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All Local, All The Time
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Veteran swimming coach Debbie Stewart is pleased with the early-season performance of her squad, which includes boys from Silver Creek and Niwot High schools, as well as a few other schools which don't have a team. And to top it off, Silver Creek has a brand new pool. "It's been beautiful," Stewart said. "Club teams are trying to get in," but St. Vrain Valley School District Athletic and Activities Director Chase McBride has kept it exclusively for use by district high school teams in the...
It took a little longer than expected, but Niwot will officially welcome boys volleyball as a varsity sport in the 2022-23 school year. The anticipated offering will mark the lone boys volleyball program in the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD). Following a successful eight-week pilot club season in the spring of 2019 and the subsequent sanctioning of boys volleyball into the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA), Niwot was intending to launch a varsity program in 2020....
After a three-year absence, one of the most competitive bicycle races in Colorado is returning to Boulder County next month. Modeled after one of the world's oldest single-day cycling competitions, the Boulder Roubaix will test up to 1,000 riders on a partially-paved 18.7-mile course that winds through the bucolic hills of Niwot, Longmont, and Hygiene. "Typically we go every other year, but we weren't interested in helping to spread the virus in any way shape or form, so it was an obvious...
When Sydney Rothstein was six years old, her father started taking her to the late lamented Haystack Mountain golf course where, through a series of outrageous bets and parental indulgence, he didn't just teach his daughter how to play the game, but made her fall in love with it. More than a decade later, Rothstein has turned that love for golf into a successful high school career at Niwot High that has included two state tournament appearances, and a lot of fun with friends along the way. But...
The 2022 track and field season officially got underway for Niwot on March 12 at the annual RE-1J meet between St. Vrain Valley district schools. This year the action was out at Mead High, and, as has been the case for many years, the Cougars turned in another dominating performance. While that's come to be expected by 12th-year head coach Maurice Henriques, the season opener still held a few pleasant surprises, he said. "I'm just really impressed with the young kids. We have a lot of new faces,...
If being a well-rounded student means engaging with a wide range of opportunities for learning and success at school, then the term applies to Niwot senior Mercer Stauch, whose list of high school accomplishments isn't just long, but also varied. Whether in the classroom, on the track, or, most recently, on the stage for Niwot, Stauch almost never says no to a challenge, or fails to reach a goal. Being well-rounded doesn't mean you can't have passions, and for Stauch, music and performing have...
It's a testament to Karen Behne's 25-year career at the Niwot Sanitation District when past sanitation board president Jim Jones said, "People come in to pay their bills in person so they can talk to Karen. She really is the face of Niwot Sanitation." Jones feels that Behne has an encyclopedic knowledge about the district. "She knows the answer off the top of her head." He added, "The only time people are concerned (with sanitation) is when their toilets don't flush." For Jones, Behne has been...
Disneyland bills itself as "the happiest place on Earth," but on Saturday, Feb. 26, it had competition for that title from Niwot High School, where the St. Vrain Valley unified basketball teams came together to celebrate eight weeks of hard work, camaraderie and mastering new skills. In the 2022 season finale, each of the eight district teams competed in a two-game tournament, and while there probably was a winner, everyone was having too much fun to pay much attention to the final results....
The Colorado League of Charter Schools has named two Flagstaff Academy Charter School teachers as finalists for the 2022 Charter School "Educator of the Year" award. Flagstaff Academy elementary school science resource teacher Stacy Wolff, and sixth-grade language arts teacher Leha Moskoff are two of eight finalists. Wolff is in her 11th year at Flagstaff Academy Charter School as the kindergarten through fifth grade science resource teacher. Wolff teaches an inquiry-based, hands-on science lab...
Just days after her grand finale at the Class 4A state swim and dive championships, Niwot standout Mary Codevilla found herself in the spotlight once again. On Feb. 16, the seven-time individual champion was a featured speaker at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly completed Aquatics Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools, a facility she called "absolutely amazing." "I know all of the swimmers in the district are extremely thankful to be able to swim in this pool, especially with the limited...
