues to do things that matter,” he said. “For the third year in a row, one of the DCSS schools was named a Banner School by the Council of Leaders in Alabama Schools. In 2018 it was U.S. Jones; in 2019, Westside, and now it is Demopolis High School’s time to receive this prestigious honor.”
According to a PARCA study, for the past three years 70% of DHS graduates enter either a two-year or four-year institution. DHS has a graduation rate of over 90%, and just over 85% of the graduates are considered college and career ready according to the Alabama State Department of Education. In addition, 69% of DHS students who take the ACT Workkeys, an assessment used by many Alabama Industry leaders, score in the proficiency range.
The accolades of DHS “are just the end result of many years of work, which includes the other three DCSS schools,” said Kallhoff. DMS is known for an award-winning BETA club and rigorous academic programs that prepare students to be successful once entering high school. Along with band, art, coding and robotics, DMS will begin offering foreign language exploration classes during the 20/21 school year.
DMS, USJ and WES have implemented Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” Leader in Me Program. The Leader in Me Program instills leadership qualities in the students at all three campuses.
Teachers in the DCSS understand differentiation, and many operate small group instruction in their classrooms to make sure students of all learning levels and styles are engaged. In 2016, the DCSS started a Gifted Program to meet the needs of the most creative learners in grades three through six.
The current trend in schools across the nation is embedding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in daily instruction. With the help of the Demopolis City Schools Foundation (DCSF), many teachers at WES and USJ incorporate STEM activities in their classrooms. In 2018, the DCSS Board of Education invested $500,000 in a modern technology enriched STEM lab at DMS called Lab 212.
“At all four campuses, technology is not a wishful concept, but rather a daily support in the delivery of instruction,” Kallhoff said. Each classroom has a 65-inch touchscreen smart television panel. All students at WES, USJ and DMS have access to their own computer. With the assistance of the DCSF, Demopolis High is getting closer to a one-to-one student to computer ratio.
Modern technology is also evident at each campus with security measures, he continued. DCSS has more than 140 security cameras and secured access entry points at each campus in addition to a uniformed School Resource Officer assigned at each location.
At WES, more than 70 four-year-old students are served daily through the award-winning Office of School Readiness (OSR) First Class Pre-K Program. Alabama’s Pre-K program is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the 14th year in a row. WES operates four OSR First Class Pre-K classes and one other pre-K class. Combined, the school serves close to 80 Pre-K students.
Music and art programs are offered to all students, DMS has a chess club, and students in grades 7 through 12 have an opportunity to compete in 14 athletic programs. DHS students have access to an array of dual enrollment and Advance Placement courses in addition to multiple student clubs and activities and an astounding theater program.
“It is important to be well informed when selecting which schools and school system you want your children to attend,” Kallhoff concluded. “There is something special about the Demopolis City School System and the Demopolis Difference.”