All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 251 - 300 of 483
Living in pandemic times we realize more than ever that our homes are our refuge. But for 45 years, Habitat for Humanity has been focused on just that - offering permanent affordable shelter to families around the globe. Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley (HFHSVV) makes local low-income families' dreams come true by paving the path for them to own a safe, well-maintained home. Located in Longmont, HFHSVV engages volunteers to work hands-on improving the living situations of well-deserv...
Niwot senior MacKenzie Demmel seems pleased to have participated in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and her advice to those considering the program is to just try it. "I know that IB might seem daunting, but it really is the best path you can choose," she said. "It forces you to have a very involved and active high school experience, and you'll be surprised by how much you can accomplish when you have things like CAS [creativity, action, service] to push you." CAS adds a unique...
It wasn't the final run that Niwot High School senior Emily Creek dreamed of, but she's grateful she got to be part of a team and go to the state championships all four years of her high school career. Creek raced for Nederland High School and was in second place in slalom after her first run at Loveland Ski Area on Friday. But on her second run she went over a gate and had to stop and hike back up to get back on course. She still finished in 19th place. "My nerves get to me at state, and I...
As COVID-19 averages over 1,000 new cases a day in Colorado, St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) has provided hybrid modes of instruction during the school week — but a local parents’ group continues to push for the full five days to return. St. Vrain’s Educational Advocates was formed in August 2020 as a Facebook group by parents of students in five Denver metro area school districts, including SVVSD. Organization founder and local parent Dan Maloit believes there are concrete strat...
In a year full of challenges, educators have gone above and beyond to support their students. Teachers have been placed in situations they didn't ask for and had to quickly build new skills to reach learners who were often on the other side of a screen. Now, the St. Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation and the St. Vrain Valley School District are asking those who know of someone who has gone to lengths to help their student, to nominate them for 2021's Teacher of the Year award....
The Class of 2020 may have lost prom and a conventional graduation to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Class of 2021 is on track to lose an entire academic year and, with it, most activities and milestones. For a deeply engaged student like MacKenzie Demmel, the loss has been hard to take, but she has found refuge on the basketball and volleyball courts for Niwot, and is determined to make the most of her final seasons there. "I think what I've missed the most is, there's not really as many...
Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there won't be many wrestlers hitting the mat for Niwot in 2021, but bigger isn't always better, according to longtime head coach Bobby Matthews. And what the Cougars lack in numbers, they more than make up for in experience, he said, which could mean a Niwot representative in the Class 4A state championships for the third straight year. "We're eight right now, so we're definitely down. But I think the eight that we have are solid for the most part,...
In April 2020, the St. Vrain Valley School Board authorized an architect design contract for an eight-lane swimming pool to be added onto Silver Creek High School. Nearly a year later, construction is set to begin in February and is expected to be completed in the fall. "People are excited about it," said Silver Creek Athletic Director Patrick DeCamillis. "I think it's a win for the community for sure, not just Silver Creek, but the St. Vrain community and Longmont in general." Up next on the ag...
It turns out there will be a high school wrestling season in Boulder County after all. In a letter to wrestlers and their families dated Jan. 12, St. Vrain Valley Schools' Arts, Athletics, and Activities Director Chase McBride announced that wrestling has been approved by Boulder County Public Health, reversing a Jan. 5 decision that disallowed the sport due to COVID-19 concerns. "After careful consideration and continued discussion with Boulder County Public Health, they have approved...
Wrestlers in St. Vrain and Boulder Public Valley Schools will likely miss out on the chance to compete during the 2020-21 school year, after Boulder County Public Health declined a request from the Colorado High School Activities Association to approve the sport for Season B, scheduled to begin on Jan. 18. In a message to wrestling families dated Jan. 5, Niwot High assistant principal and athletics director Joe Brown wrote: "Over the past several weeks, we have continued to work closely with...
The COVID-19 pandemic turned life upside down for most of us over the past 12 months, but it was especially hard on the local non-profit community, which saw its donations dry up as traditional fundraising events and activities were postponed or canceled. Fortunately, there's still time to help balance the scales as we count down the final hours of 2020. Among the many provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) passed back in March, was a change to an IRS rule...
