All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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In a ceremony at the Longmont City Council chambers, the Longmont City Council designated Sept 11 as Mwebaza Day. The proclamation acknowledged the work of the Mwebaza Foundation, an organization founded by Niwot Elementary School teacher Dale Peterson to build and improve schools in Uganda. The proclamation reads: Whereas, the citizens of Longmont recognize that cross-cultural awareness and service learning enrich and strengthen a community; and whereas, the Mwebaza Foundation has been...
On Sunday, Aug. 26, the Niwot Cub Scout Pack 161 held its annual rocket launch at Niwot Elementary School. More than thirty excited scouts and potential recruits built and then launched the projectiles, with assistance from several older boys from Troop 161 as well as adult volunteers. The rockets were capable of altitudes up to 400 feet in the air, although the prevailing windy conditions were sometimes a hindrance....
World-class jazz will be wafting through Niwot, Sept. 15 and 16. The once secret-ish festival, Jazz on 2nd Ave, will be staging its eighth event with high caliber entertainers letting loose in Niwot’s unique small town outdoor venue. This year’s musical line-up welcomes back Liquid Soul and Jeff Coffin as festival headliners along with several groups new to the scene. The first day’s five acts begin with Niwot High School’s (NHS) jazz band which will have worked with Mars Williams of Liquid...
Niwot Elementary School (NES) starts this school year with Kylea Winka as the newly appointed dean of students and Avery Bounds as the new digital media technician. Kylea Winka has worked at NES since 2012 as a special education facilitator. She holds a master’s degree in special education and an interdisciplinary education specialist degree in educational administration and special education administration. She has worked in special education for 17 years. Winka’s new responsibilities as dea...
A parade can’t organize itself. There are participants to approve, cars to be rerouted, decorations to be purchased, and the parade lineup had better not have any horses in front of a Girl Scout troop without a cleanup crew in between or it might get messy. Julie Breyer knows these things well because for the past five years she’s given a lot of thought to organizing Niwot’s Fourth of July parade. Breyer is a member of the Niwot Community Association’s (NCA) Fourth of July committee, which i...
On July 27-28, students from Niwot High kicked off the fabrication phase of ‘Cougars Creating Classrooms,’ a building project spearheaded by the Mwebaza Foundation to transform used shipping containers into instructional space for the Mwebaza Infant Primary School in Kyengera, Uganda. Over the two days, representatives from the football, girls tennis, golf, cross country, and track teams, as well as the IB program, Robotics Club, and Boy Scout Troop 161, unpacked materials for the project and...
In three seasons with Niwot’s varsity baseball team, Joey DesEnfants has played every single position on the diamond, including a memorable nine-game stint at starting catcher as a freshman. Now, on the cusp of his final season, the “true utility player” is ready for yet another important role: team leader. “Having a strong veteran leader is important no matter the ages of athletes on your team,” Head Baseball Coach Adam Strah wrote in an email. “However with a young team it is extremely i...
Jared Lizakowski’s family is taking the sorrow of their loss to bring happiness to others, making his memory all the sweeter. Lizakowski died at age 19 on Oct. 26, 2016 in a motorcycle accident on Niwot Road. His family has put their energy into making sure others have the opportunity to experience what made Jared happiest – music – through the J.A.R.E.D. Foundation. Surinder Dahiya, Lizakowski’s step-father, said, “We created The J.A.R.E.D. (Join a Revolution Educate Drummers and Other Musician...
Sponsored by Fabulous Finds The work of a few who quietly and reliably give from their hearts becomes the powerful way in which people’s lives are touched and forever changed for the better. Jim Jones is one of those people - a humble, caring man who has joyfully provided Niwot with his energy and positivity in a whole host of ways for more than 25 years. Jim and his wife Pat, both originally from Michigan, moved to Minnesota after college where Jim began his professional career as a software e...
At its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 5, the Niwot LID Advisory Committee considered funding requests for the eighth annual Jazz on 2nd Avenue festival, as well for mowing of the future parking lot west of Old Town. Before hearing the evening’s applications, members reviewed Treasurer Harris Faberman’s report through the end of May. So far, the LID has committed to $109,314 in expenses in 2018, leaving $23,686 from the budget to spend for the remainder of the year. However, the report...
