Tayla Reynolds

October 5, 2014
EDU450
Narrative: Setting and Context PART 1
The Rocky Mountain Lobos inspires, guides, and supports our students, faculty and staff
to reach their maximum potential in a caring, challenging and safe environment. This is the
mission statement of Rocky Mountain High School and I think it is followed very well. Rocky
Mountain High School is a comprehensive four year high school grades 9-12 and alone has 126
licensed teachers and nearly 2,000 students resulting in teacher/student ratio nearly 18:1. Of
these 2,000 students, about seventy-eight percent are White, one percent African American,
fourteen percent Hispanic, and two percent Asian.
Although I have only been in Rocky Mountain High School for a short period of time, I
have realized and got to know the culture and climate of the school and the classrooms. The
culture that the students learn in daily is laid back for the students yet very interactive. The
majority of the students are willing to learn and I have witnessed several times students helping
on another. The climate of the rooms is relatable too. In a lot of the classrooms that I toured,
there is a lot of school spirit. Every room has posters on the wall or some sort of material that
supports the Lobo Way which creates a positive environment and encourages students to
support the school and to be in class. I also notice that every classroom has what the students
need such as textbooks, computers or laptops, tables and other resources that are accessible in a
way that is very useful while learning. Being such a large high school, a lot of students
participate in activities and are very involved in extracurricular events. Through my

observations, there is a lot of teacher-to-student interaction, and teachers do very well at making
sure, that what is being taught is applied. In more interactive classes, such as P.E., the teacher
was more of an observer of the activities rather than a facilitator which allowed students to make
their own decisions and to be self-motivating. The climate in the classrooms throughout Rocky is
very outgoing and what I have seen, very positive. During our Tour De Rocky, I saw many
students include other students in the activities if they realized that they were not getting to
participate as much and being motivating towards each other, and I find this to be very consistent
on a day-to-day basis. Being at Rocky, I have learned that the students have a lot of freedom, but
yet they know how to keep it in control and I appreciate that about this school. Overall, the
students and teachers collaborate to make an efficient, safe learning environment for everyone
around them.
Rocky provides a wide range of clubs, student government, interscholastic athletics,
service committees, forensics, music and theatre, and several programs and activities for students
within the high school. Just to list a few, students have several clubs such as DECA, FFCLA,
FBLA, school newspaper and National Honor Society to be a part of and allows them to take
leadership roles within their school and community. Rocky offers a variety of sports to
participate in such as football, volleyball, baseball, softball, gymnastics, soccer, swim and
diving, basketball, cross country, track, lacrosse, field hockey, tennis, wrestling and golf. Rocky
Mountain High School is very diverse among the students and every student is unique.
Therefore, the variety of these clubs and sports accommodates a lot of the student population
according to their needs and interests. All of the clubs and activities that I listed before all
contribute to good student behavior because the students are involved within their school and
community and are taking leadership roles. By being a part of these activities, they are setting

positive examples to everyone around them. These activities also help students maintain their
grades through eligibility which require students to be in school and involved. Aside from the
school activities, there are several resources for the students in Rocky such as a counseling
center, a college and career center, and youth counseling that is easy access to the students. The
counseling assist students that may be struggling emotionally, spiritually, or just need someone
to talk to while the career center helps them identify the options and opportunities that are
available to them after high school. These resources are very important because it assures
students there are people that they can reach out to and is assistance if it is needed. I strongly
believe that students are more willing to find the help if they need it if it is at their convenience.
I have learned that Rocky also has several ways for parents to be more involved in their
students education. Parents are involved through volunteering at athletic events, helping
teachers within the classrooms, sponsored school activities, and any special projects that
Rocky may have. Rocky Mountain High School also assures that parents can be in the loop of
their child(ren)s education by providing online services and easy access to the teachers within
the school. Being a student teacher, I know that parent involvement is very important for the
school and the students because it doesnt only make it easier for the school to get ahold of the
parents if needed, but students are most successful when they have that needed support from
home.
It has been an honor to be placed at Rocky Mountain High School for my EDU450
experience. Coming from and interested in teaching in a smaller school, this was a great urban
school for me to be at to show me the other side of the spectrum. I not only have learned so much
from all of the students at Rocky, but a lot about myself as a future educator. I hope that when I
leave Rocky, I have made an impact on at least one student and I hope that I can for my students

in the future. After spending the time with these students, I really look forward to teaching high
school students and understand what is expected of me. Overall, my experience thus far at Rocky
has been a success.