A campaign launched by Niwot businesses to raise $100,000 for Marshall Fire victims is more than one-third of the way to its goal after just three weeks. According to organizers for the "Small Town Big Heart" fund, a combination of donations, benefit concerts, and other local events has brought in $38,504 since late January, a testament to the community's generosity. "This town rocks," Colorado Landmark realtor Deborah Read Fowler said. "What's so cool about it is we're seeing residents and busi...
When Ashlee Wood heard about the new unified basketball team coming to Niwot High, she was excited about the chance to test her burgeoning skills on the court. "My brothers actually started playing basketball, and then after a little bit I started wanting to try too," the sophomore said. "I've played for fun with my brothers, but I've never really played before on a team." The sophomore finally got her chance last month when the Cougars' unified team made its debut, featuring eight athletes...
It has been three long seasons since the Niwot girls swim team has had a home pool, but with the opening of the Aquatic Center of St. Vrain Valley earlier this month, its wandering days are over. On Jan. 21, the Cougars tested the new waters against league rival Roosevelt, and, for head coach Kyle Bachrodt, having a place that the team can officially call its own is nothing short of "amazing." "To be 15 minutes from school is so convenient for us," he said of the new facility, located next to...
After a pandemic hiatus in 2021, the girls swim and dive teams from St. Vrain Valley high schools renewed their friendly rivalry at the annual All-District Meet, held Jan. 15 at Mt. View Aquatics Center. Now featuring six teams, after the addition of Frederick, the competition was as fierce as ever, and the final results entirely familiar. For the eighth straight time, the voluminous Silver Creek squad took first place in the team standings, thanks to some speedy relays and a strong contingent...
With five individual state championships and a Class 4A record to her name, there isn't much territory left for standout Mary Codevilla to conquer in high school swimming. But she still has lofty goals for her senior season, and not just in the pool. "Since I've already committed this year, it's just about fun," the fourth-year varsity and Notre Dame-bound swimmer said between events at a recent meet. "It's about being a good leader to the team, and passing down the knowledge that I've gained...
With star swimmer Mary Codevilla out for the weekend, it was Jamieson Legh’s turn to take charge for the Niwot girls swim team. The junior dominated in a pair of individual races to help the Cougars finish second in 4A at the Mustang Invitational, which concluded on Jan. 8 at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton. Niwot also finished fourth overall behind Broomfield, Legacy and meet-winner Regis Jesuit. The Cougars would have been well outside the top-five if it weren’t for Legh. In the 100-yard butterfly, Legh took first place and...
On Dec. 17, the Niwot Rotary Club celebrated 13 years of service, both in the local community and across international borders. As part of the Rotary tradition, a new president's name is added to their podium and all past presidents reunite in celebration. Sadly, the founding president, Eli Buzas, passed away from COVID-19 in January 2021. Current president Karrin Reichen said Buzas was a wonderful friend who inspired her to join the Rotary Club. Reichen is proud to be leading her club since...
Behind any community event in Niwot, there is an unsung army of volunteers, handling details and logistics that most attendees overlook. Among them is the Niwot road crew, a group that has been dedicated to keeping the town's parades and festivals pedestrian-friendly since 2014. "We started with seven, and it blossomed from there," Dick Piland said of the group he founded as Niwot Community Association president nearly a decade ago. "It was amazing. We had people calling up insisting they get...
The Niwot girls swim team has faced its share of challenges over the past few seasons, from lack of a home facility, to a coaching turnover, and, of course, the myriad complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with a new St. Vrain Valley district pool set to open next month, plus a more conventional schedule in 2021-22, senior Rowan Osgood is excited for her best swim season yet. "I absolutely think there's more stability this year," the third-year veteran said of her Niwot swimming...
In 2020, charitable giving rose to an all-time high in the U.S., even as many Americans struggled with uncertainty and disruptions. While that is good news for the nation's non-profit organizations, the unfortunate reality is that much of the bounty went to high profile causes and groups, leaving small and locally-focused charities scrambling to make up for lost fundraising opportunities. As 2021 comes to a close, many of those groups could still use some help to balance the scales. "There are a...
