People do not truly understand the magnitude of things that happen behind the scenes on a daily basis in our buildings. The amount of moving parts, the amount of teachers that want to be involved in these kids' lives, photography clubs and just general
homework clubs and math clubs and anime clubs and Magic the Gathering clubs, anything that can try to connect a kid to their building. We just have people that are unconditionally willing to give of their time. [Music]
>> That's just a taste of this episode's wide-ranging discussion with the dynamic, energetic, and engaging leaders of the department that oversees all sports, music programs, theater troops, and more in Douglas County School District. This is the DCSD Notebook
podcast from the top scoring public school district in the Denver metro area. I'm your host, communication director Jason Hackett, and let's get right into this interview. All right, we're here today with Derek Cheney, the director of activities and athletics and student leadership for
Douglas County School District, and Brad Whitikus, the assistant director of activities, athletics, and student leadership. And together, they are going to inform us of what is basically uh Brad, you talked about it a long time ago. All right, this stuck in my head
talking about kind of the three-legged stool of what we do in education, academics, athletics, and activities. And you guys head up twothirds of that for the entire school district. But the first thing I like to do with these
podcasts is to get offscript immediately and get to know you guys a little bit. Whoever our guests are, we got to humanize people a little bit. So, the thing I was thinking with both of you being in athletics and activities, I'm sure you've got a long history with
athletics and activities and coaching and all the kind of stuff. And going clear back to high school, I'm guessing you guys probably played football and basketball and rant track and the whole deal or you were like big into acting and drama and student government.
>> Totally was the record. He was the lead actor. >> All of this stuff, his school musical, >> right? Okay. No. So my question is with all your experience with all that, what did you try out yourself that you're like, "Nope, this one's not for me." Because
for for any number of reasons, and if you have a good story about it, please tell us that that would be kind of cool. One of the things I get I get all the time is, you know, being 6'3, people go, "Oh, did you play basketball in high school?" No, I grew six inches in one summer and then spent the rest of my high school tripping over my own feet.
>> So there's that piece. There's that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. So, either either of you guys >> I'll start maybe a few things we did first and then Yeah. Okay. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So, actually in high school I actually did um back in the day was more normal to do three sports. So, I did uh soccer,
basketball, and track. So, those those are my three. Um and to go along with that to your second part of that question is I knew one sport that would not be for me was wrestling. When you're looking at the ceiling, that's not a good position to be in in wrestling. So, so I tried wrestling out. terrible
wrestler. I like I better keep to basketball. So, um so that was one thing I never did was wrestling. But played college basketball, Colorado native. I played at Northern Colorado. >> Yeah. And then um taught >> Hall of Fame for the UNC. Literally in the Hall of Fame. All right. Keep going.
>> In the Hall of Fame up there. And then uh coached at uh taught math and coached at Lakewood High School right out of college. And then um I knew I wanted to be an 80 down the road, but um so my first interview I was like I was going to see what kind of questions they asked. You know, I was totally relaxed. I There's no way I'm they're going to
hire a 29year-old because I was so relaxed. I had a great interview. They end up hiring me. >> So, uh I was an ad um in Jeffco for a while Dakota Ridge and then moved down. The activities director at Thunder Ridge opened up. My family moved down here. Um and I've been in Douglas County ever since. I got down in Douglas County in
2005, was an AP at Thunder Ridge for 5 years, and then now I've been the district AD. This is my 16th year as district 80 in this role. So, yeah. Yeah. So, uh 32 years in in education. Well, I think you would say he's a very staunch supporter of wrestling now.
>> Oh, yes. Absolutely. Boys and girls wrestling, right? Exactly. Right. That's true. Everybody. That's true. >> Sure. >> Uh so I I I'm from the Midwest, right? Little North Dakota. So, uh our school was big, you know. We had 2,000 kids in it. Um but I was just It was just a different era, you know. So, I was a
five sport athlete. So, I did baseball, soccer, track, basketball, and football. uh throughout school uh got a chance to be um all conference in basketball, all state in football, and then just made the decision to go play basketball up in the Midwest, little D3 school out there,
which was a good experience. Uh but the the thing that most people don't realize is I actually was very involved in my band. So, I was first chair in our concert band and lead trumpet in our jazz band. >> Nice. uh actually ended up winning the
just this crazy to think about this now as I look back, but it was like the uh the highest level award for band my senior year. So, actually I I my mom always was sad, fellas, that I didn't play trumpet in college. That's really what she wanted probably more than for me to play sports. So, kind of interesting. Uh I would say I'm right
with Derek. There's no question about it that uh wrestling I still remember I'm in middle school and we we actually had wrestling as a part of our PE program. like we were wrestled like and so they they had dudes come out and I just remember I'm not even joking like I had
no moves except to lay with my belly and my face into the mat and squeeze my arms at my sides and just hoping that no one could turn me over to >> turn me over. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I I was called the log wrestler for a long time. It was pretty great. >> Uh and then this is strangely enough
being from the from the Midwest is I I can't skate. I can't ice skate >> really. Hockey was it? Oh yeah. hockey was it up there. And so I'm I'm the guy that would need like that walker out on the ice and that's the only way that I that I could skate.
>> I never skated. I spent part of my childhood in northern Minnesota and never learned to skate while I was up there either. The first time I went skating was actually in Gley with my own kids at that ice arena that they've got up there now. And you see this 6'3 dude
and another 3 in on skates who's completely uncoordinated and has never done this before. >> My daughters have all kinds of good memories of that reminding me, "Dad, it looks so funny. Like your legs are just like flailing up in the air as you're falling in slow motion, you know, the whole thing." You know,
>> I've never crashed more hard than when I had skating. So respect everybody does that. >> And then with Derek, this is cool. This is already my um 29th year in the district. So I born and bred man out of the Midwest. I moved to uh Douglas County and started my whole career back
in 97. One of uh now I had the privilege to be a part of this department for the last three years and getting to work with the the legacy himself, Mr. Derek Cheney. >> That's right. That's right. >> One thing I was going to add when you mentioned drum I I I can't believe I neglected but I I also played I played the drums. So we had to pick and there's
big >> bass drum played. I actually did. You're laughing, but you know, in the marching band, you know, when you're a freshman in the marching band, guess who you get stuck with? They get the smallest kids the biggest instrument. So, I'm being with this big old bass drum, you know, playing in the marching band my freshman year, then I quit marching band, but I I
just did a concert band after that cuz then you got to play the drum set. >> Oh, nice. >> So, yeah. I still threaten my wife. I'm going to get a drum set for our house. >> There you go. >> That's your retirement gift. I got to ruin that to give it to you, by the way. >> Anyway, yep. Little >> That's great. Thank you both for kind of helping helping us get to know you guys
a little bit better. Um, and you you referenced it right away there, Derek. One of the things I wanted to talk about a lot with this is you're getting ready to retire, which if this was a video podcast, no one would believe that. You don't even look like you're 45 yet. So, like
>> he's retiring. >> Yeah, exactly. >> So, sports keep you young clearly in activities. So, so talking about retiring and having been here all this time, I kind of want to get Brad's input on this, too. Kind of the legacy that
you're leaving here after helping build so many programs and and getting things going here. >> Yeah. No, it's it's been it's been a great run. Like, you know, it's it's 32 years in education and, you know, it's um there comes a point I always say that the the sands and the parah hourglass
run out. It just doesn't financially make sense at some point to keep going, you know, and and and to be honest, I'm I think I'm ready for a change, you know. It's been great. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Sign up for it again. My from coaching to teaching to being an AD, the activities director to the district AD, it's been a great
