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Board hears school celebrations: Tanglewood improvements, Derby athletes and student internships
Summary
Board presentations highlighted Tanglewood Elementary's gains in reading, math and reduced chronic absenteeism; staff and volunteer service awards; Derby High School state champions; and a communications work‑based learning intern whose projects raised district visibility.
Multiple school leaders and district staff used the March 24 meeting to present school progress and recognize students, staff and volunteers.
Amy Steadman, Tanglewood Elementary principal, reviewed building goals and data showing mid‑year gains. She said reading tier‑1 (on-grade) students rose from 31% to 53% and middle‑year math tier‑1 students rose from 19% to 44% after interventions such as high‑dose tutoring, AmeriCorps support and paraprofessional deployment. Tanglewood also reported a drop in special‑education students in tier‑3 reading and math and described mentorship and SEL supports aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism; chief interventions included a PrimeFit mentorship pilot and targeted family outreach.
The board recognized Tanglewood staff for years of service (20 and 30 years) and thanked a lunch and recess team and other paraprofessionals for daily support. Principal Steadman singled out fifth‑grade student leaders and honored student Elijah for leadership and growth.
Derby High School Principal Gretchen Pontius introduced state champion teams and individual athletes: back‑to‑back state champions in bowling (team and individual wins) and state wrestling champions (two individuals; one was absent). Coaches and administrators thanked the board and community for support.
Communications Director Katie Carlson summarized spring outreach including a 20‑page mailed newsletter to about 19,000 residents, expanded language support in the district mobile app (from 31 to 57 languages), and partnerships such as story‑time village little‑library boxes installed in community locations. She introduced Micah Herzberg, a high‑school work‑based learning intern in communications, who described course highlights, senior spotlights and a ROTC uniform‑inspection infographic she produced.
Kathleen O’Brien, DNEA president and DHS science teacher, and other staff offered brief recognitions for teachers, coaches and extracurricular successes. The board offered thanks, asked questions about STEAM scheduling and student engagement, and took no formal action on presentations.