A public meeting was held at the Left Hand Grange last week to discuss an upcoming project in the Morton Heights neighborhood of Niwot. The project will update and improve sidewalks around Niwot Elementary School, specifically on Morton Road, Walker Avenue and Marathon Road. Dave Webster with the Boulder County Transportation Department led the meeting, which was attended by over 20 people. The project somewhat started with the asphalt bicycle and pedestrian track that was laid on Morton Road la...
At Niwot High School, the name McKynzie Clark has become synonymous with “leader.” In fact, it might be easier to list the clubs and organizations that she hasn’t helmed over the past four years than the ones she has. A non-exhaustive list of her titles just from senior year includes President of National Honor Society, captain of the Forensics interpretive team, lead prosecutor for Mock Trial, and co-director of The Drowsy Chaperone. Her talents also extend to the classroom, where she’s...
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a national organization, and two students from Niwot High School will be representing the state of Colorado at the national competition this summer. Juniors Ayesha Hayat and Hannahy Chacon Gonzalez are heading out with one other representative from Colorado thanks to their project on diversity at Niwot Elementary School. Their project was called “Focus on Children,” and included educating the NES students about four different cultures including coloring pages with themes related to the...
Up-A-Creek Robotics Team 1619, comprised of primarily St. Vrain Valley School District students, came away from the 2018 FIRST Robotics World Championship competition in Houston with a third-place alliance finish, making this the most successful finish to a season for the team. Adding to the excitement of the finale, the team also earned the General Motors Industrial Design Award, which recognizes “form and function” for the robot that best performs each year’s assigned challenge. Prior to th...
Longtime president of the Niwot Community Association (NCA), Dick Piland, presided over his final meeting, Wednesday, April 18, at the Left Hand Grange Hall. Piland announced at the January NCA board meeting that he would not seek re-election this year, marking the end of five years heading up the board. Voting for available board positions concluded at the annual meeting, signifying the conclusion of two-year terms for half of the board. Each nominee ran unopposed. The other half of the board...
It might be presumptuous to say that more handwritten messages made their way through Niwot Elementary School (NES) than digital messages for a five day period, but it could be a close match. Here’s the figure — at least 1500 Lucky Grams were directed to students. And the sweet bonus an electronic message couldn’t begin to compete with — there was a Jolly Rancher or Starburst taped on each Gram. Every year, the 12-member NES Student Council sells the candy-decorated Lucky Grams to raise money f...
For recognition of her “truly extraordinary understanding of service, leadership, and duty,” the National WWII Museum has selected Niwot senior Mary Stischer as the Colorado recipient of the Billy Michal Student Leadership Award for 2018. Stischer will be recognized at the Museum’s American Spirit Awards Gala, which will be held June 7-8 in New Orleans. Stischer was nominated for the award by Niwot social studies teacher Beth Lozen, who noted the senior’s penchant for “enriching the lives of...
February 21, 1947 – April 7, 2018 Dennis Jerome Hurianek, 71, passed away on April 7, 2018 at his home in Niwot. Dennis was born February 21, 1947 in Denver, CO to Jerome W. and Lois E. (Cushatt) Hurianek. Dennis grew up around the world with his family wherever his father was stationed as a US Army medic. He graduated from Kaiserslautern American High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. As a young man, he was a Boy Scout, achieving the Order of the Arrow, and a camp counselor. Dennis earned a B...
The Centennial State Ballet will be presenting The Sleeping Beauty at Niwot High School on April 21 and 22. This marks the 20th season for the ballet, so it’s going to be a big one. For the first time in those 20 years, the production of The Sleeping Beauty will be the entire show. “We’ve done pieces of The Sleeping Beauty in the past, but the full production is a prologue plus three acts and two intermissions,” Lawrence said. “So the full piece is extensive, so we hadn’t taken it on previously....
Don Haddad, Superintendent of Saint Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD), is on the short list of candidates to be at the helm of Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada, the fifth largest school district in the country. Haddad was named as one of four finalists for the superintendent position from an initial pool of 77 applicants. Haddad, 56, has been an educator for 33 years and progressively moved up the ladder from being a teacher to entering the administration ranks, including a stint...
