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Three enterprising and compassionate high school students from the St. Vrain Valley School District are this week's Left Hand Laurel recipients for their creative – and highly successful efforts – to raise money for Ukrainian relief. They are Murray Avila, Tomas Dabove and Zach Rojo. In February 2022, Dabove, a sophomore in high school at the time, started obsessing about the terrible news of Russia bombing Ukraine with thousands of innocent people – adults and children – being killed. So he cam...
When you invite nine bands from across the St. Vrain Valley School District and beyond to perform what are traditionally their football game halftime shows, the turnout of parents, students, fans and athletes can fill the stands at Everly-Montgomery Field at Longmont High School. Wednesday, Oct. 4, bands from Erie, Frederick, Longmont, Lyons, Mead, Niwot, Silver Creek, Skyline and even Roosevelt high schools put on quite a show for their fans. Though the event is not a contest, many of the...
Four-year varsity player Jett Feiner is wrapping up his Niwot High School boys soccer career on an impressive scoring surge. Through Oct. 8, the senior owns a career-high six goals to go along with five assists. Half of Feiner's six scores came via his first high school hat trick in a 9-1 blowout of Severance on Sept. 26. Besides being more aggressive in shooting the ball, Feiner shared that nothing major has changed regarding his role on the field. "I try to do everything while I'm out there,"...
“Music,” Abby White says, “is important to so many aspects of life. It uses so many different parts of your brain in different ways than you would get from academics. And that has really helped me in my academic success. And I think it’s just good for your soul. “Music makes us happier. And it’s something that you can really work hard on. It’s difficult, but it gives you such a sense of accomplishment when you’re able to perform something at a high-level or like get through a hard passage....
High school marching bands from all the St. Vrain Valley District high schools will come together Wednesday, Oct. 4, not to compete against each other, but to showcase their 2023 field shows in support of everyone's dedication to the art form. This annual event is considered to be the highlight of the marching band season by students, staff, family, and friends. Unlike many other opportunities where high school marching bands perform, this performance is entirely dedicated to audience members...
This year, Niwot Elementary School has hired six new teachers due primarily to the recent retirements of previous teachers, all of whom worked at the elementary school for at least well over a decade. In addition to Hanna Sandhoff, Lyndsey Moauro, and Nina Starks, who were profiled (https://www.lhvc.com/story/2023/09/13/education/new-teachers-at-niwot-elementary-2023/8339.html) in an the September 13 issue of the Left Hand Valley Courier, there are three more new teachers at Niwot Elementary thi...
The complexity of the issues and passion of public opinion, both pros and cons, regarding regulation of Short-Term and Vacation Rentals were on full display Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Boulder County Planning Commission hearing. After three hours of staff presentation, commissioners’ questioning and public comment, the Commission opted for more time and more information before advancing its recommendations for changes to the current regulations, if any, to the Boulder County Commissioners. The five members of the Planning Commission who p...
Karen Ragland, Niwot's St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) school board representative, joined the Niwot Community Association's (NCA) September board meeting to hold a conversation with members and the public about the banners on the football field fence, an upcoming bond measure, and property valuation and taxes. NCA board members have previously spoken with Niwot High School (NHS) principal Eric Rauschkolb about the advertising banners on the football field fence facing Niwot Road, which...
There are six new teachers and a new family liaison starting at Niwot High School this year, teaching a wide variety of different studies. According to Principal Eric Rauschkolb, these hirings are due to a large increase in Niwot High School's enrollment, This year, the school had 100 more students enrolled compared to last year, and the St. Vrain Valley School District has given NHS more staffing distribution. Three of the new teachers are familiar to the high school students because they have...
GIRLS XC Look out Colorado, Niwot’s Addison Ritzenhein is a runaway freight train with no slowing down in sight. The sophomore picked up speed on the final downhill stretch and steamed through the finish line Saturday at the St. Vrain Cross Country Invitational, leaving all competitors far behind while crushing the girls’ course record along the way. In her second race of the season, Ritzenhein picked up her second victory, this time by a whopping 30 seconds over teammate and second-place finisher Olivia Alessandrini, who added the silver med...
