This month, St. Vrain Valley Schools was honored to be recognized as the Innovative Business of the Year by the Boulder Chamber and the Chair’s Choice Award from the Longmont Economic Development Partnership. St. Vrain Valley Schools’ strong public education system provides the foundation for preparing graduates to join society with a competitive advantage. St. Vrain is building vibrant communities and a thriving nation through its unwavering commitment to innovation and student success.
The Boulder Chamber’s Innovative Business of the Year Award recognizes a business / organization that demonstrates the innovative spirit, creative problem solving, and pioneering approaches to organizational success and industry growth that exemplifies the character of Boulder’s business community. The Longmont Economic Development Partnership Chair’s Choice Award is selected by the Longmont EDP Board Chair to recognize an important partner and asset in the community contributing to the forwarding of Longmont’s economic development.
From its nationally recognized Learning Technology Plan to the development of over 70 instructional focus programs, St. Vrain is giving students the skills necessary for advancement in a complex, globalized world. At the heart of this work are the strong relationships St. Vrain has built with leading industry partners throughout Boulder County and nationally. IBM, Google, University of Colorado, Elevations Credit Union, Seagate, LogRhythm, StickerGiant, and so many others come to St. Vrain to work alongside our community’s students, teachers, and education leaders to create and implement a vision for the future of education.
Over the past decade, St. Vrain has experienced tremendous success and many educational achievements while still managing large enrollment growth. It helped to pass legislation that brought Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) programs to Colorado and opened the state’s first P-TECH school in 2016 – and are preparing to open a second in Fall of 2019, with a third in 2020. The program gives students the opportunity to earn their associate degree alongside their high school diploma at no cost to the student and will have a large impact on workforce development in the community. St. Vrain’s nationally recognized Innovation Center has also accelerated workforce development and industry partnerships throughout Boulder County. With student curriculum and paid work experiences in focus areas including aeronautics, robotics, technology, research, biomedical sciences, entrepreneurship, media, virtual reality, and more, the Innovation Center continues to build opportunities for student learning at their 50,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art facility that opened in Fall 2018.
Foundational to innovation and student learning is a strong focus on academic rigor throughout all schools in St. Vrain. With some of the highest graduation requirements in the state, and a push for all students to enroll in advanced coursework, St. Vrain is preparing the next generation of engineers, scientists, armed service members, doctors, teachers, CPAs, and community leaders who will shape the future of Longmont, Boulder County and beyond. Robotics and computer science curriculum begins in preschool and students at all grade levels learn the design thinking process through an emphasis on designing solutions to make the world better.
It is St. Vrain’s drive for student success, community excellence, emphasis on innovation, focus on rigor, and deeply held to commitment to partnership that exemplifies the character of our business community and serves as a shining example of how innovation and the strength of our public schools can have a significant impact on advancing our economic growth and community well-being.