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 October 10, 2024, the Board recognized students from Powell Middle School and Ford Elementary School during the Student Spotlight.

Powell Middle School

Kaiden Brown is an eighth grader at Powell who is ADAPTABLE, RESILIENT, and willing to TAKE RISKS. For example, Kaiden approached the school’s administration last year to inquire about reading the daily announcements over the intercom. This year, he and another student read them every day to the entire Powell student body.

His social studies teacher had this to say: “Kaiden’s insight, curiosity, energy, and sense of humor make him a natural leader; he has had such a positive impact on our classroom. He consistently asks meaningful questions and shows interest while making thoughtful connections. When we were analyzing lyrics from a colonial song, Kaiden turned it into a rap, which made the lesson so much more entertaining.”

Kaiden has been a peer mentor in the center-based classroom at Powell where he exhibits strong PROBLEM SOLVING skills. He has an innate ability to look at a situation and support each student based on their individual needs. He is also able to re-teach academic concepts to students in a way that makes sense to them. He tries different methods of COMMUNICATION in order to better understand a student.

Over the past few weeks in the Unified Drama class, Kaiden has been using an augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC, device to model drama lines for a student who is a device user. He is a dedicated leader, an empathetic learner, and a phenomenal mentor. 

We are so grateful for Kaiden and his positive impact on the entire Powell Middle School community!

Ford Elementary School

The following students comprise the Fox Spirit and Welcoming Team at Ford Elementary School:

• Zelda Kolberg 
• Maddie Moerner 
• Linnea Bloom
• Annabelle Herndon
• Avery Theesfeld 
• Agota Rumsa 
• Margaret Pope
• Darion Christofferson
• Hayden Palmer
• Cai Miller 
• Kaili Hamilton 

The Fox Spirit and Welcoming Team plays a vital role in fostering school spirit and a sense of community at Ford. By helping plan and organize events like spirit weeks and school activities, these students are at the forefront of creating an engaging and inclusive environment for their peers. Their involvement in planning and executing these events helps ensure everyone at Ford feels connected and a part of the larger school community. 

Beyond event planning, students on this team have the important role of welcoming attendees at various school functions. Whether it's greeting families at an event or introducing new students, these opportunities allow team members to develop strong interpersonal and COMMUNICATION skills. The role of serving as the school mascot further enhances their ability to embody school pride and represent the spirit of the Ford community. These student students show how the traits of CHARACTER and COLLABORATION build school community and a sense of inclusivity. They demonstrate teamwork, organization, and leadership. Whether they are coordinating the mascot schedule or assisting their peers, members of the Fox Spirit and Welcoming Team are continuously learning how to communicate effectively, manage responsibilities, and contribute positively to the school culture. These experiences build character, confidence, and the ability to work well with others—all essential traits that will serve them well in the future.