All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Lucca Fulkerson didn't start her decorated cross country career at Niwot, but if everything goes according to plan, the speedy senior will be capping it off with the Cougars next month as they win their third straight Class 4A state championship. So far in 2020, that plan has been hitting its benchmarks both for Fulkerson and the team, and, judging from performances in the early weeks, she may even earn some championship hardware herself. "This summer is the most we've ever run before, or at...
The Boulder County Animal Control Unit has confirmed that a recent rash of raccoon deaths in Niwot was caused by canine distemper, a viral disease that is sometimes confused with rabies. "We have seen a lot of distemper in Niwot," animal control supervisor Sarah Spensieri said. "I know that I personally was out on Franklin on a call last week, and we also had one on CenterBridge and one on SpringHill. So they're kind of all over the place." Outbreaks of canine distemper are not a threat to...
A growing number of local families are deeply frustrated with full-time remote learning in the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD), and now they've banded together in an effort to get students back into the classroom. Earlier this month, five parents from Erie launched the St. Vrain Educational Advocates in hopes of bringing attention to their struggles and working with school and public health officials to combat the "unseen negative consequences" of keeping students isolated at home. "We...
The Niwot varsity cross country teams looked formidable as they battled some friendly but fierce rivals at the Fairview Invitational on Sept. 12. Led by junior Zane Bergen in the boys race and freshman standout Mia Prok in the girls race, the Cougars claimed both team titles for the second consecutive weekend, and appear to be in great shape as they head into the most crucial weeks of the shortened 2020 season, according to head coach Kelly Christensen. "The kids are responding to the stress...
A truncated softball season doesn't leave much room in the schedule for tournament appearances, but Niwot was able to make time for four games at the 2020 Berthoud Invitational, held Sept. 11-12 at the Barnes Softball Complex in Loveland. Thanks to clutch play on both sides of the ball from Dulce Amaya, Anne Booth, and Ayva McComas, the Cougars pulled off two wins over non-conference teams, and nearly escaped with a third win over a dreaded conference rival. While far from perfect, sixth-year...
At their virtual meeting on Sept. 1, the Niwot LID advisory committee members got a preview of what could prove to be a very busy fall around town, with funding requests for a slew of upcoming events as well as plans to preserve the Native American tree sculptures carved by the late artist Eddie Running Wolf. Treasurer's Report LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler went first with an update on the district's finances, though there was nothing new to report on the revenue side, as the Colorado Department...
Back in the summer of 2005, Biff Warren, his daughter Katie, and a few other like-minded locals decided to dust off their band instruments and revive the time-honored tradition of live concert music in Niwot. In the decade and a half since, the band's popularity, its repertoire, and its name have exploded in size, while its unique musical stylings have become the soundtrack for the town's signature events. Needless to say, 2020 has been quiet for the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange...
The Niwot boys golf team battled blistering heat and unpredictable course conditions as they made the turn to the second half of the 2020 season at the Frederick Classic on Aug. 27. After a performance that was equal parts great and terrible, Cougar head coach Ed Weaver is looking for more consistency from his young team with the Class 4A Region 3 state qualifier just three weeks away. "We could've played a lot better," he said after his team's eighth-place finish in the 16-team field at Coyote...
Fifth-year Niwot head coach Kelly Christensen is grateful that the 2020 high school cross country season is proceeding, even if in a modified form, but he was also quick to acknowledge that, like everything else that it hasn't cancelled or postponed this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the sport more difficult for everyone involved. "It's everything, whether it's the schedule, trying to plan Covid practices, debating whether or not we're going to cut rosters, or finding races. I would say...
The Niwot boys tennis team opened the abbreviated 2020 season at a breakneck pace, winning four times in a week while going 27-1 in match play. But so far, the road to undefeated has been pretty smooth for the Cougars and 18th-year head coach Miikka Keronen is eager to find some more challenging terrain. "We need to be tested," he said after Niwot's 7-0 win over Riverdale Ridge on Aug. 20. "Of course I'm happy, who wouldn't be happy at 4-0. But at the same time, we're pretty loaded this year,...
