Steven Schappaugh

Cubs win!

Final: #Cubs 4, Brewers 3.

A National Championship, Award-Winning Staff, a Reimagining Education Update and more in this edition of TheWeek@DMPS Email from Des Moines Public Schools June 27, 2025 Welcome to a summer edition of TheWeek@DMPS. As the season moves along, there’s no shortage of great things happening across Des Moines Public School

This summer edition of TheWeek@DMPS has it all:
✨ A National Championship
✨ Award-winning Staff Members
✨ The Latest Reimagining Education update
…and more stories and events you don’t want to miss.
📩 Read today's issue: conta.cc/4laRz2s

A huge congratulations to Roosevelt High School’s Henry Godar, the National Champion in Prose at the 2025 National Speech & Debate Tournament!

Volunteers needed in Des Moines!
The National Speech & Debate Tournament is June 12–20 and hundreds of volunteers are needed across 11 event sites.
Perfect for earning Silver Cord hours!

Sign up 👉 friendsofiowaspeechanddebate.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?i...
#NSDA2025 #VolunteersNeeded #DesMoines

It was a full house at the Knapp Center on Saturday night as Roosevelt High School honored 470 new Roughrider alum at the Class of 2025 commencement ceremony. See much more of the celebration on Flickr. flic.kr/s/aHBqjCfpTj

When we unveiled the Reimagining Education plan, you stepped up. We asked you to give us feedback, and you came through with constructive input and a lot of questions about the plan. Now we want to share how what you told us is shaping the next steps. reimagine.dmschools.org/public-input/

Teacher Appreciation Week: A Message of Gratitude - Des Moines Public Schools DMPS School Board member Kim Martorano shared a heartfelt message honoring the educators of Des Moines Public Schools on Tuesday, May 6 during the Board’s regular meeting. Her words reflect the gratit...

School Board member Kim Martorano shared a message honoring DMPS educators on Tuesday night. Her words reflect the gratitude we feel for the teachers and staff who show up each day with purpose and belief in every student’s potential. #TeacherAppreciationWeek www.dmschools.org/2025/05/teac...

At DMPS we're opening new doors to stronger schools, expanded PreK, and pathways to college and careers. Because the Reimagining Education initiative is about more choices. And together we're building a better future ... for our future. Learn more at reimagine.dmschools.org

🎉The DMPS Foundation OneRun is back!🎉 Run, walk or cheer at this FREE family-friendly event and earn money for your school from our fantastic sponsors. The more people who participate on October 18, the more money your school gets. Registration is open now at dmpsfoundation.org/events/

Reimagining Education includes signature schools. Possibilities include Fine Arts, STEAM, Sports, Business, Medicine and more. What kind of signature school interests you the most? We invite our families to take survey and shape what's next for DMPS! dmschools.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Reimagining Education Planning for the Future of Des Moines Public Schools. Improving Outcomes for the Students We Serve.

You have questions. The Reimagining Education Committee has answers! Visit the Reimagining Education website for the most updated information shared at a recent School Board meeting. reimagine.dmschools.org

Cubs win!

Final (10): #Cubs 11, Dodgers 10.

Congratulations to our 5 Rotary Club of Des Moines Educators of the Year! L to R: in the photograph are Dione Ferguson (Roosevelt), Cathryne Moore (Hoover), Brian Koch (East), Kylee Watrous (Brody) and Samantha Clement (Findley).

DMPS Communications Team Earns Top Statewide Awards - Des Moines Public Schools The Des Moines Public Schools Communications Team brought home a perfect scorecard from the 2025 Iowa School Public Relations Association Awards, earning recognition for every single one of our entrie...

Congratulations to our Communications team for earning 8 awards for excellence, and a Blue & Gold Award - a perfect score - at the recent statewide ISPRA Awards! Follow the link to see the award-winning entries. www.dmschools.org/news_release...

It’s early and our School Leadership Team is digging into assessing the health of our universal tier. I adore this group of dedicated educators who show up for their students and colleagues as advocates and thought partners. #RiderExcellence

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Residency at DMPS Des Moines Public Schools is honored to host the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz for a residency at three high schools. DMPS is one of only eight school districts across the country to host this este...

