Cream of the crop picked at Adams County expo

    Certificates are hot off the printers and a gaggle of local students are about to receive some top distinctions for their professionalism.
    Adams County commissioners announced the top students from Brighton School District 27J from their career expo Nov. 15 at the Denver Merchandise Mart.
    According to Sandy Steiner, executive director of Adams County Education Consortium, 5,500 registered students from 35 schools attended the Adams County career expo.
    The career expo is designed to get eighth-grade youth thinking about their future education and career goals. The annual event can accommodate Adams County’s entire eighth-grade population and introduce it to professionals in a wide range of industries.
    More than 350 employers and higher education professionals participated in this event to encourage and inform students about their interests in particular professions and career paths.
    Students were encouraged to use the event as an opportunity to demonstrate professionalism and leadership.
    “This year we had many students from District 27J named by our participating employers and higher education professionals as being representative of the top students they saw that day,” Steiner said. “Given that each of these employers saw between 500-700 students that day, it is quite an honor to be remembered.”
    This was the eighth year of the Adams County Commissioners’ Career Expo.
    All said, Adams County announced 459 students who demonstrated exemplary professionalism and left a significant impression with the employers, which meant they had firm handshakes, well-developed questions, preparedness, professional attire and good eye contact.
    According to Steiner, the three schools with the highest percentage of named students were Stargate Middle School, Silver Hills Middle School and Hulstrom Middle School, all Adams 12 Five Star Schools.
    Benjamin Smith from Shaw Heights Middle School in Westminster School District 50 received the highest amount of votes from employers, with five recognitions.
    In 27J, Belle Creek, Overland Trail and Vikan sent middle school students to the expo. Prairie View Middle School sent their eighth-grade students.

These students were listed as “Top Students” by the commissioners and the Education Consortium
(* more than one employer named that student):
Belle Creek
Charter School:
John Bitterman
Anthony Burke
Percie Powell
Ashlynn Scutt
Jared Smith
Sarah Stewart
Julie Stine

Overland Trail
Middle School:
Austin Ackerman
Anastacia Alires
Samara Briseno
Jessey Dent
Carlos Diaz
David Donlucas**
Ryahn Evers
Alexus Garcia
Yvette Gonzalez
Gabriel Griffith**
Trey Hamblin
Dakota Hendrick
Brianna Hernandez**
Steven Kilgore
Luis Lara
Benjamin Lopez-Mata
Mikayla Lubahn
John Lyons
Celestina Mendoza
Erendida Mendoza**
Christian Morales
Sierra Morrison
Jessica Patterson
Collyn Richmond
Dustin Roth
Connor Ruth
Cheyenne Salazar***
Jose Silva
Chloe Tanner
Vanessa Wroblewski**

Vikan Middle School
Lynn Barraza
Jacob Bertran
Juana Bueno Martinez
Hailey Garbett
Sasha Garcia
Kaleb Hart **
Taylor Hasson
Victorian Hernandez
Brian Horiuchi
Samantha King
Adam Laughrey
Josiah Martinez**
Jacob Morris
Emily Penfold
LaRissa Rennaker
Deren Sawdy
Takara Thede
Graciela Vigil
Damien Yaldez