Setting and Context
-Culture and Community-
Preston Middle is a neighborhood school that puts a lot of emphasis on STEM. Every morning they do announcements through a televised segment called KPAW. This allows the students to get involved with their school and getting important information to peers. Twice this semester the school also held a Parade of Champions to recognize some student organizations that did well at a competition or conference. The first was held to recognize the Science Bowl team for winning regionals, while the other parade was used to recognize the Choir for performing at the CMEA Conference. These types of activities show students that they have support from in the entire school in what they are doing both inside the classroom and outside the classroom. Preston offers many different activities for students to become involved with while at school. Sports that are offered at Preston include Basketball for both boys and girls, Golf, Wrestling, Cross Country, Track, Tennis, Softball, and Volleyball. Other activities that students are able to get involved with include NJHS, Robotics, Rocketry, Chamber/Jazz Orchestra, Chess, Forensics and Debate, G-STEM, Sustainable Design and Production, Math Counts, Outing Club, Science Bowl, Science Olympiad, Weight Training, and Rafting. The amount of clubs and sports that Preston offers allows for students to find a group they fit well with within the school.
Preston is located on the South side of Fort Collins very close to I-25. While Fort Collins has much less poverty than many of the other larger cities in Colorado, the neighborhood surrounding Preston is mainly upper middle class families which plays a large role in the amount of funding and support the school gets from families and community members. Students at Preston have access to 3-D printers and each student has a laptop that is theirs for the school year.
Preston is located on the South side of Fort Collins very close to I-25. While Fort Collins has much less poverty than many of the other larger cities in Colorado, the neighborhood surrounding Preston is mainly upper middle class families which plays a large role in the amount of funding and support the school gets from families and community members. Students at Preston have access to 3-D printers and each student has a laptop that is theirs for the school year.
-Demographic Characteristics-
Preston Middle has about 892 students enrolled and there are approximately 45 full-time teachers in the building. The student to teacher ratio at Preston is about 20:1. Class sizes are generally small but there are some classes that are larger than others. Out of the 892 students enrolled at Preston 757 of them identify as Caucasian, which makes up most of the student body. This is about 85% of the student population at Preston and this is a slightly higher percentage than other schools around Fort Collins. This difference mainly comes from the neighborhood and the side of town that Preston is located in. This is also a much different percentage than the state average of about 56%. Preston middle school has an almost equal distribution of males and females in the school. About 53% of the population is male while the other 47% is female. This is very similar to other schools around Fort Collins and much of Colorado. The percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch is much lower at Preston than the Fort Collins average as well as the Colorado average.
-Classroom Environment-
The art room at Preston is used to teach six very different classes. The room is used to teach pottery and sculpture, photography one and two, art one, art two, and an enrichment class. The classroom contains six large tables that seat six on small stools. Each of these stools has been painted by a student from a former art two class. There is a smartboard at the front of the room that is used to give presentations to introduce a new project. Within the art room there is a kiln room that is home to two kilns. There is a glass fusing kiln as well as a traditional clay kiln. Both are used for much of the semester giving students the opportunity to work with materials that most students do not have the chance to use. On the walls there are many Scholastic Art posters that have images of art done by many famous artists these posters are sometimes used as a talking point when working introducing new lessons and projects. The classroom is also decorated with items that can be used in still life drawings or paintings. On both ends of the classroom, there are sinks, soap and paper towel dispensers; this makes clean up very easy as there is not as large line waiting to use on sink. There is a color printer in the classroom that is used to print all of the final photos for the photography classes. This printer is generally only used for the photo classes but can also be used to print off reference pictures for projects in the other classes. There are two desktop computers that are open for student use if needed.
