Dr. Damon Lewis

Seasoned educational leader with a proven track record at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, fostering a collaborative environment that drives academic achievement and continuous improvement. I've significantly improved equitable access and entry points into grade level content so all students have the opportunity to achieve at higher levels. Skilled in data-driven instruction and program implementation, this approach has consistently resulted in elevated educational outcomes.

Committees/Advisory Groups:

• Gifted & Talented Redesign Committee
• School Counseling Redesign Committee
• STEAM School Redesign Committee
• Middle School Redesign Committee
• School Improvement Plan Task Force member
• Safety and Task Force Committee
• Superintendent Principal Advisory group
• District Strategic Plan Task Force
• Black Male Administrators Group Facilitator
• Early Principal Academy Facilitator

Community Outreach / Engagement:

• Implemented school based food pantry for families
• Implemented annual coat giveaways for families
• Implemented Walk through Wednesdays - open school for families and community members for a walking/talking tour with myself & admin team
• Created a Care Closet. Clothing items for families and students.
• Hispanic Parent Group Meetings - monthly meetings which provide Spanish speaking families with community resources and equitable access to instruction. The meeting is facilitated in all Spanish.
• Holiday Food Drives to support families.
• Farm to School (FTS) School. We have a functional garden with an outdoor classroom and a garden committee comprised of students, teachers and staff. A garden clean up is performed quarterly by students and parents.
• Speakers Bureau - professionals from the community speak to our students about skills needed for different professions.

Student / School Achievements:

• 8.3% chronic absenteeism rate - national media coverage due to a 23% decrease.
• Best secondary school attendance 2023 & 2024.
• PSAT data 2024 shows ELA and Math growth surpassed state, district, and national growth measures.
• State Accountability Index - No Gap Outlier and 0ver 99% participation rate
• 3 year ELA growth for high need students 33% to 45.2% to 55%; ELA academic growth all students 37% to 44.2% to 56.7%.
• 3 year chronic absenteeism for high needs students 35.5% to 10.7% to 9.3%
• 3 year chronic absenteeism for ALL students 31.7% to 9.7% to 8.3%
• Samsung Solve For Tomorrow state finalist 2014, 2023, 2024. Students from 2023 appeared on the Lisa Wexler Radio Show.
• Connecticut Invention Convention state finalist in 2018/19 and 2022/23.
• National History Day state and regional finalist 2019/20.
• Cyber Security Team state finalist 2023.
• Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (VILS) Student Tech Team winner, and Innovation Sustainability award winner.
• Verizon Innovative Lab built on campus. Laptops provided to ALL students and staff. Hosted several VILS visits to top tier staff (CEO's from Verizon).
• Our Verizon Digital Learning Coach serves as a mentor to other Verizon Digital Learning Coaches in the country.
• Winner of MSAP grant - Magnet Schools of America Program 2023. 15 million dollars over 5 years. Provide staff with intentional Professional Development opportunities to continually increase student outcomes.

School Based Equity Goals:

• Increased the number of Hispanic students in Gifted & Talented.
• Increased the number of Black students in Gifted & Talented.
• Increased the number of Female students in Accelerated Math.
• Co-taught ELA classes with MLL and English Teacher to support MLL students for access to grade level standards and content.
• One MLL teacher per grade level.
• 3 MLL Para Educators per grade level.
• MLL resource room for level 1 & 2 MLL students to support foundational reading skills.

After School Clubs Implemented:

• Approximately 20 clubs offered per season. Examples - Vex Robotics, Steam Club, Cyber Security Club, Podcasting Club, SeaPerch club, Ski /SnowBoarding Club

Elective Offerings Implemented:

• Music Technology - only school in the district that offers this class.
• Immersive Media
• Computer Science
• Digital Citizenship
• 3D Gaming and Design Programming