Welcome to DAAPS at Shadow Mountain High School
Welcome to DAAPS at Shadow Mountain High School
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The Application for the 2027-28 Academic Year will go live on August 4th.
DAAPS, Developing Authentic Academics through Purposeful Scholarship, is a four-year humanities academy at Shadow Mountain High School for motivated students who want more from high school than a standard course load. Beginning in ninth grade, students move through a connected sequence of Advanced Placement English and history courses alongside interdisciplinary work in writing, research, and public speaking. Along the way they earn more than thirty college credits and build the kind of thinking, communicating, and leadership skills that carry into any field they choose. The program is one of a kind and exists only at Shadow Mountain High School.
DAAPS culminates in DAAPSTONE, a year-long senior capstone in which each student designs and carries out a project of their own. Students do all of this without giving up the rest of high school. They play sports, perform in the arts, lead clubs, and serve their community, and they do it inside a close group of peers who take their education as seriously as they do.
If you have questions about the program, please reach out to Kevin Storey, DAAPS Director, at kstorey@pvschools.net.
The Application for the 2027-28 Academic Year is live. It opened on August 4.
The Application for the 2027-28 Academic Year is live. It opened on August 4.
How to Apply - follow the link above...
Admission to DAAPS is open to incoming ninth graders who are ready for a demanding humanities program. To be considered, a student must meet all three of the following:
Be enrolled in Honors or Gifted English and Social Studies courses.
Demonstrate a minimum 3.5 GPA on a current grade report, submitted at the close of the first quarter of eighth grade or later.
Provide two teacher recommendations. We strongly recommend that one come from an Honors English or Social Studies teacher, and the other from a teacher who knows your learning characteristics well.
The application has three parts, and the entire process is electronic. Spots are limited, so families are encouraged to apply early.
Save the Date for the DAAPS Open House (Information Night)
Save the Date for the DAAPS Open House (Information Night)
Designed for incoming 8th graders and their families, this evening is an introduction to everything DAAPS and Shadow Mountain have to offer. The night is student-focused and student-led, giving prospective students the chance to hear directly from peers at every level of the program. From the early days of 9th grade to the final stretch of senior year, current DAAPS students share what the full high school experience actually looks like. Teachers are part of the evening too, but the real conversation happens student to student.
The DAAPS Advantage: Where a Humanities Education Leads
The DAAPS Advantage: Where a Humanities Education Leads
This new report follows five graduating classes, 2022 through 2026, and maps where DAAPS students actually end up. You will see the full range of college pathways our graduates pursue, from engineering, aviation, and pre-med to film school, conservatories, business, law, and elite humanities programs. More than half go on to specialized, non-humanities degrees, a reminder that the reading, writing, and thinking at the center of DAAPS prepares students for any field they choose. The report also lays out the merit scholarship awards our recent classes have earned, which now reach into the millions.
Student Life at DAAPS/SMHS: More Than the Classroom
Student Life at DAAPS/SMHS: More Than the Classroom
One worry we hear from families is that a rigorous academic program means giving up the rest of high school. This report shows the opposite. It follows the four-year arc of student involvement, from ninth graders finding their first clubs to seniors leading them as presidents, varsity captains, and editors. You will see how taking advanced coursework early opens room in the schedule for athletics, the arts, ROTC, community service, and real-world internships. More than 80 percent of DAAPS students are active in three or more clubs, programs, or sports. Woven throughout are students describing, in their own words, a class culture where athletes, artists, and scholars share the same rooms for four years and become something like a family.
DAAPS Update (1).pdfFall 2025 Rebrand
Fall 2025 Rebrand
The rebrand of DAAPS reflects a clearer, more accurate representation of what the program has become. Over time, the original emphasis on “Digital” no longer captured the true purpose or daily experience of our students. The program has grown into a rigorous four-year humanities pathway centered on advanced coursework, authentic scholarship, and meaningful leadership opportunities.
Shifting the name to Developing Authentic Academics through Purposeful Scholarship aligns the program’s identity with its actual mission. It highlights the habits of mind we cultivate, the interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum, and the values our students carry into their AP courses, Capstone work, and community involvement. The new identity also supports outreach efforts by giving prospective families a clearer sense of the program’s goals, expectations, and long-term outcomes.
Check out this amazing feature story about the DAAPS program and some of our outstanding students. We are featured on the cover; you can find the story on page 8-9.
EpicKids_0425_ONLINE.pdfOur program was featured on episode 72 of PVBeat - the PVUSD podcast. You can learn more about our program and the DAAPSTONE projects. You can listen here.
Our program was fortunate enough to be featured on the PVBeat podcast, episode 7, which can be located here. Our segment was from about 6:15-13:15. The clip provides a snapshot of our program. We are excited for you to give it a listen.
Copy of UPDATING 2025 DAAPS Open House.pdfCheck out the slides from our 2025 DAAPS Information Night
Check out the slides from our 2025 DAAPS Information Night
This night is a MUST attend for any incoming 8th grader interested in the DAAPS program.
Our DAAPSTONE 2026 site has been launched. Access from the button below. You will find a page for each project along with some explanation and documentation of work in progress throughout the year.
Learn more about Shadow Mountain High School Here.
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