Following the presentation of the Short-Term and Vacation Rental Two-Year Review in January, the Boulder County Commissioners directed the Community Planning & Permitting (CPP) staff to draft recommended changes to the Land Use Code and Licensing Ordinance associated with Short-Term Rentals (STRs) in unincorporated Boulder County. Those recommendations will be presented to the Planning Commission on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Public comments will be invited during the commission’s hearing which will be held at the Downtown Boulder County C...
According to Kalah Jackson, the Arts Student of the Week, when she got her first jewelry commission it opened a new world of possibilities for her future. Jackson saw creating jewelry as a potential way to earn money once she becomes an adult, and that will be helpful, she says, given that she is not interested in typically high paying careers. Jackson's art has been shown at the St. Vrain School District Art Show for the last two years, and last year she was also able to show her work from a...
The results of last Wednesday's RE-1J District Cross Country Meet may have looked like opening the floodgates, but Niwot head coach Kelly Christensen described the outcome as more of a controlled release. The Cougars, who had seen their top runners held out of competition in the first weeks of the season, were on full display on their home course and the visual effect was a green wave. Both the girls and the boys teams easily ran to victory with the girls capturing the top 13 individual places...
The Niwot High School Marching Band has been working hard to prepare for the upcoming school year. Members perform at a multitude of events throughout their tenure with the band including the Boulder County Fair Parade, Niwot High School football games, St. Vrain Band Night, and several local parades. These performances would not be possible without the substantial practice time and effort each band member puts into their instrument. The first practices each year that bring the group together...
Tuesday, July 25, saw The Peter Fund host a concert in Whistle Stop Park in conjunction with the recognition of the first five Kindness Counts Award winners in the non-profit's effort to recognize and reward acts of kindness. The evening opened with two bands, The PSB and Pearl Vision, each made up of local high school students who knew the late Peter Bonn-Elchoness, who died of a rare heart condition during his senior year at Niwot High School last fall. The music concluded with a performance...
Donald Allen Farr Dec. 7, 1943 - June 12, 2023 Donald Allen Farr was born in Detroit, Michigan. He passed away at the age of 79 in Commerce City, Colorado, due to Parkinson's. He met his wife Julie Farr in California and the couple married in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1970. They lived most of their married life in Niwot, Colorado. They had four children and many pets. They were married 36 years before Julie's passing of breast cancer in 2006. When Don was a kid he loved playing with trains and that...
What does it take to be a "Teacher of the Year?" According to the St. Vrain Valley School District Education Foundation, this honor requires someone who is innovative, goal-oriented, a motivator, an expert in their subject, and connects subject material to the real world. Recognition for this title must be made through nominations from students, staff, parents, community members, and other affiliates of the school. Only teachers who are licensed educators in the State of Colorado and employed...
You might recognize him as a volunteer at various Niwot Community Association events, such as Niwot Clean Up Day. Perhaps you have seen him on the NCA Road Crew or as a member of the tech team at Rocky Mountain Christian Church. Most likely, you have seen him driving the golf cart offering transportation service at Rock & Rails. Misha Barrett started providing his transportation services for patrons who parked down the street from Rock & Rails in the summer of 2022. His usage of the golf cart...
Thanks to generous contributions from the community, the Niwot High School Education Foundation (NHSEF) sponsored several student field trips during the 2022-2023 school year. The mission statement of the NHSEF is: "In partnership with our community, the NHSEF endeavors to enrich academic experience through learning and teaching grants, to expand opportunities for students to explore next steps in their education and professions, and to award scholarships to NHS students, enabling them to achiev...
Approximately 35 people attended the Scout Troop 161 Fundraiser Trivia Night at The Wheel House in Niwot on Monday, June 12. The event was a fundraiser for Niwot's Scout Troops 161-B and 161-G. "We raised $2,465 through the ticket sales and silent auction," Scout Kyrie Moorman said. "We thank all of our silent auction donors, The Wheel House, Niwot Market, and of course Deb Fowler for setting everything up." The event brought together a diverse group of participants of all ages who were ready...
