Yesterday’s attack on a peaceful vigil in the heart of our community is not only a vile assault on our Jewish community—it is an attack on us all. Those bearing the physical wounds from this unprovoked violence are in pain today—we wish them successful and speedy recoveries. Our hearts are also with those bearing psychological wounds, who may find themselves fearful today—we hope you are surrounded by love to lighten the burden.

This time of the year is always special. As the school year wraps up, it’s a perfect time for all of us to reflect on what has been accomplished and how much all of our students have grown. I couldn’t be more proud. As we begin Summer Break, I hope that it is a fun and safe time of learning and adventure!

As school wraps up, students are looking forward to more fun and freetime, which is why representatives with Be SMART are reminding parents about safe gun storage. A new state law should help them get the word out through school districts across the state.

This year’s graduation season is extra special at BVSD because the District had its first class of students who obtained the Seal of Climate Literacy. In April, as a fitting tribute to Earth Month, twenty students representing numerous BVSD high schools presented portfolios that illustrated their “green trailway” during their time in the district and then received their Seal of Climate Literacy certificates, medals (made of sustainably sourced wood) and bamboo cords to wear at graduation. 

The Colorado Department of Education recently announced its annual awards for 2023 and 2024 and 28 Boulder Valley schools were among those honored. BVSD was also the only Denver Metro school district to be Accredited with Distinction in 2024. This represents the highest ranking from the Colorado Department of Education, signifying excellence in education.

Riley Nuttycombe, a graduating senior at New Vista High School is relieved to be finished with high school, after a year of working on her culminating senior project. But not because she’s tired of learning, she’s ready for the next challenge.

Nuttycombe enrolled in New Vista following the years of covid online learning, seeking a new social group and a building-based school experience before heading to college.

What she didn’t expect was that her time there would culminate in a senior project about space suit design, and multiple visits to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, the second of four simulated Mars habitats in the world, built and managed by the Mars Society.

A traditional high school diploma signifies a student has achieved the basic requirements of course completion and state performance measures in math and language arts. This graduation season, many students have gone above and beyond the standard requirements of a diploma thanks to BVSD’s Grad Plus framework.

In the Boulder Valley School District, preparing students for the future means more than college and career preparedness at the end of high school—it means starting career exploration early, building curiosity, and connecting classroom learning to the world that awaits our students.

Living with two post-college roommates who both work from home, 24-year-old Joey Anderson’s daily routine as a second-year middle school teacher at Manhattan Middle School looks a lot different from those of his peers. His first exposure to BVSD was as a CU education major completing his practicum at New Vista, while working as the school's night custodian during COVID. Now he's joined the Manhattan staff as a language arts teacher with a bright future ahead.

Earlier this year, the New Vista school community and BVSD celebrated a much-anticipated milestone as students and staff started the second semester of the school year in their brand new building. The new school is remarkable not only because it was designed specifically to support New Vista’s innovative program but also because it joins the ranks of BVSD’s most sustainable schools. 

Earlier this month, BVSD’s sustainability team provided the annual update to the Board on the district’s work toward goals detailed in the Sustainability Action Plan and the Green New Deal resolution. BVSD made some big sustainability gains this year across all action areas. 

Students in BVSD are concerned but energized about the climate crisis and have made BVSD’s new Green Youth Council a space to take collective action and focus on hope. The Green Youth Council is a student-led group of passionate middle and high school students in the district. Their goal is to incorporate youth voices into the climate initiatives of BVSD and tackle climate issues with hope and action rather than fear.