Student leaders present new vision and mission for Danbury High School academies; updates given on tutoring and robotics

Hayden Rogers, vice president of BOG, told the Danbury Board of Education that students, teachers and families contributed to new vision and mission statements for the academies at Danbury High School and described academic and extracurricular updates.

Rogers said the academy team reviewed exemplary vision and mission statements and aligned language to national standards and the district’s graduate profile. The team conducted surveys (translated into Spanish and Portuguese), reviewed results with administrators, and revised drafts; Rogers said the process included work late in the 2023–24 school year and follow-up this school year.

Rogers summarized the adopted language and recent student supports: “The academies of Danbury High School aspire to be a model community of empowered learners, positively impact the world,” and he read the mission statement noting partnerships with students, families and the community to provide “transformational learning experiences that empower all students to embody the culture of a graduate and thrive in their future endeavors.”

He then updated the board on student programming: an upcoming voluntary SAT practice series from Jan. 25–March 29, an AP tutoring sequence in March–May, a career fair on Dec. 12 that included 60 corporate partners, recent induction of 29 students into a national honor society, and that the DHS robotics team recently won a competition at WPI. He also noted academy and course-selection dates and virtual parent-night outreach.

The board thanked Rogers; no formal action was taken on the vision and mission statements during the meeting. The presentation was given during the public participation portion of the meeting and was characterized by Rogers as the result of an inclusive, multilingual engagement process.