Douglas County School District parents, kids adjust to school consolidation

One of the big changes happening within the Douglas County School District is consolidation. Last year, its school board voted to close three elementary schools and consolidate those students into other schools.

A part of that consolidation was to also bring sixth grade students into the district's middle schools. It has been an adjustment for parents and students, but there is also a sense of excitement too.

"Initially I was a little bummed because I have two younger kids too and we only had one year with all three together," said Highlands Ranch parent Steve Crump.

But as time went on, Crump and his son Wyatt grew more excited.

"I'm definitely excited. I think Wyatt is definitely ready for middle school and ready for new challenges. I think he's also more excited to do sports," said Crump.

Instead of attending nearby Eagle Ridge Elementary, Wyatt will be attending Cresthill Middle School as part of its initial sixth-grade class.

"I'm excited because there are seven different classes or something, and I'm excited to have a different teacher for each one of them," Wyatt said. 

This did present challenges, but sixth graders in middle school were nothing new, according to Assistant Superintendent Danny Winsor.

"A lot of the conversation was, how do you build community with family," said Winsor. "When you accommodate another 400 kids, you know that's a very real thing."

A key part of the influx of students is to place them in smaller support groups, Winsor said.

"Which is about 125-150 kids. They have the same group of teachers. The same five teachers. They'd have an administrator; a counselor tied to that team. Mental health tied to that team," he said. "We're not just going to make it a free-for-all and say good luck. It is really about that middle school teaming model. We have them in separate pods for classrooms. We'll make sure there's supervision in particular in those areas. Separate lunches for different grade levels as well."

Having more students also presented issues with traffic, in particular drop-offs and after-school pick-ups.

"We've actually adjusted the width of parking lot entries. We've also adjusted traffic flows," said Winsor.

For example, at Cresthill Middle School, a turn-in lane was recently installed in hopes of alleviating traffic on Cresthill Lane.

Despite that, the Crumps say they are ready to go.

"I might've spent a little too much money on a back-to-school outfit. We have to get a computer soon before we start," said Crump.

If parents or students are feeling apprehensive, Winsor said staff is prepared to make the transition as easy as possible.

"The biggest thing I'd say to families is that we're here for you. We want to welcome you alongside you in this process because your kids mean the world to us," Winsor said.