Niwot Elementary is proud to recognize Ben Codevilla as our student of the month. Ben is nine years old, and a third-grader in his second year at NES. Ben is a student who demonstrates responsibility and bravery. In January, Ben was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. At first, Ben was sad about his diagnosis. But now he feels good and reports that he is figuring it out. The office staff at NES are impressed daily by his desire to understand and be independent with his disease. “It’s different hav...
When Niwot student Jackson Cloud’s eponymous band beat out Golden-based Thunder and Rain in the final round of the Oskar Blues Battle of the Bands contest last month, it is fair to say he was a little awestruck. At the tender age of 17, Cloud and his blues-infused classic rock combo band outplayed five other competitors to claim the 2018 crown and will perform on the Oskar Blues BolderBOULDER Expo Stage during the iconic race, which commemorates its 40th anniversary in May. “I was surprised jus...
Local robotics Team 1619, based in Longmont, earned a significant honor this month at the Hub City Regional Competition in Lubbock, Texas - the Regional Chairman’s Award. Along with their alliance teams, the team also took first place out of 41 teams at the same event. Since the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) team was formed in 2004, and dubbed Up-A-Creek Robotics, membership and facilities have dramatically improved. Its beginnings were humble, with the first meeting in a t...
Kim and Alan Schwarz have racked up thirty some years of odd jobs for their resume. A little of this and a little of that adds up to a whole lot of doing good. When you have kind hearts, some really cool tools, and simply notice that something needs to be done, your hometown is fortunate to have you waiting in the wings. One of Niwot’s stealth power couples, the Schwarzes have made it their second nature to jump in and plow parking lots, cart around 300-pound Left Hand cement chairs, buy h...
With summer just a few months away, families and students are busy registering for camps and booking vacation plans. One Sunset Middle School eighth grader, Aleah Keppler, already knows what she is doing this summer. She was selected to attend the NYC Summer Academy hosted by The School of The New York Times. “My parents get The New York Times and there was an ad in the paper,” Aleah said when explaining how she learned about the program. “When we first found out about it we realized it was a lo...
Having their students perform at Carnegie Hall even once is a lifelong dream for many choir directors, so imagine Niwot High Choir Director Laura Marshall’s excitement when it happened to her twice in February. Two weeks before she and Principal Rauschkolb accompanied a group of 20 NHS singers to New York City, talented Niwot vocalist Liam Benson took the hallowed Carnegie stage to perform with the Honors Concert Choir, an elite group of young singers selected for the High School Honors Performa...
Although there weren’t any Cougar wrestlers at this year’s Class 4A State tournament, a talented Niwot student had the crowd buzzing before the championship finals nevertheless. On the final night of the three-day tournament, Niwot junior and home crowd favorite Ellie Brown brought members of the overflow Pepsi Center crowd to their feet with her uniquely beautiful rendition of the national anthem. “Ellie is such a gifted singer, and she has done such an amazing job for us here at Niwot, I tho...
For recognition of her efforts in technology education and outreach, the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) has selected Niwot senior Michelle Tran to receive the 2018 Award for Aspirations in Computing. Every year, NCWIT recognizes high school women “for their demonstrated interest and achievements in computing, proven leadership ability, academic performance, and plans for post‑secondary education.” Tran was one of just 41 students selected out of 3,600 appli...
The February nominees for students of the month are the members of the NES Robotics team. The team, consisting of third to fifth-graders, participated at a competition last Saturday at Flagstaff Elementary where they worked on individual design robots. The students on the Robotics team love building and competing with their robots. “There’s nobody telling you what you can and can’t do,” said fifth-grader Riley Herchert. “The biggest thing is watching the students grow individually and watching t...
On Feb. 6, the Niwot LID Advisory Committee considered five funding requests, got a sneak preview of the NBA’s 2018 budget and heard after-action reports for two popular events from last year. They also said goodbye to AC members Tony Santelli and Howard Treppeda, who will be stepping down at the end of the month when their latest five-year terms expire. Treasurer Harris Faberman led off with an update on the District’s 2017 finances. The LID collected $13,253.70 in sales tax revenue for Nov...
