Blake Elementary Takes Top Award in State STLP Competition

School becomes first JCPS team to win, with ‘L.E.M.O.N.S. project with a twist’

May 13, 2020 – Blake Elementary School’s Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) team took top honors in the virtual state STLP championship, being named Best K-5 Project for its ‘L.E.M.O.N.S. project with a twist.’  The award marks the first time a Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) district school has earned the top STLP award.

“The lemonade stand idea started with a group of STLP members,” said Venita Burnett, Blake’s STLP coordinator.  “How can we compete this year using technology but also giving back to our community?”

Team members originally planned to sell the tart drinks and use proceeds to help the homeless, but ran into issues with students raising funds.  So the students took their lemons, and made lemonade.

The L.E.M.O.N.S. project (“Lemonade stand to Exhibit compassion for Men, women, and children who are Out of a home and Need a smile from our STLP students, families and friends at Blake Elementary”) offered students and staff a freshly made glass of lemonade in exchange for donating toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant and snacks.

Students used their technology skills to track the donations and donors, create a website and develop flyers advertising upcoming LEMONS days.

The team partnered with Volunteers of America, and arranged to make Compassion Care Kits from the collected items that were then donated to homeless veterans.

“It was pretty hard to do it,” said fifth-grader Isaiah Parker, a member of the team. “We were staying after school and thinking of ideas and stuff.  We just wanted to come together and help the people in need.”

The original goal was to make a total of 50 kits, but the program was so successful they immediately upped their target to 50 a month, and still surpassed that. Since October, they have collected more than 2,900 items, and made and donated 418 Compassion Care Kits.

“I learned how there are more people that were in need than I thought, and showing compassion and kindness to others can lead to a domino effect to other people doing that as well,” said Mohammed Khalid.

STLP uses project-based principals to empower student learning and achievement through technology and creation, according to Kathleen Receveur, JCPS digital innovation leader.  “We are really working hard to move more toward STLP for all students in the school – not just a club anymore,” she said.  “We want all students to have these experiences in the classroom.”

During the virtual competition, which included 1,800 entries at the elementary, middle and high school levels, several of Blake’s team members said they worried when they saw the robotics and other technology-focused projects of other teams.  Ultimately, they said they believed in the compassion angle of their entry.

“I thought we would be able to win because I thought we were impacting a lot of lives,” said D’Asia Boyington. “I’m happy and excited.”

The team will present their project at a national competition in California in November.