Career Development Center Students Savor Results at ProStart Invitational

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There’s always something cooking in SVVSD’s Career Development Center’s ProStart Culinary Program. That something extends well beyond the food. Walk through the kitchen backing the Career Development Center’s welcoming Sunset Café (open to the community most Wednesdays through Fridays), and you’re bound to be impressed by a bustle that is energetic yet calm; keen focus and attention to detail on the part of student chefs and their teachers; creative inventiveness and passion; and an overall display of respectful, trusting teamwork in action. In other words, this kitchen—and most importantly those who occupy it—has all the key ingredients needed for success.

Since 1971, the Career Development Center has been the St. Vrain Valley School District’s area career and technical education school. Serving over 1,000 students each academic year, it is one of several Career and Technical Centers recognized by the Colorado Community College System. Any SVVSD high school student is eligible to enroll in the broad range of employment-based programs, with transportation being provided to and from each home school by the Career Development Center. “We work closely with business and industry to provide secondary programming that meets the region’s workforce needs,” says Career Development Center Principal Deniece Cook. “In the past five years, we have added concurrent credit and industry certifications to our programs.”

The Career Development Center distinguishes itself through innumerable means, not least for the integrity of its programs. In fact, CDC recently obtained status as a Front Range Community College site. This designation will allow for expansion of concurrent offerings, Cook says.

Among the Career Development Center’s wide range of programs, which includes the Agriculture, Health Sciences, Hospitality, Skilled Trades and Stem career pathways, the ProStart Culinary Program serves up a whole lot of goodness, literally and figuratively. “Our program offers kids that first professional start in the industry, while teaching them the commercial side…making them all the more employable,” says Culinary Instructor Hope Nazzaro. “Not all our students will go on to pursue culinary careers, but I always tell them, these are skills that will serve you for a lifetime. Whether it’s working their way through college in restaurants, cooking for their families at home, or applying the skills they learn to other careers.”

Through the national ProStart Culinary Program, students can earn industry certifications, including ServSafe Food Handler and ServSafe Manager. Those who complete the full two years of offerings further earn a nationally-recognized ProStart Culinary Program certificate. The overall outcomes, however, run much deeper. “I appreciate what I have learned and will try my best to apply it in my normal life,” says Silver Creek Senior Tammi Torres, who has finished the ProStart program and completed her ServSafe certificate. “Not only cooking and baking skills, but also teamwork, critical thinking; also some math, and thinking ahead.”

Students appreciate intrinsic rewards and shared satisfaction from the program as regularly as lunch and dinner. But their hard work and committed efforts received special acknowledgment early this month, at the annual ProStart Invitational. In its 20th year, the ProStart Invitational, which was held at Gaylord Rockies Hotel March 1, is self-described as a cross between “Top Chef” and “Shark Tank”. In this exciting and challenging event, high school culinary and management teams compete in two events demonstrating their mastery of culinary and business management skills. Prior to competition, participating ProStart Culinary students Jose Gonzalez (Olde Columbine High School Senior), Vanessa Cera (Skyline High School Junior), Tammi Torres (Silver Creek High School Senior), Annie Vanderveen (Silver Creek High School Sernior) and Lizbeth Lopez (Skyline High School Senior) had been putting in endless hours to prepare—during school, after school, and on weekends. Local Chef Mentor Sayab Poot was exceptional and student-centered, Nazzaro says. “He was so inspiring. He was always asking the kids, ‘what do you want to make’, ‘what do you want to learn about’. They came up with a really awesome menu that challenged them. The entire process was a whole team effort.”

As part of their preparation, students assigned themselves roles as a team. Vanderveen would take care of the lobster avocado salad appetizer; Gonzales was in charge of the ramen noodle main dish, for which the noodles were made from scratch; Cera and Torres were preparing the steamed cake dessert; and Lopez was the overall team manager. During the Culinary Competition, teams prepare a three-course meal in one-hour using only two butane burners. Nazzaro and fellow Culinary Instructor Yvonne Justice are must be mute observers. Only the team-designated Manager may communicate, to the team and judges. To say the set-up can be imposing would be an understatement. “We only had a 10 X 10 square to do all our cooking in,” says Vanderveen. “We couldn’t use any electric cooking utensils, like a KitchenAid mixer or an oven…we had only two Bunsen burners. There were judges walking around watching us cook in the hour we had, looking out for our technique, safety and sanitation, communication and teamwork.”

