LPS CTSO Students Excel at State COnferences

Dedicated to postsecondary workforce readiness, Littleton Public Schools has a robust Career and Technical Education (CTE) program that supports a variety of nationally recognized Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs). These organizations give students an opportunity to explore real-world career paths while building leadership skills in a competitive environment. In recent weeks, LPS students attended, and excelled, at a variety of state and international conferences dedicated to career and technical education.

ACE – The ACE Student Leadership Conference, (SC) 2 included competitive events, keynote speakers and workshops for attendees at the Community College of Aurora. The (SC) 2 conference provides professional development and recognition opportunities for your students. Students in ACE programs from all over the state participate.

  • Arapahoe High School had nine students participate in this year’s (SC) 2  conference. Students earned:
    • Employee of The Day Award (top award at the conference) 
    • Customer Service: Gold Medal (1st Place) and Bronze Metal (3rd Place)
    • Personal Finance: Gold Metal (1st Place)
    • Students also earned numerous gold and silver certificates, indicating that they received an A or B on their rubric
  • Littleton High School had four students participate and each of them earned Gold certificates for their resumes and interviews. One student received a gold medal for her resume.
  • Options High School had nine students participate. Students earned:
    • Employee of The Day Votes
    • Career Presentation Gold Medal (1st Place)
    • Personal Finance: two students received a Gold Metal (1st Place)
    • Students also earned gold, silver and bronze certificates

DECA – Students from Arapahoe High School and Littleton High School attended the DECA State Leadership Conference February 25-27 held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO. Nearly 3,500 Marketing students from throughout Colorado competed in a variety of events.

  • Arapahoe High School had 58 students participate. Students received two 1st place awards, three 2nd place awards and two 4th place awards. Additionally, eight students – or teams of students – placed in the top 10 in the state for their event.
  • Littleton High School had 71 students participate at the conference. Students received four 1st place awards, one 2nd place award, one 3rd place award, one 5th place award and one 6th place award. Twenty students – or teams of students – placed in the top ten or twelve in the state in their event.

About 15 students from both Arapahoe and Littleton also participated in the International Career Development Conference in April held in Atlanta.

FBLA – Students from Arapahoe High School, Heritage High School and Littleton High School competed at the state FBLA conference April 18-20 in Vail, CO. Nearly 3,500 students from throughout Colorado attended the conference. National qualifiers will attend the national FBLA Conference this summer in Baltimore, MD.

  • Arapahoe High School had 74 students compete at the state leadership conference. Twenty-nine were finalists and 16 qualified for the 2018 FBLA National Competition. Additionally, Arapahoe had three 1st place teams and also won the award for having the largest chapter in the state.
  • Heritage High School had 18 students compete at the state conference. Three students were finalists in their events and two students qualified for the national conference.
  • Littleton High School had 31 students compete at the state conference. Nineteen students were finalists – including two 2nd places, one 3rd place and two 4th place finishes. Twelve students qualified for the national conference.

FCCLA – Littleton students from the Littleton Fashion Design and Teacher Cadet programs participated at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) State Leadership Conference April 5-7 at the Denver Tech Marriott.

  • The Littleton Fashion Design program had four students participate in the Fashion Stylist event at this year’s conference. All four students earned silver.
  • The Littleton Teacher Cadet program had five students participate. Three students received a silver medal in a Focus on Children event and two students received a bronze medal in an Advocacy event.

HOSA – Sixty-three students from the Littleton Health Sciences program attended the HOSA State Conference at the Denver Renaissance Hotel in late February. Nearly 850 students from throughout the state competed at this year’s conference. In total, Littleton Health Sciences students received 67 top ten awards, including nine students – or teams of students – who received 1st place in their event.

TSA – Students from Euclid Middle School, Powell Middle School, Arapahoe High School, Heritage High School and Littleton High School competed at the Technology Student Association State Conference February 22-24 at the Denver Tech Marriott. Nearly 1,650 middle and high school students from throughout Colorado attended this year’s conference.

  • Euclid Middle School had 60 students compete at the conference. Students – either individually or as a team – earned six 1st place awards, six 2nd place awards and four 3rd place awards.
  • Powell Middle School had 15 students participate. Students – either individually or as a team – earned one 1st place award, one 2nd place award and one 3rd place award.
  • Arapahoe High School had 17 students participate. Students – either individually or as a team – earned two 1st place awards and one 2nd place award.
  • Heritage High School had 33 students participate. Students – either individually or as a team – earned one 1st place award, two 2nd place awards and four 3rd place awards.
  • Littleton High School had 42 students participate. Students – either individually or as a team – earned eight 1st place awards, three 2nd place awards and three 3rd place awards.  

LPS Career and Technical Education Coordinator Mimi Leonard was delighted with the success of these students. Leonard emphasizes the district’s dedication to preparing students for postsecondary careers and the importance of these organizations in teaching students valuable leadership skills.