The Student Spotlight segment of each Board meeting celebrates a student or a group of students who are living out the Portrait of an LPS Graduate, which highlights the life skills each LPS graduate should have. Tomorrow’s workers will succeed by constantly adapting to the changing world around them, and today’s students must begin by learning and developing life skills - where every student should be well-adjusted, thriving, and balanced.

Additionally, students will develop skills in:

• Communication
• Global/Cultural Awareness
• Character
• Critical Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Adaptability
• Creativity
• Risk-Taking
• Resiliency
• Collaboration
• Self Advocacy
• All surrounding Rigorous and Relevant Academic Skills

LPS strives to implement opportunities to grow these skills at every level of education and recognize students of all ages. At their regularly scheduled meeting on December 14, 2023, the Board recognized a group of fifth graders from Ford Elementary School, a senior from Heritage High School, and the Latinos in Action leadership class from Littleton High School.

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Ford Elementary School

Miguel Arellano, Atticus Reese-Sherman, Mia Mascarelli, George Rumsa, Lottie Nidel, Vivian Lee, Gemma Beatty, Gus Van Dusseldorp, Gracie Casey, and Hadley Lyons make up the Ford Ambassador Announcement Team. This team of bright minds undertakes a crucial responsibility each morning, ensuring the entire student body is well-informed and engaged.

These dedicated students utilize the Portrait of a Graduate traits of Collaboration and Communication to effectively deliver essential school information. Every morning, they deliver a warm welcome, lunch choices, details about after-school clubs, an intriguing fun fact for the day, and any other pertinent messages.

A special shout-out goes to Miguel for announcing lunch choices in Spanish and George for relaying them in Lithuanian after the English announcement. Their dedication to inclusivity and ensuring that all students feel welcomed and informed is truly remarkable and exemplifies the Portrait of a Graduate trait of Global/Cultural Awareness.

Thanks to the efforts of these remarkable students, our school begins each day with a sense of community, inclusivity, and excitement for learning. This team sets a fantastic example for their peers.

Heritage High School

Teaghan Ferguson is currently enrolled in the Health Sciences Pathway at EPIC Campus. She’s also taking four AP classes this semester, and she plays the cello in Heritage’s chamber orchestra. She is the vice president for the Technology Student Association, a member of National Honor Society, and a leader in LPS’s SPEAK group. SPEAK stands for Students Promoting Emotional Awareness and Kindness.

If that is not enough for one student to handle, Teaghan does even more in her free time. In November, Teaghan gave a TEDx Talk at the TEDx Cherry Creek Women conference. Her talk, Youth Mental Health: Breaking Generational Barriers, discusses generational barriers negatively impacting the suicide rates among youth. She talks about her own research paper from last year in AP Research and scenarios of both legislation and curriculum barriers. Her goal is to empower others to create open discussions, to promote generational learning, and encourage youth to advocate for themselves and their peers.

Teaghan is a shining example of the Portrait of a Graduate traits of Communication, Global/Cultural Awareness, Character, Risk-Taking, and Self-Advocacy.

Littleton High School

A new leadership class at Littleton High School, Latinos in Action’s main goal is to empower Latino youth to lead and strengthen their communities through college and career readiness. Students explore and enhance their Portrait of a Graduate traits of Global and Cultural Awareness through social, professional, and service projects. Each project helps students broaden their thinking and make connections from their own culture to understand other perspectives.

These students have also been focusing on their Communication and Collaboration traits as they tutor second through fourth graders at Field Elementary and organize community events. Through community involvement, they have also strengthened their Character trait as they recognize their value and understand their unique selves.

Each student has also been a Risk Taker and collaborated with others outside the classroom. They have grown so much over the semester, participating in activities they wouldn’t normally be involved in, as well as developing a better understanding of their community. Their Creativity is showcased by expressing identity through their culture. 

Students in this class include Axel Alvarenga, Micah Avila, Jocelyn Caldera Martinez, Joey Cassidy-Creese, Juan Dueñas, Dariela Escalante, Iliana Escobar, Viviana Flores, Ashley Gonzales, Juan Lopez, J.C. Murillo, Xavier Nuñez, Ella Rivera, Jasmin Robles, Allison Ruelas, Brandon Sanchez, Miguel Schlote, Joshua Serrano, Carmen Tapia-Mendez, Eduardo Treviso, and Melanie Valdez.