For the five student team, extra hurdles made the day all the more challenging. “We got to our food, and to our surprise a few of our things were frozen,” says Lopez. “In that moment, we were all scared and couldn’t believe what was happening. A Chef approached us and asked if our food was frozen, and what we needed. In a few minutes later, they came with our ingredients and we all felt amazing again.”

In addition to frozen ingredients, the team faced another sharp-clawed obstacle in the form of lobsters. “You know, lobsters need to be cooked fresh,” Nazzaro says. “That alone was nerve-wracking for Annie. Then, on the day, our lobsters arrived dead.” Luckily, Nazzaro had a back-up plan. She dashed to Denver’s Pacific Ocean Marketplace, and the day was saved…but albeit with an extra charge of unsettling adrenaline.

All the time working together as a team and the ensuing camaraderie paid off dividends. “Once we started cooking, I made sure to tease my team members like I did at practice”, Lopez says. “Annie killed the lobster like a pro, Juni was rolling his noodles with a speed of a jaguar, and Tammi and Vanessa were killing the dessert with kindness. I knew we were all having the time of our lives and we were having fun with one another.”

One final scare rounded out the day for the tireless team. Lopez’s stopwatch stopped working toward the end of their hour. Thinking they had approximately four minutes left, they found they were down to less than one, resulting in the team going two minutes over the time limit. Ultimately, however, the team’s exemplary communication skills, teamwork, and dishes spoke for themselves. Not only did their performance earn forgiveness for the time, they were awarded third place among the twenty-two competing teams. Additionally, they earned first places in Top Dessert and Top Culinary Skills categories.

From their third-place win, each of the participating students was awarded a total of $12,500 that may be applied in specific amounts to contributing colleges, should they choose to pursue their education there:

  • $500 Johnson and Wales University
  • $4,000 Culinary Institute of Virginia
  • $6,000 New England Culinary Institute
  • $1,000 Culinary Institute of Art
  • $1,000 Louisiana Culinary Institute

“I intend to apply to the colleges and see what the options are for me,” says Lopez. “I want to keep going to school for culinary arts.”

Students may not be able to make use of all the scholarship money. Depending on their next steps and chosen career directions, they may not have the opportunity to apply any of it. But the honor and recognition will doubtless be lasting…experience gained from the competition itself, and most certainly from the program as a whole. “I’ve learned so much,” says Vanderveen. “Not just culinary, but about life. I don’t want to leave [Mrs. Hope’s and Mrs. Yvonne’s] class, but I know that I have to move on. I will never forget that competition or anything that my teachers have taught me.”

St. Vrain Valley Schools hosts International IBMers to learn about advanced technologies and student learning

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On February 22, approximately 20 international visitors from IBM locations in Bulgaria, China, Canada and the U.S. were in Longmont to learn about advanced technologies and virtual reality from the Innovation Center students and staff. As room 260 in the new Innovation Center was buzzing with energy, Innovation Center students help visitors from IBM put in their virtual reality headsets and step into another world. 

“The collaborative relationship between the district and IBM, including the IBM P-Tech program, has great visibility at the IBM Corporate ranks and working with the Innovation Center has given the local IBM Boulder team opportunities to showcase their involvement in our community to their senior management team,” shared Tom Darcy, Director of Advanced Technologies and Innovation. 

During the demonstration, visitors dove into the ‘realm of the feasible’ in developing and employing skills based upon the advanced technologies our students and district are using. “They are working with their senior management team to introduce these tools (e.g. VR) into their own training programs and feel showing them what we’re doing will help them advance their cause,” added Darcy. 

The highlight of the day was the opportunity for St. Vrain Valley students to become the teachers and showcase how they are using virtual reality both in the classroom and to design solutions to real-world problems. 

“This is very synergistic to the other areas of the partnership we have with IBM, while demonstrating yet another area where our students are defining and developing career paths of the future,” shared Darcy.

Elementary Social Studies Curriculum Adoption Public Review

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Elementary Social Studies Curriculum Adoption Public Review 

The elementary social studies curriculum adoption committee is reviewing three programs after starting the process with six programs.  The three programs are from Nystrom, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and McGraw Hill.  The three programs will be available for public review on Monday, February 25 and Tuesday, February 26 from 3:00 pm-5:30 pm at the Learning Services Center in the Colorado Room. 

Teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community members are all welcome to evaluate the materials and provide feedback.

