News & Events

At the start of every school year, there is an excitement and enthusiasm that provides us all with profound joy. I have always found there to be something magical about the first day of school: the energy, the anticipation, the promise of growth. It’s a moment that reminds us all why we do what we do.

This year, our districtwide theme is “Inspiring Hope.” To us, that means creating school environments where students believe in themselves, where families feel connected and informed, and where educators are empowered to make a difference. Hope isn’t just a feel-good idea, it’s one of the strongest predictors of student success. Students who feel hopeful about their future are more likely to attend school regularly, engage in learning, and perform well academically. Hope helps students set goals, persevere through challenges, and stay motivated even when things get hard. Hope is a powerful combination of belief and action. It's the belief that a positive future is possible, coupled with the conviction that our efforts can make it happen. When we inspire hope, we light a spark that ignites potential. Inspiration, in its truest form, leads directly to hope.

Our leaders are committed to leading with purposeful intent through communication, collaboration, and innovation. We will strive toward achieving our goals outlined in the prioritized strategic plan for the next two school years. Our priorities for each goal area are outlined using an in-action format that details action steps that will be taken to achieve our goals. 

Thanks to the incredible efforts of our educators and the support of our families, we saw growth across the district:

• Preliminary chronic absenteeism data suggest improvements in school attendance districtwide for the third consecutive school year

• High Schools worked hard to achieve higher ACT pass rates

• Districtwide SBAC ELA scores saw growth

• Districtwide SBAC Math scores saw growth

These achievements reflect the hard work and commitment our educators have to our students and community. They are also evidence of the belief that when we work together, great things happen. Official achievement data information will be released to the public on September 15, 2025. 

Our commitment remains strong to help every student discover their path to success, whether that’s in the classroom, through career technical education, in athletics, in the arts, or a student's personal best achievement. In DCSD, we will inspire, empower, and prepare each learner to achieve his/her life aspirations.

Have a great start to the 2025-26 school year!

Sincerely,

Frankie Alvarado

Superintendent

1. What inspired you to apply for the student representative position on the Board of Trustees? I was inspired to apply for the student representative position on the Board of Trustees because I wanted to get involved in our local government and improving our school district. 

2. How do you hope to represent the student body of Whittell High School?  I plan on representing the student body of Whittell High School by bringing attention to the amazing staff and students of the lake schools. I also hope to unite the school district for a cohesive learning environment. 

3.  What are some challenges or issues you think are important for the Board to address? I think it is important to give equal opportunities to all members of the schools in the district and I would love to share this important challenge with the Board to address. 

4. What do you enjoy most about being a senior at Whittell High School? My favorite part of being a senior at Whittell High School this year is all the amazing and challenging classes I have the opportunity to take.

5. What are your goals after high school? After high school I will be attending Dartmouth College to major in biomedical engineering on the pre-med track with the hope of going to medical school and becoming a doctor one day. 

6. Who was your favorite teacher or mentor growing up, and why? I appreciate all of my amazing teachers at Whittell but I especially want to thank my government teacher Mr. Hight for encouraging me to become a student representative.

7. How do you stay involved in school activities? I am a member of many clubs and activities at Whittell. I am on the girls golf team, the academic team, and the president of National Honor Society and Key Club at Whittell. 

8. What advice would you give to younger students looking to get involved in leadership? My best piece of advice would be to not be afraid of getting involved in leadership and putting yourself out there. I have always been quiet so this has been hard for me. 

9. What are your favorite local spots in the community? I love going to the local beaches and getting bagels at Tahoe Bagel!

10. What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I love playing golf at Edgewood, dancing and going to concerts.

11. What’s a hidden talent you have that most people don’t know about? Not only am I a great dancer, but I can baton twirl and have been twirling for 8 years now. 

12. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? If I could travel anywhere in the world I would travel to Antartica to see the glaciers and penguins. 

13. What’s something on your bucket list that you’re excited to accomplish?  One thing on my bucket list that I am excited to accomplish is traveling as much as I can. 

14. If you could instantly learn any skill, what would it be? If I could instantly learn any skill it would be doing a backflip on skis.

15. What do you think makes Douglas County schools special? I think that the close knit community with our amazing teachers and staff makes the Douglas County schools extra special.