St. Vrain students showcase robotics, culinary and concert-band programs at March board meeting

A group of students and program leaders from St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1J presented updates on robotics, the CETC ProStart culinary program and the Longmont Concert Band at the district board meeting on March 12, 2025.

The robotics presenters described rapid program growth and competitive success. Axel (program lead) said robotics has expanded from “small pockets” 13 years ago to a districtwide pathway: “Today you would be absolutely surprised not to” see robotics in schools, he said. Alexandra Downing, the district’s competitive robotics program manager, said the district uses platforms including VEX and Spheros and stressed that robotics teaches problem solving and critical thinking. Nate Wilcox, Innovation Center robotics program manager, said the district now offers a pathway across middle and high school with industry partners such as Northrop Grumman and AMD supporting after-school clubs and camps. Students cited concrete outcomes: presenters said the district has 265 competitive teams from third through 12th grade; presenters also said three St. Vrain teams have been world champions in recent years and the district hosted an underwater robotics world championship that drew more than 70 teams from 13 countries.

Students described program impacts on skills and career plans. Spencer Freeman, a senior and student leader of the Socially Assistive Robotics team, said working with Misty robots “isn’t just to work with cutting edge technology, but to design something that could help people like me,” and described projects that taught CAD, JavaScript and electrical design. Ben Gunn, lead of the Innovation Center Aquatic Robotics team, described client-driven work for Longmont’s Nelson Flanders Water Treatment Plant and said the experience led him to pursue electrical engineering at CU Boulder.

The Career Elevation and Technology Center’s ProStart culinary program highlighted industry partnerships, student competition results and college-credit opportunities. Hope Nazaro, ProStart instructor, said students can earn concurrent-enrollment credit through Metropolitan State University and compete in events including the ProStart Invitational and FCCLA competitions. The ProStart presenters described hands-on challenges — for example, a ProStart contest requirement to prepare a three-course meal for two on two butane burners in 60 minutes — and thanked local partners such as Mule Sausage for donated product used in student recipe development.

The Longmont Concert Band, represented by Francisco Borja, told the board it will perform at Carnegie Hall on May 25 after a New York production company discovered a recent streamed concert. Borja said about 65 members will travel to New York and that the band’s concerts are free and serve as a community resource; he also noted SVVSD students and staff participate in the ensemble. Board members asked about publicity and recording; Borja said the Carnegie Hall concert will be recorded and the produced video provided afterward, and that the band will preview the program at Vance Brand on May 18.

Board members praised student presentations and asked follow-up questions about scale and outcomes. President Ragland asked for the current count of competitive robotics teams; presenters answered the 265 figure and provided qualifiers for recent state-qualifying events and world-qualifier counts. Several board members complimented students and staff for program quality, community partnerships and student pathways into postsecondary education.

The presentations closed with photos and public acknowledgment from board members. No formal board action was taken on the programs themselves during this meeting.