Boulder County Youth Job Fair – March 21

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Teens and young adults ages 16-24 are invited to the Boulder County Youth Job Fair on Thursday, March 21, from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m.at the University of Colorado Events Center (950 Regent Dr., Boulder). Workforce professionals from across Boulder County have teamed up with Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School Districts to unite industry leaders, recruiters, higher education, and schools in the effort to strengthen the talent pipeline and educate job seekers on current and future internship and job opportunities. Parking and other event details can be found at stvra.in/bocojobfair. Be Prepared

  • Have a completed résumé and cover letter; bring resources that showcase your talent and ambition
  • Have your Social Security number
  • Professional dress is advised
     

Resume ‘Critique’ Week

Leading up to the event, students will have the opportunity to engage with business professionals – improving interview skills and polishing résumés. Check with your school’s counselling office about upcoming workshops. 

Upon request, reasonable accommodations will be provided for persons with disabilities. Contact the Human Resources Division, at 303-441-3525 at least 48 hours before event.

Superintendent Update – The Future of America

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Across the district, we have been championing a new motivational motto that is uniting our shared vision for excellence in learning and student advancement: We are taking public education by #StVrainStorm! 

Every day, I observe countless examples of students, teachers, staff, and community partners exemplifying the highest levels of achievement and drive that represent the very best of our public schools. Our graduation rates are at their highest level – over 90 percent at our traditional schools – and St. Vrain was also one of only four districts in Colorado and 373 nationally to be recognized by College Board’s Annual AP District Honor Roll. Enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) courses has increased by 50 percent since 2014 with over 3,000 students enrolled in at least one AP class.

We have students preparing to testify at the state Capitol in support of legislation they helped to write. Robotics students are winning tournament championships in a league of high school teams. Our CyberPatriot team is ranked first in the state and in the top 4.4 percent worldwide. Aeronautics students were the state winners for the Governor’s Real World Design Challenge. In the past few months, our students have received numerous highly-competitive scholarships, military academy and prestigious university acceptance letters, state athletic championships, All-State music invitations, robotics tournament trophies – the list goes on and on. In every classroom in St. Vrain, our students, teachers, and staff are taking academic excellence by #StVrainStorm!

Without the unwavering support of our community, this level of success would not be possible. I want to extend my most sincere appreciation to the teachers, staff, families, business partners, elected officials, and so many other members of our community who have helped to build St. Vrain Valley Schools into a nationally recognized system for excellence in education. Join me in celebrating the many achievements across our schools in this month’s Newsroom publication and the recent release of St. Vrainnovationmagazine. Let’s keep building the #StVrainStorm!

Sincerely,
Don Haddad, Ed.D.
Superintendent
@SVVSDSupt

Graduation Rates Continue to Climb in St. Vrain

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In St. Vrain, driving student excellence and providing opportunities for engagement and rigorous learning is having a large impact on advancing student achievement. St. Vrain’s graduation rates have reached their highest level – with over 90 percent of students in traditional high school programs graduating within four years. Overall graduation rates climbed 3 percent for the 2017-2018 school year, six percent higher than the state average.  When students are giving additional time to complete their credits, the graduation rate climbs even higher.

St. Vrain Valley beat state graduation rates despite having some of the most rigorous graduation requirements in Colorado. To earn a St. Vrain diploma, students need to complete, 24.5 credits, including three years of math, three years of science and four years of English.

The increase in graduation rates can be attributed to the many supports, resources, and opportunities given to students starting as early as preschool. Rigorous coursework, design thinking curriculum, AP and concurrent enrollment opportunities, increased attendance rates, technology integration, arts and music classes, athletics, co-curricular engagement, focus academies, and so many more programs are all advancing student achievement and success.

Celebrate Chinese New Year at Silver Creek High School, February 16

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Silver Creek High School will host the annual Chinese New Year celebration on February 16, 2019 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. This Zero Waste event is free and open to the public and will include cultural performances, hands-on activity booths, and Chinese food samplings. New this year, the Innovation Center will provide a virtual reality experience so guests can engage with past, current, and future China. 

To learn more about the event visit apalconnect.org >>

All Means All

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It benefits all students when they have opportunities to learn, grow, and interact with each other,” says Stephanie Erbland, Special Education Teacher at Niwot Elementary, home to one of the district’s center-based autism programs. Since she began teaching at Niwot Elementary, Erbland’s goal has been to increase integration between the students enrolled in the center-based autism program and those in the general education courses. Through her vision and leadership, her students have increasingly engaged within the larger school community during lunch time, art, music, PE, and school assemblies.

