District 6, Success Foundation honored JBS for contributions to SmartLab project – Greeley Tribune

Every K-8 school in Greeley-Evans School District 6 has a SmartLab where students engage in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math lessons.

With 21 SmartLabs in the school district, District 6 is now the nation’s largest SmartLab user, all thanks to donations from community partners.

Schools in District 6 finalized the installation of the remaining four labs over the summer, completing the construction phase of the project, according to a press release from the Success Foundation, which operates Greeley and Evans schools.

The Success Foundation and District 6 celebrated Thursday at Centennial Elementary School with executives from JBS, which has invested $1.6 million to sponsor eight SmartLabs.

According to the release, the company provided funding through Hometown Strong, a $100 million investment initiative designed to strengthen where the company’s team members live and work.

“We are extremely proud of our involvement in this significant and impactful project for our community,” said Nikki Richardson, JBS communications director. “At JBS, we believe in the power of education and providing access to different types of learning. We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with District 6 and the Success Foundation through our Strong City initiative.”

SmartLab creates a personalized and empowering environment for grades K-8, integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics – or STEM – to shape learning according to students’ interests and abilities before they enter high school. These labs also help students learn “to develop communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and the effective use of technology and creativity,” the release said.

Charlie, a fifth-grade student, thanked sponsors for providing the SmartLab at his school, Centennial Elementary, and changing the way he learns for the better.

“Now that I have all the materials, I have learned how to build a moving car with gears and how to program Ozobots to perform various tasks,” Charlie said. “SmartLab is an important part of my education because when I get older, my career may involve hardware or other things we do in SmartLab.”

Success Foundation Executive Director Julie Hill, District 6 Superintendent Deirdre Pilch, JBS leaders, and other district and school leaders attended the event at Centennial to celebrate the latest SmartLabs sponsored by JBS and see firsthand the impact the project is having on education and post-secondary opportunities students like Charlie.

The SmartLab project in District 6 was born out of an initiative by Pilch, recently named Curator of the Year for 2025 by the Colorado School Principals Association after seeing the learning environment in another district.

“I believed that SmartLabs could bring enormous benefits to our children and fit perfectly into our Innovation 2030 strategic plan,” Pilch said. “SmartLab Learning allows all students to build a foundation in STEM and explore career options at an early age.”

Success Foundation donors funded 90% of SmartLab’s initial installation costs of nearly $4.2 million, according to the release. Mill levy bypass funds will continue to flow to 21 laboratories.

For more information about SmartLabs, contact the Foundation at [email protected].