May 25, 2019, 5:54am | St Vrain Valley School District
St. Vrain Valley Schools is proud of our Class of 2019 and invites the community to join the celebration through a livestream of the Saturday, May 25 ceremonies.
May 23, 2019, 9:30am | St Vrain Valley School District
By John Spina, Times-Call
The room was abuzz with excitement as a group of art students from Skyline High School entered the lobby of the Atria Longmont senior living facility on Wednesday afternoon.
A month earlier, each of the 27 students in the advanced placement studio art and drawing class was paired with an Atria residents whose stories inspired the students’ final projects.
“It was a lot of fun to hear about all their adventures,” said Cerra Shattuck, a junior at Skyline. “I don’t get to interact with people like this a lot and it pushed me as an artist to make something for someone else. It was like getting my first commission.”
After meeting with the residents for more than three hours the students had a month to transform that conversation into a piece of art. Their creative representations ranged from portraits and scenes of cherished memories, to landscapes of their subject’s favorite place and memorials of their military service.
May 21, 2019, 12:39pm | St Vrain Valley School District
Over the past two years, Altona Middle School CyberPatriot teams earned 3rd place in the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, students were rightfully proud and pleased. When one of their teams captured a first place win this spring, they were beyond thrilled. The team, comprised of 8th graders Andre Aquino, Rajarshi Bose, Alexander Davis, Mason Steffen, and Luke Xu, successfully competed against 67 middle teams in Colorado (including 7 other Altona teams) and over 840 teams in the U.S., Canada, and DoD schools around the world.
CyberPatriot is a national program educating youth about cybersecurity. Former cybersecurity manager for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and father of two Altona CyberPatriots, Dan Massey, pitched the program to Altona Computer Science teacher and club advisor with intimate awareness of both need and potential for students’ future opportunities. Massey, who is developing a cybersecurity program at CU Boulder, now coaches five teams after school as a volunteer. Both Massey and Kelleher are beyond thrilled with the diverse level of participation. “Everyone isrepresented,” Kelleher says. “Fifty percent of our participants [in this year’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition] werer female. In the computer industry today, if you can reach twenty percent women you’re doing well. We’re changing that.”
The National Youth Cyber Defense Competition was created by the Air Force to inspire students to pursue careers in cyber security or other STEM fields. Originally limited to Civil Air Patrol competitors, AFA later expanded the program into high schools and middle schools. This year, in addition to the first place win, half of all Altona teams ranked in the top twenty percent nationally.
During competition, students act as newly hired Information Technology (IT) professionals or system administrators tasked with managing the network of a small company. During rounds, students must locate and patch vulnerabilities while maintaining critical services. “Entering round three, we were barely ahead of two other teams. We were feeling tense throughout six hours of straight-up working,” says Aquino. Teammate Alex Davis adds, “We were nervous and unsure whether our work would hold up against the other top teams in Colorado.” Held up it did. At the end of the preliminary season, they ranked 37th in the world.
Whether or not Altona’s CyberPatriots maintain their winning streak, these dedicated students and their mentors know they are paving the way for a bright, secure future…theirs, and ours. “As Internet has grown and governments, businesses, communities and individuals are increasingly exposed to cyber threats, the need for cyber security experts has also expanded,” Kelleher says. “We’re equipping students with the skills to walk right out of high school and begin well-paid, high demand careers with companies that also pay for their higher education,” Kelleher says.
May 21, 2019, 12:17pm | St Vrain Valley School District
As we move toward the end of another outstanding school year, it is an honor to recognize the unwavering drive, strength of character, and rigorous academic preparation that has propelled approximately 2,000 students to the day of their high school graduation. The thunderous applause that will follow them as they walk across the stage to receive their diploma is not only a testament to their academic achievements, but a symbol of our community’s enduring commitment to the continued success of our students, teachers, staff, parents, and community.
If we reflect back thirteen years ago to when this year’s seniors were entering kindergarten, we will see an extraordinary transformation of our public school system and our community. For more than a decade, St. Vrain Valley Schools has been advancing excellence through the development of programming that is giving our students a strong competitive advantage to excel in a complex, globalized world.
