Beacon of Innovation: Innovation Center InvenTeam Sets a Shining Example

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It’s the process, not the product. This piece of educational wisdom, especially popular in early childhood, can serve us well throughout many aspects of life. Then again, sometimes process and product become so intertwined they attain a rare gleam wherein neither is completely distinguishable from the other. So it might be said of the incredible journey undertaken, and the product created, by a team of 12 Innovation Center students from Erie and Skyline high schools, 2017-2018 recipients of a prestigious $10,000 grant from the Lemelson-MIT program to transform their idea of an affordable, portable emergency beacon system into reality.

Heading into its 16th year, the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative inspires youth to invent technological solutions to real-world problems of their choosing. InvenTeams are comprised of students, teachers and community mentors in invention projects that span at least a year, engaging students in creative thinking, problem-solving, and countless hands-on learning experiences. To be involved is an invaluable opportunity, one which requires energetic, unwavering commitment beginning with the initial application alone.

In order to be in the running for an InvenTeam grant, applicants must begin the process one and a half years before a potential grant would actually be received. Innovation Center Program Director John Steckel applied in the fall of 2016, taking a somewhat less conventional route. “Lots of schools approach the process with a project and team already in mind,” Steckel says. “I applied based on the strength of our senior design project teams and our unique structure as a center. I didn’t have a specific invention, but put forward our process, the way we work, and a couple of possible ideas based on brief meetings with students.” Steckel’s application proved compelling, and it became one of 35 granted the opportunity to apply for the second, formal phase of the grant. He was also awarded a trip to Boston in the summer of 2017, invited to watch the previous year’s winning teams present their projects at EurekaFest™, a festival brimming with successful and influential entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and industry experts.

Following EurekaFest™, Steckel returned and began recruiting students for an InvenTeam project team, and teachers to oversee them. “From there, everything became student-driven,” Steckel says. “I didn’t write the grant; our students did.”

Ultimately, 12 students comprised the team: Tanner David, Lindsey Deaver, Kathryn Huonder, Nathan Hutson, Derek Meadows, Anders Nybo Tempel, Hogan Warlock, Patrick Cummings, Benjamin Dashiell, Morgan Stoner, Ethan Wright, and Sinjin Gudenkauf. Teacher leaders were Scott Duckworth from Skyline High School and Kelsey Rasmussen from Erie High School.

“Initially I was nervous about the team’s size,” Steckel acknowledges. “Generally, teams are made of five to eight students. Large teams, maybe eight to ten. I was a little concerned at first about such a large group managing in a way that they could communicate effectively and all play a valuable role. But I am incredibly proud of how they managed themselves. They really grew together as a team. Everyone played an important role.”

The team brainstormed several design ideas, honing in on a beacon system incorporating drone technology to serve community out of range or suffering interrupted cellphone service in events such as natural disasters. They worked with a range of community mentors, strategically exploring ways of making the technology as lightweight, long-lasting, and affordable as possible.

Team members naturally gravitated to different roles, including communications, engineering, and budget leads, and an overall-project manager. Each participant embraced the process with dedication, eyeing the goal of supporting community foremost. “The project was a proving ground for our entire group,” says Erie High School senior Tanner David. “Our group had to collaborate with multiple businesses and agencies across the state. Overall, it gave me a valid insight to the engineering world.”

In October of 2017, the team received the news that they were among the 15 selected across the nation to receive the grant with some initial bewilderment alongside excitement. Then they really got down to work. “It was a super long year, but it was good–easily a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Erie High School Senior Patrick Cummings. “Trying to figure out the engineering, the project was nothing I would have experienced anywhere else. It was super crazy, and I feel super fortunate I was able to be on this team.”

Throughout the year, the team diligently worked on developing their invention and troubleshooting by partnering with community resources. Last spring, they met with the Boulder County Rescue Team, who arranged a simulation of a real life scenario which would utilize the project. This and many other experiences, led to modifications, improvements, and lasting connections that would greatly impact all who were involved. “This experience really set a foundation for what I want to do with my life,” Cummings says. “I know now I want to do something with engineering, build something that will help change people’s lives, and work with a team.” Cummings adds that he is starting to apply for colleges, focusing on those with specialized engineering programs.

