Skip To Main Content

About Our School

The Raven Way

The Raven Way is a movement at Decker Middle School that is designed to set our students on the path to success in all areas of their lives. Here is the foundation it is built on:

  • Students First: Keeping students’ best interests first in everything that we do is impart why we are educators. Students must be first in all that we do in order to have an upward trajectory as a campus in all aspects of education. 
  • Relationships: Building strong relationships with our students and our parents will provide students with a platform where they can grow not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. Not only do we build strong relationships but we also believe in repairing relationships through restorative practices. 
  • Belonging:  We firmly believe that if we can help our students identify and grow strongly in their strengths and interests, we can set their feet on the path to achievement. We want 100% of our students to feel a sense of belonging at DMS. Every student should feel that they belong at our school no matter what their background is. 
  • College and Career Readiness: DMS is an AVID National Demonstration School. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a college readiness system that we use schoolwide in order to prepare our students for what is ahead beyond middle school. Students create academic goals and track their own progress throughout the year. 
  • The Arts: DMS is also a fine arts academy. We believe that students can use the arts to thrive. We integrate art throughout the school not just in the fine arts classes, but also in other classes across the campus. 
  • Culture and Climate: We truly believe that “culture trumps strategy”. We are constantly working on our culture so that our campus is always a great place to be. We also understand that climate is the way people feel. We want our students, staff, parents and other stakeholders to feel good when they walk into our school. We must be intentional on how we treat each other as well as the systems we have in place in order to be a great school!

If we can ensure that all students, parents, staff members and other stakeholders understand and take ownership of the Raven Way, our students will be well on their way to social and emotional growth and academic achievement!

Keeping students first + Building strong, lasting relationships + Every student having a sense of belonging + Equipping students with the skills to be academically successful + a strong culture and climate = increasing their belief in themselves= closing the achievement gap