District Profile

Paige Derke

Erla Yanes

Emily Linderholm

The city of Deepyl is known as the sister-city of Winona, Minnesota. Both these cities are

alike and different in many ways. Deepyl was discovered in 1975 by the explorers Paige, Emily,

and Erla. Since the city’s discovery, it has grown and is home to 32,162 residents in its rural

population. Deepyl is located in Southeastern Minnesota, adjacent to Winona. Deepyl is a bluff

county located on the Mississippi River. Deepyl has a four-season climate. Temperatures can

range from 1° F to 85° F. The average temperature is 49° F. Average annual rainfall is 34.26

inches. Rainfall occurs most in the summer months. Besides the topography of the city, there is

thriving industries and outdoor recreation activities in Deepyl. Thriving industries include

Fastenal, Watkins, Deepyl Health, Ford and Chevy dealership, and District 860. Residents enjoy

the city’s physical features like bluffs, river, lakes, and the abundant grassy land. Famous

landmarks include Rocky Bluffs, Adam James Park, Twin lakes, and the Mississippi River.

Although there are some great attributes in Deepyl, there are some challenges residents face.

Some challenges include: large amounts of college students, flooding, rats in residential homes,

low-income population, demands for more housing, an 3% increase in crime rates.

Deepyl High School is part of District 860. The High School enrolls 1,000 students,

grades 9-12. Deepyl High School is newly remodeled, up to code on health and safety

regulations, and ADA compliant - meaning it is fully accessible to all individuals of disabilities.

Male students outnumber female students at Deepyl High School. The percent of males is 53%

and the percent of females is 47%. The median household income in Deepyl, Minnesota is
$40,113. It follows then, 22% of students are eligible for free lunch, 8.2% are eligible for

reduced lunch, and 69.5% are ineligible for free and reduced lunch. The overall school

demographics for Deepyl High School are 87.3% white, 3% Hispanic, 4.9% Asian, 3.5% African

American and 0.3% American Indian. Minority enrollment is 12% of students, with the majority

in the Asian and African American population. A cultural issue at Deepyl High School is that

some minority groups may feel excluded from the student body. A lot of these minority groups

feel this way due to the large population of Caucasians compared to other races in the school.

Besides cultural challenges, all students despite race, gender, or ability all students are giving

resources to assist in their academics. Each student at the high school has access to a personal

Chromebook, library, and tutors for each school subject. The school includes an arena, pool,

floor-to-ceiling windows, and is divided into subject pods. The average class size is 30 students.

Teaching styles most often include one general education teacher and some classes may be co-

taught with a special education teacher. All teaching staff and administration at the High School

obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher, and they are ACE trained, CPR certified, and ALICE

certified. All teachers work collaboratively in professional learning communities.

A particular ninth grade student at Deepyl High School has a unique family background.

This student’s mother and father are divorced and do not get along. At his mother’s house, he is

often the “forgotten” child because his mother got remarried and had several other children to

take care of. This student often takes care of his new siblings because he is at least 12 years older

than them. At his father’s house, the father fails to discipline him, so he gets away with a lot of

things. He has two completely different boundaries at each house, so he acts out in school. He

often disregards teacher instruction and does not do his school work. This student is a

percussionist and thrives in band class but often struggles in other subjects because of a lack of
interest and motivation. Other interests of the student include, outdoor recreation, math, hanging

out with friends, and automotive vehicles. A few things he dislikes are homework, English, and

the AVID program provided at the high school. Based off the student’s funds of knowledge, the

professional learning community has designed curriculum, instruction, and assessments based off

of the student's strengths. The following modifications include: relating school-work to music

and his other hobbies, providing real-life examples that are relevant to the student’s life,

explaining why the assignments are important and how he can apply them to his everyday life,

and displaying understanding through performance-based assessment or an oral explanation.

Our PLC consists of three dedicated special education teachers with specialties in

learning disabilities and developmental disabilities. Our PLC meeting will be help an hour before

school starts on each Tuesday and Thursday every week. Our goals are to advocate for all

students with exceptionalities, to assist students to succeed in academia and to provide

appropriate education, services, and resources for students. With the learned skills, our mission is

help students succeed beyond the school setting and apply learned skills in real world settings.

Our composition includes all academic areas. Our strengths include organization, meeting

deadlines, working collaboratively in teams, and staying up-to-date with legislative laws and

assessment procedures. Furthermore, we provide communication between colleagues and family

members, and informing about inclusion. We prioritize students’ academic, social, and emotional

needs. Student challenges that are faced in Deepyl High School are limited resources and

funding, underrepresentation of diverse learners from different ethnic backgrounds, and a lack of

academic opportunities due to location.

Eric Jensen’s, “How Poverty Impacts Classroom Engagement”, emphasizes how poverty

affects students' relationship development in various ways. An example that Eric Jensen provides
is that a child from an impoverished family experiences adversity at home because parents are

not always present; this child, then, has a harder time cooperating in school and typically doesn't

receive much praise from teachers. Jensen also states that an impoverished student is more likely

to drop out due to mistrust, misbehaving, and not developing healthy relationships with others in

school. These examples confirm Jensen's claim that "when children's early experiences are

chaotic and one or both of the parents are absent, the developing brain often becomes insecure

and stressed." It's easy to see that the stress impoverished students face greatly impacts how they

interact with others inside and outside of school. Based off the findings in the academic journal,

we can build positive teacher-student relationships through the student’s funds of knowledge and

incorporate that information into the curriculum. For instruction, it is important to remember that

students who come from poverty may not have the resources needed to complete tasks, so we

either need to supply them or find other ways to have them complete assignments. For

assessments, teachers need to take into consideration students best learning environments in

order for them to be successful and have multiple testing options.