All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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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...
Niwot Elementary School has hired a significant number of new teachers this fall due to retirements and student enrollment. In the past year, several teachers retired at Niwot Elementary School, including Julie Nelson-Breyer, Jessica Easley, and Lori Charbonneau, all of whom taught at Niwot for an average of two decades. As a result of the retirements and the school's commitment to maintain an appropriate student-to-teacher ratio, the school hired six new teachers. "Because we lost teachers, we...
Ash Kissinger, a sophomore at Niwot High School, got involved in theater almost by accident. "I never really intended on getting into it seriously, it just kind of happened," Kissinger said. Now, he admits that it is the thing that gets him out of bed in the morning and the thing he wants to pursue for the rest of his life. "It has introduced me to the best people in my life and I wouldn't trade it for the world," he said. Since the age of nine, Kissinger has been involved in theater with the...
According to Lily Sykes, Arts Student of the Week, "Music is a beautiful mix between emotion and mathematics." Sykes believes that is what draws her to it. "Music theory is fundamentally based in mathematics, and playing an instrument is a very mathematical process: press the right buttons, use the right muscles," Sykes said, "and the right sound will come out. However, this is not the magic of music. While making the right sounds is very methodical and important, true music goes beyond playing...
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...
Did you ever dream of being the Prom Queen or Prom King? Well, only a few young people have ever been fortunate enough to live the experience. But for nearly 200 special needs students and young adults, that dream is about to come true. On Friday, Sept. 8, Rocky Mountain Christian Church (RMCC) will host its annual Shine Prom for special needs guests 14 years old or older and their families at its Niwot and Frederick campuses, and every special guest will be crowned Prom King or Prom Queen...
At Boulder Country Day, a commitment to helping each student discover their unique excellence underlies our entire approach — beginning with our firm belief in the benefits of a preschool-through-eighth grade community. While a student body ranging from age 2 ½ to age 14 is certainly a diverse group, we have observed first-hand, year after year, the positive impact of an educational environment that promotes growth and maturity, while also encouraging children to remain connected to the wonder of childhood for as long as possible. Balancing in...
Over the summer, Niwot High School has been temporarily closed while the school’s plumbing system is updated. The school was closed the Tuesday after Memorial Day and will reopen on July 31 after nine weeks of construction. “The school has grown a lot since it opened in 1972,” said Niwot High principal Eric Rauschkolb. “Some of the plumbing was original and we were starting to have some problems with the pipes backing up.” Due to the age of the building and the growth of the school, there was an odd mix of older pipes and newer systems w...
Niwot High School's band program is full of dedicated musicians, and that includes the drumline. The marching band as a whole is under the instruction of Wade Hendricks, and the drumline is being instructed by Scott Barto. Once the audition and selection process, held in the spring semester, has concluded, the Summer Sectionals begin. During these Thursday early morning practices, members of the drumline are given time to learn and master fundamental techniques in order to begin memorizing...
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...
Caleb Law, a 2023 graduate of Niwot High School, received a $500 scholarship from the County Sheriffs of Colorado, which he plans to apply towards the cost of his continuing education. Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson came to Niwot's Whistle Stop Park to present the award, with Caleb's parents, Michael and Michelle Law, and his older brothers, Jared Law and Evan Law, in attendance. Every odd-numbered high school graduation year, one Boulder County resident is selected to receive the...
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...
Wouldn't it be an incredible experience, not only to visit New York City with forty-two of your closest friends, but to sing a masterwork at Carnegie Hall? Well, forty-three Niwot High School choir students are able to add that exact experience to their life's resume. The NHS Choir Department departed from Denver International Airport on June 9 for New York City and returned to Colorado on June 13. During that time, their itinerary was jam-packed with visits to several famous landmarks, tourist...
"You know you did something right when your kids throw you a retirement party and all you have to do is show up," said Julie Breyer, recently retired Niwot Elementary School third grade teacher. On June 17, a joint retirement party was held at The Wheel House on 2nd Avenue in Niwot for Breyer and her husband, Bob Breyer, who also retired this year. Bob is an aerospace software engineer who worked for many companies over the years and takes significant pride in working on the Hubble Space...
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...