journey, a great ride, but it's to use an athletic analogy. I think it's time for a new voice in the locker room. You know, I think there I think change is good, right, for the system and for me. I think I think being in this role for 16 years, it's been great, but it's maybe time for a new voice in the locker room, right? And for me personally, like
you said, I I don't know if I look as long as you made made me sound, but uh you know, I I'll still do something, right? I I always joke with people like I got to figure out what I want to do when I grow up, you know? But yeah, I I'll still do something. I haven't figured it out yet. I have this year to kind of figure out what my next steps are going to be. Um but but yeah, I just
I'm not going to retire retire. I'm just going to retire from education and try to do something moving forward. So yeah, it's kind of hard to believe. every now and I still came mid-Sepptemeber and I got one year left and it's been great having Brad infused in our department because I don't know if stale is the right word but you start doing things because that's the way you've always
done it and you know when Brad came in a couple years ago just infused some good ideas and like oh yeah we should probably do that oh yeah let's do that you know Brad say you know he he kind of you know uh rejuvenated me to a certain degree too as far as we need to start doing some of these things and and we we just brought our department to another level and I mean that sincerely once Brad got aboarder cuz you know being
being one person with the whole district you know and have great admin assistance throughout the years. I mean, they've been phenomenal, you know, but it's good to have an assistant director, you know, even if it's not Brad and I to have a director and an assistant director in in this department is is is just invaluable. I mean, like you said, twothirds of the what you'd mentioned
earlier of the stool and, you know, 15,000 participants districtwide, middle school and high school and all the coaches and everything we do and the stadiums and everything. So, it's it's been great to uh to have that. So, so yeah, so just to um just to bring it to, you know, just it's time for a change. just bring that new new new new fresh
blood in and some new ideas and cuz what I walked in here in 2010 maybe it doesn't work now in 2025 or 26 and I've always tried to adjust with the time I think I've done a pretty good job but there I I noticed some gaps like oh yeah that's probably for the next person could really bring that to the next level so um it's just changed you know a
lot has changed in the last 16 years just in this role alone. Oh, sure. >> You know, compared to when we, you know, started education back in the 80s and 90s, you know, so, >> um, sorry, I feel like I'm dominating the conversation there. So, I love it. Really, this is legacy. I mean, Derek and I and I I will say this, you know,
TJ, that talk to him a lot about legacy and about what he's meant. And >> so, I share with everybody that's listening, you know, I think the most powerful thing that Derek Cheney has has left behind is two parts. It's one he is a serviceoriented guy that he is the guy
that's in the trenches willing to do the work with people. So there's never been an experience ever, you know, I've known you now for gosh, this is coming up in a decade now that I've known Derek. Is ever been a moment where you feel like you work for Derek. You just work with
him on everything. It's a call. It's a hey, could you just remind me about or it's a hey, can I get your advice? I mean, how many times have I called you to just be like can I get your advice on this? He just has that sage ability through I think his natural gifts as a human being, but also his love of this district and the love of what activities
and athletics has been. There is no question that he's a serviceoriented guy. And the other thing that I know lights him up more than anything in such a positive way is he wants to empower people to be leaders. He just truly like no matter what this and I really need need you to hear this is this. It's
never been about the Derek Cheney show. It's always about how do we better highlight all the people that are in the trenches running it on a regular basis and how does he come to a place where he can empower people to take on more leadership role more opportunities to
tap into their natural skills and gifts and it you're you you have to understand it's easy to say that like as a leader you're like oh I want to be serviceoriented and I'm going to empower people to actually have somebody that has done that year after year month after month,
day after day. And for a multitude of people to feel the exact same way about him, that's legacy to me. >> That's impressive. Wow. Huge. Yeah. Thanks for the compliment. I'm I'm glad to hear him say because that is two that was two of my goals in this, you know, I really believe exactly what he said. So,
thank you. >> Yeah, man. And so to think about the number of lives that you've impacted and that you guys both impact on a yearly basis, weekly, monthly, daily basis, how many you you started to list
off some of the stats, how many students that we have that are involved in athletics and activities and student government, things like that in the school district right now. >> Yeah. I mean, if you you know, if you count and that was just athletics I threw out earlier, right? like you know we trackless participation numbers I
mean you know athletics alone is about 15,000 and again I'm rounding off here 9,000 at the high school 6,000 at the middle school again these are roundabout numbers and they've increased every year with the exception of co dipped a little bit but but they've done it and then the activity side of it too is just gone we have tons of people participating
activities in fact um Danny Windsor assistant soup he loves to tout this number and Brad and I like to joke about it but it's um you know like like 120% of our kids are involved in something right and the reason being is like if you have a kid that plays basketball and as in student government, they get counted in both buckets, right? So,
although it's one kid, they're seen as both. So, yeah, I mean, our activities programs just as proud of them as as anything else. I mean, and maybe we'll get into it, just what we do for activities in the Continental League is so unique. Uh, what we do and yeah, just throughout our tenure, you when you teach and coach, you have an impact on on kids and and probably more directly,
we're we're a little bit more behind the scenes now, which leads to that empowerment of empowering coaches and our ads and and our principles and making them look good behind the scenes, right? like and and and supporting them where we can. And so, um, yeah, so it's it's it's been good. And co on our role, coaches just as much as ads. We got
hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of coaches in our district. And, you know, we always say our part of our job is to coach our coaches and and to help them as well so they can make that same impact, you know, directly. So, >> so setting the tone kind of for all of these coaches and assistant coaches,
what kind of responsibility is that for you guys? and how do you bring them together and kind of get across the point that this is what it means to be a coach in Douglas County School District and what what's expected of you and what
what are you able to give because it's it's one thing to be I mean everybody likes to go out for sports to play sports and and be on a team and things like that but it's ultimately education and teaching kids >> how to >> learn to work on a team and and build
their their own leadership skills and and so many things that come from all of all these different activities. How do how do you go about inspiring and leading the people that inspire and lead those students? Well, >> I'll start with that. You know, the beginning of this year, we had it's a part of our kickoff. It might have been
last year now that I I say that, but just about this this notion of we've got to come to a better place about taking care of the adults. We're taking care of the adults. who are taking care of the adults, who are taking care of the kids. And Dererick and I have had some extended conversations about that, Jason, that
it's you just have to change your mindset that the days of Dererick and I as both as um you know, varsity level coaches, uh both of us in ads at different levels, but as athletic directors, as teachers, as influences of kids, those
days have come to be less and less. Now, even though we have things like our student advisory group and the ability to still kind of feed back into kids, our one step removed has gotten greater. And so, it was a struggle for me, I'll be honest with you, three years ago, like just stepping away from that
because that was my bread and butter. It was relationships that I had with kids and the relationships I had with our student athletes and being able to speak directly into that. And part of the journey for me, please hear me, in this role, was having those conversations directly with Derek before I even applied. like I'm considering that. And
by the way, I was not one of one on that. There were several people that called Derek for the same bits of advice. Again, this is speaking to the sage wisdom as a guy who ran this by himself. 92 schools, 60,000 kids for years. It was Derek
>> Cheney. Unreal. >> So, please hear me on that. Oh, and by the way, we forgot to say for everyone listening. Um, that's not just activities, athletics, student leadership, but for a while there, he was also in charge of all alt ed. >> Wow. >> So, yeah, let's just put all that in perspective for a while there.