Captain Sam Keronen has one goal for his upcoming senior tennis season: win the elusive Class 4A state championship for Niwot. "I want to win it individually and I want to win as a team," he said. "I think this could be the year we take it home." Cougar tennis has long been considered one of the elite high school programs in Colorado, but the boys have yet to claim the sport's top prize. Both Keronen and the Cougars have come close before, most recently in 2018, when Niwot finished second...
On Aug. 13, the Niwot boys tennis team traveled to Thompson Valley for the opening match of the abbreviated 2020 season. Despite temperatures in the high-90s and new social distancing regulations, a robust crowd was on hand to see the two teams battle it out under the new pandemic rules, which mandate face coverings and limit player contact. However, only Cougars fans left with something to celebrate, as Niwot cruised to a 7-0 win. Click hereto see more photos from the match....
A proposal to bring more parking to downtown Niwot cleared its last major hurdle on Aug. 6 when the Boulder Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to conditionally approve a parking facility on the western edge of downtown. Now the project's sponsors are preparing for construction and coming to terms with the realization that their long-held vision is finally becoming a reality. "Well, it's been a long battle, but yes, I did think we would get it done," Niwot Cultural Arts Association...
After taking a short summer break in July, the Niwot LID advisory committee was back in action on Aug. 4 with a full agenda. Treasurer's Report LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler opened the meeting with a financial update, starting with the latest revenue reports from the Colorado Department of Revenue. For now, revenue collections are holding steady in Niwot, despite ongoing restrictions on large events and indoor dining. The Niwot LID earned a combined $29,968 in April ($15,560) and May ($14,408),...
Ed Weaver isn't thrilled with his team's finish at their season debut at Quail Dunes Golf Course on Aug. 7, but that isn't to say he's disappointed either. In fact, the Cougars met his expectations more or less exactly in Fort Morgan, and now he can see their path to the postseason a little more clearly. "What I need to do is take my 90s guys-Luc, Emmett and Carlos-and get them to take five or six shots off each of their scores, so they're in the high 80s. Then we'll be right in the thick of thi...
Kyle Reeves isn't quite sure how his recruiting videos ended up in the hands of the Park University men's basketball Coach Jason Kline, he's just glad they did. When the spread of coronavirus made recruiting a secondary concern for many college athletic programs across the country, the 6-foot, 4-inch Reeves thought the opportunities he fought so hard to earn on the court as a point guard for Niwot might be put on hold for another year. "Someone sent him my films, and he saw them and liked me, so...
Amid the hubbub about the return to play plans for high school sports such as football and cross country, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) quietly gave boys golf the green light to start its season as scheduled during the first week of August. In an announcement dated July 25, CHSAA stated that golf is "able to be played under the current national, state, county and CHSAA health guidelines as they pertain to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," and, as such, plans for the 2020...
The annual Sunrise Stampede 10K run-walk has served as the unofficial kick-off to the new school year in St. Vrain Valley for more than three decades, and brings together hundreds of runners, volunteers, and vendors for some exercise, camaraderie, and family-friendly competition in the waning days of summer. It also has raised more than $250,000 for special needs students in the district, so when the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to cancel the 2020 edition, organizers quickly shifted to a format...
There wasn't anything normal about the way high school ended for the Niwot Class of 2020, but the belated graduation ceremony held on Saturday, July 25 was a lovely approximation of it. Perfect weather and a celebratory mood were the order of the day as more than 250 graduates finally crossed the stage to mark the official end of their high school journeys. Still, the ongoing health crisis loomed large over the proceedings, mostly in mundane practicalities such as social distancing and mask requ...
Since 2005, the nonprofit Crayons to Calculators (C2C) program has had a simple mission: to provide local students with the supplies they need to start the school year successfully. Created by a partnership between the Education Foundation for St. Vrain Valley and Boulder Valley's Impact on Education, each summer C2C musters a small army of community volunteers to fill more than 11,000 backpacks with donated pencils, notebooks, and other school essentials, which are then distributed to families...
