I enjoyed reading Jeff Hudson’s recent article on school configuration in our district (“Where to put ninth-graders? Junior high? High school?”). I did notice one omission from the article, however. When Hudson listed the schools in our district, he neglected to include Davis School for Independent Studies. As a parent of a student who attends DSIS, I think this is an unfortunate oversight.

DSIS has been a real jewel for my son and I am often surprised to learn how little others in the community know about this program. The school includes children from throughout the district in grades K-12; for grades K-6 the school supports a home-school model and for grades 7-12 moves to an independent studies model.

However, children of all grades may participate in site-based workshops and classes. Secondary students of DSIS also have the option to “split site,” where they can take up to three classes at any of the traditional secondary campuses. All secondary students also have the option of participating in districtwide functions, such as school sports, Grad Night, school dances and after-school clubs.

In addition, DSIS is experimenting with some exciting new programming, including utilizing Skype for teacher meetings when students are traveling extensively and hybrid course offerings where students combine online and in-person learning.

Anna Otto

Davis

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