>> And part of the uh that advice Derrick had before I applied is like you need to think long and hard about are you willing to change your sphere of influence? Are you willing to change who you now get a chance to relate with and to breathe life into support? We mentioned the word earlier. a
foundational pillar for him is about empowering leaders. And so it took me a while to think that through. I really mean that because I there's an influence you have with kids and then the the question became well who's taking care of those kids and how do I feed into
those people that then feed into those kids? And so you asked a question about how we do and I I think it starts in level one just about Derek's model about he takes care of the adults. And yes, I'm talking our activities directors, our athletic directors, our principles in the partnership with that, his direct
link to our current boss, right? When in terms of Danny Windsor as our assistant soup, obviously speaking to Aaron Kaine, and then of course going to the school board. We're the bridge between all of that. We get a chance to share that vision out and about how we're supporting our people. And I think
that's part of his superpower is really about modeling that and about how we I mean, you think about this, right? out of the nine feeder areas. Those are very different feeder areas. And Dererick and I often talk about this just nodding our heads being like, "Oh my gosh, it's really different about people's
approach." And he's been able to navigate that. We use the term a lot together threading the needle >> about how we still stay on point, stay within the culture and the vision and the norms that our district has, that our department has, but then being able to connect that back to how do I speak
into that and still allow the autonomy to happen within our feeder areas with our leaders. I'm assuming you agree with that. >> Brad articulate that very well. Yep. Exactly. >> Yeah. Wow. I can't imagine the amount of hours that go into that kind of work on
a, you know, season by season basis, then stack years on top of years. But then also just the people skills that you guys must have. I mean, I see it myself, you know, the time few times I've got to interact with you guys. I mean, you know, everybody, you're the
most gregarious people, I think, in the entire school district. >> And and everybody's like happy to see you guys. I think that's one of the things is like people enjoy getting to talk with you and I see it at different meetings, you know, the big district-wide meetings that we have. You
almost sometimes have lines of people waiting to talk to you that I've observed, which also says something to you, right? And >> well, I do have Derek's autograph, so uh we're we're auctioning that off at the end of the year here. >> Excellent. Excellent. Hall of Famer. >> Hall of Fame. That's right. >> Exactly. I want to interject though and
I I know you had a question there, but I I do think again like it's important that you understand like that again is a is a piece to Derek that you can't coach. That's what's really important to understand. Like it's easy to say you're a district AD, right? I mean, you go around, but but the flavor and the style
that Derek has brought is allowing what I said about earlier about empowering leaders and about taking care of those adults. People just lean on him. They lean into him. They seek him out. there's a bit of an approval like when Dererick gives you a thumbs up, you just naturally feel better about what you're doing. It's that influence you talk
about his skill set that I I think has just been something that's been it's really inspiring just to be around. I mean, let's let's go back 2010, right? You take this gig on, you take Dave Kalen and you kind of step into that role. What was like your biggest maybe fear going into that? What was your
biggest struggle? Yeah, you know, I think going back then it it was um probably the biggest thing was, you know, uh earning your credibility with the system. You know, I think that you have it at the school level, but then the D who's this who's this new guy coming in, right? And to you know,
because you know, it's it's not given. You have to earn it, right? And it takes it takes time to earn it. And you know, he's been in here 29 29 years and Doug's kind of been for a while. And so, you know, and you want to earn it, right? You want to earn it. like you want to be able to, you know, you work with people on some tough situations. Athletics and activities present some very hard
situations and so there's some tough issues to navigate. So, yeah, I think I think, you know, uh developing that credibility with the system and then going from the school to a district level, I think, you know, was was important. And yeah, you know, now we we just know a lot of people, right? I've worked with a lot of people throughout the years in some very difficult
situations. So, we see him at meetings, you know, and and you talk to him and and Brad's the same way. I used to joke with Brad the first year like my god we go to school and like all right battle scene in an hour because he knows everybody at the school you know and and going on. So it's uh you know a lot has changed. I know I want to get to your questions too but yeah I think it's just
um people are passionate about athletics and activities and and I am too you know and and um I always joke I know it's probably but you know people could have the worst math teacher in the world. I taught math or they're not getting playing time or not being a captain on the team. What do you think you're going
to hear about? you know, you're going to hear about the activities. I guaranteed you maybe hear about this, but they are so passionate about, you know, parents are and and again, I'm I'm a parent. Brad's a parent. We're passionate as well. And and it's great learning opportunities for your kids and and things shouldn't always go the other
way, right? That's part of athletics and activities to learn that piece, but but there's there's been some challenging times with that, too, to to navigate that. And sometimes coaching our coaches, sometimes our coaches make mistakes. They're not perfect, right? I've dealt with some coach situations and we got to coach them up, you know, and help them with it, too. So getting a
little off task, but I don't know where >> So that's kind of where I just wanted this to be a good open dialogue about what it takes to do what you guys do because constantly you you've got somebody that wants your attention and then another dozen people after them in
line that need something. How do you balance that? How do you keep because anytime I've seen you anyway, maybe you close a car door and go driving and you know let it all out in the car or something. I don't know. >> Yeah, we just call each other. >> Yeah. you know, but like you guys are like
also some of the most happy golucky people even dealing with the kinds of things that you have to deal with. How do you I don't know when you get up in the morning like you maybe you know that you're going to have kind of a rough day for whatever reason. You got a meeting with whether it's a parent or there's
some great issue that's going on or maybe there's difficulties with funding for a program or something like that cuz that's another piece you have to look at, right? is helping all the schools with figuring out how to budget and afford to have all the programs that they have. And there's just a lot there
and I don't even want to even begin thinking about how you do scheduling like holy cow. How do you maintain that good energy that you have and just keep going? >> That's a good question. >> Yeah. I mean I I mean I love what I do, right? I mean that's part of it, right?
You don't you don't want a job that you hate, right? And I tell you one thing about this job is it's not monotonous. Like you never know what's going to come your way that day, you know, and so it's like, okay, what's going to happen today? And you're right, some things, you know, on the schedule, like today was a great example. I was like, oh man, I got to talk to a few people that this is going to be a tough one today a little bit on a few things, you know,
but but there's so many rewarding things to it, too. And again, I think it's just the passion for what you do, dealing with people, working with people. I mean, that's uh and and people love activities for the most part, you know. It's just something like it's cool about the Friday night lights or just, you know, the we do a Connelly music festival or the art show. People just
get really excited about it. You want to just provide those opportunities. So yeah, there's certainly times where all of us, right, I'm sure you included are like, "Oh my goodness." You know, it's like it's tough. But all of us as educators, you know, you you you get up and you want to make make a positive difference on on the system that day, whether it's kids or coaches or whoever
you interact with. So I think just having that and I think we're both a little bit naturally like that, you know, no matter what profession we would maybe do, just to just to stay positive, you know, it's not always positive, but to stay positive with a glass half full type. >> Well, I also think that it's, you know, Jason, it's a good point. And I think Dererick and I naturally have a very
very good working relationship and I think everyone that's listening to this will agree it's it's really about who you're working with and so I think the the two of us along with our MVP of our department you know and Allison Porter before that Sue Dakovich and then before that even Derek with an Orca like
there's I mean let's be real I mean we really are like you got to go behind doors and you got to love the people you're working with and I think a couple pieces to it is is we we really keep our our why at the center is that you know we're here to serve people and to love people and I I think you're right like
we're just naturally people persons kind of already like we just enjoy relationships and authentically finding out who people are. I think for me personally it was just man it was probably my second or third year uh teaching and I just remember somebody
asking me advice but like what do you what do I need to think about teaching and listen a lot of what we do is is like teaching we're still facilitating we're still coaching all of those words are synonymous in my opinion and it came down to is I I just told this person I said you got to love people more than content you just you just have to like
you might be really passionate Mr. Derek Chen, he's like a great math teacher, like a geeky math teacher, and he's like, I love math, but if he's not great about loving people, no one's going to care about the content. And again, this is a tribute to to Derek and setting the stage for where we're at right now. And
I know that he would give credit even to his predecessors before him, right, to get us to this place is though we love athletics and activities, that is just a venue by which we get to love and serve people. And my mom used to say it this way. She just just remember this in
life, Brad, that and she would say this to me that my love for you is not dependent upon your love for me. It's got to be unconditional. There's got to be a way to be able to give back. And and again, I'm sitting here know looking at Derek, but that that's again a part of his legacy is he just he wants to be
right with people. And so we work really hard at that. It's not what we know content, it's who we know. And I learned that early on. I think I remember telling you that over and over again. And you were like, "Yep, that's right." Right. So, I remember walking through Willox with this guy. It's just like a hundred people down the road. He's like, "Well, this person's this and this." Hi, how are you? And I'm like, "Okay, Derek
is clearly connected and it's it's and it's it's about, you know, you asked a question of like, how do we navigate that?" Well, part of any great conflict management and working through is you got to know people. You got to know who they are. They got to know you. They got to see you and get a chance to connect that we're there to love on them and
serve. And so once you have that as the base, and I'm going to say this out loud, once I trust you, and I mean that like I'm pointing at Derek listeners, is like once I just got to the point where I can just trust this guy, it just opened up the floodgates for all the other things that we're trying to do to serve people. That's really cool to
hear. It reminds me a little bit of even when we've been talking with teachers, people in our in our communications department, right? centrally located at the at the office and there will be days when we got to work on websites or something like that and we need to be
reminded of why we're here. And so we specifically make a point to like we got to get out to the schools and find a way to just get in front of all the education taking place and light bulbs going off on over kids' heads, you know, as they're figuring things out. As
you're seeing the joy of teachers pouring into these kids so they can learn how to navigate and how to whether it's little kids reading or whether it's, you know, middle schoolers just learning how to get along with each other at that stage in life or it's high
schoolers starting to think about their careers like light bulbs are constantly going off. And one thing that as you guys were talking that hit me all of a sudden, I don't know why I never thought about this, but coming up through coaching and through athletics especially, but any kind of activity
really and teaching, I think about how you would handle conflict. You redirect somebody. You didn't quite get it right. Let's do it this way. Whether it's, you know, somebody with their their shooting form in basketball or something like that or somebody hitting the right note
in band, teachers have the ability and and learn this over time how to course correct people and and help them without them feeling like they're just being told what to do, encouraging them. And I'm thinking about other types of jobs
I've had, not in education. and you hear about office conflict and then there's entire there's a there's a genre in you know shelves in the bookstore about corporate conflict and things like that and all these books that are written about how to be a team and and that kind
of a thing you guys coming up through athletics and activities you've learned that you know that kind of a thing and am I right in guessing this is a very long question am I right in guessing that that's a piece of it that you know you can rely on that that coaching
aspect and that teaching aspect that you guys came up with. And it doesn't really matter the age of the person you're dealing with that you just have learned through repetition how to work with people. >> Well, I'll take a stab at that. I I think that there's two things that just hit me as you're talking about that,
Jason. I think number one, and see if you agree with this, is I think it's work ethic. That that's what I learned more than anything. And I think people feel honored by that when they see you working really hard and they're in the zone and they're they're recognizing that we're spending countless amount of hours and we really do. We're just
there. We're working to support. I think I learned that. The second thing is, and it's going to relate a little bit to the the most recent stuff that I feel like I've gleaned the most from Derrick and maybe more fine-tuned it more than anything is, you know, Dererick always says this. He's just like, man, we got to slow down because there's always
another side of the story. always you get great salesmen and people that call and want to sell you a bill of goods and you're you just get convinced and you're like well that's got to be the way it is and then it's just now you find out from the other side and and I know that we
get this about conflict management but it's really a gift that I I think I've honed and learned over the last three years again is just about the ability to do that to really hear people and to and to get their side and their perspective you know Great question that he always
asks is he's like, "Well, tell me more about that." Or, "Hey, what were you thinking on this? Just describe that to me. Help me to understand." That that's a statement this guy makes a lot. Help me to understand a little bit. And it's not a minute of judgment. It's just a way to be like, "Help me to understand more before I formulate."