Like most of us, local artist David Bjorkman watched with anxiety as coronavirus crept across the globe during the early part of 2020, spreading increasingly vivid images of suffering, confusion, and death. For Bjorkman and his partner, Victoria Thomas, the growing threat was personal. Five of their family members are medical professionals and would be confronting the mystifying respiratory disease on the front lines, potentially affecting themselves and others in their intimate circles. So as...
Track standout Taylor James didn't get a chance to win any big races for Niwot in 2020, but she still claimed a big prize at season's end. On June 25, the rising senior was named the Colorado Girls Track Athlete of the Year by Gatorade, one of the most exclusive awards in high school athletics. "She's definitely special," Cougar cross country coach Kelly Christensen said of the talented runner, who was also named ColoradoClass 4A Girls Athlete of the Year in 2019. "Gatorade is a tough award, so...
Plans for a multimodal parking facility adjacent to downtown Niwot got the preliminary go-ahead from the Boulder County Planning Commission at a remote public hearing held on June 17. With a unanimous vote, the nine-member board approved a proposal from the Niwot Business Association and the County of Boulder to develop a lot with 14 spaces on vacant land between the BNSF railroad tracks and Murray Street, provided several conditions are met. “The applicants were very accepting of the conditions...
With just 60 days to go before the Nikolas Blume era of Niwot football kicks off, the first-year head coach expected to be well on his way to implementing the rebuilding project he was hired to undertake back in February. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic made a hash of those plans, and so it wasn't until last week that Coach Blume was able to watch his players in action for the first time. So far, he's been pleased with what he's seen, but there's no denying that the long layoff has...
Around lunchtime on February 20, a scary situation unfolded outside of the entrance to Niwot High School when a belligerent 51-year old man tried to enter the building and confront a staff member. But thanks to sharp-eyed campus supervisors La'Mar West and Andrew Hart, the would-be intruder was quickly subdued, and no students or faculty were harmed. Recently, the pair was honored by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office for their "exceptional performance, achievement, and exemplary initiative"...
Valerie Cannistraro doesn't consider herself an activist, but in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of the Minneapolis police, the Brigadoon Glen resident felt compelled to speak out. On June 5, she and about 20 of her like-minded neighbors gathered at the northwest corner of 63rd Street and Niwot Road for a peaceful demonstration against police violence and racism. "I think making a stand for what you believe in is always important," Cannistraro said, waving her sign at passing...
Last week, the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners announced that it has awarded funding to 11 businesses in Niwot through the Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant Program, a $200,000 fund that launched in May to provide "immediate financial support" to those businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic in unincorporated parts of the county. In all, the county awarded grants totaling $192,500 to 34 businesses. "We were interested in really supporting small businesses...
Staging a multi-part choral performance featuring seven dozen voices is challenging even under normal circumstances, but add in online learning, social distancing, and a novice video editor, and things become even more complicated. That was the task facing Niwot High choir director Laura Roberts as she worked to give her students a final chance "on the stage" in a virtual choir performance of Omnia Sol. But as she soon learned, just because something is "virtual," doesn't mean it won't take a...
When the state of Colorado issued its Safer at Home” guidelines allowing in-person dining at restaurants last week, Edward Vanegas was thrilled. He immediately went to the Next Door app to tell his Gunbarrel neighbors that his popular bistro Aperitivo and its "resort-like" patio would be open for dine-in service on Wednesday, May 27. However, his pronouncement would turn out to be only half-true, as bringing his small indoor space into compliance with the new regulations took more work than h...
Warm summer nights in June traditionally herald the return of music lovers to Niwot's Whistle Stop Park for the annual Rock & Rails summer concert series, with weekly Thursday night shows featuring a double-bill of local acts and fan favorites. But in 2020, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic has forced organizers from the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and Niwot Business Association to push back opening night to July at the earliest. "The earliest opening date would be July 2, but for that to...