After competing as a club team the past few seasons, the Niwot boys volleyball team will have to wait a little longer for the elusive official high school varsity designation. Budget cuts related to COVID-19 made the addition of a sport unfeasible in the St. Vrain Valley School District according to Niwot athletic director Joe Brown. In April 2019, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) had approved boys volleyball to become a CHSAA sanctioned sport for the 2020-21 season, but...
Like many first-time business owners, Stacey Slupik didn't know exactly what to expect when she started her flower farm business in 2020. What started as a passion project for Slupik, a mother of three who discovered flower farming in her search for a fulfilling creative outlet, quickly grew into a way for Slupik to share her newfound love of home-grown flowers with the local community. Unknowingly, she picked a year to start her flower farm when people were actively looking for ways to bring jo...
Last month, Lorne Jenkins, a former Niwot resident and CEO of Mini Money Management, was named to the Board of Trustees for the Longmont Community Foundation, a public charity dedicated to "improving life in the St. Vrain Valley." "It was kind of a no-brainer for me," the former Cougar track star said of his decision to accept LCF's invitation. "I'm joining at a unique time because it pretty much is primarily Covid-based, and the basic things are planning around what's going to happen with...
On Wednesday, Dec. 16 the St. Vrain Valley School District Board of Education held a special meeting to discuss the return to school in 2021 and on Friday, Dec. 18, sent out an email to all parents, including a roadmap to in-person learning. Don Haddad, the superintendent of SVVSD, along with the counsel of many others, has created a plan to get students back in-person and ready to learn. In short, the plan is to have elementary students to be fully in-person starting Wednesday, Jan. 6, but...
It almost seems that since COVID shook the nation in March, it has been an easy scapegoat for many shortcomings. Even if it's not the complete reason for some sort of decline, it does appear to be a contributing factor in many cases, and 2020 school enrollment is no different. Last Wednesday, the St. Vrain Valley School District board of education started the meeting with the enrollment report. Scott Toillion, the district's planning director, emphasized that all districts across the state have...
For Niwot first-year coach Nikolas Blume, the 2020 football season will be memorable for many things, and not all of them pleasant. But one pleasant memory he will have is of senior Charlie Herring, a newcomer like himself, whose "work ethic and dedication to his teammates," helped the coach nudge the program in a promising direction. "Charlie was a first year starter and a great leader for us this season," Blume wrote in an email interview. "You won't find a young man more dedicated to...
Lawson and Suzanne Drinkard of Niwot put their energy into making sure members of Recovery Café are wrapped in the warmth of connection with others. Built upon the premise that recovery from challenges with addiction, homelessness, and mental health is made possible through a sense of belonging and being valued, Recovery Café Longmont (RCL) opened its doors a little over a year ago and the Drinkards were committed to support the impactful organization from the start. "Being a part of a caring c...
In 1975, the Lutheran Medical Center Foundation was created as a way to support a nonprofit hospital in West Denver. Since then, it has been renamed the "Community First Foundation" (CFF) and has sought to create change beyond just the Denver Metro. Then, CFF became involved with ColoradoGives.org, an online tool that is a way to connect with and support nearly 3,000 nonprofits around the state. In 2010, CFF and ColoradoGives.org kicked off Colorado Gives Day, which has garnered $355 million in...
In a special meeting of the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) Board of Education held last week, Superintendent Don Haddad indicated that due to rising rates of COVID-19, the district would return to fully remote learning. The change will take place when classes resume after Thanksgiving break. Haddad said the district's decision about whether in-person classes could resume in the new year would be announced in the first week of winter break. Niwot High School principal Eric Rauschkolb...
In the closing line of the poem First Things First, W.H. Auden writes, "Thousands have lived without love, but not one without water." Water is the topic of author and retired water resource manager Bob Crifasi's lecture for the Niwot Historical Society's latest Now & Then lecture series set to be released on Nov. 18. Crifasi's lecture, "From Desert To Oasis, A Land Made From Water," will be available for the public to watch on the Niwot Historical Society's YouTube channel. Crifasi worked for...