Our 2019 graduates have advanced their skills through enrollment in high-quality instructional focus academics in Biomedical Sciences, Energy, Engineering and Aerospace, Medical and BioScience, Leadership, STEM, Visual and Performing Arts, and more. They have been connected to the best technology and learning resources through our 1:1 technology initiative and nationally recognized Learning Technology Plan. They have been highly engaged in their school communities and extended learning beyond the school day through the arts, music, athletics, advanced career and technology programs, and other co-curricular activities. Through all of this, they have also become highly engaged citizens who remain focused on strengthening our society and bettering our world.
The Class of 2019 enrolled in a record number of Advanced Placement exams, International Baccalaureate courses and concurrent enrollment college courses, giving them the opportunity to start their postsecondary education with approximately 12,000 college credits on their transcripts, potentially saving their families $3.4 million in tuition costs. Our graduating seniors have also received numerous recognitions for their academic achievements, talents, and innovative ideas, including: Boettcher Scholarships; Daniels Scholarships; National Merit semifinalists and finalists; All-State athletes; All-State musicians; and thousands of college acceptance letters from institutions across the country including many Ivy League schools, military academies and other highly competitive colleges and universities. We are incredibly proud of what our students have accomplished in a time of increasing academic rigor, expanding graduation requirements, and the highest expectations of leadership, community and citizenship.
As we celebrate the many successes of our students, St. Vrain Valley Schools continues to enhance the learning experience by expanding opportunities across our district, including opening a second Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program in Biochemistry this fall at Frederick High School. P-TECH is a newer educational model that allows students to earn an Associate degree concurrently with their high school diploma – at no cost to the student – while receiving mentorship and internship opportunities with industry partners. This unique program supports the creation of a dynamic workforce through the development of intergenerational talent, and gives every student the framework and resources they need to achieve an outstanding postsecondary education.
Public education is one of the most powerful systems for driving positive change in our society. Across the United States, approximately 90 percent of our children attend a public school – and in the St. Vrain Valley, that percentage is even higher. With the future success of our community and nation dependent on the quality of our public schools, we have no greater responsibility than ensuring every child in our community receives a rigorous, engaging, and high-quality education. To this end, it is an honor to stand alongside our Board of Education, teachers, staff, parents, administrators, and other community partners to celebrate the Class of 2019 and recognize our students’ high levels of success.
Lastly, I want to share my heartfelt gratitude to all of our seniors and wish you the very best in life. Our schools will forever be strengthened by your time in our community – you are truly a class of compassionate, dedicated, intelligent, and outstanding people who will boldly lead our country into the future.
Sincerely,
Don Haddad, Ed.D.
Superintendent, St. Vrain Valley Schools
May 21, 2019, 11:54am | St Vrain Valley School District
Dear St. Vrain Valley Families,
We are excited to welcome your kindergarten student next year and continue our partnership to ensure your child’s success. Recently, you may have read information in the news about the passage of additional state funding for full-day kindergarten, and we wanted to share some information regarding the positive impact this will have on St. Vrain Valley Schools students.
We strongly believe in the value of high-quality early childhood programs to build a solid foundation that will support our students throughout their academic, social, and emotional journey. For over a decade, St. Vrain Valley Schools has offered high-quality full-day kindergarten programs at all elementary schools through tuition and scholarships. With the addition of funding at the state level to support full-day kindergarten, we are thrilled to share that all students in our community can now take advantage of tuition-free full-day kindergarten.
Next year, all kindergarten classrooms will be tuition-free full-day programs with most core content such as math, phonics, and reading covered in the morning, and additional programming such as robotics, science, art, music, and physical education in the afternoon. We understand that there may be some families who would still like the option of a half-day program, and we have structured this schedule in a way that will allow families to pick-up or drop-off their student at mid-day. We are excited to continue building on our robust early childhood programs that ensure our students are prepared for success in first grade and beyond.
