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Jonathan Alder Junior High School opened its very own Amazon Web Services "Think Big Space" at the beginning of the 2024-25 school. Students, staff and administrators recently celebrated with a grand opening ceremony of the space on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
Jonathan Alder Local Schools first partnered with AWS in 2021, with its first Think Big Space located at the high school. In the first year, the district was able to provide over 3,000 student experiences. In its second year, the program expanded to nearly 4,500 student experiences, plus community DIY Nights.
In 2023, JALSD opened its second Think Big Space at Canaan Middle School, increasing its student experience count to 28,829. Additionally, the district continued to hold community events, as well as provide students opportunities for Girls' Tech Day and Exploration Day, and even hosted the first ever AWS Space Night in the United States.
Now with its third Think Big Space, the district will surpass 40,000 total student experiences this school year. The newest Think Big Space allows 7th and 8th grade students to research, discover, design, explore, and create, among many other things, through hands-on experiences on a daily basis. The grand opening ceremony provided an opportunity to see the space, celebrate our partnership with AWS, and experience what it means to 'Think Big' at Jonathan Alder through the eyes of our students.
In addition to its Think Big Spaces, the district also has a Monarch Way Station at Canaan Middle School, CNC and Drone clubs at JAHS, and will host another Space Night at its CMS Think Big Space on Friday, April 4, 2025.