At the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, the school enacted the Peer Buddy program for all students in the autism based-center program. Through the program, students enrolled in general education classes join Erbland’s class for a portion of the learning day. It was Erbland’s third grade son, Jackson, who encouraged her to start the program because he had shown a strong interest in engaging with her students.

The students collaborate to improve communication skills and work on design challenges in the school’s Discovery Lab, covering a range of topics related to 21st-century skills including airplane simulators, robotics, and design structures. Erbland shares that her students love interacting with the general education students saying, “When they are going to specials or when their Peer Buddies come in the classroom, their faces brighten. They are more engaged with whatever it is we are doing. It is more fun to be doing the activity alongside another friend and learning something together.”

The participation interest of the general education students has been overwhelming with over 45 students currently serving as a Peer Buddy. Erbland says that through the program, students have become more empathetic and compassionate. The Peer Buddies seek to include Erbland’s students in more activities and want to learn more about special needs and autism. When the school participated in putting their handprints on the Mwebaza shipping container classroom, students scanned the containers to make sure the hands of their friends in the special needs program were also present. Third grade Peer Buddy, Giuliana Batmazian says the program is important “because they can learn just like us and every day they improve something new and it makes me proud.”

Across St. Vrain Valley Schools, we are providing opportunities for all students to have an authentic school experience supported by our strong communities. High school athletics is one of the most impactful aspects of a student’s high school journey. St. Vrain has expanded sport offerings to include the Unified Sports League, a program where student athletes with special needs are partnered with general education students who coach and encourage them through their chosen sport of football, basketball, and/or soccer.

The Unified Sports programming has also bridged the gap between students enrolled in special needs courses and those in traditional courses. Michelle and Eric Peterson, two engineers – chemical and mechanical respectively – have lived in the Mead community since 2008 and have witnessed this inclusive culture firsthand with their son, Noah.

When Noah was in eighth grade, the Peterson’s were worried about his transition to high school and Mead High teacher, Amber Vanzant, recommended that he participate in Unified Sports. This decision not only made Noah’s transition to high school more successful, it dramatically changed his life. Michelle shares, “The first time he stood on the basketball court, he stood there and watched the clock;” Now three years into the program, “he watches the clock because he wants to score.” Noah’s athletic, academic, and social abilities have soared and his parent’s attribute this to the community that has been cultivated through Unified Sports at Mead High. His talent for basketball has transformed him into a public figure within the community, where the Peterson’s are constantly being stopped when they are out and about together.

The Peterson’s reflect on the positive environment that Unified Sports has created saying, “the Unified Athletes cheer for both sides.” When Noah sees an opponent score a touchdown in football, he is just as happy for his opponent as he is for himself. Whether it’s on the field or the court, the stadiums are filled with community support of all different backgrounds, with the school band and cheerleaders setting the tone for the crowd.

Noah’s partner in Unified Sports, Skyler Sheffer, has equally grown through the program. According to Skyler, “Unified Sports has given me a chance to help other people and make more friends. I am now not quick to judge because people might have a hard time doing something that they do not want to tell other people about. It has given me the confidence to be more of a leader and makes me more aware of my surroundings and how I act around people.” The Unified Sports program has been so successful in creating positive school culture that middle schools across the district are adopting their own programs and a Unified music program is currently being developed.

“Across St. Vrain Valley Schools, we prioritize the success of all students,” shares Laura Hess, Executive Director of Special Education. “I am so proud to work alongside our students, parents, principals, teachers, paraprofessionals, and other staff who champion programs that are giving students with special needs opportunities to further engage with their school communities.” Through collaboration, we are shaping experiences and deepening our understanding of each other. In the wise words of third grader, Giuliana, “I can help people learn that everybody’s different and that’s okay.”

Birth to Graduation

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Walking into Alyssa Rehder’s classroom at Grand View Elementary, you cannot help but smile as you are greeted by a flood of song as she captures the attention of a room full of active preschoolers. “I did not know that being a preschool teacher also meant being a pop star,” joked Rehder as she talked about her use of singing throughout the day to engage students in language and their learning.

From the moment a child is born through the time they enter kindergarten – and far beyond – exposure to words and numbers is foundational to brain development and school success. For Rehder and her teaching partner, Joan Scheuerman, their approach to teaching not only focuses on language through song but also on developing authentic experiences that bridge play with literacy development.

