High School News and Updates (09/20/24)

Dear STEM students and families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well and that you are enjoying what is left of our summer weather! We’re excited to share some of the incredible achievements and upcoming events at STEM! Best Robotics Kickoff Success: Last Saturday, our Best Robotics team hosted our second annual Best Robotics kickoff. Various schools from our area joined us last Saturday for the unveiling of this year’s playfield. There was a ton of excitement in the air when the teams discovered what the challenges would be. The playfield and robots are complex, but I know our team and amazing sponsors are up to the challenge. This should be a fun season!

Homecoming Week is Here: Get ready to show your school spirit during Homecoming Week! We have a variety of exciting activities planned, including a pep rally, Powder Puff, spirit days, and the Homecoming dance. On Friday, Sept. 27, our boy’s soccer team and our girl’s volleyball team both play the Aurora West College Prep Spartans. The soccer game starts at 3:30 at Marcy Park, JV Volleyball starts at 5:00, and the Varsity starts at 6. During the girl’s varsity volleyball game, we will host our first STEM tailgate and will have hamburgers, hot dogs, and other food items. Please come out to support our students and grab a bite to eat while you are here!

Grade Checks: As I mentioned in the last newsletter, we have been in school for a few weeks now, so it is time to start monitoring our grades. Please remember that we are no longer using Mastery Connect, so you should simply log into Canvas and see the grades. We are still following Standards-Based Grading, so the grades are reflected on a 0-4 scale, but the current letter grade is there as well. This is a great opportunity to monitor your child’s progress and discuss any concerns with their teachers. If you do not see any demonstrations of knowledge or have any questions about the grading, please reach out to your child’s teacher.

National Ranking Achievement: For those of you who have been here for the past few years, you know that our faculty and staff have been working hard to provide a world-class education for all of our students. And while we see the fruits of our labor in the classroom every day, I want to take a moment to highlight some of our academic achievements. This year, our national ranking has improved. We are now ranked the 10th-best high school in Colorado and the top-rated school in Douglas County. We are really proud of our ranking, as there are over 600 high schools in Colorado. Nationally, we are ranked 497 out of over 22,000 schools. Last year, we increased the number of students taking AP exams, and our scores went up in almost every subject area!

As we approach the open enrollment window, I spend a lot of time going to other middle schools and attending their various high school fairs. While it does take time away from home, I love to go because I want all students to know about the amazing education we offer here. I have worked in a number of schools but have never worked with such an amazing and unique program. This really is a special place. So, if you know of anyone who may be interested in attending STEM, please encourage them to come to one of our Wednesday tours. Or we would love to have them attend our Perspective Spartan Showcase on October 29th.

Additional announcements

This year, we are enforcing our ID requirement for all students. So far, it has gone fairly well, but some of our students tend to forget to wear them. Parents, please remind your students that they need to have their IDs on them and visible at all times. We have provided lanyards, so they should have a way to wear them. We appreciate your assistance with this.

Upcoming Events:

• Homecoming week 9/23-9/28
• 1st Annual DECA Invitational: Friday, 10/4
• Koson Board of Directors monthly meeting: Tuesday, 10/1
• Picture re-takes: Monday, 10/7
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: They will take place on October 10th and 11th. Please see the website for more information.

That is all I have for now. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Ryan Alsup, High School Director

Proud to be a STEM Spartan!

Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 6:30-8 p.m. – Zoom

Click the zoom below to watch the Advancement Committee Meeting. Email matt.cartier@kosonschools.org with any questions.

Thursday, Sept. 26, from 4-5 p.m. – Room 106 (Secondary)

The DEI Committee meets monthly and is open to all families, students and staff. Please email tera.johnson-swartz@stemk12.org with any questions.