Each year the St. Vrain Valley School District requests submissions from families for their annual Teacher of the Year award. Together with each school's input from their respective administrations, every elementary, middle and high school then reviews family submissions and nominates a teacher to send to the district-wide competition. This year it came as no surprise to many of the students she has taught over the years that Niwot Elementary's 2022-2023 recipient is third-grade teacher, Lise...
Despite being Colorado's most successful Class 4A girls track and field program over the past decade, Niwot High School had remarkably never produced a state title winner in shot put until May 19, 2023, when Jade West staked her claim to history. West's heave of 40 feet, 8.25 inches traveled a full 29 inches further than what the second-place thrower produced at the 4A state championships in Lakewood. In fact, observers reported that West had another throw that reached 42 feet at state, but it...
Stephen Codevilla, Joshua Dowlin and Hudson Kammerer were three of the biggest contributors, but the Silver Creek High School boys swim and dive team had help from its entire roster en route to finishing second at the Class 4A state championships on May 13. Silver Creek, which holds athletes from multiple St. Vrain Valley schools including Niwot and Silver Creek high schools, was runner-up to Cheyenne Mountain for the second consecutive season after winning the 2021 state title. "I love my...
The Niwot High School Music Department hosted its annual awards night on May 3. The awards recognize music students for their dedication, commitment, and accomplishments made throughout the school year. This year had an added element of fun to the evening. Attendees of the awards night were encouraged to dress up more formally than usual for this year's event, including parents, friends, and other guests. "Other departments, when they host their end of the year celebrations, all have nice...
Reaching the state regionals tournament would have been nice, but head coach John Miller couldn't have asked for much more out of Niwot High School's inaugural varsity boys volleyball season. Miller entered the campaign hoping to simply be competitive in Year 1, and his Cougars fulfilled that goal with an 11-12 overall record. Niwot's team, which includes student-athletes from across the St. Vrain Valley School District, also went 6-6 in the strong Northern 1 League following a four-set loss at...
Recent University of Northern Colorado football signee Kaiden Box is doing something a little different during his final high school semester. The Skyline High School quarterback was looking for a sport to play this spring and with neither baseball nor track enticing him, he was convinced by fellow Skyline senior Erik West to join the inaugural Niwot High School varsity boys volleyball team. It didn't take Box long to learn the sport and he soon developed an immense respect for his new...
Although he has his own personal goals, Jeremy Gillett is typically thinking about his team before anything else. On April 1, for example, the Niwot High School track and field senior shared that he took immense pride in representing his school as he competed on his home track at the NoCo Series #1 meet. Gillett ran in the 1,600-meter and as the race remained crowded up front entering the final stretch, his final push was motivated by a force greater than himself. "In that last 100 (meters), I...
While it's not at the absolute forefront of his mind, Niwot High School track and field senior Freddie Ambrose is doing his best to cherish the final days of his prep career. "When I'm running with the other guys that I've been running with for four years, it's kind of like, 'Dang, this is one of the last times I'll ever be able to run with these guys when we're all racing for the same team,'" Ambrose said. Putting on a show at the state championships in May remains his highest priority,...
The Chilly Chili golf tournament lived up to its reputation March 18 with a twenty-degree temperature at the 8 a.m. scheduled start, but the golfers took to the course a little later in the morning and broke the ice on the 2023 season. Niwot coach Ed Weaver took four golfers to the event at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Broomfield where parents provided a chili dinner for the players at the end of the day. “It was a really fun experience for the girls,” Weaver said. “Two of them had never played in a tournament before.” The start of spring break i...
The fourth and final season of Evan Welding's prep swim career is shaping up nicely. Already an accomplished swimmer for Silver Creek High School's boys team, Welding has qualified for the Class 4A state championships in the 50-yard freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 free, 100 fly and 100 individual medley. He is also a member of two relay teams that have made the cut for state. In a dual meet against Broomfield High on March 16, he took first in the 50 free thanks to a season-best 23.61-second...
