Celebrations

We are thrilled to announce the winners of our Third Annual Open Letter Contest!

Downstairs Pod: 1st Place Kylie Potter, 2nd Place Paityn Clarke, 3rd Place Nalani Her

Upstairs Pod: 1st Place Leticia Silva Cortes, 2nd Place Arieona Federico, 3rd Place Tilei Masao

This year’s competition was our most ambitious yet. Every single open letter entry was meticulously reviewed and scored a minimum of five times. To ensure a truly balanced perspective, each piece was evaluated by at least one adult reader from outside the PVMS ELA department. With over 1,250 individual scores to average, the competition was incredibly tight, showcasing the passionate voices and persuasive power of our student body. Over 50 students submitted their open letter to the New York Times open letter competition along with this competition. Students are telling the world that their voice matters and that 8th graders have powerful, informed opinions on the issues shaping our future. Having the courage to put their ideas is a massive achievement! A BIG TIGER ROAR TO ALL INVOLVED.

One of Mrs Wright’s prostart 1 and 2 students, Emma Newman, received 2nd place at CO FCCLA state competition in the culinary arts competition and will now compete in nationals in the summer!!

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.