As we get closer to the start of the new school year, your school will continue to share information that will help you prepare your student for a smooth transition into kindergarten. In the meantime, if you registered for a half-day program for the 19-20 school year, please reach out to your school principal to discuss your options for next year. If you are already registered for a full-day kindergarten spot and have submitted a tuition payment, we will be in contact to issue a refund of those deposits.
Thank you for your continued support as we work to advance programming and opportunities for students across St. Vrain Valley Schools. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your school directly.
Sincerely,
Don Haddad, Ed.D.
Superintendent, St. Vrain Valley Schools
[email protected]
Diane Lauer, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent of Priority Programs and Academic Support
[email protected]
Estimadas familias de St. Vrain Valley:
Nos emociona dar la bienvenida a sus alumnos de jardín de niños cada año y continuar con nuestra asociación para garantizar el éxito de sus hijos. Es posible que, recientemente, hayan leído información en las noticias sobre la sanción de una financiación estatal adicional para los jardines de niños de jornada completa, y deseamos compartir algo de información sobre el impacto positivo que esto tendrá en los estudiantes de las Escuelas de St. Vrain Valley.
Creemos fervientemente en el valor de los programas de alta calidad para la infancia temprana a fin de desarrollar una base sólida que respaldará a nuestros estudiantes durante su viaje académico, social y emocional. Durante más de una década, las Escuelas de St. Vrain Valley han ofrecido programas de jardín de niños de jornada completa y elevada calidad en todas las escuelas primarias, a través de colegiatura y becas. Con el agregado de la financiación a nivel estatal para respaldar a los jardines de niños de jornada completa, nos entusiasma compartir el hecho de que todos los estudiantes en nuestra comunidad puedan ahora aprovechar los jardines de niños de jornada completa sin colegiatura.
El próximo año, todos los salones de clases de jardín de niños serán programas de jornada completa sin colegiatura, con mucho contenido básico, como por ejemplo, matemáticas, fonología y lectura que se cubrirán en la mañana y programas adicionales tales como robótica, ciencia, arte, música y educación física en la tarde. Entendemos que es posible que haya familias a las que aún les gusta la opción de un programa de media jornada y hemos estructurado este cronograma de manera que le permita a las familias recoger o dejar a sus hijos a medio día. Nos entusiasma continuar desarrollando nuestros programas sólidos de temprana infancia, los cuales garantizan que nuestros estudiantes estén preparados para el éxito en primer grado y más adelante.
A medida que nos acerquemos al inicio de un nuevo ciclo escolar, su escuela continuará compartiendo información que le ayudará a preparar a sus hijos para una transición sin problemas hacia el jardín de niños. Mientras tanto, si se registraron para un programa de media jornada para el ciclo lectivo 10-20, por favor, hablen con el director de su escuela a fin de discutir sus opciones para el próximo año. Si ya se registraron para un jardín de niños de jornada completa y han presentado un pago para la colegiatura, nos comunicaremos para realizar un reembolso de dichos depósitos.
Gracias por su continuo apoyo mientras trabajamos para avanzar en la programación y las oportunidades para los estudiantes de todas las Escuelas de St. Vrain Valley. Si tienen preguntas, por favor, no duden en comunicarse directamente con su escuela.
Atentamente,
Don Haddad, Ed.D.
Superintendent, St. Vrain Valley Schools
[email protected]
Diane Lauer, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent of Priority Programs and Academic Support
[email protected]
May 21, 2019, 11:07am | St Vrain Valley School District
If you don’t know to look for it, you might walk right past a narrow stretch of land previously designated for irrigation overflow at St. Vrain Valley School District’s Main Street School. But pause for a second, and you’ll likely recognize the remote-controlled car race track for what it is – the carefully tended, rolling mounds of dirt and strategically placed tires are an invitation to relax and revel in the simplicity of dirt.
