Tech, science school spells hard work for kids

Nancy Mitchell, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 6, 2006 at midnight

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Mornings at the Denver School of Science and Technology begin not in a classroom but in a circle, and sometimes, as on Monday, there is fire.

"OK, this is the first time I've done this one outside the classroom," biology and genetics teacher George Gigiolio joked with the hundreds of students gathered around him at 8:30 a.m. in the community room. "You might want to step back."

They didn't. Instead, they "oooh"-ed and "aaah"-ed as a large test tube glowed with a bright purplish-white light and smoke began to pour out.

"We had 330 kids at the edge of their feet at 8:35 this morning," Bill Kurtz, head of school for DSST, said a few minutes later, smiling. "You didn't hear a snicker. Doing well here is cool. Being a student here is cool."

It's also hard work, as students and teachers will attest, but it has paid off. DSST, a charter school in Stapleton, received the state's top rating of excellent on school report cards issued Tuesday.

It's one of just two Denver high schools to achieve that label this year. It's also one of only three high schools across Colorado to make significant improvement with its students for each of the past two years.

"That's probably the most important to us because it's a measure of value added," Kurtz said of the growth indicator. "That's what we pride ourselves on, the fact kids are learning here and are growing. You can't say it's because we get smart kids - we're obviously doing something with every kid."

DSST opened in fall 2004 with a goal of reaching out to students typically underrepresented in science and tech programs - girls, minorities and those from poor families.

Getting students interested in DSST is no problem. Last fall, 320 kids applied for 135 freshmen seats. But Kurtz said the interest tends to come from more affluent families as the school's reputation spreads.

"Most of our recruiting is aimed at trying to attract kids from the lowest- performing schools and the most underserved communities," he said.

The academics are intense.

Incoming freshmen are tested to see whether they need to attend a four-week summer academic booster shot. About 100 students attended this past summer's session. And students who don't pass a class don't get promoted. Failing one core academic class earns a seat in summer school. Failing two means repeating a grade.

Of the 125 freshmen in DSST's first class, 26 were held back in either the ninth or 10th grades.

"We don't lower expectations," Kurtz said. "We increase support."

That's a little easier at DSST, which as a small charter has more flexibility than a typical Denver high school. For kids struggling in pre- calculus, for example, Kurtz and teacher Mark Heffron quickly put together a supplemental class meeting twice a week.

DSST junior Saladin Jones, who attended Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, said the charter is "a lot more work, a lot more homework, a lot more in-class work."

But for a wannabe engineer with his sights set on attending Colorado School of Mines, it's also helping him realize a dream.

"I've been thinking about college all my life," Jones said Monday. "It's something I want to give me a better life."

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