>> Um, he is always, and um, and again, this is related to your question, I think, coaching wise, but just learning from different mentors, right? Is he's always slow to speak. I tend to be as I know we laughed in early and just like I'm an emotional guy. I'm a passionate guy and I I tend to be the one that was
I want to get in there right away and I want to start mixing and he's always about help me to understand slow down. Well, what are your thoughts on this? Well, what would you do? and getting everybody before he finally gets the chance to to come in and do that. And I I think I I
would say that if you're asking how is that related or how did I see that even in uh you know sports and and activities growing up is you have to see that modeled by the right people that you really respect, right? And and I've had some great coaches along the way. I've had some great instructors along the way. I was very high up in our student
leadership in high school and you had a lot of those mentors along the way. But even as adults, we haven't figured it out all the time. And so you have to have other people remind you about how it could or should look to be able to move through that. >> You know, I think yes, all that stuff is a great foundation to to as you as you I
guess go up the ladder, so to speak, you know, but you do have to learn to work with adults different than students, right? Like as far as is, you know, like, okay, you know, there's that change. Some of the principles are the same, but I we always say it's not it's not the what, but the how, right? How you how you deal with the folks. So, and
one thing honestly I'm really proud of and and that you mentioned it kind of goes with this is you know a lot of our principles in our district you know what their background is either activities athletics or coaching like like at one point twothirds of our principles at the secondary level were had an athletics
activities background which was amazing because it's a good training ground for leadership right you deal with that conflict you you work with people you heard you learn to thread the needle and I mean we could go around the horn and they they oh activities director athletic director I mean they just they've in those roles. And I think that's no that's not a coincidence, you
know. So there's I think that's a good training ground for those those leadership positions. >> For sure. And to Brad's point about your Derek, your ability to listen and be patient and not be the first one to jump in and have a solution before every side
gets heard. That's a skill that I feel like our whole world could do a lot better with. I mean, that's maybe a bit of an editorial comment on my part, but in every walk of life, anything that we do, stop and listen and and get the other
side or get there's multiple sides like you said, Brad, like there could be a lot of different voices and opinions and perspectives that have to be navigated through a lot of things. So, the the complexity that you gentlemen navigate
is impressive. And like you said, the the joy that you take from it, like that was a piece I wanted to I guess navigate to something Brad you said about the hours that you guys put in. Like your work the a normal workday, but then how
many nights a week are you at a game or a concert or something like that? Yeah. You know, it's a lot. It's a lot of hours. I mean, it's uh we joke in the activities athletic world that when school ends at three, we're at halftime, you know, so like we're halfway through
our day because we we go they're long days. I mean, they're I mean, just telling like it is, right? We get up and do our, you know, start a day in the morning like everyone else does and then yeah, we're a at games or at a music concert or wherever we are. So, they're they're long days, but you know, those
are also um for me part of the most rewarding part is is the evening events. you know, that that's I I love going to those evening events and seeing the the student student athletes participate and compete and seeing our coaches and working with our stadium workers and you know, that's some of the rewarding stuff. But yeah, you you're up till
especially late. We have all these lightning delays. We're up till 101 and boom, we get up the next morning and here we go again, you know, and so you know, when you sign up to be an athletic director, activities director, you kind of know that going into you should, you know, that man, it's going to be some some long days. And um and Brad hit on
it and he man, he he models what he talks about. I I've said this multiple times like to Brad, he he's a very hard worker. Like he he understands that part of the job. Some people they get into it, they're like, "Oh my god, I didn't realize this." You know, and and a lot of times with ADS, if you look statewide, they have about the same, you
know, career span as a superintendent, which averages like three or four years. Like every year we go to a chassis meeting and there's like 70 to 100 new ads every year statewide. You know, feels like one-third of our ad. and they just, you know, because of the the long hours and that go with them, um that go
with this job, you know. So, you have to know going into it that that's and you get this kind of overlap, at least I have throughout the years where it's just your personal professional just kind of intertwine, right? Because, you know, when I I bring my girls to the game when I was going to, you know, like they go to games with me, right? And
they just it's part of what you do and part of the fabric what you got going on and but but it's definitely long hours and um and and so you got to know that going into it. >> Sure. And I and I think as always there's the and just being honest is you got to have a work life balance, right? So I'm a part of our organizational
development team here in the district and that's the sole purpose of that in a lot of ways is to talk about how are we as an organization in a way that the way that we structure and develop to feed into humans who are feeding into humans. And um a mentor big quote from my life
is you can't feed people if you yourself are starving. There's the truth to the the very nature of it. And I know that Dererick and I have had some good conversations in our department because we want to help people. We really do. And we want to serve. But we also have to recognize
there's capacity even in us. That we're a juggernaut as a district. When you got nine feeder areas, that's nine high schools, that's nine middle schools, that's 50 plus elementary schools, that's multiple coaches, activity directors, sponsors, all within that all wanting a piece of the pie. I will admit
I think that it's it's part of the learning curve of the balance between that and uh you know Dererick's been challenging on that. is like, "Nope." Said, "Nuh-uh. You need to pull back." Or, "Nope, we don't need to be doing that." Or, "Yes, we need to do more of this." And it's that it's that ying and that yang a little bit there of of
finding the right place where you're not getting burned out. And that's important that you hear this, right? Because we just if you're starving, you're just not feeding anybody's, you know, you start choking on the bone, right? Instead of eating the meat of like what's really good about things. And I think that that has been just a good place of learning
and a good place of conviction when it comes to the nature of of this position. And I think and rightly so, whether this would have been Derek or not, there came a place where we are just big enough where we had to have an assistant director. Doesn't matter if it's me, doesn't matter if it's Derek. We just
had to have the right structure to be able to support it. You you'd agree? Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I want to kind of shift a little bit because we could keep talking about that for for a long time because I'm fascinated by people that are passionate about their jobs and
and it's not a job. It's it's your life, right? And and having the balance and figuring that out, but also enjoying that. Let's pivot a little bit to specific programs and things that that you guys oversee. And one that that I
feel bad I haven't mentioned yet, the unified program and how that's gotten up and going in this school district. Who wants to talk a little bit about that? >> Let me start and let me let have Brad have a lion share of this because he's he's brought it to a whole another level. So yeah, we we we've been very supportive of this program for years.