Jack Klein squeezed about as much as he could out of his four years at Niwot High School. Now about two months away from graduation, the senior in Niwot's International Baccalaureate Program is also the school's National Honor Society Treasurer and the youth board executive director of the Community Food Share, a local food bank focused on fighting hunger in Boulder and Broomfield counties. To complement his community work, Klein owns an accomplished athletics resume as well. In his primary spor...
Veteran swim coach Debbie Stewart has another strong team at Silver Creek, with swimmers from both Silver Creek and Niwot High Schools. And that's in spite of four unexpected losses from last year's squad. "We're a little smaller this year," Stewart said, "but we did pick up some freshmen." One of the losses was James Story, a Mead High School student who excelled as a freshman last season. "He was one of our top swimmers, but he's shooting for the Olympic trials," Stewart said. "We also lost a...
Undefeated after two matches, Niwot, the St.Vrain School District's first-ever boys volleyball team, is looking like the kind of powerhouse possible when the talents of all seven of the district's high schools are combined. Indeed, the "Niwot" portion of the varsity team has just one player who attends Niwot High School: senior, middle blocker, and Student Athlete of the Week Jack Klein, (14). "We start practice an hour later than other sports in order to give the boys time to travel here from...
There is a new sport in town as the new all-St. Vrain Valley School District boys volleyball team takes shape under experienced and seasoned coach John Miller. The "Niwot" team is comprised of athletes from multiple St. Vrain Valley School District high schools including Silver Creek High School, Longmont High School, and Erie High School. The team has students from as far away as Mead High School. The students travel daily to practice, which begins a little later than school gets out to allow...
Jordyn Ballard has come a long way since interning with the Left Hand Valley Courier during her senior year at Silver Creek High School eight years ago. Following a memorable three-plus year run working in the athletics communications department at West Texas A&M University, Ballard accepted the position of Associate Director of Athletic Communications at Kansas State University in December. She moved to Manhattan, Kansas, in January and is currently preparing for the Wildcats' upcoming spring...
Everything is coming together at the best time possible for Izzy Fay, the lone diver on the Niwot girls swim and dive team. In Niwot's final meet before the state championships, Fay ran away with a first-place finish at the Longs Peak League Championships on Feb. 4. Her score of 450.85 was about 85 points higher than the next-closest diver. "This is probably my best meet so far, to be honest," Fay said soon after her final dive at the Mountain View Aquatics Center in Loveland. "But my season is...
Some of the best middle school choir students in the area came to Niwot High School last week for a district-wide honor choir concert. Despite the start of a mid-winter snowstorm, more than 100 students filled the stage, performing eight songs for an auditorium filled with parents and friends. Students represented 13 schools, with choir teachers from each school taking the stage as the concert began to thank students, their parents and Niwot High School as a host. The evening consisted of three...
First-year coach Ella Thramann was pleased with the performance of her swimmers and diver Jan. 21 at the District Swimming and Diving Meet at Mountain View High School, but disappointed with a second-place finish. The Cougars took second to cross-town rival Silver Creek, which took top honors among the six schools competing, outsourcing the Cougars 645 to 580. Thramann said the Cougars didn't realize how deep the Silver Creek team was. "I think they have 47 girls to our 35," she said. Thramann...
Three meets in a busy week kicked off earlier this month at the Mountain Vista Invitational Jan. 7 where the Niwot High School swim and dive team placed 11th in a field of 23 teams. Highlights included Rowan Lavigne's ninth-place finish in the 100 freestyle, seventh in the 100 breaststroke, and 10th in the 200 freestyle relay with teammates Stephanie Mow, Catherine Knight and junior Reese Lavigne. First-year coach Ella Thramann was pleased with the team's performance, especially since only half...
A few updates on transportation news in Boulder County: Voters approved the extension of the Boulder County transportation sales tax in the November 2022 election. The tax was previously scheduled to expire in 2024. Therefore, many transportation programs will continue to be funded as they have in the past. There is a long list of proposed projects to receive sales tax funding. The list of projects is available from the Boulder County website. Two projects are notable for Niwot: Niwot Road Shoul...
