High School News and Updates (03/09/25)

Dear STEM Spartans and families,

Can you believe it is already the second week of March! This school year is sure going fast!

The past few weeks at STEM have been busy. Last week we participated in Wish Week. I would like to give a shout out to Kathy Dwyer and our NHS students! They spent countless hours planning this amazing week, and it paid off. They did a fantastic job putting together an amazing week to celebrate Max, and to raise the money needed for his wish to come true. While I have not heard the final numbers yet, I know that we are well on our way to make Max’s wish come true!

Since the last message, we have transitioned from winter to spring sports. The winter season has been one to remember! Our boys basketball team won 13 games! And we had a fantastic inaugural season for our girls basketball team! None of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our athletics department. So I would like to give a shout out to Susan Jones; Boys Basketball coaches John Munro and Brandon Morrison, and our Girls Basketball coaches Jeff Hager and Tawnya Houghton! Thank you for all you do! 

Parents, we need your help. Student tardiness has become a significant issue, especially for our first period of the day. I realize that some of our students are simply not getting to school on time, but you would be surprised to see the number of people pulling up to the school after the final bell has rung. When students are tardy, they miss out on important information given at the start of the period. They also disrupt the class, which is disrespectful to the teacher and the students who made it on time. So, if you have one of those children who struggle to make it out the door on time, we would greatly appreciate your help with this. Thank you!

March is Women’s History Month! This year’s theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations”. With that in mind, I am proud to announce that STEM has started a SWENext club. SWENext is a program for students to join the Society of Women Engineers. The purpose of the club is to help girls develop leadership skills and confidence for engineering and technology careers. Students who are part of this club will have access to programs, mentors and resources to be successful in STEM fields. They can also win awards and scholarships for engineering schools. Finally, students who are involved in SWE will have networking opportunities that can help them in college and in their career. Please watch our newsletters for more information!

So in the spirit of Women’s history, here are a few notable events that took place today in history:

• March 6, 1820 (estimated date) Harriet E. Wilson, one of the first female African-American authors was born.
• March 15th, 1896 Marion Cuthbert, one of the founders of the National Association of College Women was born.
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female Supreme Court Justice, was born on March 15, 1933.

Parent Teacher Conferences are this week! Just a reminder, our conference schedule looks a little different this spring. Instead of having the daytime conferences (these were rarely attended), we have elected to hold two evening conferences split by alpha. So, students with last names starting with A-L, conferences will be on Wednesday, and students with last names starting with M-Z will be on Thursday. Conferences on both nights will run from 4:30-7:30. They are arena style conferences, but splitting by alpha should reduce the length of the lines. Please remember, these are brief check-ins that should not last longer than 10 minutes. If you need additional time, please reach out to the teacher and schedule another time to meet.

As we approach our final week before Spring Break, I want to take the time to remind all of our teen drivers the importance of safe driving. Those of you who have been reading my messages over the past few years know that this is really important to me. For the third year our SteMed club has partnered with the Choose S.A.F.E. program to focus on teen driving safety. The STEMed students are working diligently with this organization to put together an event prior to Prom to remind all of us the importance of safe driving. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for American teens, and the most dangerous time is from April-September. As a career high school educator, this is a very personal and important initiative to me as I have lost far too many students over the years. So I would like to thank the SteMed students for taking this on. This is very important work, and can make a significant impact on all of us.

Sincerely,

Ryan Alsup

Proud High School Director

STEM School Highlands Ranch

Go Spartans!

March 12-13th

• Wednesday, March 12 –  4:30-7:30 –  Conferences – Last Name A-L
• Thursday, March 13 –  4:30 – 7:30 – Conferences – Last Name M-Z 

Click here to read our assessment update!

The Aerospace States Association and Colorado Space Business Roundtable Aerospace Summer Internship Program is currently accepting applications for their summer program.
This is an unpaid internship program for anyone interested in aerospace. Though aerospace is STEM oriented, there are opportunities in many career fields including business, program management, procurement, human resources, communications, legal, and others.

The Internship Program runs for two weeks total. There is a virtual week with students from multiple states participating, followed by an in-person week in Colorado During the program, students will have the opportunity to engage with aerospace industry businesses, university programs, and nonprofits, learning about the opportunities and challenges facing the industry and gaining valuable hands-on experience. Please see the website for more information and to apply.

Are you looking to learn more about science and veterinary medicine? Join CSU’s Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center this summer as they explore scientific and veterinary practices. Students will carry out investigations, using real tools, and collecting data both in the lab and field. For more information, please visit the CSU website at https://www.cns-eoc.colostate.edu/scivet/

Are you looking for a great way to kick off Spring Break? If so, head down to the Colorado Capitol for Aerospace Day on Monday, March 17th. Aerospace Day is a free event, open to the public and is being hosted by several Aerospace organizations. The event will be from 9 AM to 6 PM and is a great opportunity to learn more about Aerospace in Colorado, and network with leaders in the industry. For more information, visit the Colorado Aerospace Day website.

Dear STEM Families,

We are dedicated to maintaining a safe environment for our students and staff. Safety is our number one priority and is a layered approach. One of the measures is to ensure that all students, staff, and visitors are identifiable on campus. Student IDs also alert office staff to who has off-campus permissions and allow students to quickly check in and out using our automated system. We ask for your continued support in ensuring your child is wearing an ID to school each day.

As time goes on, we understand that students will misplace their IDs and lanyards. We ordered another shipment of lanyards and ID holders, but our students are going through them pretty quickly.

After Fall Break, students will be charged $5 for replacements. This charge will run through their Myschoolbucks account. Please monitor the account and speak to your child about these charges if they occur.

Spartmart is looking into purchasing nicer, higher quality lanyards to sell as well and you may also purchase lanyards online.

Finally, because IDs are part of our dress code, if a student is not wearing an ID and does not have a temporary ID, they may be assigned a detention. Students have been made aware of this expectation.

Once again, we really appreciate your support. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to one of our building directors.

In partnership,

The STEM Admin Team

Our Math Society students are volunteering to assist with math homework during access periods (11-11:40 a.m.) on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Help will be available in both the Middle School and High School commons. Students who need support or want to catch up on homework should feel free to take advantage of this opportunity. Students should contact either their math teacher or access teacher to add their name to the list for help.