Traveling to EurekaFest™ meant lots of mingling, networking, learning, socializing, a special presentation ceremony…even bubbles and puppies. The festival may have been the pinnacle of the InvenTeam journey, but it was certainly wasn’t the end. While the majority of team members have now graduated, Cummings and a few other seniors are working on fine-tuning the technology and examining the business side of things further this year, ideally seeing it become implemented in the community. “Even though we don’t have the grant money this year, we have what we spent the money on, which is our actual working project,” Cummings says. “Plus we have connections we made– with local search and rescue crews, Boulder County S.W.A.T., Boulder County police. We can really hit the ground running.”

Alumni Spotlight: Longmont High

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Alumni Spotlight: Zachary Sunberg
Longmont High School, Class of 2007

What about high school serves as best preparation for your evolving journey called life? As 2007 Longmont High School graduate Zachary Sunberg can attest: everything. The important thing to remember is, accept and embrace the lessons of each and every experience and opportunity. You may not know how they’ll ultimately serve you, but chances are they will come in handy, provided you let them.

Following graduation from LHS, Sunberg continued his studies at Texas A&M to study. Six years (and 39 Fightin’ Texas Aggie football games) later, he came out with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering. Sunberg impressed his mentors and colleagues with his aptitude for aerospace technology, focusing his master’s thesis on a control system for a helicopter in autorotation, an emergency maneuver a helicopter can perform to safely land in the event of losing power. ”I think I was taught many of the basics that I would need in my future courses very well at Longmont High,” Sunberg says. “In particular, my Calculus skills were very strong, and my understanding of physics and chemistry from the courses I took in high school helped me at the beginning of college.”

In an interim year between his senior year of college and first year of graduate school, one of Sunberg’s professors, Suman Chakravorty, invited Sunberg to accompany him in research on satellite tracking at the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). Sunberg accepted the opportunity with relish. “The research that I did at the AFRL allowed me to get a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation, a 3-year scholarship that can be used at any university,” Sunberg says. “This funding allowed me to come to Stanford, where I have done research in artificial intelligence for controlling unmanned aerial vehicles and self-driving cars.” Glimpses of Sunberg’s fascinating work can be viewed at his website, zachary.sunberg.net. Now that he has completed his Ph.D., he is moving on as a post-doctoral scholar at the University of California at Berkeley, hoping long term to earn a professorship.

How did Sunberg’s high school preparation shape his path? In countless ways, thanks to a combination of fine mentors, supportive peers, and a positive, determined outlook. “My very first experience at LHS was band camp before freshman year,” Sunberg says. “I was really nervous because I went to a private school until 8th grade and didn’t know any of these kids, but they immediately welcomed me. I think our class at LHS was particularly good at that.”

As much as Sunberg found a welcome home among his classmates, he welcomed and made the most of the academic challenges he was presented with. “I remember the first real academic challenge for me was the ‘document-based questions’ that were part of the Advanced Placement U.S. History class,” he says. “At first I thought the challenge of writing a well-thought-out essay in the short time limit was impossible, but by the end of the year our teacher, Mr. Franz, had made us quite capable of it.”

Sunberg’s path to where he is today wasn’t exactly straight and narrow, and that’s a good thing. Looking back, he reflects on the gains made as part of the detours. “When I was in high school, one of my goals was to attend the Air Force Academy,” Sunberg says. In striving for that goal, he was rewarded with an appointment, but decided to become an engineer instead. Reflecting upon the former goal, Sunberg particularly appreciates certain byproducts of the pursuit. “One of the requirements was to pass a physical fitness test,” Sunberg says. “In my first attempt, I was well below the standards for the academy, but with the help of one of the coaches at Longmont High and some of my friends I was able to fix this. So, I think the ability to get up and keep trying even after failing the first time was a skill that I developed in Longmont.”