Friday, Sept. 27, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. – Secondary Commons and Outside of Athletics Entrance

Hey Spartans! Are you ready for the newest and biggest homecoming event of the year? Come to STEM’s first-ever Tailgating Party on Friday, Sept. 27, from 3:30- 5:30 p.m. for tons of food, fun, and spirit! Pay only $6 to get a BBQ meal deal package that includes an entree, side, drink, and dessert, and also get free access to the Girls Volleyball Homecoming Game! There will also be games, face paint, and a sign-making station where you can design your own custom signs to cheer the girls to victory! Can’t wait to see you there!

Contact: Auburne.mauger@s.stemk12.org

FHS is selling roses during lunches to be delivered to your homecoming date during access on September 25, before homecoming! Roses are $3.

Calling all parents and friends of STEM! Would you like to share about your career path, educational experiences and profession with our students? If so, we invite you to participate in our upcoming Career Discovery event.

On October 24th, we are hosting our annual Career Discovery Day event for middle and high school students. Our industry professionals will bring insight and inspiration to student learning and career exploration, allowing students to engage in career-focused conversations.

If you are interested in participating and supporting our student learning, please reach out to Nicole Ryan at nicole.ryan@stemk12.org.

Hello, STEM community! Yearbooks will be available for purchase soon at yearbookforever.com. We have some important action items to make the yearbook as great as can be:

• SENIORS: Senior portraits and senior quotes should be emailed to yearbook@stemk12.org on or before October 31.
• PARENTS OF SENIORS: Baby ads are also due by October 31. They can also be purchased at yearbookforever.com as you purchase your senior’s yearbook.
• PREFERRED NAMES: If your student would like their name printed as any name other than what is listed in Infinite Campus, please email parent permission to yearbook@stemk12.org or michelle.wesley@stemk12.org.

The National Security Agency (NSA) is looking for high school juniors who possess outstanding academic credentials in business, computer technology, engineering, graphic arts, manufacturing, construction, Chinese language, Russian language, or humanities.

The program is designed for students who plan to participate in a paid part-time internship from September through August for a minimum of four hours a day, Monday through Friday during senior year. For more information, please see the attached flier.

This part-time internship opportunity provides an advanced high school student with the opportunity to examine today’s control systems and provide an independent analysis of their capabilities and features. The project will focus on the different control systems NASA uses such as Allen Bradley, MatLab, Opto22, and LataPanda, but it is anticipated that all commercial control systems will be examined in this opportunity for PLC, PAC, PID, and APC systems. The objective is to create a list of advantages and disadvantages for the industry control system types to include metrics in cost, functionality, replaceability, modularity, and reliability.

Merrick & Company is seeking a high school student interested in Engineering or Drafting & Design for a paid apprenticeship program for Fall 2024 in the Greenwood Village, CO headquarters. The apprentice will support client projects such as those involving aerospace missions, national defense, research laboratories, land development, water systems, sustainable energy, bio-manufacturing, and industrial manufacturing, as well as being exposed to training and development opportunities!  The apprenticeship program has a commitment of approximately 18 months to 2 years.

Are you looking for a summer internship? Merrick & Company is accepting applications from now to November 2024 for a paid Mechanical Equipment Designer Intern. The Merrick Intern Program will provide an opportunity to gain technical experience in the field of mechanical equipment design. The intern will be exposed to a variety of mechanical design items, potentially including detailed machine design, 3D modeling in CREO (Pro/Engineer), and creation of drawings in CREO (Pro/Engineer). For more information and how to apply, please visit Merrick’s application page.

Are you interested in a healthcare career? If so, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is now accepting applications for their CU Pre-Health Scholars Program (CUPS). The program serves grades 6th through 12th and exposes scholars to high-impact events, research, STEAM, and Healthcare careers. At the same time, preparing our scholars to be competitive applicants for post-secondary education and matriculation into professional health careers or graduate school programs. The application is open until December 1, 2024. You can find more information about the program on their website.

Are you looking for a career in Bioengineering? CU Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus are hosting a student open house. Come learn about the program, meet faculty, and the exciting research at the campus. On October 3rd, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Anschutz Medical Campus, students will have an opportunity to learn more about the programs. To learn more about the event and to register, please access the following link: