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Academy for Academic Excellence
Student Ambassador Focus Group Notes
1 PURPOSE
The focus group was designed to gather student perspectives on living in Apple Valley today and to understand what would make Apple Valley a place students would want to call home in the future.
• Define students’ vision for the future of Apple Valley. • Assess how well the Town is meeting that vision today. • Prioritize what matters most to make Apple Valley a strong place for youth and future adults to live.
2 MEETING DETAILS
Date: May 4, 2026
Time: 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Location: Mariposa Community Center
3 PARTICIPANTS
Approximately eight to nine student ambassadors from the Academy for Academic Excellence participated. They were joined by Dr. Lamb, Director and CEO of the Lewis Center for Education Research, and Samantha Gonzales, Administrative Assistant. 4 APPROACH
The discussion used a combination of visual reflection, group discussion, theme sorting, and dotrating. Students first drew their vision of Apple Valley as an ideal place to live, then shared common words and ideas from those drawings. The group organized those ideas into themes and rated how well Apple Valley performs in each area today. 5 KEY FINDINGS
Students described an ideal Apple Valley as safe, clean, connected, walkable, and supportive of local businesses, recreation, education, and community gathering. Overall, the strongest positive perceptions were related to education and parks, while the clearest improvement areas were infrastructure, walkability, accessibility, and access to services. Students also consistently emphasized the importance of road safety, youth-friendly amenities, local destinations, environmental quality, and welcoming community spaces.
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6 APPLE VALLEY TODAY: CURRENT PERCEPTIONS
Students evaluated how Apple Valley currently performs against the themes they identified.
Education and opportunities received the strongest positive response, likely reflecting the students’ experience at a highly regarded and distinctive academic program. Parks and recreation also received relatively favorable feedback, though students noted room for continued improvement.
Several areas were viewed as having momentum but needing more attention, including natural beauty and cleanliness, small businesses, entertainment and activities, sustainability, resources and services, community connection, and safety. Students expressed a strong preference for local businesses, unique restaurants and coffee shops, more gathering places, and community spaces that feel welcoming to young people.
Infrastructure and walkability emerged as the clearest areas of concern. Students emphasized road safety, sidewalks, bike lanes, and safer routes for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Safety was also a recurring theme throughout the discussion, even when it was not rated as the highest concern. Students noted that perceptions of safety among parents appear to influence how young people experience the community.
7 APPLE VALLEY TOMORROW: STUDENT VISION
To begin the discussion, students were asked to draw “Apple Valley as the Perfect Place to Live.” Their drawings depicted open space, greenery, parks, walkable streets, sustainable buildings, entertainment centers, restaurants, shopping areas, libraries, hospitals, and services for people in need. Many drawings also showed people gathering, smiling faces, and the word “SAFETY” written prominently.
Students then shared their drawings while their peers listened for descriptive words that captured the ideal town. Those words were placed on sticky notes and grouped into common categories. The resulting themes reflected a future Apple Valley that is more walkable, better connected, environmentally responsible, locally distinctive, safe, and rich in opportunities for youth and families.
8 PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Attribute Green Yellow Red Examples
Education/Opportunities 5 1 0 More libraries, education, learning opportunities
Parks & Recreation 4 3 0 Trails, parks for families, fun activities like Active, fishing,
Nature/Beauty/Clean 1 8 1 Mature trees, greenery,
water, well-kept, aesthetics,
eco-friendly
Small Businesses 0 8 1 Small business, local
shopping, goods and
produce
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Entertainment/Activities 3 7 0 Music, activities,
Sustainability 1 6 0 Clean air and water, low
carbon footprint,
sustainable buildings, Alt
modes of transportation
Resources/Services 0 6 4 Affordable healthcare, youth
assistance, hospitals,
services for the unhoused
Community 2 5 1 Happy, connected, gathering
spaces, inclusive, close-knit
Safety 2 3 0 Personal safety, safe roads,
designated bike lanes, safe
culture, live worry free
Infrastructure 0 2 7 Roads, sidewalks, bike lanes,
safe streets, civil
infrastructure
Walkability/Accessibility 0 0 5 Combined mixed use
buildings, walkable, trails,
entertainment and services
easily accessible
Students used green, yellow, and red sticky dots to rate how well Apple Valley is performing in each theme area. Green indicated that the Town is doing well, yellow indicated some momentum with room for improvement, and red indicated an area needing attention. Because not every student rated every category, the results should be interpreted as directional rather than statistically comparable.
