Littleton Public Schools is excited to introduce a new student recognition program–one that will occur during each Board meeting throughout the year. The Student Spotlight will celebrate a student or a group of students who are living out the Portrait of an LPS Graduate. 

Portrait of an LPS Graduate
What is the Portrait of an LPS Graduate? Tomorrow’s workers will succeed by constantly adapting to the changing world around them. Today’s students must begin by learning new life skills. In response, about four years ago, more than 300 local industry leaders, teachers, community members, parents and students discussed what the new learning priorities should be. Focus groups of LPS high school students reviewed this feedback, shared their priorities and compiled the Portrait of an LPS Graduate, which outlines the attributes/skills of an LPS graduate:

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

The LPS Board of Education has already had three regular meetings, and thus three opportunities to recognize LPS students. 

August 11, 2022
At their meeting on August 11, 2022, the Board of Education recognized some 2022 LPS graduates:

Kylie Auerbach is a 2022 Heritage High School graduate. This fall, she headed to Montana State to pursue engineering and technology. She was nominated for a Student Spotlight award by Mike Porter, executive director of innovative technology. Kylie recently won a Young Technologist Award from a technology firm to provide financial assistance to her studies. Kylie was an active participant in the LPS Educational Technology Advisory Committee and stood out for her maturity and technical expertise.  Mike says that while Kylie is representative of all of the qualities of the LPS Portrait of a Graduate, the strongest connection points are Creativity, Critical Thinking, Global/Cultural Awareness, and Character. Kylie's creative projects are driven from a standpoint of doing good for others. A perfect example of this is her work in Virtual Reality pain treatment for burn victims to avoid the use of opiates. Congratulations, Kylie! Best wishes to you at Montana State. 

Isabella Kukula-Briggs is a 2022 Options High School graduate and Malaika Hale is a 2022 Arapahoe High School graduate. They were both nominated by Nate Thompson, director of social, emotional and behavior services. Nate says both Malaika and Izzy have been an important part of the student mental health advisory group called SPEAK and have been involved in many opportunities within this group to learn about mental health topics, share their perspectives, and create activities that promote wellness. This summer, they served as our first ever Student Advocacy Interns, helping LPS continue to improve outreach and engagement in youth mental health. Malaika is strong in Communication. She has represented the SPEAK group multiple times in public presentations, including speaking before all LPS mental health staff, the District Accountability Committee, and the Board of Education. Izzy is strong in Resilience and Self Advocacy. She has persevered through many barriers that could have kept her from graduating. She is a mother, a leader of her peers and an authentic voice regarding teens and mental health. Congratulations, Malaika and Izzy! Best wishes to both of you! 

August 25, 2022
At their regularly scheduled meeting on August 25, the Board of Education recognized Littleton High School senior Noura Ali Abid. Noura was invited to address our new educators and introduce Superintendent Ewert at LPS’s new educator orientation breakfast on August 8. She delivered a very eloquent, gracious, and impactful welcome to new LPS employees; many of them were visibly touched by Noura’s words. Noura is a proud member of LHS’s student council and DECA, and she enjoys being part of the IB program. She exemplifies many of the qualities detailed in the LPS Portrait of a Graduate. Her speech demonstrated her excellent communication skills, and the content of the speech certainly addressed global/cultural awareness. Finally, as an introvert, Noura took a risk and challenged herself to continuously improve by speaking in front of such a large audience–there were close to 200 people in attendance. LPS hopes Noura continues to thrive throughout her senior year at Littleton High School! 

September 8, 2022
The Board of Education recognized seven students from Options at their meeting on September 8. Six of these students have gone above and beyond to explore opportunities in the Options Design Lab and Makerspace over the past year. The growth each student has shown exemplifies the reasons why spaces such as these which offer choice, foster creativity, and unlock talent are what truly works best for students on different paths of life. Each student has taken the tools, techniques, and skills and used them to define a creative individual path to their personal success. The seventh student is a leader making a difference in the lives of her peers through positivity.

Soren Mckenzie and Logan Stone were student leaders who spearheaded the Makerspace Summer Program that provided a summer camp makerspace experience for students in the Littleton Promise organization. They were junior staff members who were dependable, reliable, and facilitated many aspects of the summer programming.

Blaine Jones, Aden Ekwall, and Ivaiah Clark are students paving the way with innovative experiences. These students are part of hands-on opportunity where they are learning and practicing skills of many trades through a full camper renovation. Anna Blankenship is a leader in design and jewelry making in the makerspace. 

Soren, Logan, Blaine, Aden, Ivaiah, and Anna exemplify many characteristics of the Portrait of a Graduate, including critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, creativity, risk-taking, collaboration, and resiliency. 

Kai Weber was nominated by her bus driver, Dave “Bear” Wilbur. He had this to say about Kai: “From the first day of school this year, I saw that she is a special kid. She is clearly a leader amidst the students on [the bus]. Her smile and cheerful attitude make a difference to the other students. When I need them to listen or follow directions, she is the first to encourage others to do the right thing. Every day, she greets me with a smile, a fist bump, and a ‘Hello, Mr. Bear,’ and the same when she gets off the bus. It is clear that this young woman is going places. She represents what I love about LPS and Littleton, and she clearly feels like she belongs at Options. I don’t worry about our community’s future when I see good people like Miss Weber.” Kai exemplifies the Portrait of a Graduate through her strong character. She is well-adjusted and balanced.

All of these students represent the LPS community well, and we are grateful for their contributions. Congratulations!