Setting and Context

EDUC 450: Rocky Mountain High School

Andres Flores

The School Community: Rocky Mountain high school is located in west-central

Fort Collins and serves students from the surrounding area. The school was
established in 1973 and underwent extensive renovation in 1994-95 that created a
truly state of the art building that serves a diverse curriculum of academics,
athletics, and performing arts. In keeping with the innovative nature of the school
RMHS was one of the first high schools in the country to adopt the 4x4 block system
in which students have the same four classes every day and the year runs on a
courter system. This allows for true immersion into subjects as students encounter
them every day and for yearlong course to be accomplished in two quarters.
The school is centered on a common set of ideals referred to as, The Lobo
Way this is a common set of values and vernacular that student and staff strive
towards achieving. The tenants of, The Lobo Way are outlined on the school
website:

in the value and dignity of each individual

in the development of intellectual and creative skills
in the importance of self-discovery
in equal opportunity for learning
in preparation for life's work and lifelong learning
in a safe environment
in opportunities for service to society
that all members are empowered through participation
that education thrives in a democratic environment
These ideals are posted in throughout the building and talked about regularly in
classrooms. Additionally all students at RMHS have a quarter long class their
freshman year called Lobo 101 in which they learn life skills, the culture and
community of RMHS, and how to uphold, The Lobo Way.
In keeping with the ideals of the Lobo, Spanish for timber-wolf, RMHS
supports a strong and healthy pack by encouraging parent involvement with the
school community. Parents have easily accessible online resources in which they can
keep up to date on school activities and events as well as seek out various
volunteer opportunities. As the son of a RMHS graduate I know that the pride that is
associated with being a Lobo and does not fade away and the ideals of the Lobo
strong community can truly last a lifetime.
Students have enormous resources at their disposal to ensure their own
wellbeing and success while attending RMHS. The student support system is similar
to many other schools in the country with a school Resources officer, academic
counseling services, homeroom community, and integrated learning services staff.

However in keeping with the innovative nature of the school RMHS has a state of
the art wellness center that helps students of all needs find balance and peace in
their lives. Students are welcome to come to the wellness center to take ownership
of their health and seek out resources. Alternative methods of test taking, coloring
books, and a punching back for stress relief are all available in the wellness center.
The Demographics of RMHS are fairly typical for Poudre School District and
are posted below. Detailed and interactive information regarding the demographics
of the school can be found at http://www.schoolview.org/dish/schooldashboard.asp

Student and Classroom: The classroom I will be teaching and learning in the
second quarter of the fall of 2016 is the digital arts classroom of Daniel Ibanez. This
class takes place in the second hour of instruction in room 304 of RMHS. The

students of the class are a richly interesting group of individuals ranging from
freshmen to senior level, several of the students have unique needs and
perspectives that they bring to the art room. The class has 29 students, 15 male
and 14 female, divided into three
sections of computer blocks.
SMART
There are two students of color
in the classroom. Each student is
Board
equipped with a duel monitor
system with a complete suite of
Adobe and other digital art programs, additionally each student has access to a
digital drawing tablet and stylist. A diagram of the classroom is pictured below:

Student
Computer
stations with 8
students

Teacher
desk

Student
Computer
stations with 7
students
Couch

Doo

Student Computer stations with 15 students

The culture of the classroom is truly amazing and a model of what the greater
community of RMHS is. Mr. Ibanez creates an amazing learning environment that
start first and foremost with student relationships. Mr. Ibanez strives to remember
information about each of his students and actively asks them about their lives and
interests. Additionally he ends every class by standing at the door and offering a
high five or a fist bump to students as he wishes them a good day. Mr. Ibanez
constantly connects the content of the classroom to the lives of the students. One of
the most powerful examples of this came in a lesson about manipulating images in
photoshop to create a new picture. Ibanez skillfully lead a discussion in which
students discussed the difficulty of growing up in the digital age and how they can
truly strive to be creative contributors instead of passive consumers. The interests
of the students match this applicable style of teaching employed by Ibanez.
Students create art around the ideas of video games, music, literature, and pop
culture throughout the projects. Ibanez uses these interests to illustrate important
lessons for students beyond the classroom and teaching them the power of being
able to think like an artist.
Modification, Adaptations, Accommodations: The large stratification of student
skills and interest adds a challenging and element to this digital arts room. There

are two male students who sit together in the back row who need a fairly large
amount of individualized attention and adaptation in order for them to be successful
in class. One of the students becomes extremely flustered which morphs to
frustration whenever he is unsure of what step to take. He needs a large amount of
individualized help in order to keep him from lashing out. Ibanez uses this particular
students skills as a story teller to help him stay focused and engaged in during the
lesson, additionally the expected outcome of many projects are modified to
accommodate for this students specific needs. Another student who needs this
individualized attention has a tendency to become easily distracted during class
and stray off topic into video games. This student also has adapted expectations for
what he will produce during the class. In addition to these students there are
several AP students in the class. These students are utilized by Ibanez to help other
students when the need arises and it is applicable, but there main focus is
challenging themselves as artists. This mix of students create an interesting and
dynamic classroom that challenges students and teachers to learn and grow with
one another.