You know, we got um you know, hired a couple coordinators, you know, 10 12 years ago to help with the program. And then like a lot of what Brad has done is I said all right Brad I haven't had time to really give this the do that it needs you know he has a passion for unifi too and that that helps right he's got a passion for it and and so he's just
brought it to the next level so I'm going to give the lion share of this question to Brad and it's all set up again with a great foundational work right so back in ' 07 even when they started to play around with the idea of how do we do this at high schools was unpaid like you talk about people that want to serve people we had sponsors
that were just doing it for free they're like man we just got to do this for kids hey wait you a program over there. Well, what if we play a game? Let's get together. Wait, now this school learns about that and just like anything else, that's great. Starts becomes this contagious kind of thing and bam, it's built and built built. And then Derrick came to a place he's like, "All right,
we got to feed into this." And so, let's let's land some coordinator stipens. And he fought for that during budget season about paying some people to be his boots on the ground. And so, we're really proud of the last, man, we're talking now what 18 years of this this thing sort of morphing and growing. And we're
not perfect yet. It's important that you understand that there's a lot of amazing things happening around us, right, in Cherry Creek and Aurora Public and Jeffco and the work that they have that we're trying to base some of our work on. You get some vision and ideas about that. So, to get into this a little bit now is is we take a look at the high
school level is the new model that we have right now is we have co-coordinators. So, I've hired two people now to kind of be our eyes and ears and boots on the ground for high school. We did the exact same thing for middle school. And as of late, I've begun some meetings with our elementary
schools for our PK through 6, soon to be PK through 5 for most of us, to start building up what it looks like to be a unified um kiddo at elementary level. What we were discovering is kids were coming to middle school and they're like, "Wait, what? What what's unified
and tell me a little bit more about that and how does that work?" And for most of our middle schools in the past, it's been only a seven, eight combo. only had him for a quick 2 years. And so now with us adding sixth grade in Highlands Ranch by 27, we're going to have it in all schools to now have a three-year program
to really be able to build this thing up, I think is going to be special. And then our goal is to really spend a lot of time and injury in our elementary schools and allowing them to see the partnership with Special Olympics, the partnership with their feeder, middle and and high school of getting kids that are beyond high school in our bridge
program. And just for the record, we have them coming back, right? So we play in a um another basketball tournament right around January. So raise come back after break. It's a big one at Douglas County High School and we have all of those kids also come back and play like our rec center kind of programs or whatnot. So you are right to be excited
about unified. I need you to know that and and here's why. I'm going to give you this this big thing. We have uh we've rebranded this year and our new um slogan that goes with that is welcome to the inclusion revolution. And it was something that I heard at our
Special Olympics conference last year. And the power that came with that, Jace, is that it's it's not just about SSN. I need everyone to hear this, right? We think unified. We think SSN, we think, oh, our severe special needs kids, and we partner our kids with that. And we're
like, yeah, that's unified. That's not unified. Unified is a much larger holistic version of what it means to be out through the entire school about we are unified together about the diversity of everything, right? Our learning
styles, color of our skin, our ethnicity, our backgrounds, our personal journeys and stories and about this acceptance of this unified perspective of what it means. Now, the powerful thing about unified is when it's done well, you have a sports pillar. you have
a whole school engagement pillar and then you have this inclusive student leadership pillar and when you do do those things well I mean the stats are through the roof about the impact that you can make on your building. So I just need everyone that's listening and you
know even the three of us again just to be reminded of this that it's it's about something always bigger. It's about something always greater than just what you see on a under the lights kickball night. There's so many more intricacies about what's happening that really make Unified Powerful. >> That's amazing. Wow. From what I've seen
from those types of events, you end up with so many kids showing up for all of those events and cheering on their schoolmates and being there and helping them through all of that stuff. That
becomes that unifying event sometimes for >> totally. I mean, think about our pack the gym nights, right, that we have. We're playing Parker PD, and we got these kids playing the gym. The stands are packed. We got the marching band there, pep band, and we got that rocking and rolling. We got cheerleaders that
are there, >> and we just have like, you know, like I was just at um Crystal Middle School last year. Did their spread the word assembly. Blew me away. I mean, just blew me away when I think about the things that I was able to experience at
uh the pack the gym night even at Simron Middle School and what they were doing and how they were doing it. It's just an important reminder again when we rally around each other and we support the uniqueness of each of us. It's a completely different vibe, right, than as you said earlier, a little bit of
current culture and some of the divisiveness that's that's around. It just changes it and it gives the the vibe and and the feel that we're wanting. >> And that's got to be one of those things that just feeds you and keeps you going. And so, speaking of the kinds of things that feed you and keep you going, I also
wanted to circle back a little bit, Derek, on your legacy. We we talked a little bit about that at the beginning, but what are some of the things that as you look back at your career, I don't know how much you're doing that yet. You're probably still deep in the middle of it and just go go go. But if you
pause to think about your career, especially as the leader for all the athletics and activities in a big school district for all these years, what are some of the things that are kind of the big highlights for you that are like, "All right, I'm I'm proud that that we
did this." >> Yeah. I I think I'll probably have a better answer for that in like a year from now. you know, you know, when you're in the trenches in the middle of it and we are like we are still just going like, you know, it's like, you know, someone does well in athletics and like they get all these records and like, yeah, it's great, but I haven't, you know, I'll think about that more
down the road, we got more more to do, you know? So, I really haven't reflected on it much to be honest with you, you know, but I mean, the people's number one, right? the people you impact and the help that you give, the the servant leadership that you have. You know, you hope that Derek, I know he was always our support, always had my back. You
know, he he would challenge me but also support me at the same time, you know, and I the guy behind the scenes trying to trying to make our principles look good and our ads look, our activities directors look, our coaches look good and and coaching them up, you know. I think the I did student advisory group for a long time. And I really enjoyed that, you know, cuz that was my one
little piece to still keeping that student connection was to deal with, you know, student leaders throughout all of our districts, all excuse me, all of our schools in the district, you know. So, I I really enjoyed that piece. Um, you know, girls won the sports was a big deal that uh I did not come up with that. For the record, I inherited that,
but I think yeah, I think we brought it to another level and I think even Brad's bringing it to even another level now. So, you know, I think some of those the unified program of course very proud of that. the the activities stuff that we do in the Continental League in Douglas County, I think it it's it's like second to none. Like I have not found another
district that totally, >> you know, like when we go to Beter Hall and you watch all those kids, it's an audition band and they you got band and you got choir and you got orchestra. I mean, that's their state championship >> and I'm getting goosebumps talking about right now. I mean, it is fant it's it's a great event for those kids and they love it. You know, we do we have a super
summit coming up this uh this November. We used to do like a leadership conference and a um diversity conference and a publications conference and we did all these ones. We said, you know, let's just put it all into one and we made it a super summit and these kids come to the to the super summit to to expand their knowledge on the activity side of
the world in our our our theater, our deco. I mean, it it's so many the activity side of the house is just very very proud of the activity side of the house to be I mean that's one thing that I don't think it's probably enough light shone on is what we do on the activity side. a lot. It's it's I don't say it's easy on the athletic side, but athletics
is just naturally in the spotlight more, you know, and so um you know, and just the growth throughout the district like you know, we've had a couple new schools go up during my tenure, you know, like as far as what's happened, a new stadium. I just the new stand just barely got built in Echo Park by the time I took over. And just all the stuff
that's just happened in the last 16 years has been amazing to be able to navigate that, you know, and there's been some navigation of school leadership, boards change, superintendent, you know, I've had six superintendents in 16 years. >> Wow. >> You know, and it's crazy. Yeah. And and so in being able to, you know, it goes
to another question. I'm sorry if we get a little off topic of of you know, you have to adopt the vision of the board and the superintendent, right? Otherwise, you're going to have a problem. Like, if I'm in conflict of what, you know, right now it's Aaron Kane, you know, so she just got her strategic plan, right? So, we Brad and I have to look at our strategic plan. We
make sure our schools and our athletic activity programs are matching the strategic plan first and foremost. That's the top vision right here. And, you know, so there's been six different strategic plans, if you will, or boards to navigate, you know, throughout, you know, there's been a lot of history here of of navigating those, you know, of all
the different leaders and being able to adapt but still keep what you feel is important for activities and athletics. And then also it's that middle ground of supporting what are schools want to accomplish at their school. You know like school X is going to look different than school Y and school X really wants
to focus on this. So supporting them in doing that within the big umbrella of what's going on but school Y has a different focus and a different field and that's what they need to focus on. So I want to support them and theirs too because they have their own and helping our ads and coaches support their own vision. I mean there there's one thing you have to align but you don't also
want to dictate everything going to them either as well, right? There's that there's that balance of if you're a head basketball coach, you you want to develop your philosophy and your stuff. And if you're an ad to school, you want to come in with your own mind and your own philosophy. So, it's kind of a long answer of just kind of of supporting the
middle ground of of both sides, right? It's kind of been middle management if we're being honest, right, for all these years is trying to trying to manage everything and yet be a leader of what we do because we talk a lot about I'm getting off on a urgent versus the important, >> you know, and our role like urgent for
sure will push out important in a heartbeat. >> I mean, if there if there's a lightning delay or a few ads or they got a coach does this or a player did that, I mean, you're dropping everything to go deal with that, you know, whereas we want to do some strategic planning or some professional development and and it's just like all the stuff just happens, you know? So to to keep that important
at the top as well, not just letting the urgent uh wait out. So I don't know. I'll think more about legacy probably next year. I it's not a really great answer. I just haven't thought about it to be honest with you. I just I still feel like I'm in the trenches. I'm not looking back yet. You know what? Maybe next year this time I'll look back a
little more and I'll be able to answer that better. Um but I still feel, you know, we're meeting after this. We haven't got to catch up in a while to go over things. You know, just uh >> just we got a lot going on and so you just still you still you just rolling. You just keep running, you know. So maybe I'll have a better maybe I'll come back next year and have a better answer for you. >> Okay, we can schedule something.
