Thompson board hears K–12 LISA arts program showcase from Garfield, Bill Reed and Mountain View
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Summary
Students and school leaders from Garfield Elementary, Bill Reed Middle and Mountain View High School presented the district's LISA (arts-integration) program; staff described K–12 continuity, about 900 total participants districtwide, and instructional benefits tied to engagement and academic learning.
Students, teachers and principals from three district campuses presented the Thompson School District’s K–12 LISA (Loveland Integrated School of the Arts) program during the public participation portion of the board’s meeting. John Klyvert, principal of Bill Reed Middle School, framed the presentation as a K–12 arts integration initiative that aims to “ignite creativity, critical thinking, achievement, voice, choice and passion.”
Garfield Elementary principal Kathy Sather introduced student leaders who described classroom projects and fundraising activities that support art programs. At Bill Reed, assistant and student presenters described hands-on projects—such as graphing through art and science experiments using paint—that teachers use to reinforce core academic content. Mountain View’s LISA coordinator, Danielle Valle, said the high‑school program functions as a “high school within the high school,” offering a cohort model and pathways into CTE areas including culinary and broadcasting as well as visual arts and music.
Principal Marky Ramirez told the board the district’s LISA program serves “close to over 900 students in total,” and Mountain View’s LISA represents roughly 20% of that campus’s enrollment by current staffing and cohort structure. Students who have progressed through Garfield and Bill Reed to Mountain View described capstone projects and the program’s role in sustaining school engagement through graduation.
Board members praised the student presentations and staff, and several invited board members to visit classrooms to see LISA in action. The presentation closed with an invitation to the board to join a group photo with the students.
The presentation was informational and did not require board action; the board moved on to the rest of its agenda after the public recognition.