Five Niwot High School students have been named the first winners of the Kindness Counts Award, administered by The Peter Fund, a local non-profit. The students, Freddie Ambrose, Haylee Matney, Phoebe McLean, Henry Stauch, and Ellie Steele, were all nominated by NHS students and faculty. The Kindness Counts Award and The Peter Fund were developed by Eve Bonn and Dave Elchoness after they lost their son Peter, a NHS senior, suddenly in November 2022 to myocarditis. Peter was well known as a magne...
One of the first jewelry pieces Edward Amsbaugh had accepted in an art exhibit was the first piece he ever created. "It was a deer head," Amsbaugh said, "that I cut from a 2 x 2 piece of metal. By hand. From an old, distant memory of my childhood friend Ian. Because he had deer heads on his walls. And I took from that memory, and I tried to make something that made me not only feel that sort of nostalgia, but also bring something new to people looking at a new piece of artwork." Since then, Amsb...
Niwot High School's graduation ceremony last Saturday was equal parts bright and sentimental. The football field was awash with rows of white chairs and green capped and gowned members of the class of 2023. Proud families, teachers and staff assembled under a photo-ready crisp blue sky to honor the students. Nearly 300 students accepted their diplomas from Principal Eric Rauschkolb, after experiencing one of the most normal school-year experiences since classes were disrupted by the COVID-19...
Niwot High School Algebra 1 and AP Calculus teacher Megan Schlagel won the Teacher Leader Impact Award, presented by Edthena. Edthena is a software program to help teachers use classroom video to help personalize professional video development and receive critical feedback. Teachers can receive feedback and instruction from an AI Coach and real-life mentors. Schlagel was nominated by an administrator at her school for having an impact in her classroom and beyond through her dedication to lifelon...
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...
Niwot High School trumpet player Paola Ramirez has found inspiration for her music in many places. She is a big fan of Colorado musician Greg Gisbert. "I love seeing him play," Ramirez said. "He brings me this wave of inspiration." And then there is piano player Cyrus Chestnut, who composed "Soul Food" (one of her favorite pieces), and trumpet player Rafael Méndez. "He's a really good Latin trumpet player," she said. "He has a beautiful sound. And Chet Baker. Awesome. He's really great. He's...
Three beloved teachers are retiring from Niwot Elementary School this year - Julie Nelson-Breyer, Lori Charbonnaeu, and Jessica Easley. Breyer has taught for twenty-five years and Charbonneau for seventeen. Both of them have spent their entire teaching careers at Niwot Elementary. Easley has taught for twenty-eight years, fifteen of which have been at Niwot. "Teachers who come to Niwot, stay at Niwot," Breyer said. Between them, they have a combined fifty-seven-year tenure at Niwot Elementary,...
Getting up in the morning is a lot to ask any teenager, and asking students to be ready at 8 a.m. for a dress rehearsal sounds nearly impossible. But not to the Niwot High School band and Wade Hendricks, the NHS Band Director. On May 18, at 8 a.m. sharp, band students were on stage with their instruments and their commitment to one last rehearsal this school year. At this early hour, the Niwot High School auditorium felt subdued. "They are slowly waking up," said Hendricks tenderly. He and two...
The Niwot High School Symphonic Band had the honor and privilege to perform an original composition by Gus Brockmann at the final "Crossroads" concert of the 2022-2023 school year. The final concerts for choir, orchestra, and band traditionally provide an opportunity to recognize the graduating seniors and send them off with further recognition beyond Music Awards Night, which took place Wednesday, May 3. Seniors of the band this year had an extra special treat. For the past 10 years, Gus...
The Music Department at Niwot High School is going on a world tour - sort of. In June, the NHS choir is headed to New York and Carnegie Hall, and the orchestra is going to Finland and the Baltics. The marching band is planning to go to Walt Disney World next year. For many years, the Music Department at Niwot annually alternated which "sub-department" (choir, band, orchestra) would get to travel during the summer. In the few years preceding the pandemic, it had become common for each...
Autumn Rutherford has been taking ceramics courses since her freshman year at Niwot High School. Now enrolled in Advanced Ceramics, she first started learning ceramics in middle school and thoroughly enjoyed it, so when she got to high school she continued the classes. "Autumn is a very dedicated ceramics student," said her teacher, Beth Collier, who selected Rutherford as Arts Student of the Week. Rutherford has also taken multiple drawing and painting classes and she particularly enjoys...
