We are so thankful for the education, the lifelong friendships, the mentors, the coaches, the counselors, and the examples our 3 kids have experienced at Douglas High School. More importantly, the staff has gone above and beyond in ways that were imperceptible perhaps to others, but were hugely valuable to our family. The staff at Douglas will not necessarily receive awards for the little details, but I am writing to tell you that they are rocking it over there. Here's a few examples:
- One of our kids had to go to the nurse for illness. The nurse went way above what she needed to do, and even called us with a few updates throughout the day.
- One of our kids decided on a weird hobby not offered at Douglas. They have helped us make an attendance plan so that our student can travel during the school year and still graduate on time. The process was simple and they were nothing but encouraging as our kid pursues this dream. If that's not enough, when he comes back to school after an event, they ask how it went. As if they don't have enough details in their own lives, they somehow remember to ask our son about his funky hobby.
- The facilities are clean and well-kept. The school police are alert and professional. And the football stadium is the most awesome place in Douglas County to take in an evening sunset on a home-game Friday night.
- The sports culture at Douglas is good and healthy. I understand every parent has a different perspective on every sport and coach, but as a whole, I found that in general, DHS athletics put my kids before the win/loss stats. A few of our kids dropped various sports along their 4-year course and former coaches didn't treat them poorly for that choice; they would continue to mentor even after the coaching seasons ended. Of course, every coach is different, but the sports culture was overall positive and balanced.
- It's kind of a little thing, but I find the front desk folks to be amazingly kind. Somehow, they juggle all kinds of stuff while still carving out a moment here or there to smile or tease or ask how your day is going. Refreshing!
- The most striking reason I am writing this review had to do with our ONE negative issue at Douglas. I had to seek administrative help with something and I was nervous about it. But Douglas High teachers and counselor and administrators handled this with such professionalism and grace. I am in awe at how timely and caring they were. It could have been a mess and it was not.
If you are on the fence about sending your kid to Douglas High, I'm not going to tell you it's perfect, because no school is that. And you know what is best for your kid. But our family did public school, private school, and homeschooling, and I found DHS to be an outstanding option. Our family has been blessed with 1) the DHS pursuit of excellence, 2) the culture of encouraging good and discouraging bad, and 3) the cumulative little positive details (which far outweigh the negative pile) that have collected over 11 years of our kids being educated here. read more