Skip To Main Content

Valor TSA Team Medals at 2024 State Conference

Endorsement 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. 
Valor TSA Team Medals at 2024 State Conference

Valor TSA Team Medals at 2024 State Conference

Our Valor TSA team had a terrific showing at the Colorado State Conference on February 22-24. TSA students dedicated many hours in preparation for the competition and during the conference. Some events lasted up to 5 hours. The team also had lots of laughter, team building and fun! Here are their medal earnings:

Medal Winners

  • Dragster Design, 3rd Place: Robbie Settle (3rd out of 79 entries!)

  • Fashion Design and Technology, 3rd Place: Kaitlyn Settle, Cailin Pankoski, Camille Hepworth & Jennifer Kranz (a stellar freshmen team!)

  • Software Development, 2nd Place: Jack Marris and Breck Massey

  • System Control Technology:

    • 1st place: Kale Pankoski, Brady Williams, Breck Massey

    • 2nd place: Brady Wahl, Ryan Peters, Jack Marris

  • Video Game Design, 2nd Place: Breck Massey and Jack Marris

Semifinalists

  • Biotechnology Design: Oakleigh Rose, Abby Siers, Cecilia Liu, Ella G

  • Coding: Jack Marris and Breck Massey

  • Drone Challenge: Ryan Peters, Brady Wahl, Kale Pankoski, Camden Gunnersen, Noah Landen, Brady Williams

  • Manufacturing Prototype: Jennifer Kranz, Mitch Frederick, Ella Kim

  • Structural Design and Engineering: Ella Gray and Mia Siers

We are so proud of these creative, collaborative and talented students!

More Endorsement Stories

Monkey in a tree

The Ecuador and Galapagos Discovery trip this past summer is an excellent example of how Discovery experiences extend our students' learning into the real world. When talking about Ecology in Biology class, students learn how ecologists study ecosystems and the challenges they face in preserving our natural world. Are certain species endangered? Do they need particular conservation action? How are we impacting them? However, none of these questions can be answered until we know the types and population levels of species that exist there. This is a challenging but essential job that our students were able to participate in! 

Read More about Galapagos Island Discovery Experience
Two students teaching at the front of a first grade class with students on the ground and one raising her hand

Mrs. Herscovici's Entrepreneurship class finished their unit on "Exploring Opportunities" by researching famous entrepreneurs. In small groups, students researched an entrepreneur of their choice and were made aware of how many times these entrepreneurs had to fail before their ideas became successful. In the midst of this research, we have been discussing the importance of being able to explain our learning. Essentially, “If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it well enough yourself.” ― Albert Einstein.

Read More about “If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it well enough yourself.” 
A student holding a speed gun during a Calculus class

If you travel 40 miles per 60 minutes, what’s your average speed per hour, or what’s your average rate of change (the change in distance over the change in time)? Are they different? Students in AP Calculus played cops and speeders last week in class. Students had the opportunity to use real radar guns and math to try and see if they could catch their classmates speeding along Fairview.

Read More about Calculus Speed Trap
A boy in a collared shirt on a white backdrop smiling

The Humanities program honored its first class of graduating students this past May 2023 during Valor’s commencement ceremony. We want to regularly include comments from graduates to help give a sense of how the Humanities program prepared them for the next phase of their lives. For our first alumni check-in, we asked Ben Leikam to reflect on how his time in the Humanities program prepared him for college. Here are his thoughts...

Read More about Humanities Alumni Update
Spectators looking at the different STEM projects

STEM Night was a great success, as students showcased their work through capstone projects, clubs, and competitions. Over 30 projects and interactive demos were highlighted during the evening. In addition, select students received awards for their innovation, creativity, and service through STEM. 

Read More about STEM Night 2023