>> I think uh Derek, one of the coolest things about you too is I think no matter what it's always come back it comes back to what's best for kids, not what's best for Derek Cheney or what's best for that specific activity director though we want to support them in that.
>> I mean do you agree with that? Like I always feel like you you always come back to kids. >> Yeah, it's it's clichéish but for sure like you do. Yeah, I agree. We try to that's the lens I think we all as educators try to do and sometimes we get off the rails a little bit but you got to get back on the rails and okay what's going to be best for our students in the in these situations. So yeah
>> I mean we've had some winger decisions. >> Yeah. >> And all of them come back down to no I'm I'm doing what's best for kids. We're going to have dialogue with adults. But I I think that's you know you talk about legacy right? That's what I hope to continue on wherever this department goes is that Derrick and I hope to
continue to share that is we've got to keep our eye on the prize with that. Right. I mentioned people earlier for me that's important but I we just got to what is best for kids in this scenario and how do we adjust to keep that and sometimes it means it's it's really hard
decisions that parents disagree with or a coach disagrees with or an ad disagrees with. But we've got to do it in a way that we that people understand this isn't about us. It's about our kids and about how we best serve. And I just think that's a part of his legacy is continuing on that reminder to everyone.
>> For sure. Are there any efforts are you guys working on like you mentioned like the strategic plan. Do you for your department like codify that in any way like the this is what the athletics activities and student leadership
department kind of stands for and here's our like core beliefs and things like that. >> It's funny you asked that because you know Brad's really pushed on that in a good way too and and again we've had to keep what we believe is important but also navigate to who your leader is, right? Like I I had one superintendent who was highly involved who actually
wanted to come when we did a coaches academy for example and they wanted to be a part of the coaching academy and and and speak at and bring people in. And so of course that's a superintendent of the district like okay great you know come on in we'll do it. Yeah. And so so you kind of adjust to like okay to be honest it's not something I probably
wanted to do on one of them but I was like okay well this is important to our superintendent so we need to defer >> to them. But um yeah, we we we've done, you know, um coachesmies throughout there and talk about what it means to be a Douglas County coach or an employee or we used to do middle school coachingmies, but um you know, I think
that's something with that being relatively new, the strategic plan and the new person that fills my role, you know, I think that's something that that's going to probably be one of the I say top priorities is to you know, cuz we're just unveiling the it's in its infant stages right now, right? So, whoever takes my role, I think it's that's going to be important for someone
who does take my role as to okay, where are we at with our board and superintendent? How do we with the new person's vision of how they want to do that? I think that's important because, you know, the timeline for this is, you know, I think they'll probably hire for my position January, February. That'll give me three months to kind of work
with the new person, whoever it is, and and have that transition period. And then but I think that would be probably priority, you know, top if not priority one top three priorities for sure is to is to develop that. >> Mhm. >> Be able to pass it on and >> Yeah. Yeah. cuz you know I mean and and you know in whatever Brad role he's in
next year you know you know he he can be the the conduit or the bridge that you know whether whatever role he he's can really help that and he's to brag on Brad a little bit but he he's he's got to really I mean he he gets in the trenches too and he's got you know the structural part but the big picture too of of keeping that lens of okay let's
align it what do we need to work on what are our core values what are our pillars you know what do we need to do I think that's one of Brad's strengths too I think is whoever that new person coming in either Yeah. Like what you're just hearing, I just want everyone to hear that this what he does all the time. >> All the time.
>> Like he's so crafty about like you directed that to him and what do we do >> and then he builds other people up. >> I really mean that. So I I need you to you just experience firsthand what I get what I get experience all the time with this guy. So, it's it's just really impressive and I I and I do agree with
Derek that no matter what happens with a department next year is we've just got to straight stay true to I agree the strategic vision and then really, you know, adding our own layer about things of, you know, Dererick and I talk a lot about, you know, men of integrity,
right? And really doing what's right no matter the the the circumstance that we're in, right? When no one's watching, we're doing the right stuff. We want to serve people. Uh other big words for Derrick and I are to innovate and adapt, right? And this is a a part of the important thing of how do we adapt a
little bit here? How do we innovate in our department to stay current as an example, right? We just updated um our last three high schools last year to a have digital scoreboards. So now all nine high schools have digital scoreboards. Welcome to the digital
revolution. Right. And then all three of our uh stadiums that started with Derek, was this two years ago, three years ago over at Advent now? So, he added in our first outdoor right digital scoreboard. And as of this year, we now have our uh stadium in Highlands Ranch and our
stadium in Parker now both with digital boards. And I'm telling you right now, it is just growing like a wildfire. and what people are wanting to do and your experience at a game now as an enduser as we call them the end user experience it's completely different >> that you you know you ask about our our
upbringing like when we were playing soccer and whatever you know we weren't even staring at a board I didn't have a board on my soccer field right you just had to trust that the official knew the score and how much time was on the clock >> right >> but now we've come to a level that >> numbers or whatever >> yeah yeah all that right but now all of
a sudden it's it's hype videos it's player cards Welcome. Concessions are open and we have a video that now plays when we're in >> I mean this Jayce like we have been in lightning delay USA the last two. I mean it's >> it's been crazy. >> It was our first seven games
>> all had lightning delays and significant ones. We're not talking like a half hour. >> Yeah. >> Like he and I are calling each other. How you doing over there? Well, I'm still in one here. Still here. And like hour and a half later we're just starting the game. >> Wow. My my point is when we talk about innovating and adapting, this is a whole other level now for our district
stadiums and what it can do and how it's impacting. I mean, I've already been in conversations, Dererick and I, with people around how do we connect with CTE and our career college pathways about sports broadcasting. >> Oh, yeah. >> And motion graphics and developing curriculum to get and this is again part
of our goal is we want to be selfless leaders, which means sometimes we just need to get out of the way. like we need to set the table and let other people just start chowing down and developing that. And I think that in the next two years, I I mean this my hope is that eventually down the road, it's live
shots of our crowd. It's instant replay. It's commentary that's already happening with a couple feeder areas, but building this in within all of our schools about what it looks like. And all we did, Jace, we had the vision along with Mr. Danny Windsor and our amazing cabinet to be like, let's get some of these digital boards going. I see where you and
Dererick are trying to go on this. we support that and now build this thing out. And I just think that that that's like a small microcosm example of the things that we're trying to do when I mention things like innovate and adapt. >> Well, that's impressive to think about when people think, oh, it's just the
flashy scoreboard. We need to have a flashy scoreboard. But no, in a school district, in an educational environment, no, we're talking about that's also going to have some educational ramifications. And we're going to have kids that learn how to do this and that's a career pathway that they can go
down and flip the switch. And look at this. It's not just for entertainment value. It you guys constantly finding ways to infuse the education piece into everything that you're doing. That's that's the impressive piece to me
hearing this over and over again. It's about the kids. It's about helping them grow and >> and don't get don't get lost in that. Right. Derrick talked also, you know, there's two sides of this, right? There's our athletic side and we're excited about obviously it's one of the the A's or the three A's, the academics,
athletics, activities. >> And there's this part where we're like, "Oh, man." And it's crazy like when you're sitting at a game, Derrick and I talk about this all the time, man. Like some of our schools, it's we got huddle cameras up in the in the perch that are then sending a signal through a sideline unit that coaches in the booth are
breaking down playbyplay, then rolling those into shooting down to the sidelines with a monitor on the sidelines and coaches now on an offensive and a defensive and a special teams. Look, you following me on this? Yeah. >> Are now breaking down. So they're doing real time analysis and making
adjustments. Then I work walk into the next booth and there is a student production side. They have multiple camera angles. They're adding in uh their own flavor and style of like different things for their specific school. They're having commentary over the top. >> And I'm talking this is like an