Boulder Country Day School (BCD) held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Dining Commons and Center for Innovative Learning April 20. The new building will expand the physical facilities on the school's 5.5-acre campus located adjacent to the Twin Lakes Open Space in Gunbarrel. "Our new Center for Innovative Learning will spark collaboration among the arts and technology, accelerating our student experience beyond the norm and placing BCD at the forefront of creativity in the Boulder Valley an...
Before Joshua Ibarra-Trujillo became a musician, he was not a big music fan. "I just listened to it and didn't think much of it," Ibarra-Trujillo confessed. But in December 2019 the romantic comedy film "Como Caido del Cielo" was released, and that film became his inspiration to perform music. Omar Chaparro stars in the movie as a Mexican singer named Pedro Infante, who is sent back to Earth to earn his place in heaven. The actor became Ibarra-Trujillo's favorite performer. From there, the...
Niwot High School has appointed Dr. Felicia Reimer as the new Dean of Students for the Fall of 2023. "It's the first time [Niwot High School] has ever had a Dean of Students," said Principal Eric Rauschkolb. "Our enrollment will be at about 1,450 students, which is the biggest [Niwot High School] has ever been." The role of Dean of Students will be similar to that of an assistant principal, helping with attendance initiatives, behavior support, and academic support for students. With a lot of...
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...
When spotlights illuminate a theater set on opening night, the audience is usually unaware of the work that has gone into making sure that the world they see on stage provides a safe environment for the actors and technicians working the show. According to "Safety and Health in the Theater: Keeping Tragedy out of the Comedies...and Musicals...and Dramas," an article published online by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009 (the most current data available) there were 1,190...
Music is in the air, and May is a busy and exciting month at Niwot High School. While students look forward to summer vacation, they must get through finals, choose courses for the next school year, and complete their projects and assignments. And several young men and women are busy practicing for their last concerts this year on May 17 and 18 at 6 p.m. Niwot High School has a rich and impressive music program led by devoted music directors. Robert (Wade) Hendricks directs Marching Band, Jazz...
Even though she is only a freshman, Arts Student of the Week Prugh Dunfee has already chalked up an impressive list of accomplishments in her first year at Niwot High School. She is a member of the Chamber Singers and the District Honor Choir, she had a role in the Niwot High School production of "Beauty and the Beast," and she is a valued student in the NHS Music Theater Class. "She is in Chamber Singers as a freshman," said Dunfee's drama teacher Laura Walters, "and has auditioned into our...
Interested in learning about the importance of mental health for adolescents? Then come to Boulder Country Day School to hear Dr. Lisa Damour discuss her new book, "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents." Dr. Damour has also written books about raising teenage girls. She graduated with honors from Yale University and worked for the Yale Child Study Center before earning her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan. She...
Jasper Allison has been listening to music and playing drums his entire life. "Music has always been a necessity for me," Allison said. "I don't think of it as an interest, but rather a part of my personality and who I am, and just kind of me." The 16-year-old musician is a junior at Niwot High School. His music teacher, Wade Hendricks, nominated him for Arts Student of the Week. Allison has taken advantage of the many music opportunities the high school has to offer. He has been in the...
This past Wednesday thousands of schools across America participated in a walkout protesting gun violence and school shootings. One of the participating schools was Niwot High School. Hundreds of Niwot High students participated in the walkout, which lasted 30 minutes between 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. The first 20 minutes consisted of speeches from a variety of students while the last 10 minutes consisted of a march around the school with students leading a chant. The speeches mainly focused on...
A few weeks before opening night, students from Erie Middle School came to see a special performance of Niwot High School's "Beauty and the Beast." "All the kids absolutely loved it!" said NHS freshman and actress Micah McGhee. "Afterwards, we had some time for questions. When the microphone was handed to one of the middle schoolers, they said something along the lines of, 'Cheese grater, whoever you are, we love you!'" McGhee, who performed the part, added, "I will honestly never forget that....
As a technical theater student at Niwot High School, Claire Plath has had the opportunity to learn about all aspects of theater production. From set design and construction to lighting and sound, she has gained a wide range of knowledge and skills that she can apply to any situation. She has enjoyed being part of the Niwot High productions, including plays, musicals, and concerts. "It has been a great experience to learn how to work together as a team to create a successful performance," Plath...