St. Vrain Director of Transportation Lance Yoxsimer proposed the idea of building the Main Street Track as an opportunity to provide positive reinforcement and incentive to students. In prioritizing spending time with students, visiting schools, and riding with them on buses, he recognizes the impact of positive incentives and their potential to promote student growth both academically and behaviorally. This is especially important at Main Street School, St. Vrain’s school for students with emotional disabilities who need a structured, therapeutic educational setting. An avid race car driver, Yoxsimer talked with students at Main Street about his passion for the sport and found the conversations kindled notable interest. “It’s about so much more than cars. I saw an opportunity to enrich kids’ lives,” Yoxsimer says. “Obviously, we couldn’t start racing cars, but remote-controlled cars…that could be fun, with a meaningful purpose.”
Last fall, Yoxsimer put forward the idea of building the track and Main Street Principal Kate Green was on board from the get-go. “It really just folded into what we have at Main Street already in terms of providing incentives,” Green says. “We have a dedicated staff doing incredible things here. This was an opportunity that provides additional access for all our students.” Green, who is new to the district this year, was blown away by the level of support for her students. “I’m finding more and more, this is the St. Vrain way. People come together for the kids.” The community at large also responded to the idea with wholehearted enthusiasm, with HobbyTown in Longmont donating a range of remote-controlled cars.
More significantly, exceeding the energetic efforts to implement the track was the immediate student response, and a ripple effect of positive outcomes. “The track is a reward and an incentive, but it’s also a place of growth,” says Green. “Students are practicing social-emotional skills, working on turn-taking, collaborating. This is truly a vehicle for building community in our school.”
Students agree that the new track is a vehicle for success. “[The race track] gives me something to look forward to,” a fourth-grade student explains. Another fourth grader shares, “We get to ride around and put on the speed limits. It helps me regulate when I am mad.” Students say they are excited to bring their families to share the track on the weekends. There is keen awareness of the track as a tool for achieving at school.
Main Street School implemented a slow rollout of the track aligned with rigorous spring testing schedules, allowing for whole classes to experience the new area as reward for their hard testing efforts. “We wanted to provide general exposure initially,” Green says. Our aim was for kids to see and get excited about it.” The first exposure would provide a base for individual incentive opportunities, Green explains. The race track provides incentive for achievement in and out of the classroom, including time spent on district transportation services.
The track’s impact was immediate, and remarkable. Staff noted students who might not otherwise engage positively with each other working collaboratively and creatively. “Students offered to help each other with cars,” says Yoxsimer. “Teachers observed how patient and warm they were with one another out there.”
On April 19, Main Street School held a car-themed celebratory event, bringing students and their families together to mark the completion of testing, launch the new track, and highlight the many achievements of the school community. The event, which included a car show and barbeque, became a memorable opportunity for staff, students, and families to engage with one another in the spirit of community.
What’s next for Main Street School’s track? The modest but impactful stretch of dirt is steadily being recognized as a model for other, and similar, incentive programs, district-wide. Regardless of how the track evolves, one thing is certain: it will continue to serve as one of many mainstays at Main Street designed to positively build community. “This project is really about serving our staff and students,” Green and Yoxsimer agree.
May 21, 2019, 10:08am | St Vrain Valley School District
By Amy Bounds, Staff Writer, Times-Call
Frederick High senior Trinity Lyles counts standing on a table and dropping fake blood to imitate blood spatter during a mock death investigation as one of her most memorable academic experiences.
The experience as a freshman in Frederick’s Biomedical Science Academy also helped spark her interest in a possible career as a medical examiner. Her plan is to start at Front Range Community College in Longmont in the fall, then transfer to the University of Colorado Boulder.
But first, there’s high school graduation to celebrate.
“We made it,” said Lyles, one of 14 seniors in Frederick High’s first class graduating from the Biomedical Science Academy. “I’m so, so ready.”
May 21, 2019, 7:49am | St Vrain Valley School District
Imagine being able to talk with Longmont’s earliest settlers, absorb their wisdom, and learn from their challenges. Though portals to the past may not yet be a reality, St. Vrain Valley third graders are embracing the chance to authentically connect with their community’s history. The experience comes hand-in-hand with an opportunity to examine and learn from community members’ contemporary experience and collaboratively envision progress toward achieving goals through the design-thinking process. All this is thanks to a unique and dynamic partnership between the Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools and the Longmont Museum called Longmont Past, Present, Future.