The highest-priority concerns were infrastructure and walkability/accessibility. Students specifically identified roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, safe streets, and better access to services and destinations as important improvements. Resources and services also stood out as an area needing continued attention, particularly affordable health care, youth support, hospitals, and services for unhoused residents.
Other priorities included expanding local business options, improving community gathering places, strengthening parks and recreation, increasing entertainment and activities for young people, and adding climate-appropriate greenery and beautification. Students also expressed interest in sustainability, including clean air and water, lower-carbon development, sustainable buildings, and alternative transportation options.
9 NEXT STEPS
Students were asked to complete the “Your Town – Your Voice” community vision survey, share it with family and friends, and attend the Community Visioning Town Hall.
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Apple Valley Unified School District
Focus Group - NOTES
1 PURPOSE
The purpose of the focus group was to gather student perspectives on living in Apple Valley and to understand what would make the community a place students would choose to call home in the future.
2 PARTICIPANTS
Three Apple Valley High students and the Superintendent of AVUSD attended. Although there were few participants, the students were highly engaged and provided insightful input. 3 APPROACH
The discussion used a combination of visual reflection, group discussion, theme sorting, and dotrating. Students first drew their vision of Apple Valley as an ideal place to live, then shared common words and ideas from those drawings. The group organized those ideas into themes and rated how well Apple Valley performs in each area today. 4 KEY FINDINGS
Students value Apple Valley’s small-town feel, friendly relationships, open space, and outdoor lifestyle.
All three students rated every future-vision theme as yellow, indicating that Apple Valley has momentum in each area but needs continued improvement. Community connection was the most frequently mentioned theme, followed by outdoor access, education and career opportunities, and safety. Students want more places and opportunities for youth to gather, connect, and participate in community life.
5 APPLE VALLEY TODAY: CURRENT PERCEPTIONS
Students see Apple Valley as a community with meaningful strengths, especially its small-town character, outdoor environment, and sense of connection. At the same time, their ratings suggest they believe each priority area needs additional attention to fully meet their vision for the future.
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6 APPLE VALLEY TOMORROW: STUDENT VISION
Students described an ideal Apple Valley as friendly, connected, safe, active, and familyoriented, with more parks, outdoor spaces, entertainment, small businesses, sidewalks, equestrian trails, and career pathways that would allow them to live and work locally.
Attribute Green Yellow Red Examples
Community 0 3 0 Small town,
friendly, united,
community,
relationships
Outdoors 0 3 0 Green, outdoors,
nature, animals
Education/Opportunities 0 3 0 More educational
opportunities,
livelihood
Safe 0 3 0 Personal safety,
safe roads
Parks & Recreation 0 3 0 Parks for families,
fun gathering
spaces for teens
Small Businesses 0 3 0 More small
business
Entertainment/Activities 0 3 0 More fun things to
do: Music,
activities,
Clean up 0 3 0 Cleaner and more
beautiful town –
home/business lots
and buildings,
repairs
Walkability/Accessibility 0 3 0 More sidewalks!
7 PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Community was the most frequently mentioned priority. Students described a future Apple Valley that feels friendly, united, and relationship-focused. They also suggested more community gathering places and more opportunities for students from different high schools to interact.
Outdoors was another central theme. Students value Apple Valley’s open spaces, nature, animals, and outdoor lifestyle. They emphasized the importance of preserving and enhancing outdoor areas so residents can continue to enjoy them.
Education, career opportunities, and safety were also important priorities. Students want access to educational and career pathways beyond traditional academic programs, including health care and agriculture-related opportunities, so they can build a livelihood in Apple Valley.
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Parks, recreation, small businesses, entertainment, cleanup, and accessibility were additional priorities. Students called for more teen-friendly activities, family gathering spaces, local businesses, sidewalks, equestrian trails, and improvements to areas that feel neglected or run down.
8 NEXT STEPS
The meeting concluded with a request for students to complete the “Your Town – Your Voice” community vision survey, share it with family and friends, and attend the Community Visioning Town Hall.