JANUARY 2018 FEATURED BUSINESS: Otho E. Stuart Middle School

Otho E. Stuart Middle School
 
Contact Person & Title: 
Fabricio Velez, Principal
 
Website: 
 
Phone: 
720-685-5500
 
Business Hours: 
Mon. – Fri. | 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM
 
In 2 -3 Paragraphs please tell us your company story: 
“Otho E. Stuart Middle School is located in Commerce City, Colorado in the SE portion of School District 27J. Stuart serves students from the newly developed neighborhoods in north/northeast Commerce City, bordering the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, as well as students to the east of DIA.
Stuart opened in 2009 and it is currently in its 9th year of operation. For the first time since our inception, Stuart’s enrollment has exceeded its capacity of 825 students. As of November 14th, 2017, Stuart’s enrollment stands at 863 students: 308 in 6th grade, 283 in 7th grade, and 272 in 8th grade.”
Why was the signage requested?  
“For the past three years, our school has placed a lot of emphasis on instructional practices, which led us to becoming a Performance School (Colorado Department of Education’s rating) for the first time in 9 years. Our goal for this current year, is to focus on improving our climate and culture as we continue to reinforce our academic practices. Stuart’s goal for this year is to “create a safe and inclusive environment in which all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.”
Our school community engaged in the process of identifying our schools values and beliefs. Out of this work came our values of RISE. RISE stand for Respect, Integrity, School-Spirit, and Empathy. Raptors RISE…RISE up! Is the phrase we use to remind our students of the importance of rising up to our core values. This work has had a tremendous impact on our school’s climate and culture. For the last six weeks, we have been able to decrease negative behaviors significantly (90%). Our Raptors are rising up to the challenge of living and exemplifying our school’s ‘values every day in every school setting. Signarama created the art work to promote our RISE core values as well as our vision of Excellence for Everyone, Every Day!”
 
Who are you trying to target with your new signage?
“We are targeting our entire Stuart Middle School community.”
Did the signs meet your purpose?
“Yes, Signarama did a fantastic job at actualizing the vision we had. Their design was truly gorgeous and highlighted exactly what we wanted to highlight. We liked their work so much that we decided to add some other pieces.”
What kind of feedback have you received from your clientele regarding the sign?
“Our students and staff absolutely love the sign. It is very impressive. As soon as you walk into our school you are welcomed by this impressive sign right by our main entrance. Students have come up to me, unprompted, to tell me how much they like the wall.”