To the editor: Thank you for the article about the city of Boulder LDAC. I agree that the residents of unincorporated Boulder County should financially support the public libraries they use. For the thirty years we have lived in Niwot we have enjoyed and been helped by the Longmont Public Library. I heard that Longmont has also talked about forming a library district. It is logical that Niwot would be included in Longmont’s district since we are served by the St Vrain Valley School District. I would like to be taxed to support the Longmont l...
Education is in Sarah Hurianek's blood–a number of family members were and are educators, and she has worked in early childhood education for over 20 years. In addition to her on-the job experience, she has been an active member of the Mead community and even graduated from Skyline High School in the St. Vrain Valley School District herself. Her husband Noah Hurianek, also a teacher, grew up in Niwot where both of his parents, Dennis and Nancy Hurianek, were long-time teachers. "Serving as a b...
As a self-proclaimed "serial volunteer and community member," SVVSD Board of Education member Karen Ragland has been involved in the local educational community since 2007. She started in parent groups and other organization committees before being elected to the Board in 2017. Much of her professional background is in mental health counseling, healthcare consulting and project management. Between her professional experience and having a masters in Community Counseling, she brings a diverse set...
Niwot cross country coach Kelly Christensen wasn't surprised when nationally-ranked runner Zane Bergen crossed the finish line first at the St. Vrain Invitational on Sept. 18, but he was surprised to see so many Cougars on the senior's heels. "We had some congestion and sniffles early in the week with two or three of them," Christensen said, quickly adding that everyone had tested negative for COVID. "So they didn't really get a chance to do much this week, other than a few horrible runs, so I...
Niwot senior Isaac Robinson describes himself as "a little bit of a perfectionist" when it comes to academics, a tendency that has paid off with a top GPA and a selection as a 2021 National Merit semi-finalist. Now the senior is taking those perfectionist tendencies to the cross country course for Niwot, where they have been paying off with top finishes in challenging varsity races. He said that's a result of increased training and focusing on "the little things," that actually have a big...
As a senior in Niwot High's IB program last year, Mackenzie Demmel created St. Vrain for the Brain, a virtual 5K run/walk that raised nearly $4,000 for brain tumor research. Now the fun run is back for a second year, but this time you can get in on the action with family, friends and fellow runners on a course that starts at the high school. While that meant more work for Demmel in 2021, it's all worth it to raise more money for a cause that is near and dear to her heart, she said. "I'm just...
Sometimes you just have the music in you, and other times you just wanna get the music in you. Either way, the annual RISE Benefit Concert in Niwot will help satiate music lovers of all ages. The very danceable event returns Saturday, Sept. 11, for the fourth year following an obligatory COVID skip in 2020. This year the event will be held at Whistle Stop Park in Niwot at the corner of 1st Avenue and Murray Street, after the 2019 event was held at the Boulder County Fairgrounds. RISE stands for...
It's been a week since students, teachers, and staff started the new school year. After the pandemic created an unconventional, some would say difficult, year of learning, returning to full-time, in-person classes throughout the district is something that many parents are grateful for. At the same time, the community is not having the same kind of back-to-school experience as in years past. Students are required to re-acclimate to a more conventional social and learning environment after the...
The school community was hopeful that when they returned to school this fall masks would not be required in SVVSD schools. As it turns out, that won't be the case. Following guidance from Boulder County Public Health through Public Health Order 2021-07, the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) is requiring masking for all students, faculty and staff in grades PK-12 while indoors. The school district did not provide a direct response to the Courier's questions about the decision. Instead,...
After narrowly missing the qualifying mark for the 2016 Team USA women's discus team, Silver Creek graduate Valerie Allman made the mark and more in Tokyo. Allman became just the third American since 1932 to win gold in the women's discus with a 69.98 meter (229.6 feet) hurl on Aug. 2. She backed up a 66.42 meter (217.9 feet) throw in the qualification round on July 30 which had then set a record for the farthest throw ever by an American woman in the Olympics, yet still short of her 70.15...