“We are encouraged to be emergent with our students and that is not always the norm across early childhood programs,” shared Scheuerman. “We create experiences that are advancing their learning, joy, wonder, and questioning.” Emergent teaching aligns curriculum and coursework to students’ rising interests and their developing skills. “It is all around their play,” added Scheuerman. “We say kids learn through play but in reality, they need to play in order to learn. They do not do that when they are just sitting and listening to a teacher talk.”

In St. Vrain, engaging students in authentic experiences takes many different forms. For our community’s youngest learners – birth to preschool – a program started last year is accelerating their exposure to language and words while also building stronger connections between parent and child.

Last year, in partnership with the OUR Center and the LENA Research Foundation, St. Vrain launched a LENA Start program in Longmont. LENA Start offers a series of classes for parents to understand the importance of literacy and provides support to increase language development skills. Once a week, children in the program wear a special vest that records a full day of their language environment, including words heard from those around them and words spoken. The recording is then processed through LENA’s technology platform, and parents receive data highlighting verbal interactions and skills that could be improved.

“It is well understood that the highest return on investment is in the earliest years,” shared Steve Hannon, President of the LENA Research Foundation. “Interactive talk (serve and return conversation) in the earliest years is super important, affecting brain structure, brain function, and long-term outcomes. LENA Start focuses on the essential skill of interactive talk so that gaps in language and vocabulary skill do not form in the first place. This way, more children enter kindergarten ready to learn.”

Recognizing the critical role of high-quality early childhood programs, St. Vrain Valley Schools has invested in 0-3 learning initiatives, implemented preschool programs across every community in the district, and launched full-day kindergarten options at every elementary school.

At Rocky Mountain Elementary, investments in rigorous and engaging STEM-focused preschool curriculum has had a significant impact on student outcomes and success, where a focus on language is even more critical. With approximately 63 percent of the student population identified as English Language Learners, language development and literacy is foundational to work across every content area and STEM lesson.

“We look for opportunities to get students to think and be problem solvers,” said Jenny Rojas, STEM Coordinator at Rocky Mountain Elementary. “We are unique at Rocky Mountain because we have a blended library space that merges a traditional library and computer lab to create a more collaborative learning environment.”

Known as the iRock Lab, this space uses technology enrichment to deepen and extend literacy and curriculum that takes place in the classroom environment. Alongside their math skills and language development, preschool students are utilizing robotics, design thinking processes, and coding. Most importantly, they are learning to understand problem-based thinking and develop solutions to complex problems.

Rojas shared, “When they have rich early childhood experiences, you can really see that when they enter fifth grade. They bring all of that to the table, and it makes a difference in what kids are able to do and how they perceive school.”

From Ms. Rehder’s and Ms. Scheuerman’s classrooms at Grand View Elementary, to the iRock Lab at Rocky Mountain, to every preschool classroom in the district, St. Vrain Valley Schools is providing a strong foundation that will support and strengthen students throughout their academic career.

“We have the responsibility of being these students’ first interaction with a school,” said Scheuerman at Grand View. “We set the tone of the curiosity and the joy of coming to this building every day, ready to learn.”

Superintendent Update – Outstanding Achievements

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It has already been an outstanding year of growth and success across St. Vrain Valley Schools. Day after day, we hear of numerous student achievements, teacher accolades, industry partnerships, grant awards, and so many more recognitions that are building significant momentum behind our world-class education system. This year, St. Vrain Valley Schools continues to see significant advancements in academic achievement. Specifically: four-year graduation rates have continued to increase with among the highest requirements in the state; test scores, achievement, and participation with the SAT, ACT, CMAS, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate continues to rise; numerous students are earning many highly-competitive and prestigious scholarships, all of which has garnered statewide and national acclaim for St. Vrain Valley Schools and our entire community.

In addition to our academic advancements, our students are deeply engaged in learning and thriving in their school communities as demonstrated by numerous prestigious music, athletics, and arts achievements. Some highlights from this past week include:

St. Vrain is highly sought-after to host industry-leading events, and we were recently honored to sit among the state’s top technology companies and thought-leaders as a finalist for the Colorado Technology Association’s APEX Award for Project of the Year. It is through hard work and our unwavering commitment to serving our community that we are advancing public education and the future of our children.

This time of year causes us to pause and recognize the people around us who have had an impact on our lives and our community. I am incredibly thankful for our families, students, teachers, staff, business partners, elected officials, and so many others who have championed the success of our public schools. Thank you for all that you do to support our students and to strengthen our community.

Sincerely,
Don Haddad, Ed.D.
Superintendent, St. Vrain Valley Schools
@SVVSDSupt

St. Vrain Valley Schools