In making the most of his education, Sunberg learned to glean pieces of wisdom from every lesson and interaction, from the positive to the not-so-pleasant, and everything in between. Though more than a decade has passed since graduating high school, certain guiding moments continue to stand out. “My chemistry teacher, Dr. Martyr, talked about how it’s sometimes necessary to make decisions even without being absolutely sure you are making the right one, and it’s impractical to keep all options open forever,” Sunberg says. “An English teacher, Mr. Elms, stayed after school one day with me and talked through my decision about whether to go to the Air Force Academy. My calculus teacher, Mr. Zander once called me out for some inappropriate remarks I had made in frustration and didn’t write me a recommendation letter because of it; this made me think more carefully about what I said.”

What advice does Sunberg have for those shooting for making the most of their high school experience? “Don’t make your goal to do well on tests,” he says. “Make your goal to understand the material in the course. Instead of a way for you to prove your skills to others, tests are a tool for you to gauge whether you have mastered the material.”

Northridge Elementary Wins Prestigious Succeeds Prize for Excellence in STEM Education

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After a year of applications, interviews and anticipation, teachers and leaders supporting student engagement and growth at Northridge Elementary School walked across a stage at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Tuesday to receive a prestigious Succeeds Prize for Excellence in STEM Education. As over 1,400 applauded their achievements, the focus was still on the strength and achievement of ALL students.

A collaborative effort between Colorado Succeeds, 9NEWS, and mindSpark Learning, The Succeeds Prize is the most prestigious awards and recognition event for Colorado’s public schools and educators. It is a live, one-of-a-kind awards ceremony, followed by a year-long effort to strengthen our state’s public schools through professional development and training for educators aimed at scaling successful innovations and practices across Colorado.

Northridge was recognized as a center for excellence in STEM for the work we have been doing to close the achievement gap and the many opportunities we are providing our students to engage deeper into STEM and their learning, such as genius hour, technology integration and connections to business and community partners.

“Colorado Succeeds is really committed to helping students and public education prepare kids for the future,” said Lorynda Sampson, Principal at Northridge Elementary. “This award is to support the work we’ve been doing to help all students and staff use design thinking to solve real world problems while also creating authentic learning opportunities for students. Northridge has been working on these goals since the district won the Race to the Top grant in 2012.”

The school will receive $15,000 in award money, but the greater reward comes from the students, teachers and staff receiving recognition for all of their hard work and drive to accelerate their learning.

Watch Northridge win the big award (1:11:00 mark) >>

St. Vrain Valley Schools Credit Ratings Raised To ‘AA+’ On Robust Financial Profile, Tax Base Growth

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S&P Global Ratings, the renowned business and financial information corporation, recently raised St. Vrain Valley Schools’ long-term rating and underlying rating to ‘AA+’ from ‘AA’ on existing general obligation (GO) bonds. In addition, S&P Global Ratings assigned its ‘AA+’ long-term rating and underlying rating to the district’s series 2018 GO bonds (estimated $60 million par amount).

In their analysis of St. Vrain’s financial health, S&P recognized the district’s:

  • Large and diverse economic base, coupled with strong to very strong income indicators and access to the broad and diverse Denver and Boulder metropolitan statistical areas;
  • Maintenance of very strong available fund balances, along with positive general fund results in consecutive audited fiscal years;
  • Additional revenue flexibility through fixed mill levy overrides, which helps the district lower its reliance on state funding;
  • Continued trend of enrollment increases in a growing community;
  • Strong financial management policies and procedures; and
  • Low overall debt as a percentage of district market value.

“We have benefited from tremendous community support and one of our highest priorities is to ensure the continued fiscal health of the district,” said Greg Fieth, Chief Financial Officer of St. Vrain Valley Schools. “We have one of the strongest financial positions of any district in Colorado and through careful planning and strategic investments into our schools and programs, we have been able to continually elevate the quality of our schools and their greater impact on our community.”

In addition to the increased credit rating from S&P Global, the Financial Services Department of St. Vrain Valley Schools has been recognized since 2004 with the “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting” by the Government Finance Officers Association and the “Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting” from the Association of School Business Officials.

Download the full statement from S&P Global and the full credit report.

State of St. Vrain – Fall Community Forums

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St. Vrain Valley Schools is one of the fastest growing and most innovative school districts in the nation. This is a result of strong leadership and a commitment to strengthening infrastructure, technology, high-quality instruction and overall student achievement. 