On Nov. 4, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) moved Boulder to level Orange, "Safer at Home - High Risk." Since the announcement, various organizations, including school districts, have been scrambling to react. Boulder Valley School District announced that all students will be remote as of Nov. 17, as has the University of Colorado Boulder. However, while St. Vrain Valley School District Superintendent Don Haddad said that switching to remote learning is a...
This year, 3,207,983 votes were cast across Colorado, resulting in a voter turnout rate of 84.83%. Boulder County's rate was comparable at 84.81%, with 230,721 votes cast. Traditionally seen as a more liberal part of the state, the Boulder County results tend to lean blue this election cycle. The average turnout across the sixteen precincts that make up the Courier's readership was 90.74%, higher than both the county and state rates. Of those sixteen precincts, the lowest turnout was 80.87% and...
After spending two years as head coach of Niwot’s junior varsity baseball team and two years as NHS varsity pitching coach, Colin York’s Niwot reign came to a close in October as he accepted the head baseball coaching position at Frederick High School. “I am incredibly excited for him,” said Niwot head coach Adam Strah. “I think he's going to do a great job. I think he's ready.” York’s ability to be a rock for Niwot was one of his best attributes according to Strah. A constant and calm presence isn’t a bad trait to have in this chaotic year. ...
There have been more tricks than treats in 2020, and among the former is the hobbling of many local Halloween traditions, such as Niwot's Great Pumpkin Party. For many area families, finding an enjoyable but safe way to enjoy the popular holiday has been a matter of getting creative. For those in the mood to be social but distant, there are a few public celebrations organized with safety foremost in mind-from a trunk or treat in Cottonwood Square, to a virtual 5K benefit race organized by a...
The CalWood and the Lefthand Canyon Fires have impacted our community. I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to those who have lost their homes and have been evacuated. I also want to thank our first responders who have stepped up to keep us safe. The immediate and long-term impacts of these fires are significant. Both fires are burning close to the creeks that provide us with safe drinking water. As soon as the fires are out, we need to begin post-fire recovery work to ensure our water supplies continue to be clean and reliable. Protecting...
With the return of in-person learning on Oct. 5, Niwot schools and the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) are working to manage the impact of COVID-19 on their school communities. It has not proven to be an easy or simple task. This month, SVVSD implemented a COVID-19 tracker to keep the public informed about new and existing cases that have been documented during the current school year. The tracker segregates cases between students and staff, and between cases that are currently active...
At Niwot High School, students in the International Baccalaureate diploma programme are expected to complete, among other things, rigorous classes, an extended essay, and a project oriented around creativity, activity, or service (CAS), and designed to get the student involved in the community and create something that benefits a group. For her CAS project, senior MacKenzie Demmel decided to organize a virtual 5K, with all of the proceeds benefiting the National Brain Tumor Society. The...
This past month, a noteworthy change came to Niwot High School's football field. The St.Vrain Valley School District installed new lights to allow for later practice times and, ultimately, after-dark home football games. Niwot High School is one of three in the district that received new light installations, the other two being Longmont's Skyline and Silver Creek High Schools. According to Athletic Director Joe Brown, the three high schools were the only ones in the district that didn't have...
Things will look different when St. Vrain Valley School District students step into the classroom next week for the first time since March. Everyone will be wearing masks, there will be arrows on the hallway floors, desks too far apart to steal a glance at someone else's answers. And there will be plenty of new rules and protocols to follow. The first day of school is a mix of excitement and anxiety in normal times. That's ramped up during the pandemic, leading experts at the Colorado...
St. Vrain Valley School District students will soon be seeing each other, their teachers and staff again in person. Though being face-to-face will not be quite the same with everyone required to wear masks. On Monday night, the district held a virtual public meeting to announce that it is moving to a hybrid system where students will have in-person classes two days a week and two days will remain as synchronous, remote learning. Having only half the students at school on any given day will allow...
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...
Once a week I help my brother by supervising his eight and 10-year old boys during remote school. Once a week I am reminded how incredibly hard it is. I get almost no work done, but it is satisfying to help, and it can be quite amusing, like when the third grade teacher admonished a student for messing with his virtual Zoom background. "Cool background, but not right now. I love raccoons as much as the next person." I can't imagine what it's like to engage 25 squirming online boxes. My...
