Academic Stories
Stay up to date with the latest stories about academics! From student projects to student successes, see what's going on with our academic department.
Congratulations to Taylor Dean (Class of 2025), Rotary Club Honoree
On November 12, 2025, Taylor was honored by the Highlands Ranch Rotary Club for her outstanding achievements and dedication. Academically, she is an exceptional student with a weighted GPA of 4.05 and an unweighted GPA of 3.83, completing four Advanced Placement/Dual Credit classes and on track to earn her STEM Endorsement.
Taylor’s journey has not been without challenges. She was born with a heart defect that required surgery after it didn’t close naturally. Though the surgery was a success, she experienced severe, chronic migraines following the procedure. Despite these hurdles, Taylor has excelled in her academics and as a dedicated member of the varsity and club swim teams. Her health journey inspired her passion for physical therapy and her commitment to helping others find relief from pain.
In addition to her academic and athletic pursuits, Taylor is a leader and active participant in three STEM clubs: the Pre-Health Science Club, the Suturing Club, and the Chemistry Club. She’s also involved in service work, having been on Discovery trips to Belize and Camp Barnabas in Missouri. Outside of school, she works as a lifeguard and runs her own pool management business, providing swim lessons to younger swimmers and volunteering with her church’s youth program.
Taylor has been accepted to Kansas State University, Colorado State University, and the University of Iowa, and eagerly awaits a decision from her dream school, Texas A&M.
Congratulations to Taylor on this well-deserved recognition from the Highlands Ranch Rotary Club as an outstanding student leader and community member!
More Academic Stories
Congratulations to the nine seniors who have been named National Merit Semifinalists!
Congratulations to all DECA students who competed at Internationals. Valor had 6 out of 7 groups finish in the Top 10 in the world!
Congratulations to all Latin students for earning honors after taking the National Latin Exam in March.
Congratulations to all students who received an award or were recognized at Academic Awards Night.
Practicum Week 2024 has come to an end. Come read about all the exciting things that took place.
Congratulations to our Poetry Outloud Winners from our school-wide competition. The top two winners go on to compete at Regionals and then State.
On March 7, 2024, Lauren was honored by the Highlands Ranch Rotary Club for her resilience, entrepreneurship, and creativity.
Congratulations to our Poetry Outloud Finalists who will compete at our school-wide competition on February 2. Everyone is welcome to come watch these amazing students perform two poems.
On November 30 2023, Kelly was honored by the Highlands Ranch Rotary Club for his academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, and community service. This is an incredible honor to be chosen out of many outstanding high school students in the community.
The Global Seal of Biliteracy is an international award that recognizes when students have attained Functional or Working proficiency in two or more languages.
Valor is pleased to announce that we have three National Merit Semifinalists! Valor students Cadin Dinneen (‘24), Carter Himango (‘24), and Ethan Cheung (‘24) have been recognized as National Merit Semifinalists for their outstanding scores on the PSAT/NMSQTⓇ. These three students scored in the top 1% of all juniors nationwide.
Our Academics team takes immense pride in the outstanding performance exhibited by our students in the 2022-23 Advanced Placement (AP) exams. It brings us great pleasure to announce that an impressive 91% of our AP students achieved a score of 3 or higher on the AP exams, surpassing the national average by nearly 23%. Furthermore, Valor has overseen a record-setting administration of AP exams, with a total of 705 exams administered.
Valor families had the chance to open their homes to host six Brest, France high school students -- and Valor warmly welcomed them to campus.,
We are proud of these fourteen Valor students who are being recognized for earning academic honors from the College Board’s National Recognition Programs
Congratulations to the the more than 100 Valor World Language students who were recently accredited with the Global Seal of Biliteracy distinction. Students were awarded medals and certificates on November 16 during a lunchtime recognition ceremony.
Dean of Academics Mrs. Rebecca Thomas, and Dean of Academic Services Dr. Zach Gautier went to Washington D.C. last week to accept the National Blue Ribbon School award on behalf of Valor and its community
Congratulations to Dylan Daniels (’22) for being named the 2021 Outstanding Youth of Lone Tree Award.
Congratulations to Anthony Curcio ’22 for placing 3rd in the World in the DECA International Championships this month, the highest win in Valor history!
In the same week the world celebrated women in science, Victoria McBroom ’21 earned Best of Show in the Valor Arts Show for her animatronics piece she affectionately calls Crouton.
In a national STEM competition, Valor students Nicolette Jamison (pictured left), Claire Kim, (pictured right) and CJ Mote (not pictured) took first place, announced last week, for their design of special functionality in a prosthetic hand.
As the college acceptances, waitlists and denials begin to roll in, decision making time is just around the corner. May 1 is the date by which colleges expect admitted students to make their final decision, committing to attend by submitting the required deposit to hold the student’s spot.
Tis the season to learn all about Advent and the true reason for the season.
Read a deep dive into why we have Valor Rhetoric Porgram and all about what its purpose it.
Known for having just as much or sometimes more impact on the nation than her husband, Eleanor Roosevelt – First Lady to President Franklin D. Roosevelt – let her voice be heard.
Working as an artificial intelligence and robotics engineer has given Timothy Werder ‘13 a fascinating opportunities!
This installment of “Why I Teach” comes from Dr. Javier Arias, Spanish teacher. A Valor teacher since 2018, Dr. Arias spent most of his life teaching and studying in Europe before arriving at Valor.
This installment of “Why I Teach” comes from Dr. Kristine Wolberg, English teacher. A Valor teacher since 2009, Dr. Wolberg has also taught English and literature courses at the collegiate level.
Charged with creating a marketing plan for a fictitious apparel company’s loyalty program, Juliana Carpinelli ‘21 and Morgan Schmid ‘21 were instructed to present their business plan to their boss for allowing gift cards to be used at competitors’ stores during the Legend Titan DECA Invitational on October 26.
Tucked in the basement of the Academic Building, a team of Academic Support tutors works with Valor students day in and day out to help them succeed in the classroom and beyond.
When you cut off an appendage or arm from a starfish, it grows back. Similarly, scientists are taking cells from the body and regenerating damaged tissue to create healthy tissue.
Over the course of about three weeks and roughly 1,000 man-hours, Valor’s IT and Facilities Teams prepared 51 classrooms for a unique year.
Connecting God’s divine stamp — Imago Dei — on our lives and a pursuit to innovate and create, is one of the key aspects of Valor’s STEM endorsement. During her research, Liana Hase-Penn ’23 learned how her faith and interest in science intersect.
Most days after school the methodic sound of drumbeats emanates from the basement of Valor’s Academic Building. The sound comes from a small but mighty group of students who meet regularly with Mr. Jake Hovis and Mr. Rick Russon as a part of Valor’s “Blue Crew” to explore the world of percussion.
STEM jobs in today’s workforce are continuing their upward climb, averaging a 75% higher job growth rate compared to other industries and occupations; and, it’s no wonder.
A desire to grow academically and in her Christian faith drew Jesca to Valor before her freshman year. At the time, school personnel wondered if they could accommodate Jesca’s learning needs and give her the support she needed to succeed.