Artificial intelligence is no longer just a topic of conversation at Golden Valley School. It is part of the curriculum.
Since the first semester of 2026, students from fifth to tenth grade have taken part in a pilot Applied Artificial Intelligence programme, led by a teacher who combines classroom work with a career as a technology entrepreneur. The programme grew out of the point where a very real concern among families met one of the values that guide GVS: educating for life, preparing students for the world they will meet the moment they walk out of the school's doors.
One of those tools is prompt engineering: the craft of writing clear instructions so that language models such as GPT, Gemini or Claude return useful, accurate and efficient results. According to the World Economic Forum (2025), it is among the fastest-growing skills in demand for the years ahead. To put that learning to the test, the semester included a competition.
The goal of the competition: to design AI tutors that would support the students themselves as they studied their own subjects, building greater academic independence. Mathematics, German and science: each group chose a concept from its curriculum and built an assistant that could explain it. In all, 41 groups from sixth to tenth grade presented their tutors. Teachers from each subject and members of the school's leadership team assessed the work against criteria agreed in advance.
The 6B2 and 7B groups gathered the most winning tutors between them. Their reward: a visit to Microsoft's offices in San José. The preparation took several weeks, with the GVS and Microsoft teams working side by side to design a meaningful experience for the students. GVS has built a range of strategic partnerships with technology companies to take students beyond the classroom and inspire them on their professional path.
Four teachers accompanied the groups on the day of the visit, and families showed their support throughout. The day opened with words from the Microsoft volunteers and the AI teacher, with an emphasis on the ethical use of AI, and an invitation for these students to be the ones sitting on Microsoft's side of the table tomorrow, at this or any other technology company, and to be the ones who create the next advances society needs. Then came "The Hour of AI", developed by Minecraft Education to teach the logic behind AI agents, built on one of the best-selling video games in history, with more than 300 million copies sold (Business of Apps, 2026). After a break at Microsoft overlooking San José, the students took part in a Linux workshop. Linux is the operating system that runs most of the world's supercomputers (TOP500, 2025) and the servers that host the most advanced AI models. The day closed with a talk on Microsoft Copilot, the presentation of certificates to the competition finalists, and a tour of the facilities.
Several students mentioned, before leaving, that they would like to work for Microsoft one day.
At GVS we believe technology matters when it makes a difference in people's lives. And every difference begins with inspiration. For many of these students, that visit was that first spark. We hope it will not be the last.
References
Business of Apps (2026). Minecraft Revenue and Usage Statistics. Available at: https://www.businessofapps.com/data/minecraft-statistics/ (Accessed: June 2026).
World Economic Forum (2025). The Future of Jobs Report 2025. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Available at: https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_Report_2025.pdf (Accessed: June 2026).
TOP500 (2025). TOP500 Statistics List. Available at: https://www.top500.org/statistics/list/ (Accessed: June 2026).