The annual Boulder County Parks and Open Space public meeting on prairie dog management will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 17, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Ron Stewart Parks & Open Space Building, 5201 St. Vrain Road, Longmont. Staff will be available to discuss the variety of activities conducted in 2022 and how the department manages prairie dogs on open space properties, including agricultural lands. Public comment is invited. No changes are proposed to the Prairie Dog Habitat Element of the Grassland and Shrubland Management Policy. Some probable...
Greta Stauch has a passion for choral music. The Niwot High School sophomore describes the music as "a group of people attempting to blend their voices into one sound with as much beauty as possible." Succeeding in choir, she said, "requires a deep understanding of vocal technique as well as music as a whole. Sight reading and music theory skills play a large part in contributing to a strong choral group." Laura Walters, the Choral Music Director at Niwot High School, selected Stauch as the...
Four Sunset Middle School students and nine Niwot High School students have been selected to perform in the Spring 2023 Colorado All State choirs. Charlotte Stauch, Bryce Grayless, Athil Henderson and Camryn Bell, eighth grade students at Sunset Middle School, will participate in the Colorado Middle School All State Choir, a two-day event held at the Denver Convention Center on Mar. 9 and 10. Stauch and Grayless are in the Triplo Choir, which is made up of soprano and alto voices. Henderson and...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Dec. 7 at the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room, and listened to a presentation about a proposed housing development at the northeast corner of SH 119 (the Diagonal) and SH 52 (Mineral Road). The proposal, which is in a very preliminary stage, would include 100 units of affordable housing and 150 units of workforce housing. Workforce housing is designated for those earning 80% to 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), while affordable housing is designated...
Monte Comer was a kid with a lot of friends. He was a fixture on his baseball team in the Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association, or GLVRA as it was known (now Niwot Youth Sports). He had buddies on his basketball team, his Boy Scout troop, his class at Niwot Elementary School and everywhere else. “Back then I don’t think they had the Pee Wee Football they have now,” said Monte’s sister, Jamie Comer Smith. “I believe he would have played football.” That was the mid-1970’s,...
Several Niwot High School girls swimmers were at their best on Dec. 8 in a dual meet against Erie High School. Head coach Ella Thramann said that many of her Cougar swimmers broke their personal-best times, all leading to an impressive 199-93 win at the Aquatic Center of St. Vrain Valley schools. Lauren Brooks set her best time in the 100 freestyle (1 minute, 41.15 seconds), senior Rowan Lavigne qualified for state in the 50 free (26.36) and Shefali Joshi’s 2:16.82 in the 200 free was close to the state-qualifying time — Thramann believes she...
Niwot High School students Jack Klein and Logan Waldron spend 12 to 15 hours a week year-round, training and practicing water polo for the Rocky Mountain Neptunes, a water polo club based in Boulder. Both have similar stories. They started out swimming, but preferred team sports and through watching the Olympics, found the sport. Water polo is often heralded as the toughest sport in which to compete. Players must tread water for the entire game while sprinting back and forth, playing both offens...
Arts Student of the Week Mya Wells has fond memories of the music that surrounded her during her childhood in California. "My mom was born in Mexico. In the morning she'd sing mariachi songs while she made me breakfast, forcing me to dance with her," Wells recalled. Those early experiences inspired her to become a musician. "It just came very naturally to me," she said. Later, when Wells attended Westview Middle School, she took up violin. "Everyone had to choose an instrument. So I said, 'I...
Members of local faith congregations gathered Nov. 30 at Gunbarrel's Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church on Lookout Road for a Community Thanksgiving Eve service. The service, an annual tradition in the Gunbarrel community for many years that was interrupted by Covid, allowed in-person attendance as well as remote attendance on video. The faith leaders of five congregations participated in the service, including Pastor Janet Kettering (Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, ELCA), Rev. Sasha...
Construction has begun on the Monarch Improvement Project, which will bring a permanent building to Hangge Fields at Monarch Park for the first time in the 35 years the ballfields have been in use. The project was launched by Niwot Youth Sports (NYS) to build a permanent structure to house the concession stand, provide a storage facility, and replace the port-a-potties with real bathrooms. NYS officials believe these improvements will be a great addition to the community, as the non-profit provi...