This success is also built upon interconnected partnerships with our teachers, staff, students, parents, business and corporate partners, and elected officials. As St. Vrain launches the start of the 2018-2019 school year, our Superintendent, Don Haddad, Ed.D., will host a series of community discussions beginning in September. These meetings will focus on student achievement, infrastructure and growth, financial accomplishments, and local and national trends in education. 

All community members are welcome to attend any or all of the following meetings scheduled across our school district. Join St. Vrain Valley Schools in celebrating its successes and exploring the possibilities that lie ahead.  

  • September 10 at Niwot High School*
  • September 11 at Skyline High School
  • September 17 at Frederick High School
  • September 24 at Mead High School
  • September 27 at Longmont High School
  • October 2 at Lyons Middle/Senior High School*
  • October 4 at Silver Creek High School
  • October 8 at Erie High School

 All events will run from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. and onsite childcare will be available for children ages 4-12 with registration. Register for childcare at http://stvra.in/fallforums. 

*The meetings at Niwot High School and Lyons Middle/Senior High School will include time for continuing June’s community conversations regarding the school safety resource proposal from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.

Harvard Brings Professional Development to Teachers in St. Vrain

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This summer 34 St. Vrain elementary through high school math teachers attended a four day Mathematical Quality of Instruction Training. (MQI)

Developed by Harvard University Center for Education Policy Research, the MQI is a Common Core-aligned observational rubric that provides a framework for analyzing mathematics instruction.

“The MQI helps us determine if the teacher or the student is doing the work and if it is good work to be doing,” said Professional Development Coordinator, David Baker.

MQI Coaching requires teachers to work together to analyze how they can improve the quality of instruction.

The coaching cycle begins with a teacher filming their mathematical lesson and sharing it with their coach. The teacher also identifies a goal or target based upon their instruction. This provides their coach with an area of focus for feedback and video reflection.

Coaches then identify two short clips from the teacher’s lesson and select a video from the MQI video library.

“Having one or two specific things to focus on is always helpful,” said fifth grade teacher Kelly Addington.

The teacher will watch all three videos and analyze them using the MQI Rubric.

The MQI rubric outlines qualities that determine if a lesson’s quality of instruction is not present, low, mid, or high.

“When I am planning a lesson the rubrics help guide me in giving students the most opportunity to make connections,” Addington said.

Using an Describe, Elevate, Next Steps protocol, teacher and coach come together to talk about goals and develop a plan for improvement. This process of describing the learning in terms of the goal, followed by exploring possible ways to elevate instruction and learning around the goal and defining next steps drives the coaching cycle. The MQI Coaching allows math teams at all levels to work together to improve their quality of instruction.

“Research has shown that if we get both students and teachers in the high MQI category the most long term success occurs,” Baker said.

The ultimate goal of the program is to give students more of a voice in the classroom. It encourages teachers to push their students to make connections and learn how to communicate them.

“Teachers always want to get better, and this program will improve the way our students understand math,” Addington said.

St. Vrain Implements New Bus Identification System

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This year as students prepare to ride our school buses, they will notice new animals have joined our transportation fleet. In addition to a number, each bus route will also be identified by a unique animal and color combination to enhance rider safety and help our students easily identify their bus route.

“The purpose behind the project was to improve and increase the ease with which our riders, especially the younger ones, identify their bus,” said Director of Transportation, Lance Yoxsimer.

Students will build a strong connection to their bus route by knowing they are part of the blue bumblebees or green dolphin rider group.

Each bus will have a magnet next to the door displaying its route animal and color. Students will also receive a matching sticker from the bus driver to be placed on their Zpass card.

These stickers will not only help riders identify their bus but they will also provide visual confirmation for both school and transportation staff that a student is getting onto the correct bus.

“We are always looking for opportunities to help our students succeed in their busing experience,” said Yoxsimer.

Zpasses are the cards riders use to scan on and off of the bus each ride. There is also a great opportunity for parents to monitor transportation through the Zpass Plus app.

The app will send parents a text message each time their rider scans on and off the bus.

“The app is an amazing way to stay connected with your kids,” said Yoxsimer.

For more information please call the transportation dispatch office at: 303-702-7530

Sign up today for Zpass Plus.