When she was five years old, Sarah Depestele loved to watch her father sketch cars. "That's when I started drawing seriously," Depestele said. "And that's because my dad loved drawing cars. He drew a lot of Porches and Bugattis. So, I drew. They didn't look like anything, but...they looked kind of like cars." That early interest has endured as part of Depestele's studies at Niwot High School, where she has taken both Beginning and Intermediate Drawing. Beth Collier, who teaches art at NHS,...
With Director Amanda Foust and choreographer Ashley Mouw at the helm, the Niwot High School's "Beauty and the Beast" cast delivered mesmerizing performances March 9, 10 and 11, that dazzled with color, movement, and passion. The costumes were a feast for the eyes. From the fantastical enchanted objects to the striking and complex Beast costume, every element of attire was crafted with meticulous attention to detail. And the sets were no less impressive, transporting the audience with seamless...
Arts Student of the Week Kennah Brackett first became passionate about music in middle school when she started taking music courses and composing. "Music gives me a warm, comforting feeling that nothing else can," Brackett said. "I also really appreciate the time and effort that someone has to put in to become good. I think it is really fun to work hard towards something so rewarding." "I have been singing for as long as I can remember," Brackett said, "mainly singing along to Disney songs in...
Last week, four middle students from Sunset Middle School participated in the 2023 Colorado Middle All State Choir concert, along with students from across the state. In this highly competitive performance-reportedly more than 1,000 students auditioned and approximately 400 were accepted-this was a key opportunity for young singers, and one Sunset takes seriously. "It is a huge honor to come and have this experience," said choir teacher Anna Hansil. "They've worked really hard and they should...
This year is the start of a new type of performance for Sunset Middle School students. Instead of a typical music concert or art show, the fine arts departments coordinated and organized a showcase dubbed Open Mic Night. Students from the various choirs, band, orchestra, drama and even visual arts classes came together Feb. 13 to perform and show their work to their friends and families. With approximately 120 student performances, many students were in more than one performance group, or...
As a young girl, Anastasia Williams loved the sound of the flute. "I can't remember a time when it wasn't my favorite instrument," Williams said. "When I was in third grade, I started taking flute lessons--my arms were finally long enough to be able to play it properly--and I have been playing ever since." Williams loves music, she said, "because it is emotion and math blended together into a harmonious whole. I enjoy making music because I will never be able to do it perfectly, because there...
"Twins," The philosopher Hippocrates once conjectured, "are like one another for the following reasons. First, the places are alike in which they grow; then they were secreted together; then they grow by the same nourishment, and at birth they reach together the light of day." Arts Student of the Week, Niwot High School freshman Gwen Ashack, might agree with Hippocrates, but only up to a point. "I have one brother," Ashack said. "I'm a twin. He doesn't enjoy art as much as I do, but we both...
Books provide the reader with an incredible number of benefits, including a sense of connectedness with community and an escape from a potentially difficult everyday life. However, not everyone has the same access to books that many of us take for granted. Local prisons suffer from a "horrendous lack of books," explained Lily Sykes, a junior at Niwot High School. Sykes is spearheading the project, "Books Behind Bars," a book drive with the goal of providing much needed books to prisons. "I...
Every year at Niwot High School, members of all parts of the school come together to create a musical. This year, the show is Beauty and the Beast. It was especially designed to be aimed towards kids this year, explained Ms. Amanda Foust, one of the teachers in charge of the production. Members of the cast are "on tour" at elementary schools where they perform a few songs in full costumes so younger children can experience the show. But the show's not only great for the kids. "I feel like...
Mimi Archibold, this week's Arts Student of the Week, was motivated to become an actress by watching her sisters, and she had many to choose from. Archibold has eight older siblings. "When I was really young," Archibold said, "I watched two of my older siblings perform in plays with a small theatre company and later I watched my sister, Mary, star in half the plays she did at Niwot. I'd say she's probably been my biggest motivator when it came to acting." Every time she listens to a new musical...
Although she has experimented with many artistic mediums, including painting, drawing with graphite and pen and ink, ceramics, and multimedia sculptures, Niwot High School senior Hannah Geiling most enjoys working with Prismacolor pencils. "I enjoy the slow nature of the medium that calls for lots of layering and blending," Geiling said. "And overall, just really getting to play with color theory." Geiling takes influence from artists in pop culture, especially musical artists such as Melanie...