A Niwot mainstay will be bidding farewell to the community when the Neighborhood Learning Center of Niwot closes its doors at the end of the school year. The property, located at 304 Franklin Street, is slated to be revamped for the care of four-pawed family members. The transition will mark the end of a Niwot-based preschool and daycare program, which has run for nearly 40 years on the site. The building, first built as a church by what is now the Niwot United Methodist Church on Lookout Road,...
In the Niwot community, Scott Tibbitts is known as an entrepreneur. Tibbits is the founder of the company, Katasi, and his distraction-free driving product, the Groove, recently hit the market. But at Niwot Elementary School, Tibbits is known for a different role: the school’s favorite storyteller. “I like that he always does this spooky voice when it’s spooky,” said third grader Luke VanMiddlesworth. “I also like how he makes them up by himself.” On the last school day in December, Tibbitts vis...
Retiree Joan Grunzweig is doing a poor job, … a poor job of retiring that is. After closing the chapter on the traditional working life of an elementary school teacher in California, she’s reinvented herself as a fabulous, frenetic, full-time, self-employed baker. These days she can be found in Niwot being a churning ball of energy that’s measuring, mixing, baking and decorating. Her Niwot-based business, Joan’s Petite Sweets, carries the tagline, “a few bites of confection perfectio...
Born in the age of rumble seats, ice boxes, and boys’ knickers, Bill Yoh has seen and experienced an enormous number of changes in the world over the past 100 years. Yoh will officially become a centenarian on Dec. 19, 2017. Born in rural Pennsylvania, and residing in Philadelphia for most of the first two-thirds of his life, Yoh has called Niwot his home since 1984 - over 33 years ago. It was a snowy winter day in Eureka, PA, when Yoh’s mother went into labor. As if the urgency of the situation...
Weeks of rigorous memorization drills paid off for Niwot Elementary fifth-grader Greta Stauch last week when she claimed first place in the school’s annual spelling bee. Stauch correctly spelled ‘orthopedic’ to claim victory in the 12th round, after her lone remaining competitor, fellow fifth-grader Roland Pridgen, stumbled on ‘endeavor.’ “My dad was watching me when Roland was spelling his word,” said Stauch, who survived three rounds of written elimination tests before the final verbal round....
The Rocky Mountain Christian Church had a busy October, particularly one busy day. Over 700 volunteers from both the Niwot and Frederick campuses showed up for an amazing feat of service to area communities. They served breakfast to the public at Indian Peaks Elementary School, built a community garden, packed 100,000 meals to send to hurricane victims in the Houston area, did service projects at the Longmont Children’s Home and did several clean-up projects in Longmont and Frederick. All of t...
Niwot has the good fortune of being Alyson Bell’s family. And, as it is with the best of kin, Bell’s positive impacts are deep and immeasurable. “I like to keep a full plate and keep it rolling” Bell said. And that truly is the Alyson Bell effect. Her personal touch on Niwot’s signature events such as Let’s Wine about Winter, Rock & Rails, and The Great Pumpkin Party, through her organizing and hands-on effort and by ensuring that graphics, printed materials and online presences are emblematic,...
Niwot High School will soon have a new roof, but not the kind made of shingles. Thanks to a power purchase agreement, the St. Vrain Valley School District will be installing solar panels at NHS, Erie Middle School and Red Hawk Elementary over the winter. Dara Ward, energy and sustainability manager for the district, said that this will become a great opportunity for the students as well as the facilities and constituents. “Going into this project for the district, it was really important to n...
Imagine a place in Gunbarrel where neighbors can chat, check out the latest books and even create objects with a 3-D printer. Boulder Public Library is currently drafting its 10-year Master Plan, which includes plans to open a branch library in Gunbarrel. On Oct. 5, the library hosted an open house at the Boulder Rural Fire Rescue station to give community members the opportunity to preview the goals for the master plan and provide their feedback. The event was one of several, which have been...
Deeply rooted as one of Niwot’s most enjoyable seasonal festivals, The Great Pumpkin Party is once again ready to roll into town. This year marks more than 20 years of trick-or-treating excitement for children, parents and even four-footed furry family members. The celebration of Halloween is from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m, Saturday, Oct 28. Businesses in Cottonwood Square and along 2nd Ave. will be handing out candy and other goodies to children and entertainment abounds in both commercial areas. All acti...
