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Parents, alumni and students urge Wheat Ridge council to preserve hands-on STEM program
Summary
Dozens of students, parents, alumni and teachers told the Wheat Ridge City Council on Dec. 9 that the hands‑on, student‑led STEM program at Wheat Ridge High School is at risk after the program’s long‑time teacher announced retirement and they urged the city to use its influence to sustain the program’s model and funding.
At the Dec. 9 Wheat Ridge City Council meeting, students, parents and alumni urged the council to help preserve Wheat Ridge High School’s student‑led, hands‑on STEM program after longtime teacher Chuck Sprague announced his retirement.
Connor Denny, a former student and current graduate student in electrical engineering, told the council that the STEM program gave him technical and professional skills that led him back to Wheatridge as a volunteer mentor. "We really appreciate your consideration of this issue, and we hope that you will consider very well how this can be brought into the future in a good way," Denny said.
Several parents and program supporters described what they said are distinctive benefits of the program: student leadership, community fundraising and real‑world project work. Jessica Fazy, who said she is taking over as booster president for fundraising, told the council that Sprague "raises over $40,000 a year for this program" and asked the city to support continuation of the student‑led, hands‑on model rather than a shift toward a certificate‑focused curriculum.
Other speakers gave examples of the program’s outcomes. Zahara Bergfeld, a team lead on the school’s Hydrogen Urban Concept car, said the program helped her find a college direction. Gary Williams, a chemical engineer and grandparent of participants, described alumni success and the program’s national profile. Susan Miller said the Gill Foundation invested $350,000 in the high‑school STEM lab, and one teacher estimated that "approximately 75%" of students in his classroom chose Wheat Ridge because of the STEM offering.
Speakers repeatedly asked the city to use its influence with district leaders to preserve the program’s hands‑on character. Former principal Griff Worth urged council members to ask "Who is it that you can use your influence to help save a program that is critical to the learning of students?"
Council members and the mayor acknowledged the testimony and the program’s record of achievement. Several councilors noted that the school district controls curriculum decisions but said the council could advocate to district officials and work with families and staff to support the program’s continuity.
What’s next: speakers asked the council to meet with parents, the principal and superintendent and consider public advocacy; no formal council action on the STEM program was recorded at the meeting.
Sources: Public comments at the Dec. 9, 2024 Wheat Ridge City Council meeting. Quotes and details are taken from participants who spoke during the public comment period.