elaborate system. But then we have the activity side where you know Derrick mentioned already and I want to make sure that everyone's hearing this, but we have a Continental League music festival. Our best of the best. And where do we go? We're going to Betcher Hall. We're downtown Denver is a cha chance to showcase all this. Right. Last
year with our art festival, we're going over to Rapjo Community College and we actually have a full gallery that's set up so that people in the community can come in and can witness the kinds of things that are going on. It's just that constant idea of what's another way that
we can tweak and how do we get a little bit better and a little bit better? How can we see it differently? And then surrounding ourselves with the right leaders that want to be able to bring some of that to life. That's impressive. Wow. I was going to ask about some of those things. Um maybe a catchall
question can be we've talked a lot about about athletics. What about the activity side and the whole idea that with activities there's something for everybody? How do you work from your standpoint to ensure
that that's true? I I think you know and I was an activities director in the building for 5 years and and a lot of um in our role we like to del between activities and clubs. So the uh the clubs at the school are really fluid and they can go from year to year, right? You might have a a book club. I've seen
a ping pong club. I've seen a knitting club. I've seen all kinds of clubs right throughout um the time and and teachers are great and kids usually initiate they hey can we do such and such club? Great. How many kids you got? What do you want to do? All right, let's, you know, 17 kids, we'll meet after school and we'll do have a sponsor. And that's right, now
those 17 kids have have a place to go. And probably one of the biggest examples I just think off the right time ahead is esports, >> you know, um, you know, that that's one that has has over time has just really become like, my goodness, like from like 10 years now, now what is this esports thing, you know, to all of a sudden to
where we are now like and and it it connects certain kid to our schools, which is fantastic, right? They they get to wear their school colors. are competing. Chassa now sanctions it. They have a state championship and and that draws in another connection activity like you know and and we have some
passionate sponsors that are great man. They're awesome, right? They are so passionate about me with our kids because they know the importance of that connection is the key, right? No matter if it's athletics or activities or club and it brings that kid in. And so I mean that's just an idea off the top of my head that that just it really brings in a different kid, you know, and I you
know when I was an activator, you oversee the theater department. you you go you walk down, you know, the performing arts hallway and my god, those kids are just so close-knit and they have their own thing going on and they're just really it's just a great place for them to be. And whether it's there's all kinds of, you know, student
leadership and DECA and FBLA and FCCLA and we could go on and on all the clubs. I mean, Brad and I have collected, you know, we have like this spreadsheet with like the nine different tabs of our high schools and we and in fact, we had the high schools and middle schools get together the other day for that vertical articulation for activities and >> man, you look at our sheet and we I mean
there's like 40 it seems like 40 clubs or activities on every school, you know, and they might not all be the same. Probably 20 or 25 are the same, but they're the 15 like, oh yeah, we you know, this is cricket's big at our school. Well, we don't have cricket, but we have this, you know, we have something else. So, we're just just different um different places for for
kids to fit in is that's the goal, right? And I think our our sponsors and teachers and and people have a heart for kids to get in this profession and they they a lot of times they just volunteer to do it just to help the kids. So, I don't know if you want to add anything to >> Well, it's just one of my that's such a good intro about esports. I think is a great example here, Jason, is you know,
one of my favorite stories is uh over at Pondo with uh Coach Cross and he talked to me about his very first esports meeting. He had the kids come in and he just could not get them to talk. He's asking, he's just trying to connect like who's involved with nothing. Well, who's involved with and now we have this
esports thing and he he was just looking at these kids being like, why why did they come then, right? Like we're here, but it's really quiet. And then he goes, a month later, it's my favorite part. He's like, Brad, now I can't get them to shut up. They just love each other and they love being around each other. And when Dererick and I have been at CHASSA
sanctioned state championships for esports, it is a rallying cry for these kids to be able to come together and experience that. And so I I look at the development of that. I think we just used and by the way, we also have a unified esports that's going out there
as well. So those kids are being involved in that. That was another progression of this innovate and adapt and how do we continue to grow. But I think Dererick's right that when we looked at uh our purposeful work in bringing our middle school activity directors with our high school activity directors is is people do not truly
understand the magnitude of things that happen behind the scenes on a daily basis in our buildings. the amount of moving parts, the amount of teachers that want to be involved in these kids' lives. Photography clubs and just general homework clubs and math clubs
and anime clubs and Magic the Gathering clubs, anything that can try to connect a kid to their building. We just have people that are unconditionally willing to give of their time. And it's a lot of times, I love Derek, what you said, it's like the the unseen things, right?
Athletics is just by the nature of the beast. It's more exposed. We see it. It's our community come to, etc. But when we're hosting a pickle ball tournament >> for our high school kids, >> somebody's showing up for that. It's our high school kids and their coaches and
sponsors and they're wearing their uniforms and they're playing and giving paddle fives and they're just laughing and loving at all of it. And you you look at that and that's the brilliance of what happens on the activity side. I I think is it's so much of the unseen
of the selfless giving that's happening with our sponsors that want to give time and give our kids a place to connect. I mean, I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know anything about Dungeons and Dragons, but the amount of kids that come to a Dungeons and Dragons club and
they just have this ability to connect and you have an adult that loves on them unconditional because they're kind of into it as well, right? as a chance to do that and allow kids to grow is I think the inspiring piece to what we need to do and I would say for all the people that are listening is you have no idea all the things that are happening
and so we need to celebrate that. I mean, like to Dererick's point, there's a spreadsheet we have for each middle and high school nine tabs, right? And you look at all the clubs that are being offered in like I would say on average, I agree with Derek, like in a feeder area, we're talking like 40 to 60 clubs, sometimes more than that in a feeder
area between middle and high school. And yet, you would never know that those things are going on, >> right? Unreal. But it's providing opportunities for these kids to grow >> and also be part of a community, >> which is a huge aspect of this and something that we keep hearing about
kind of on on a big global scale about isolation in this era where people have their phones and they can just get lost in their phone and and think that that somehow is an approximation of being in community with people in real life. But
here we've got teachers and sponsors and coaches, people helping make sure that these kids know what it's like to actually deal with each other and learn from each other and get along and have fun and grow in real life. And >> I mean, just this weekend, Jason, we
have a yearbook trip. They're going for three straight days, >> and they're working on planning their entire yearbook. >> And these teachers are giving up multiple nights, full days. Oh, that's right. On the weekend. >> Uhhuh. to help out our entire yearbooks. And when we see these yearbooks coming
through and seeing the products they're doing to celebrate and look back, sorry to interrupt you on that. I just get excited about it. Like people don't recognize, I think people do, but maybe people don't realize, might be a better word, >> all of the trips that are happening, all of these extended pieces of which people
are giving up their time to be able to go give these kids a once in a-lifetime experience and to build the community that you're talking about. in his research says right for every new relationship that we can develop with a kid right and a kid feels connected man
test scores goes up their social and emotional sense of well-being goes up their sense of self-confidence confidence and their sense of self-efficacy grows with that as well and that's the power of empowerment that we get through athletics and activities is to be an extension beyond the
classroom to allow those kids to really experience a new identity >> so much that goes into this. I could listen to you guys talk for hours and we've been at it for quite a while and I know you've got another as people are listening to this while we're recording this. I'm looking at my computer. It's
302. It's halftime, Derek. >> Halime, right? 2 minutes. >> Little little water break. >> Yeah, the water break. >> Little orange slices and we're ready to go. Halftime. Yeah. So, real quick, last thing I want to ask you guys, something that sticks out,
just an amazing or funny or weird anecdote of something that's happened in your career that just sticks out that just every once in a while you go back and look at that and kind of laugh or smile or you're just like, "Wow, we did that." >> Oh, man. Let me let me think.