For Audrey Rhoadarmer, being editor of the Niwot High yearbook was more like holding a part-time job, albeit one with no pay and with a high rate of turnover every spring. But even with stressful deadlines, staff management issues, and workflow hiccups, the aspiring journalist is grateful for on-the-job training she picked up in her four years on staff, and considers it one of the most useful endeavors of her high school career. "It's a really good opportunity to meet people you wouldn't...
Each spring, the Niwot High School Education Foundation awards the Pursuit for Education scholarship to honor "motivated students who recognize the power and impact of post-secondary education," and it's hard to imagine a senior who fits that description better than 2020 recipient Daniel Torres. "I look forward to being the first one in my family to go to college," he wrote in an email interview about the scholarship and his future plans. "No one in my family has reached this point, and I'm...
As an IB student and multi-sport athlete at Niwot, senior Jack Kenkel didn't choose the path of least resistance in high school, but the Princeton University-bound runner wouldn't have had it any other way. "Neither felt too challenging because I really enjoyed the IB program, and I obviously love track," he said about his four years as a Cougar. "Honestly, balancing the two was the most challenging part. It wasn't impossible to do, it just took a little bit of discipline." It's not clear whethe...
When SVVSD canceled in-person learning and activities for the remainder of the 19-20 school year, administrators at Flagstaff Academy leapt into action. If the school couldn't hold a traditional graduation ceremony, they still wanted to give the 107 eighth-graders a way to commemorate the occasion with their classmates, even if it had to be from a distance. A few phone calls and emails later, plans for a "very unique" experience to celebrate the Class of 2020 were underway. "We have created a...
Besides having the best grades in Niwot High's Class of 2020, co-valedictorians Anton Lavrouk (IB) and Tim Stokes (traditional) have at least one other thing in common: their modest reactions to earning the honor. "I was just trying to get good grades in my classes, so I could get into a good college," Stokes said of his sustained academic success. "So I took AP classes, and it just kind of happened." Of course, there was a little more to it than that, Stokes acknowledged, and he was surprised...
Niwot High salutatorian Julia Curd thrives on competition, whether in the classroom, on the stage, or at the keyboard, and having valedictorian Anton Lavrouk for a rival during her four years in Niwot's IB diploma programme provided plenty of motivation for success. "I really enjoyed being able to take classes with the amazing students at Niwot," she said. "I think the fact that it was so competitive really helped me reach my best. I took pretty much every class with Anton, and we were really...
When the coronavirus pandemic cancelled athletics and in-person learning for Colorado schools, it was a shock to the system for student council president Natalia Storz, who may be the busiest student at Niwot High. But like any successful leader, she had a prudent outlook about losing so many important senior milestones and how the Cougar community can move forward even stronger. "This is definitely a learning experience and a pivotal time for the Class of 2020," she said. "It has definitely...
Recognizing her "positive impact on" the school community, The Niwot High School Education Foundation has awarded senior Sophia Chivers the Founding Director Scholarship for 2020. Chivers will receive $1,000 for her post-secondary education. For Chivers, making a positive impact was easy to do in a school like Niwot High, where she usually found herself "happy and engaged." "I've always really enjoyed school, and always felt really supported at Niwot," the senior said. "I love the community....
When Julea Trank-Greene came to Niwot as a freshman, she thought her path to high school athletic success would end on a volleyball court. But after just a few weeks of training with Coach Maurice Henriques and the Cougar track team in the spring of 2017, she permanently ditched spikes over the net for spikes on the track, and found a new path that brought her more success than she ever imagined. "When I started, I had no intentions of doing track year-round, it was just for fun," she said....
Last week, the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners launched the Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant Program to provide "immediate financial support" to small businesses in unincorporated parts of the county, including Niwot, Jamestown, and Ward. Companies with fewer than 50 employees that have experienced substantial financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic are encouraged to apply. "The county has been very active in the emergency response for the pandemic...but...
