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 and Adaptability
• Creativity and Risk Taking
• Resiliency and 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 August 22, 2024, the Board recognized students from Newton, Arapahoe, and Nova during the Student Spotlight.

Annie Loos is a former Ford Fox and now a sixth grader at Newton Middle School. Annie was recognized for her outstanding performance at the recent New Educator Breakfast. With poise and confidence, she captivated the audience of new educators, delivering a series of clever and fun teacher jokes that had everyone laughing. What made her performance truly remarkable was her ability to write her own jokes, showcasing not only her CREATIVITY but also her keen understanding of what would resonate with the audience. In addition to her humor, Annie demonstrated exceptional CHARACTER and ADAPTABILITY. When it came time to introduce the high school speaker, she did so with eloquence and grace, making necessary adjustments on-the-spot with ease. Her ability to stay composed and deliver effectively in the moment is a testament to her strong sense of self-awareness of her strengths. Annie exemplifies the qualities of a leader–one who knows who she is and uses her talents to positively impact those around her. LPS is incredibly proud of her contributions and looks forward to seeing her continue to shine. Congratulations, Annie, on a job well done!

Kate Jonnard, a senior at Arapahoe, was the high school speaker at the New Educator Breakfast. Everyone was so impressed with Kate’s stage presence and speech that morning. She spoke about trying new things, finding your place, and making a difference for students. She promised new educators that they would love this district and they would find a place for them to belong within the LPS community. It was an amazing way to introduce educators to our culture here in this district and to help them feel at home. In accepting the invitation to speak in front of more than 200 people, Kate embraced RISK-TAKING, sharing her thoughts and ideas in a clear and earnest way, which demonstrated her exemplary skills in COMMUNICATION. Arapahoe High School and Littleton Public Schools are so proud of Kate!

Avilyn Wright is a senior at Nova, and she has gone above and beyond to support the mission and vision at Nova. She has demonstrated strong CHARACTER through taking initiative to support Nova’s Nest, the fond and fun name assigned to their chicken coop, the home to the five chickens students at Nova incubated and hatched. In addition, Avilyn showed great RESILIENCY when it was time to donate Nova’s roosters to a farm in Ft. Collins because Littleton is not zoned for roosters. It was hard for her to leave her beloved rooster, Jimmy John. This summer, when Avilyn wasn’t busy checking on the chickens and cleaning their coop, she was completing the Colorado Health Careers Collaborative Internship through Arapahoe Community College. To say Avilyn is a RISK-TAKER by doing all of this over her summer break is an understatement. She successfully completed the internship, which involved independent study, virtual work, and 8-hour labs on Fridays. Avilyn has found significant joy in helping others, and her next steps include getting her EMT certification and studying to be a surgical tech. LPS is proud to recognize you, Avilyn, and wishes you success and joy in those next steps!