This August marks the 36th annual Sunrise Stampede organized by the St.Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation. Founded in 1986, the race was first organized by the Longmont Sunrise Lions Club and sponsored by Mountain Bell as a way to support students. The Education Foundation partnered with the Stampede for the first time in 2016, updating the race route to one that starts and ends at Silver Creek High School. As for the 2021 race, students, families and the planning committee alike seem to...
Early farmers in the Niwot area relied upon wells and cisterns for a domestic water supply, as did the residents of Old Town Niwot. In 1960, as Colorado's population began to increase, they looked for a better system to supply potable water to the area. Because Niwot was unincorporated, there was no municipal water system, so farmers and residents formed the Left Hand Domestic Water Users Association, an unincorporated association and sought a $1.25 million loan from the FHA to finance the...
Boulder Valley's Impact on Education has been around for nearly 40 years, and the Crayons to Calculators program is one of their longest running programs. Since the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) and the St.Vrain Valley School District ( SVVSD) are so close, the St. Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation entered into a partnership and now the program is a joint effort. This is notable because, on average, families spend $75 on school supplies, according to the website. Their goal this...
Softball was not added as a high school sport for girls in the St. Vrain Valley School District until after the 1991-1992 school year. Although the Boulder Valley School District had added a girls softball program at the high school level in the late 1980s, it took an effort by area high school girls and volunteer coaches to convince the St Vrain Valley School District that there was sufficient interest to add softball to the sports available for girls in the district. In the fall of 1991, teams were formed at Niwot, Longmont, Skyline and...
Niwot High School Boosters, Inc., is a non-profit parent organization that supports all activities at Niwot High School, from cross-country to chess club, from marching band to musicals. Although booster clubs were historically organized to support high school athletic teams, Niwot High School Boosters, Inc., has been active in supporting all student extracurricular activities. You will often see parents and students from an unrelated activity selling concessions at a football or basketball...
Not even the hottest temperatures of the year could keep the Niwot track and field team from yet another record-breaking* performance, this time at the 44th annual Boulder County Championships, held June 5 at Everly-Montgomery Field in Longmont. Under an unrelenting sun, the Cougars set a total of six new meet records*, set several new top times in Class 4A, and claimed both the boys and girls 2021 team titles with room to spare. Afterwards, Niwot senior Taylor James, sophomore Kimora Northrup...
Congratulations to the Courier’s editor Jocelyn Rowley for her first-place win in the Colorado Press Association's Better News Media Contest. Rowley’s Sept. 9, 2020, article “St. Vrain parents group seeks return to in-person learning” won first place in the Best Education Story. The awards committee said, “Excellent, timely and comprehensive coverage of a critical issue for the community. Wonderful use of interview material and links. Strong analysis of the underlying issues. Very well done!” From everyone at the Courier, congratulat...
After a school year filled with upended routines, unprecedented challenges, and, above all, uncertainty, 270 students from Niwot High came together on May 29 to mark the end of their high school journeys. For IB programme valedictorian Carter Kruse, graduation was also a chance to reflect on the positives that emerged during the pandemic year, and the importance of connectivity beyond Webex and Zoom. "Without question, our senior year was a memorable one," the future Dartmouth student said...
It was another record-setting weekend for the Niwot girls track team, as they competed in back-to-back meets at Roosevelt and Longmont on May 21 and 22. Along the way, the Cougars posted a slew of personal bests, three top Class 4A marks, and one of the fastest 800-meter times in state history. Now heading into the second half of the 2021 season, longtime Niwot track coach Maurice Henriques has just one goal for his team. "It's just to keep working hard and stay healthy," he said following the...
Visitors looking to get out on the trails or to head out camping in certain areas of Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests this summer have some new rules and regulations to navigate. In a recent press release, the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland managers noted that they are currently "exploring new strategies to help visitors have safe and enjoyable outdoor experiences this summer while protecting wildlife, clean water and healthy forests." In 2021, these s...
