Celebrations

Nubia Garza, a 27J student, who is part of the Gateway to College program at FRCC was nominated for the Achieving the Dream 2026 DREAM Scholar opportunity and she was selected! This is a super prestigious accolade, and very competitive nationwide. There are 8 total scholars selected for this through all the 300+ community colleges that Achieving the Dream works with. One of these scholars is dedicated to being a Gateway to College student. So of the 30 Gateway programs nationwide, each program can nominate two students. There are several rounds to the process including interviews.  Nubia previously attended Prairie View. She will read her poem and be presenting on panels at the conference and highlighted throughout March.  

We are proud of Nubia for representing FRCC Gateway to College and 27J Schools at this event. https://achievingthedream.org/awards-recognition/dream-scholars/ https://tinyurl.com/mtmyeebb

Congratulations to Madison Pickens!  Madison won first place in her event, Interviewing Skills, at the HOSA State Leadership Conference this past weekend (Feb 13-15, 2026). She prepared a resume and personal statement for her round 1 competition and did an interview for her round 2 competition.

Mrs. Wick and her students are getting this program going this year for the first time and they are learning industry skills in creating, directing and producing a video production that supports school culture and empowers students for their future. Here is the link for the first episode of "The Daily Dawg": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtQcPjU3T_0

The 27J School District CTE Department is proud to celebrate a major milestone—successfully hosting our first Regional SkillsUSA Competition. Thanks to the leadership and dedication of CTE teachers Tyler Freytag and Adam Nelson, the event was an outstanding success and tremendous opportunity for our students.

Tyler and Adam worked tirelessly to plan and execute a high-quality competition showcasing the talent, professionalism, and career-ready skills of our students. Adam also secured generous donations and grants from community partners, ensuring the event ran smoothly while keeping costs to a minimum.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all industry partners and sponsors who contributed their time, resources, and expertise. This event would not have been possible without their support and commitment to Career and Technical Education in 27J.

Congratulations to Tyler, Adam, and everyone involved in making 27J’s first Regional SkillsUSA Competition such a memorable success.

Our RRHS Patient Care Technician, Phlebotomy, and EKG students are already hard at work—practicing blood draws, building patient-care skills, and stepping confidently into real-world healthcare experiences.

Students from Brighton High School’s ProStart 1 and 3 classes showcased their culinary talents at the exclusive Colorado Restaurant Association Blue Ribbon Legislative Reception. Representing the program, students Lennon Suppes and Kai Eberhart helped prepare and serve a refined salmon gravlax bite to Colorado legislators and association members. Their professionalism and skill stood out, with many attendees naming their creation the “Best Bite” of the evening among a competitive field of participating restaurants.

Last fall our Graphic Design II class worked on designs for the Adams County "I Voted" sticker contest as an assignment, and a couple students entered their designs in the community contest. Senior Kayden Hill was selected as one of 3 winners to have their sticker produced for future ballots.

Overland Trail Middle School CLD Teacher, Lauren Plomer was selected to present her “Proud to be Bilingual” Project at the CO-TESOL Conference in November.

Students who participated in the fellowship were tasked with developing an Ai app to tackle a real world problem. They engaged in the design thinking process to target their chosen problem and learned how to develop an Ai app to address the issue.

Ian Leonard and Jackson Chabra were the two students from Brighton High School. They developed a program called Humanizer which allows people to learn about opposing viewpoints of others in a manner that encourages understanding and empathy so that differences in opinion do not hinder positive interactions with others.

Solana Ruiz and Aaliyah Perez were the two students from Riverdale Ridge High School. They looked at test data from across the state and in 27J to develop an app that helps to promote student engagement and academic growth. It is intended to be used by both students and teachers as a way to support individual learners.

All four students presented their projects as the final component of their fellowship.