Setting and Context - Wellington Middle School

Culture and Community Context:

Wellington Middle School is the only middle school located in Wellington, CO and is part of Poudre School
District. It is smaller than most middle schools in Poudre School District, with around 520 students enrolled. The
principal, Dr. Durand, has been a teacher and administrator at Wellington Middle School for 30 years. There is a
strong sense of commitment and bonding between the staff as a whole. Wellington is a small town with a
population of about 7,000 people; it is in a fairly rural location, and many students are bused in from farms in a
large area around the town. A few students are also bused in from the Country Club north of Fort Collins, which
contributes to an interesting variety of student backgrounds. Wellington is still small but has been growing at
one of the fastest rates in the country. It is full of locally owned businesses and old neighborhoods, but there
are also some brand new chain stores and development areas.
Demographic Characteristics:
Approximately 40% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch, which is a significantly higher number than
most middle schools in the district. About 80% of the students are white, 15% are Hispanic, and the remaining
5% are black, Native American, Asian, or a different ethnicity. The town of Wellington has a population that is
approximately 88% white, which is a slightly higher percentage than the school itself. The schools standardized
testing scores are slightly lower than the district average but slightly higher than the state average. The staff
have an average of eight years of teaching experience, and 18 of 31 teachers hold a masters degree or above.
-Classroom Environment and art classes taught:
The art room is small and fairly crowded, with one window looking outside in the far corner of the room. There
is a small storage room attached that used to be a darkroom for film photography, and it also contains a
functional kiln. About 180 tubs are stored in rows and columns in large cabinets along one wall of the main
classroom - each student has their own tub with an artistic name tag on it, in which they store their supplies
and artwork. This system works efficiently to save space but there are so many supplies in other cabinets that
the room still feels crowded. There are six tables that can fit four or five students each. Students sit in chairs,
instead of stools like many middle and high schools use. The art curriculum this semester included two 6th
grade Crafts classes, a 6th grade Art 1 class, a 7th grade Art 1 class, a 7th grade Pottery class, an 8th grade
Pottery class, and an 8th grade Digital Photography class. Most of these classes are taught every semester, with
the addition of a combined Art 2 and Art 3 class in the spring semester.
School-wide Policies for Management, Safe Schools, Conflict Resolution and Student with Special Needs:
Wellington Middle School follows the Discovery Model for management, with most of their focus on using
redirects. Students are given one redirect as an initial warning, with identification of the behavior warranting a
redirect. A second is given if this or a different behavior is repeated by the same student during the same class
period. A third redirect means that the student has a short conversation in the hall with the teacher and has to
fill out a form reflecting on their behavior; this form must also be signed by their parents. Any additional
redirects lead to discipline by the office. Consistent implementation of this language and system is critical to its
success across all classrooms; it is also important to name the behavior that was causing a problem and name
the specific way that the student should fix it.
At Wellington, parents can volunteer as a part of Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), be a member of the
School Improvement Team, and volunteer in the media center or in a classroom. Wellington, along with all
other schools in Poudre School District, is part of the Safe Schools program for reporting issues of bullying or
other safety concerns. This also includes access to counselors for conflict resolution. The Special Education
department is staffed with several teachers and paraprofessionals. Students with more severe needs are
accompanied by a paraprofessional to all of their classes. Teachers are very promptly and thoroughly provided
with each students IEP, 504 or other plan if applicable.