At its most basic level, Longmont Past, Present, Future is a field trip for third graders that delivers standards-based design-thinking experiences through museum exhibits and recorded videos. The half-day experience, piloted with students from Timberline PK-8 and Alpine Elementary this spring, is split equally between the Longmont Museum and the Innovation Center. Both portions of the program provide distinct, hands-on experience and offer thought-provoking overlap and connections. “The day consists of two field trips that would be great as a stand-alone time,” says Kristen Brohm, SVVSD STEM Coordinator. “Whether students access the museum or the Innovation Center first, the relevance between the past and today is striking. The program provides a base for seeing how conflicts, issues, and goals are mirrored between past and present, and around the world.”
At the Longmont Museum, students handle artifacts, listen to historians, and dig into exhibits. At the Innovation Center, they hear from current community members via videos prepared specifically for the program about present challenges. They then have the opportunity to engage in a school, city, or neighborhood-related design challenge of their choosing. Students are tasked with developing an understanding of the issue and empathy for the user, coming up with a product, process, or experience to address the challenge, and then using upcycled craft materials to create a prototype for their solution. The solutions they devise are sent back to the community mentors whose videos introduced the issues and efforts to resolve them. “This project is about empowering and engaging kids,” says Jenn Crill, STEM Coordinator at Timberline PK-8. “We want kids to know they can make a difference right now, and that to do that, you have to be an active citizen, connecting with other people, and hearing different perspectives.”
The seed for Longmont Past, Present, Future was first sown last spring, when Brohm began wondering about possibilities for collaboration between the Innovation Center and the museum, given they are just down the street from one another. She connected with Ann Macca, Curator of Education at Longmont Museum, and things, as the two describe, just exploded. “I’ve been at the Longmont Museum for six years doing field trips and it’s rare that you find someone who has the same goals you can work closely on together,” Macca says. “This program is so beneficial to everyone – students, teachers, the museum, our volunteers, and the whole community.”
Longmont Past, Present, Future is already making a broad impact. “So many times, field trips are one-and-done, a break from learning,” Crill says. “This one is a catalyst for learning. It drives momentum.” Next year, Crill says they are hoping to facilitate more than ten field trips, serving about one-third of district elementary schools. In addition to expanding the number of students reached, the planning team intends to broaden to different focus areas. This year’s key focus was geography, but depending on teachers’ curriculum needs, the program can be structured around civics, history, social studies, or economics.
Longmont Past, Present, Future doesn’t just encourage design-thinking and community building, it models it. From the start, support has been widespread and enthusiasm contagious. “This program is for third graders, but its impact engages the whole community,” Brohm says. “We are encouraging creative thinking and teaching students that you don’t have to be an adult to solve problems. We know that you have ideas and as a community, we value those ideas”
See where our 4.0+ graduates are attending college in the fall.
Meet just a few of the appoximately 2,000 students who will walk across a stage this week to receive their St. Vrain Valley Schools diploma. Congratulations to all students in the Class of 2019!
Hogan Warlock
Engineering and Music Performance, University of Colorado Boulder
How has your school’s focus program prepared you for postsecondary success?
I was in the inaugural class of the Erie Academy of Engineering and Aerospace, which in its short 4 years has made huge strides in expansion and has had much success with gaining recognition. More specifically, it has inspired and taught me about being an engineer, which I am now prepared to become by majoring in Engineering at CU Boulder next year.
Frederick High School
Trinity Lyles
Business Management, Front Range Community College
What’s a favorite memory from your time at St. Vrain?
My favorite memory with St. Vrain was meeting up with other schools and competing at competition with our bands. Yes, it was a competition, but it was the best seeing all the school colors and seeing all the band kids from different schools socialize and interact with one another. Our school colors may divide us, but at events like this, we got the opportunity to mix and be not multiple schools, but just one whole.