The materials for projects are labeled and are on the west side of the classroom. There are tall cabinets that contain totes for students to use to house their sketchbooks, folders and drawing supplies for art one and art two. There is also a cabinet that is filled with colored pencils, markers, oil pastels, rulers, and many other supplies that students are free to use at any time. The ceramic supplies are on a cart that can be transferred between the two art classrooms. This cart had wooden spoons, rolling pins, and clay shaping tools that can be used throughout the ceramic building process. Students also have access to light tables if they feel like they need helping getting their drawing exactly the way they want. For both photo one and photo two students have access to a complete darkroom. The darkroom at Preston has 15 enlargers and a sink that is used to develop photos. The photo one students do not spend as much time in the darkroom as photo two but it is a great opportunity to get students excited about photography. Photography students are also given access to cameras that can be checked out to use for projects if needed. This ensures that students are able to get their projects done even if they do not have a personal camera. All photo students are also given the opportunity to download the entire suite of Adobe Photoshop giving them the opportunity to learn skills that can be transferable outside of the art classroom.
The materials for projects are labeled and are on the west side of the classroom. There are tall cabinets that contain totes for students to use to house their sketchbooks, folders and drawing supplies for art one and art two. There is also a cabinet that is filled with colored pencils, markers, oil pastels, rulers, and many other supplies that students are free to use at any time. The ceramic supplies are on a cart that can be transferred between the two art classrooms. This cart had wooden spoons, rolling pins, and clay shaping tools that can be used throughout the ceramic building process. Students also have access to light tables if they feel like they need helping getting their drawing exactly the way they want. For both photo one and photo two students have access to a complete darkroom. The darkroom at Preston has 15 enlargers and a sink that is used to develop photos. The photo one students do not spend as much time in the darkroom as photo two but it is a great opportunity to get students excited about photography. Photography students are also given access to cameras that can be checked out to use for projects if needed. This ensures that students are able to get their projects done even if they do not have a personal camera. All photo students are also given the opportunity to download the entire suite of Adobe Photoshop giving them the opportunity to learn skills that can be transferable outside of the art classroom.
-School-wide Policies for Management, Safe Schools, Conflict Resolution and Student with Special Needs-
Preston and the Poudre School District have many guidelines set up to ensure the needs of all students are met as well as ensuring that all students are safe while in the school environment. To assure that all students feel safe preston has a “report bullying” tab on their website as well as four counselors that students are able to talk to if they are feeling unsafe or want to report any of the following: threats to self or others, weapons, and drugs or alcohol possession or usage on campus. The Preston student handbook states that “as a school, we are dedicated to working through issues and problems with our community members and not simply getting people into trouble.” The Poudre School District and Preston also use video and audio surveillance to ensure safety of the buildings and the occupants. These recordings are erased or deleted after seven calendar days unless an incident has occurred.
Management in Preston is different within each classroom, but there is a system setup that gives students an idea of what is expected of them. Students are taught a system called PAWS; this is an acronym that keeps students positive and accountable in the school and classrooms. The “P” stands for positive choices, “A” is attitude, “W” is work ethic, and “S” is sense of community. If a student is seen going above and beyond any of these actions, they are given a Puma Track form. Students can turn these into the office to be entered into a drawing for prizes. This gives students incentives to go above and beyond what is expected of them in the classroom.
At Preston there is a great program set up to work with students with special needs. While these students do have a separate classroom they work in, they are often integrated into the mainstream classrooms. This gives the students the opportunities to work with other students and teachers. While students are mainstreamed, students either have a para, or the ability to leave the classroom if they are feeling overwhelmed. Students are more than welcome to leave and head back to their homeroom to cool down or re-center themselves.
Management in Preston is different within each classroom, but there is a system setup that gives students an idea of what is expected of them. Students are taught a system called PAWS; this is an acronym that keeps students positive and accountable in the school and classrooms. The “P” stands for positive choices, “A” is attitude, “W” is work ethic, and “S” is sense of community. If a student is seen going above and beyond any of these actions, they are given a Puma Track form. Students can turn these into the office to be entered into a drawing for prizes. This gives students incentives to go above and beyond what is expected of them in the classroom.
At Preston there is a great program set up to work with students with special needs. While these students do have a separate classroom they work in, they are often integrated into the mainstream classrooms. This gives the students the opportunities to work with other students and teachers. While students are mainstreamed, students either have a para, or the ability to leave the classroom if they are feeling overwhelmed. Students are more than welcome to leave and head back to their homeroom to cool down or re-center themselves.