The Rotary Club was founded over a century ago in Chicago, and since then, the organization has advanced to nearly every corner of the globe, including several local clubs in the Left Hand Valley and St. Vrain Valley areas. Rotary International is best known as a service organization, and their work on polio eradication is well documented, a hallmark of local Rotary clubs around the world, including those in the Left Hand Valley. A recent merger between two local clubs, the St. Vrain and the...
As much of St. Vrain Valley School District starts an unprecedented academic year by tuning into video calls, Twin Peaks Charter Academy is one of two schools in the district opting to take a different route. The tuition-free charter school is starting with multiple forms of in-person learning, seeking to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 while also trying to keep students on track. A post on the Twin Peaks website on Aug. 19 explains how the school will modulate between in-person and online learning. Elementary students started the year with...
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...
Tens of thousands of students returned to school in St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) last week for what will undoubtedly be an unprecedented academic year. First graders through high school seniors started school on Aug. 18, with kindergarteners following suit on Aug. 20. Instead of first day high-fives and fist bumps, students greeted their classmates and teachers through a computer screen. SVVSD has a handful of learning modes for this year. The majority of students are following the...
Students at Niwot High School returned to school on Tuesday, Aug. 18, albeit through virtual means. And while the academic situation remains uncertain, with potential to add in-person classes at some point, many activities are operating with even less clarity. Both the St. Vrain Valley School District and the Boulder Valley School District are starting the academic year with 100 percent virtual instruction. Some sports such as tennis and golf are allowed, but with extra precautions. Many...
As both Boulder Valley School District and St. Vrain Valley School District announced after a summer of sparse communication that they would begin the school year online, teachers and families alike are scrambling to adjust for what's to come. The update comes as COVID-19 cases continue to fluctuate in the county; as of the Aug. 4 announcement, cases had been steadily rising for almost a month. But as of this article's publication, there has been a decline for multiple consecutive days....
Editor's note: On Aug. 4, as this issue was about to go to press, St. Vrain Valley Schools announced that the 2020-21 school year will begin with "a 100 percent online-learning model for all students" at least through the end of September. When the bell rings and students settle into their desks in a couple of weeks, teachers will find themselves face-to-face with a lot of unknowns. The invisible threat of the coronavirus puts them in a tenuous position of trying to keep themselves, their...
The littlest children in the Left Hand Valley will get to have a relatively normal school experience this fall. Childcare was deemed as an essential service in March and some preschool facilities, especially those providing care to children of essential workers, never closed in the coronavirus pandemic. Others have started reopening under smaller classroom restrictions during the "safer-at-home" period. For schools that provide both K-12 education and also preschool, it has taken some time to...
St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) is leaning heavily on science and medical experts as it finalizes back-to-school plans during the coronavirus pandemic. Health guidance and community input led the district to scale back in-person learning that was presented as a draft in June. The district’s initial plan had elementary school students, sixth graders and ninth graders going back full time, but guidance from Boulder County Public Health and other sources influenced the district’s decision to have all grades start the year with a hyb...
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...
From its shady locale in Cottonwood Square, the Niwot Tavern has been a popular local gathering spot for more than a decade-and-a-half, so when the 2020 coronavirus pandemic threw the lives of local residents into chaos, co-owners and longtime bartenders Tara Kpogoh-Narh and Stacy Szydlek quickly shifted their mission from helping local residents unwind to helping them get through a global health emergency. "It was the kids, when the schools shut down," Kpogoh-Narh said, explaining why she and...
In the fall of 2019, St. Vrain Valley School District formally announced its participation in awarding the Seal of Biliteracy. This award recognizes students who achieve multi-lingual proficiency by the time they graduate high school. Niwot High School, which boasts the International Baccalaureate Program, has encouraged language acquisition for years now; and with the IB program, this also extends to an encouragement of having a strong world view. Thanks to this mission and the district's...
Equipped with a five-phase plan of return, , SVFC club soccer is returning to the pitch. SVFC is currently in phase three of its plan and expects to move forward as state and local regulations surrounding coronavirus loosen. According to St. Vrain FC (SVFC) executive director Daniel Jones, it's been a long time coming for players to finally see some action. Since the pandemic's arrival and up until early June, SVFC was stuck in phase one, which included team technical, development, tactical and...
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...
