Dear STEM School Highlands Ranch Families and Students,
It is hard to believe that winter break is around the corner. The first semester was a great success and, as always, has taught us a few lessons along the way. We continue to embrace STEM’s mission of Never Stop Innovating and are always striving to improve.
We were happy to see our students, families, and staff return and have enjoyed welcoming new members to our STEM community, who joined us back in August. As this semester draws to a close, some of our much-loved staff have decided to leave STEM for new and exciting endeavors.
Julie Pieper, our K-12 Registrar, joined STEM midsummer and has been a terrific addition to our office team. She will be returning to Cherry Creek School District to serve as an administrative assistant. In just a short period, she has made a tremendous impact and will be missed at STEM.
Brandon Bragg, our Campus Security Specialist, has been a part of our STEM family for the last year. He is often seen roaming the halls interacting with our students, walking the perimeter, and assisting the Administration Team with student-related situations. He has been an asset to our community and provided a great deal of support to our stakeholders. Brandon is taking on a new security role at the federal level, and we wish him nothing but success as he takes on this new and exciting step in his career.
Just before the Thanksgiving Break, Nate Carpenter, one of our IT Help Desk Technicians, left us to take another opportunity in the technology field at a company closer to home. He joined STEM in the Fall of 2019 and always did his best to support our staff’s and students’ needs. We miss having him on campus each day. Before his departure, we had filled a part-time position on our IT team with a STEM parent. With Nate’s departure, Mattie Murphy has taken on more responsibilities, and we are eternally grateful for that. Thank you for stepping up for our staff and students!
Our Middle School families have heard by now that Alex Nardi, one of our Middle School Counselors, will also leave us to take on a new role. Alex started with us at the beginning of the 2021-22 School Year and has been such an instrumental part of our Student Support Team. Alex will be with us until January 13, and we are so thankful for her commitment to go above and beyond with her length of notice.
I wanted to share these departures with all of you to celebrate these amazing teammates and wish them well. While we wish we could keep everyone on staff, we must recognize that people will continue to want to grow in their careers and take advantage of opportunities that meet their and their family’s needs.
I would also like to encourage our community to take a look at the job postings to see if they might fit your qualifications or maybe you know of someone who might be interested. One position in particular that we’re actively recruiting for is to temporarily fill our School Nurse position while she goes on maternity leave in mid-March.
Our Administration Team and new HR Generalist are working hard to post, interview, and hire for these positions and our other employment opportunities. We ask that you help us share these openings with your friends and family. You can view all postings on our website as they get posted.
Thank you for your continued commitment to STEM!
In partnership,
Ms. Kovalesky