As 2025 ends, we have been reflecting on what made this year stand out. It was a year filled with firsts and fresh experiments. Some were planned and others unfolded naturally. All of them helped us learn more about how to serve students and teachers in meaningful ways.
The Spring AI Bootcamp was another big step for us this year. Instead of waiting for fall, we brought our usual bootcamp curriculum to museums in rural communities and hosted three-day sessions during spring break. It was a chance to meet students where they were and offer the same hands-on experience in a new setting.
The museum environment gave the program a different feel. Students explored AI while surrounded by the kinds of exhibits that remind you why learning matters. It was a small pilot, but it carried a lot of heart, and it showed us how much potential there is when we bring this curriculum to places that do not always have access to opportunities like this.
We also welcomed our very first group of teachers to a special bootcamp of their own. It is a virtual program that meets once a month and gives high school educators a chance to build confidence with artificial intelligence in a focused but flexible way. The sessions are designed to fit into a busy school year and cover everything from basic AI concepts to classroom policies, lesson ideas, and ways to help students explore these tools responsibly.
The bootcamp is practical and rooted in real classroom needs, and everyone who completed the sessions walked away with strategies they could use right away and a stronger sense of community in this fast-changing space.
Teacher Fellowship
We also launched our first Teacher Fellowship. It is a yearlong program that supports high school educators who want to bring artificial intelligence into their classrooms in a thoughtful and confident way. Fellows meet twice each month, connect with a national group of peers, and receive guidance as they create classroom projects and policies that help students use AI responsibly. The fellowship includes a stipend, mentorship, and the chance to help lead our student bootcamps in November.
One of our Fellows, Amber House from Grays Creek High School in North Carolina, shared that she hopes to leave the program with confidence, community, and a vision that will inspire lasting impact in her students’ lives. Her words reflect the heart of the fellowship and the kind of leadership this program was created to support.
And finally, 2025 was the year we introduced CALEB, whose name stands for Cognitive Artificial Language and Education Bot. He became our first official bootcamp mascot and showed up on our signage, shirts, and student presentation slides throughout the fall. CALEB brought a welcoming visual touch to the program and helped tie our materials together in a way we had not done before. If you spotted him at a bootcamp this fall, we hope he made you smile.
Looking back, 2025 felt like a year of exploration. We tried new ideas. We expanded our work with teachers. We experimented with new environments for students. Some ideas were simple. Others stretched us. All of them moved us forward. What made the year meaningful was the people who showed up. The students who leaned into learning. The teachers offered their time and curiosity. The volunteers who helped create welcoming spaces. And the partners who believed in what we are building.
Thank you for being part of this year. Whether you supported us online, in person, or from afar, we are grateful.
See you in 2026.