If a high school student were to look up the average cost of a four-year college in Colorado, they'd likely find a figure around $8,364 per year for tuition and fees, which works out to just more than $33,000 per year. This figure doesn't include mandatory fees, housing or other estimated costs of post-secondary education. This can be daunting for many students, and especially those who would be first-generation higher education applicants, which often includes a higher percentage of students...
Cathy Carter is passionate about math. She also has a passion for empowering both students and teachers, especially when it comes to understanding it. "Everyone thinks about math slightly differently," she explained. "Part of my goal is to help students realize their ideas are amazing." Math is often seen as something practical; with right and wrong answers; with right and wrong paths to get to those answers. Because of this mentality, students are often discouraged and feel insecure about...
Junior Nguyen Pham is a talented student in Niwot High's IB art program who prefers to let her artistry do the talking. She is currently enrolled in a 3-D design course at the school, where she has worked with everything from metal and plaster, to wood and clay. Last month, one of her sculptures was featured in St. Vrain Unframed student art show, a virtual showcase of the most interesting student artwork from schools around the district. Pham's submission resulted from an assignment to create...
Niwot Elementary's Jessica Easley says she has an amazing job. Her passion for teaching and dedication to her students earned her Teacher of the Year for her school, an award she's won multiple times in her career. "It is a tremendous honor to have been chosen for this award," Easley wrote in an email after being honored at the Tribute to Teachers celebration on Friday night. "I am very grateful. I have taught for 26 years, most of them in Niwot. I love my job and my students. I am excited to...
The Flagstaff Academy Board of Directors announced that following an extensive hiring process which included a review of feedback from stakeholders, Mrs. Katie Gustafson has officially been hired as executive principal of Flagstaff Academy. According to the school, Mrs. Gustafson has been a dedicated employee of Flagstaff Academy for the past 10 years. During that time, she has held the roles of Middle School social studies teacher, Assistant Principal, positive behavior iIntervention and...
It's always a great honor to be named a finalist for Teacher of the Year, but this year's group earned recognition in a pandemic year that brought unforeseen challenges to them, students and schools. Their principals praised them for finding new and creative ways to engage and support students, while adapting to teaching virtually or in socially distanced and masked classrooms. Each St. Vrain Valley School District has three finalists and will eventually have a winner chosen from their school...
It's been nearly two years since the Niwot girls golf team played its last round, but head coach Ed Weaver isn't mourning the lost 2020 season. With two proven veterans and some promising new prospects in 2021, he's focused on picking up right where the Cougars left off-with a Class 4A state title in their sights. "What I'm trying to do is just business as usual," he said about how his team weathered the long layoff. "Not looking backwards and just looking to today and forward and trying to...
Habitat for Humanity of St. Vrain Valley (HFHSVV) hit a milestone of $1 million in contributions toward building homes around the world and has earned the local affiliate the Sam Mompongo Award. The contributions were raised as a result of one of the entity's foundational principles – a 10% tithing of unrestricted revenue toward partnering countries to fulfill the global organizations' goal of helping every person have an affordable and decent place to live. HFHSVV's unrestricted funds are g...
The Rotary Club of Niwot is currently the only nationally chartered service club meeting in Niwot. While the Niwot area has in the past had Optimists,Lions, Jaycees and Kiwanis clubs, the local rotary club now serves the community in a variety of ways, with a focus on education. “We just celebrated our 12th anniversary,” Doug Montgomery said of the organization which was formed in 2008. “It’s alive, it’s active, it’s growing.” Montgomery served as president of the Niwot club until July of 2020, and will become president of the affiliated ch...
There wasn't much drama in Niwot soccer's 6-0 rout of Roosevelt on April 5, but at least one play will always be memorable to Carter Kruse, a longtime varsity defender who suddenly found himself with an unprecedented chance. "There was not much of a lead up to it," the senior said of the play that resulted in his first-ever high school goal. "Orlando [Lopez] was fouled inside the edge of the box...and then Coach Dimit called me forward to take [the penalty kick]. While it was fun to score, I...