Pringles® may not represent the Platonic ideal of a potato chip, but its stackable shape makes for a fascinating computational challenge, according to Niwot senior Maedee Trank-Greene. The self-described "total math nerd" investigated the hyperbolic paraboloid structure of the famous "potato snack" for her senior-level IB math class, and called it one of the highlights of her four years at Niwot. "I loved writing my math IA, which is not usually what people say," Trank-Greene said,...
On Tuesday, May 5, the Niwot LID advisory committee gathered via videoconference for its first monthly meeting since March. Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic and its ongoing economic impact on Niwot drove the discussion. Summer Events Noting a paucity of funding requests on the board's official May agenda, chair Laura Skaggs opened the meeting by asking LID members Bruce Warren and Eric Bergeson (presidents of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and Niwot Business Association,...
The 2020 Niwot baseball team had just three seniors on the roster, but what they lacked in numbers, they more than made up for it in baseball and leadership talent, according to head coach Adam Strah. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic put a premature end to a promising season behind the trio, and ended their chance to leave a winning mark on the Cougars program. Bidding farewell to the program in 2020 are Felipe Castro, Tim Stokes, and Ben Strid. We asked the departing seniors to reflect o...
Girls tennis was one of the few Niwot programs to complete matches before the coronavirus pandemic put a premature halt to the 2020 season, and if the Cougars' early 2-0 record is any indication, they were on a fast track back to the top of the statewide rankings. Leading the charge for Niwot were four highly experienced varsity seniors, who were all eager for a chance to bring home another Class 4A championship and cement their legacies in Niwot tennis history. "These four seniors have been a...
Sue Prahl doesn't see anything special about her 25-year tenure with the Niwot High athletics department, so when she learned that she had won the Colorado Athletic Directors Association's 2020 Award for Distinguished Service, her reaction was bewilderment. "I'm not a person who needs to be patted on the back, and I never have been," Prahl said of the honor, which was announced publicly on April 30, along with the Athletic Director of the Year awards. "You just go at it and do it. And so I was o...
The socially distant version of the annual Tribute to Teachers awards may have lacked the glamour of a gala, but that didn't make it any less special to Megan Schlagel, recipient of Niwot High's 2020 Teacher of the Year award and a finalist for St. Vrain Valley Teacher of the Year. "I was really honored by the recognition," Schlagel said of hearing the news of her award. "I'm not usually a crier, but I was crying. I've been teaching 11 years, and it's definitely the highlight, I would say, just...
The Niwot Business Association's application to develop up to a 50-space multimodal parking facility on vacant land between the BNSF railroad tracks and Murray Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues, is back on track at the Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting Department after a three-month delay to resolve transportation questions. Neighboring residents, businesses, and other potential stakeholders have until May 19 to submit comments on the proposal. Assuming no more delays, the...
To be sure, the local seniors in the class of 2020 are missing some notable high school rites of passage, but assuming Colorado's social distancing measures continue to ease through summer, a commencement ceremony won't be one of them. In an April 20th letter to district families announcing the cancellation of in-person classes, St. Vrain Valley Schools Superintendent Don Haddad wrote: "For our graduating seniors and their families, we know how especially disheartening these past few weeks have...
The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns have taken a steep toll on Niwot businesses, and the path to recovery is still uncertain. But Eric Bergeson and the Niwot Business Association are working to get their members started on that path and hopefully back to a thriving downtown commercial district. "The NBA Executive Committee has been trying to respond to this and provide whatever assistance we can," said Bergeson, who was elected to his first term as NBA president in February. "We're...
Last week's surprise winter storm might have seemed out of place in April, but as a recently donated artifact to the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) attests, spring blizzards are nothing new in the area. According to the April 6, 1957 edition of the Niwot Tribune (1921-1958), the area was "buried" under 18 inches of snow, which disrupted local phone service for four days. The Tribune clipping was one of several items donated to the NHS in March by longtime member Judy Gould Dayhoff, who has been...
