John Williams

Setting and Context

Fort Collins High School Community:
According to Poudre School Districts demographic assessments, Fort Collin High School is the
most ethnically diverse of the five 9-12 schools in the district. Holding over 1500 students,
Collins has a 66% white population and nearly 25% Hispanic population. 31% of Collins
students qualify for free or reduced lunches, compared with its new neighbor, Fossil, that has just
8% of its students qualified for food subsidies.
Fort Collins High has a simple motto, Where Excellence is Expected. I believe this vision
statement is a testament to the hard work that occurs at all levels of the institution. Where
Excellence is Expected means personal accountability and ownership are requirements for
success. This is something I believe in personally and being alongside like-minded students and
faculty makes all the difference.
Academically speaking, Collins boast a renown Advance Placement program as well as the only
Bio-Science Academy in Poudre School District. Students are also able to accrue concurrent
college-high school credits through a partnership with Front Range Community College,
Colorado State University as well as the University of Colorado.
Collins has a wide variety of successful sports and extracurricular student programs to boast of.
The Collins motto, Home of the Champions is hardly a false statement. The Fort Collins
Lambkins excel in Baseball, Football, Soccer, Volleyball and Track and Field and hold over 300
conference titles, qualifying them as true home of the champions.

Topic and Rationale:

Students in this class are here for curriculum reasons. American Government is a required
course for all seniors in the district. The nature of this course and the complexity of some of the
content could make some students less than thrilled about taking it. However, my experience has
shown me that these students are more than willing to learn and they express their enthusiasm
through their work.
American Government is a critical culmination of what students have learned throughout their
careers. In this heated political atmosphere, we live in, it is ever important for my students to
walk out of FCHS with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about the world
around them. My hope is that they will take with them the things they have learned, namely that
collaboration and compromise are paramount to the success of our nation.
By the time students reach their senior year they have had a broad overview of American
Government education. Where we are at this point in the class fits into the scope of the United
States Constitution and how our government functions at a basic level. Observing and co-

teaching lessons on the Constitution, I have witnessed how students apply prior knowledge
towards current lessons.