Longmont High School
Oakley Dehning
Business Analytics and Applied Mathematics
What’s a favorite memory from your time at St. Vrain?
Bringing home the state basketball championship to our school and community gave myself and my teammates so much pride. There has never been another moment quite like it in my life.
Lyons High School
Marin Neuhard
Psychology, University of Oregon
What advice would you give to students entering high school next year?
Never shy away from who you are and what you love. It is so easy to fall in to the majority and hide, but you can not grow until you’ve embraced yourself. When faced with a intimidating task, ask yourself if this is something you would regret missing out on in the future and take it on with pride and confidence.
Mead High School
McKenzie (Macks) Henson
Linguistics, Carleton College
What makes your high school unique?
Mead is unique not only in its academics, but in its arts, as well. Students have the opportunity to earn the AP Capstone seal on their diplomas, and next year they will have a chance to earn the Seal of Biliteracy; additionally, Mead is one of the few schools to partake in the Energy Academy program. With regards to the arts, Mead’s orchestras regularly compete in the Cañon City Blossom Festival, while the Drama Department regularly hosts plays and musicals each year.
Niwot High School
Evan Roberts
Undecided, Yale University
Why should a student want to attend your high school
At Niwot, it is easy for everyone to find their place. There are so many opportunities for academic challenge as well as extracurriculars in every field imaginable. With so many communities and groups at Niwot, it is a very welcoming place.
Olde Columbine High School
Lesley Stephanie Martinez-Rodriguez
Dental Hygienist, Front Range Community College
What advice would you give to students entering high school next year?
Advice that I would give to students entering high school is to do the best that you can in school. It’s important to be open-minded and to challenge yourself through advanced coursework. I would remind students to try new things, and get to know other people. I would encourage students to set goals and have high standards for yourself.
Silver Creek High School
Colleen Tyrrell
Mechanical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
How has your school’s focus program prepared you for postsecondary success?
The Silver Creek Leadership Academy has provided me with so many different useful life tools like presentation skills, patience, communication skills, independence, teamwork skills, and many many more. I now feel comfortable engaging with people of higher positions and feel confident in a professional environment.
Skyline High School
Kenneth Frederick
International Affairs or Journalism, Colorado State University
What makes your high school unique?
The students truly make skyline the wonderful school that it is. There are so many students who will always surprise you with incredible work ethic, openness to others, and their supportiveness of peers.
St. Vrain Online Global Academy
Anders Temple
Mechanical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
What’s a favorite memory from your time at St. Vrain?
My favorite memory from my senior year is the HOSA State Conference, where a small group of my classmates and I spent 4 days in downtown denver competing in different healthcare related challenges.
APEX Homeschool Program
Rebecca (Becca) Hyde
BFA Musical Theatre and Biology, West Virginia University
How has your school’s focus program prepared you for postsecondary success?
APEX allowed me to take classes that I couldn’t take on my own with my homeschool curriculum. These classes such as Musical Theatre and Choir made me fall in love with performing which is now what I will be training to do in college.
May 16, 2019, 5:05pm | St Vrain Valley School District
The Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools will host its first small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) open flight and drone racing event on Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Innovation Center Flight Field. Students from the IC’s Aeronautics Program, representing all of St. Vrain’s high schools, worked to plan the event, which is supported by “The Other Guys” Colorado Drone Racing, VerraWest Apartments, Academy of Model Aeronautics, Aims Community College, United Site Services, and OtterCares.
AeroFest is an AMA sanctioned event celebrating and connecting the community through remote controlled flight. Community development and networking will take place within build and main flight areas. Hobby to UAS industry groups will be allowed to share and communicate their latest products and join in on the festivities within the Vendors Row. A full Multigp outdoor drone racing venue will allow for open flight and competitive racing. A Kids STEM Zone will house a build tent and testing area where young students will create chuck gliders to learn basic principles of flight and make event observation connections. Food vendors along with community viewing areas will be provided for non-flying guests of all ages to take in the action.