A big start to this week's Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz residency at DMPS, kicking off with a session for Hoover and Roosevelt students today. A great day of music, learning and collaboration. See more of today's session at Roosevelt on our Flickr page: flic.kr/s/aHBqjC6Wch

🎓 Flexible learning. Strong connections. Endless possibilities. Virtual Campus, the sixth comprehensive high school at DMPS, is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year. Learn more: virtualcampus.dmschools.org

Roosevelt & North Track in Pella It’s Spring Break, but DMPS athletes have been training for the spring season. Roosevelt and North High Schools competed in their first indoor track meet of the year on Thursday, March 20th at Central...

Roosevelt and North high school athletes competed in their first indoor track meet of the year on Thursday during Spring Break at Central College in Pella. Read on for results.

Iowa Women's Basketball: Hawkeyes waste no time, dismantle Murray State in opening round It didn't take long for the Hawkeye freshmen to settle in. Iowa took care of business on Saturday morning in Norman against Murray State in a XX-XX win over the Racers. It's Jan Jensen's first career ...

Jan Jensen and Iowa prove they aren't going anywhere in the 92-57 win over Murray State.

The program has been raised.

Oh, and every Hawkeye scored.

Charlie King 👑 #RiderExcellence

Roosevelt High Tops in Iowa in Speech and Debate - Des Moines Public Schools It’s been a busy – and successful – month for members of the Roosevelt High School speech and debate team. For the second year in a row, the Roughriders finished as the top team in the state at ...

It’s been a busy and successful month for the Roosevelt speech and debate team. For the second year in a row, the Riders were the top team in the state at the Iowa Forensic League Championship, celebrating individual champs and top finishers in a dozen categories. www.dmschools.org/2025/03/roos...

2025 Rider Pride Night Roosevelt High School held their annual Rider Pride Night celebrating Best Buddies and Special Olympics with a basketball game and silent auction on Thursday, March 6th. Mr. Wooters was inducted into ...

Rider Pride Night celebrated Best Buddies and Special Olympics at Roosevelt High School with a basketball game and silent auction on Thursday. “The community showed up tonight and it was magical,” said principal Steven Schappaugh. See more photos on our Flickr page: flic.kr/s/aHBqjC58xx

There’s no arguing Roosevelt has the BEST speech and debate team in the state of Iowa. Five event championships, five state runner-up, team title for speech, team title for debate, and OVERALL team title. #Back2Back #RiderExcellence

School Board Issues Statement About Dignity and Belonging - Des Moines Public Schools As the largest and most diverse school district in Iowa, Des Moines Public Schools remains unwavering in our commitment to fostering a welcoming, respectful, and accepting environment for every studen...

"As a board, we will continue to ensure that DMPS is a place where every person, regardless of their background, individuality, or lived experience, feels safe, respected, and empowered to thrive." Read the full statement on our website. www.dmschools.org/news_release...

Culture Night at Roosevelt With plenty of student performances and applause, Roosevelt High School held their annual cultural night on Friday, February 28th. Principal Steven Schappaugh says, “We are deeply indebted to our ...

Student leaders organized the annual Cultural Night at Roosevelt High School, inviting once, current, and future Rider families to watch a fashion show and exciting student performances. See more photos: flic.kr/s/aHBqjC4qEQ

Congrats to Ms. Gavora on being named our Staff Champion of the Week! She’s been an incredible addition to our team and has added tremendous value to our Library. She’s built systems, encouraged reading in new ways, and more. #RiderExcellence

The final VIRTUAL opportunity to provide feedback on the Reimagining Education initiative begins at 6 p.m. this evening. Click here to register and receive a link - www.eventbrite.com/e/dmps-a-str...

Reimagine Education Community Discussion at East Des Moines Public Schools and the Reimagining Education committee welcome community discussion and feedback about the recently shared Reimagining Education Plan. Community engagement sessions started ...

Thank you to everyone who has attended a Reimagining Education community engagement session. This one was at East High School. Meetings continue through March 1. To take the online survey or find a session to attend, visit: reimagine.dmschools.org. flic.kr/s/aHBqjC3Fdy

The Reimagining Education website has newly added regional and individual school timelines providing a closer look at key milestones, building updates, retirements, and program changes. Explore an interactive map to see an outline of each school’s plan. reimagine.dmschools.org/what-is-the-...

Congrats to our Staff Champ, Ms. Seals. She’s a remarkable human, advocate for students, and leader in our building. She makes those around her better every day. #RiderExcellence