Niwot Elementary is proud to nominate Greta Stauch and Luke Strickland as our students of the month! Greta and Luke were elected by their peers as Judge and Mayor; respectively, for the Young Ameritowne experience. Young AmeriTowne is an award-winning educational program offered to 4th and 5th grade teachers to help teach students about business, economics and free enterprise in a fun and hands-on way. The program has received countless accolades for its engaging format and its app...
The weekend’s low pressure system had nothing on the high spirits of the Niwot Trot runners. Sunday morning’s cool air and teasing drizzle made for a beautiful setting to run a 5K, to feel the energy of the community, and to contribute to a wonderful cause. Niwot Elementary School’s PTAC organizes the annual race to raise money for the para-professionals who serve NES. The twelfth year of the Niwot Trot brought out 429 entrants, a record number for the event. Participants and spectators were...
Howard Treppeda, founder and chief organizer of Niwot’s Jazz on 2nd Ave, was more than pleased with the seventh edition of the event, held in downtown Niwot, Sept. 16. “Fantastic, fantastic,” was Treppeda’s quick response when asked how the event was going. The day opened with cloudy skies and cool weather, but Treppeda was not worried. “I feel confident with the tents and the fanbase. There’s a jazz family, and they’re going to come out rain or shine.” As the day warmed up, so did the music....
A group of youth took notice of a trash problem in the Niwot Children’s Park and decided to take action. Nine-year-old Cormac Easter and his friend Emmett Verhoogen organized a group that they’re calling the Children’s Park Owls. For the last month or so, they’ve met at the park after Rock & Rails concerts to clean up the trash left behind. “What we’ve been doing is me and my friends have trash grabbers and other supplies,” Cormac said. “We distribute them so people can use them to clean. If we...
Editor’s note: This article highlights just one of the new teachers at Niwot High School. We hope to get more spotlights on great teachers over the coming weeks. If you know a teacher or staff/faculty member that deserves credit, email [email protected]. Sarah Demmel feels like she’s back home now that she and her family have returned to Niwot. After three years in Austin, TX where her husband’s job had relocated them, Demmel and her family are once again enjoying what this small town has to of...
Don’t look now, but Niwot is becoming a hotbed of world-class youth cycling talent. While Niwot Elementary students Collin Blatchley and Reid Porter were getting ready for the BMX World Championships in South Carolina, Niwot High student Kenny Lang was racing through the rural Canadian countryside in the Tour de l’Abitibi, an international junior road cycling race held each summer in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec. “It was crazy,” said the senior of the seven-stage race held Jul...
The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 6 at the Niwot Fire Station. After the meeting was called to order, members reviewed the June budget reports prepared by county liaison Pete Salas and LID treasurer Harris Faberman. According to their figures, the LID has committed to just over $66,000 in expenses so far this year, including about $11,000 in pending requests, and has nearly the same amount remaining in the 2017 budget. The...
Niwot resident and volunteer Riki Frea said she was “completely shocked” when she was told she had been selected as Grand Marshall for this year’s Niwot July 4 parade. The Niwot Community Association, which sponsors the parade, publicly announced its choice at the board’s June 7 meeting, citing Frea’s hard work and enthusiasm for volunteering in the community. “Oh my goodness, I’m just a Niwot mom who likes to be involved,” Frea said. “I have a lot of fun doing what I do, but this was totally...
The county’s preliminary plan for improving bike and pedestrian safety near Niwot Elementary School (NES) was met with opposition by area residents at a meeting held June 8 at the Left Hand Grange Hall. Two project phases were outlined by members of the transportation department staff, with Phase I slated for completion this summer. The construction phases are part of the St. Vrain Valley School District’s (SVVSD) goals for reducing car traffic while maximizing safety, according to co-presenter Cammie Piller Edson, a coordinator for the cou...
Long-time varsity assistant Adam Strah has been named the new head baseball coach at Niwot, replacing Craig McBride, who resigned following the 2017 season. Strah, who has been with the team for the past six seasons, will also join Niwot High School’s faculty as physical education/health teacher. The promotion marks Strah’s return to the head coaching ranks. Before coming to Niwot, he held the top spot at Rampart High in Colorado Springs, where he amassed a career record of 73-30-1, inc...