>> Yeah. While while we're think I'll let Brad go first, but while we're thinking it for for if they are listening, I do want to give a shout out and we'll come back to that question. Just just you know if they are all the sponsors and coaches out there and activities directors and athletic directors, >> middle school, high school, man, they they spend a lot of time too like they
spend so much time just having an impact on our kids, you know, and and there's a lot of hard workers in our system that just have, you know, heart for kids. And I just want to make sure that that that that's said, you know, that I, you know, I don't know if they're going to listen to their son or not, but if they do, I just want to just thank them for all the work they do. So, and I know you went in
on something funny and something good. So, I'm putting you on the spot. >> Oh, no. I I I got to think of something while you're talking here. >> I think we'll both go off of each other probably in this one. I um And by the way, just so we're clear, you know, I I know that we talked about middle and high school, but we need to pause too to remember there's a lot that's happening
at like a lot that's happening at elementary. Um we have people doing like um the red rookie uh uh red shirt rookies program for um some of our unified kids. Uh we have like archery clubs going on. We have rock climbing clubs that are going on. There are again
it's just an additional extension of I just need to say this with Derek to any teacher that's listening that's in our PK2 through 12 system a coach a sponsor is that your work is recognized and we sense the value in it and we really hope
that you feel that from both of us on this and yeah so I just wanted to I just really agree with that that we need to give a shout out to recognize all that work. I don't know if it's funny, but um Dererick and I last year were in the state football player play playoffs over at uh Highlands Ranch Stadium. Are we
are we good sharing this? >> Can't make this stuff up. >> Okay, >> so praise goodness that it's halftime. Lights completely fail. >> I was actually going to ask about that. I'm glad you brought that up. >> We we we have zero lights. Zero lights.
And for whatever reason, unfortunately, the uh the generator did not kick in. And so we're watching this just sea of cell phone lights coming across, waving across the crowd. We're getting, you know, coaches back out on the field. Thankfully, this did not happen in the middle of a play. So, it really was
right at halftime, which is kind of a comical timing. And I just remember standing with like cop car spotlights cuz we had to pull them out on the side. And we're just having to go through these decisions about what what what are we going to do? And and how are we going to make this happen? And then the light
come back on. We're like, "Oh, well that saves that." Two minutes later, light goes back off. We're like, "Oh my gosh." So Derek does what Dererick does and he's connecting with the ads that are there and the head coaches and >> we make the decision to move this entire
playoff football game to Echo Park. Unreal. And so I just need everyone to know I was driving the legal speed limit, but I felt like I was back in the day where you claimed your land and whoever was the fastest horse out could put the
stake in the ground. But if you saw an over 30,000 foot view of this, you'd have the one lead horse and then this like kind of triangle of just mass humanity. For me, that's my funniest memory is I'm driving down 470 like a bat out of you know what, right? Because
I got to get to Echo Park. I'm calling the stadium manager. We're opening gates. We're turning on lights. And I show up. And I need you to hear this. From the moment that Derek and our crew made the decision to switch. We moved 2,000 people, two full teams, and we
started that next game within an hour and a half or that second half within an hour and a half. >> Wow. From the moment we made that decision, just this mass of humanity moved out there. But let's be real, and this is my favorite part is Derek at the end like, well, in my whole career, I've never had that happen before.
>> That's a new That was a new one. Yeah, that was unbelievable. The the saving grace in that was that the coaches and ads agreed. >> That was the saving grace. And all of them like Yes. Cuz especially football, no one wants to go to the next day, >> right? And then then it appeared it almost was bad that it came on and then
went back off because like oh my god we can't someone could be in the middle of a play and all a sudden the lights go off. It's a safety issue >> that was a saving grace as everyone everyone and and Brad was just amazed. He got there had him and the stadium manager got over there and got it set up and with the time that ended to the time we at it was 90 minutes we got that game
started again. >> That is incredible. >> Oh yeah. It's there's so many stories of you can't make this up, you know, like of like of just of dealing with with people over the years and the different, you know, whether it's a funny parent story or a student or a kid. And I don't
know if it's a program, I don't know why this came to mind. You'll actually laugh at this. Uh I think is is it used to be one of our school's traditions um to have a streaker at a game. >> So picture the scene and one of our stadium managers >> Oh no.
>> chasing a streaker over the fence. >> Oh. So yeah. Oh yeah, it was pretty it'll leave out names right now, but I'll tell him off later. But yeah, so it's a picture of one of our current stadium managers chasing this streaker over the fence into like the weeds and all the stuff back there.
>> My god, it was it was I mean I just can't get that picture out of my mind like of just this this doing it. So needless to say that that school got rid of that tradition after that. They got rid of they got rid of that tradition. you know, ju just things over the years from just all the things we deal with,
you know, this is like it just I should write a book. People tell me just of the of the things, man, you just you just can't make this stuff up, you know? You just can't. And >> anyway, but a lot of cool events, too. Like I just all the >> all the stuff that fills your bucket, you know, like there's a lot of, you
know, rivalries that that that go out and and you know, all the all the different sports and, you know, from all the things that we deal with. So, um, and and you guys you guys always have kind of the best seat in the house for a lot of this stuff. I mean, you might have to put in a lot of hours, but you get to be right there and and see and
hear it like, you know, when somebody makes a great play or even when some of these kids maybe didn't succeed, but they're learning how to pick themselves back up again and and do that kind of a thing and build resilience and so many things that you get just literally the
front row seat to. >> Yeah. Sometimes that's more rewarding to see that build resilience that like you know, okay, they you see them falter or not play as well as they could do to see where they're going to where they're going to go. And you're right, like another thing that came to mind when you said this, we you know, we were on the field for the state championship game last year in Fort Collins for for
football. You know, we had front row seat, right? There were field passes watching just our kids participate and compete and like how cool is this, you know, just uh I mean that that that's the stuff that fills the bucket, too, you know. >> For sure. So, >> well, thank you guys so much for your time. Thank you. Again, I could listen.
We could do this over and over and over again and I'd ask too many questions and you guys get really tired of it, but I just it's so much fun to hear about this and to be inspired by what you're doing and and to look back, Derek, at your career and all the foundations of
goodness and greatness that I feel like what I've heard and seen that you've you've helped put in place and and build up so many different people. So, thank you and congratulations on an amazing career. >> No, thank you for saying that. Thank you
both. This this has been great. And you know, you hear a lot cliche in athletics. It's been a good run, right? It's been a good run. Do it again in a heartbeat and and you hope you have that impact, right? And and um you know, you just sometimes you don't know the impact you have until later on, right? And it's kind of like
coaching. You'll see a kid come and visit you. That's right. >> You know, 15 years later, oh, coach, I still remember you. And it was a bit, you know, so hopefully, you know, it'll be more impactful even as, you know, as I look back and as time some space in between here. >> Sure. Oh, that ripple in the water. You got ripples going out.
>> Totally. He's rippled a lot. >> Very big waves and Yeah. that. So, >> absolutely. >> And he'll also reveal his full back tattoo that he's getting in celebration of retirement. It's pretty great. You You guys going to love it. >> A full back tattoo. Absolutely. >> Like wings. He kind of Yeah.
>> Oh, >> that I cannot picture. Yeah. No. Were we going to No. No. Don't picture that cuz that won't happen. No, you don't need to picture that. So, >> no. I think I just got called old by you guys. But maybe not. >> I'm just teasing you guys. I'm just I'm just teasing. So, anyway, thanks for having us. I really appreciate you
highlighting the importance of activities and athletics and and um you know, thank you for for you know, complimenting me, too. But I think just the importance of of of activities athletics for our students. I think that's, you know, the the connection that that brings to them, the there's just lessons that they learn outside of
of the classroom that just can't learn anywhere else. So, thank you for I appreciate you highlighting uh the importance of athletics and activities. >> Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And and again, thank you for all that you've poured into it, both of you guys, that living it day by day and and just inspiring everybody. So, thank you. And
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