‘Cougars Creating Classrooms’ to expand opportunities for African students

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On July 27-28, students from Niwot High kicked off the fabrication phase of ‘Cougars Creating Classrooms,’ a building project spearheaded by the Mwebaza Foundation to transform used shipping containers into instructional space for the Mwebaza Infant Primary School in Kyengera, Uganda. 

Over the two days, representatives from the football, girls tennis, golf, cross country, and track teams, as well as the IB program, Robotics Club, and Boy Scout Troop 161, unpacked materials for the project and then painted the exterior of the containers, which will eventually help ease overcrowding in the four-room school that serves nearly 200 students in an impoverished area on the outskirts of Kampala, the Ugandan capital. 

“The kids at the Mwebaza school are the poorest of the poor in their community,” Niwot Elementary teacher and foundation president Dale Peterson explained. “A lot of the students get to age 10 and drop out, because there’s not a school in the area that’s affordable for them. The Mwebaza school really wants to hold onto these kids, but there isn’t enough room in the classroom.”

Read the full story in the Left Hand Valley Courier >>

Summer Learning Encompasses Cybersecurity and Machine Learning Camps

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33 middle and high school students are participating in week-long camps on cybersecurity and machine learning at Trail Ridge Middle School.

These camps are co-sponsored by St. Vrain Valley Schools, the University of Colorado Boulder and Northrop Grumman.

The three camps include:

  • Fundamentals of cybersecurity
  • Advanced cybersecurity
  • Principles of machine learning

“Part of why we do camps like this is to generate interest in these professions,” said Program Director, Axel Reitzig.

By 2021 there are expected to be 1.8 million job openings in this field.

“Not only have these camps taught me practical skills for a career in cybersecurity, but they also introduced me to the vast number of potential career and educational paths in STEM,” said recent SVVSD graduate and camp attendee, Michelle Tran.

Students in these camps get to partake in a field trip to CU Boulder that provides them with hands on experience.

The cybersecurity classes will participate in Cyberpatriots, a national cybersecurity program and competition.

The competition season begins in September and students participate in events during November and December. There is a state competition event held in January and if students excel there they have the opportunity of competing at the national level.

Camp Instructors include Dr. Dan Massey, formerly of the Department of Homeland Security and now director of cybersecurity programming at CU Boulder, graduate students from the applied math program at CU Boulder and Connor Hansen, a recent SVVSD graduate who will be studying computer science at the University of Colorado.

“The best part of having knowledgeable and experienced instructors is they are able to delve deep into their topic of expertise, making the lessons all the more interesting,” Tran said.

Hansen is teaching the fundamentals class and also wrote an intro to cybersecurity course that teachers are using next year in the district.

Mead Elementary Supports Summer Reading

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Mead Elementary started The Summer Fun Reading Program this year that opens up their school library to the community from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. every Tuesday.

Recognizing the Town of Mead does not have a public library, Jennifer Stanich, a kindergarten teacher at Mead Elementary, developed the idea to open up their school library during the summer after attending a similar program at Fall River Elementary with her children.

“This initiative is a great opportunity to get books in the hands of children,” said Betsy Ball, Mead Elementary Principal.

The Summer Fun Reading Program is open to all Mead Elementary students regardless of their reading level. Before the start of summer, teachers specifically invite struggling readers to participate and the teachers create book bags with individualized materials to help students learn and grow. Mead Elementary teachers volunteer their time each week to run the program over the summer.

“Our teachers volunteer their time out of the goodness of their hearts because that’s what we do at Mead Elementary,” said Ball.

The Summer Fun Reading Program encourages students to read at home with their families. A reading log is provided to give students an opportunity to track their reading progress and earn prizes as they complete their weekly reading.

“A big success of this program has been increasing community engagement. Community members of all ages have participated in The Summer Fun Reading Program. Adults and students alike are mesmerized by the books during our Tuesday evening read alouds,” Ball said.

This initiative has made great strides for Mead readers in its first year and the Mead Elementary team is always looking to do more. The school’s next goal is to implement new books at a community clubhouse, so that students have greater access to reading outside of school.

St. Vrain Valley Schools