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Boulder Country Day School will present the thought-provoking film, "This Is [NOT] Who We Are," on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the school. The screening will be followed by a Q & A session with the film's director, Katrina Miller. This event is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in attending can register at www.bouldercountryday.org. A synopsis of the film, provided by the school, states, "Boulder, Colorado, prides itself on being beautiful, welcoming, and inclusive....
Since 2008, the Mwebaza Foundation has been building collaborative partnerships between schools in Uganda and Colorado. As an educational organization, the foundation works with students to inspire global citizens through cross-cultural learning opportunities and global studies curricula that foster global understandings and deepen worldviews. What started as a pen-pal exchange between Dale Peterson's first-grade class at Niwot Elementary School and Namatovu Catherine's elementary school...
"Ever since I was in elementary school," Najla Onofre Valles admits, "I've been wanting to use a guitar and learn how to play it. I just thought it would be something really fun to do." Valles, who was selected by NHS' Orchestra Director Keynes Chen as Arts Student of the Week, developed an interest in mariachi while she was still a student at Sunset Middle School. When the school started a mariachi class, Valles immediately signed up. "I thought it would be cool to be in a mariachi class," she...
Close to 200 speech and debate competitors gathered on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27 and 28, for the CHSAA 3A Speech and Debate State Tournament. Fourteen events were slated to take place over the span of the event, with a champion named in each event and an overall school champion taking an ultimate prize. Schools from as far away as Steamboat Springs and the state's other mountain regions competed against local teams. Niwot's team, coached by Niwot High School alumnus Evan Clark, competed with...
Over the holiday season, Niwot High School was represented by senior Paris Stephens at the London New Year's Day Parade. She performed with Varsity Spirit All-Americans in an exclusive performance at Piccadilly Square. Stephens has cheered for Niwot High School for the past four years. Beginning in 1987, the London New Year's Day Parade has attracted over 10,000 participants from the USA, UK, Europe and beyond, delighting a street audience of over 500,000 and a TV audience, which reaches more...
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...
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...
Niwot Elementary School third-grader Oskar Leopold and his brother, kindergartener Teddy Leopold, won first prize in the Water Education Colorado's "Water '22 Student Showcase" competition awarded earlier this fall. They competed in the kindergarten through fifth grade category. Their task was to show how water interacts with and affects us all as Coloradoans. Their efforts earned them a $1,000 prize in this 18 and under student contest. They were also recently featured on a social media and...
"There is a kind of closeness in the theater," the musical composer John Kander once said. "The rehearsal pianist, the head carpenter, the stage manager, the star of the show-all are family." Niwot High School student Aiden Sagner agrees with this sentiment completely. "I would describe theater as a really tight-knit community," Sagner acknowledged while describing his experience in theater at NHS. "No matter what show you are working on, everyone there is super close because everyone is...
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...
During the first week of December, the Niwot High School Jazz Band played in an unusual venue. Instead of performing in the school auditorium, where such performances have been held in the past, the band played on the Learning Stairs, the central staircase at NHS sweeping up from the ground level. "It was really cool," said alto saxophonist Sebastian Aguirre, this week's Arts Student of the Week. "because there were a lot of people. In the auditorium you can't see people because of all the...
The 13th annual Niwot Elementary School Spelling Bee was held Wednesday. Dec. 7. The first place winner was fifth-grader Eden Himmerick, who won third place in last year's competition. Fifth-grader Joey Marcoux won second place. Third place was a three-way tie between fifth-graders Sophie Shaw and Genevieve Ciminski, and fourth-grader Nika Magginetti. The winning word was "blasphemous." Himmerick's first-place finish won her a copy of the "New Oxford American Dictionary" and she will advance to...
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...
Although ReyLynn Killinger specializes in beautifully drafted, intricate graphite portraits, the Niwot High School senior gets especially excited when she talks about her work as a make-up artist. "I am completely self-taught," Killinger explained, "and it's important to me, because I feel like it's an extension of my art. Other people can see it. I walk around and it's on me. It's a part of me." She has also explored creating prom make-up and face paint art on a few people but, Killinger is...
As part of its 50-year anniversary celebration, Niwot High School is creating a Hall of Fame to recognize teachers, coaches, players, students, administrators, and community members who have played a significant role in the history of the school, or gone on to make important contributions to society. “This is our capstone project for our 50th anniversary celebration,” Athletic Director Joe Brown said. Initially, a small group consisting of Brown, Principal Eric Rauschkolb, coaches, community members and past administrators will receive and eva...
For someone who has always been interested in theater, Paige Ioerger knew at an early age that acting was not her calling. "I did a little of it when I was young," Ioerger said, "but I've stepped away from that. I have a little bit of stage fright, so I can't really do the onstage thing. But I did a little bit when I was younger." In elementary school she had small roles, singing in the chorus of shows. "I did that for 'The Little Mermaid' when I was in first grade, and then I did the same...
If there is one art form Niwot High School senior Mark Crochiere would encourage people to try, it would be ceramics. "Just try out ceramics," Crochiere says. "It's not for everyone, but you can't find out until you try. It's an intimidating thing to start. But I would encourage people to try it out. You never know." It is a passion he enjoys sharing. According to his art teacher, Beth Collier, "Mark is a very inspiring Advanced Ceramics student. He is so hard working and creative." From a very...
By the time the curtain rises for the opening night of the Niwot High School theater production "Noises Off," the student actors and stage crew will have clocked more than 150 hours of rehearsal time. Two casts alternate shows on Nov. 10th, 11th, and 12th, performing on a magnificent set designed by Jason Watkins, the NHS teacher in charge of stage technology. To design the set, Watkins used inspiration from pictures online and made a 3-D model to figure out the inner workings of it, making...
Shefali Joshi has an earnest curiosity about the world which lights up her face when she talks about her studies and her plans for the future. This curiosity led the Niwot High School sophomore to take an introductory course in Python programming, switch her foreign language requirement from Spanish to French, and take classes in industrial design at The Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools. It was Joshi's enthusiasm for her studies that led Crystal Hinds, Art Educator at Niwot High Sch...
In seventh grade, Sophie Arnett-Simon traveled with her family to New York City for spring break. While they were there, they saw "Wicked" on Broadway. The moment the show started, Arnett-Simon knew that was what she wanted to do in life. For a few years she convinced herself this dream was impossible, but now she is fully engaged in musical theater at Niwot High School, studying advanced drama and preparing for her role as Tim in the NHS fall production of "Noises Off," a play by Michael Frayn....
Niwot High School got a head start on Halloween with the school's first annual Fall Fest after school on Friday, Oct. 21. Children of all ages enjoyed a variety of booths sponsored by an array of NHS clubs and organizations, including corn hole, face painting, crafts and trunk or treat vehicles. The Student Council organized the event and invited the community to attend the free event. Principal Eric Rauschkolb was on hand to welcome participants, as were Athletics and Activities Director Joe...
Discipline is a trait Kaitlyn Duncan developed at an early age. Duncan, the Niwot High School Arts Student of the Week, is a section leader in the Niwot Band flute section. Growing up, she tried to take advantage of as many opportunities as she could to better herself, not only playing the flute, but also becoming a leader in general. As a result she practiced hard, taking flute lessons and working on her management skills. She has developed those skills as part of another of her interests,...
The Niwot High School Student Council, led by students Jamie Williamson and Sadie Warren, with the assistance of faculty advisor Leah Messinger, is hosting the Niwot Community Fall Fest. It will take place on Friday, Oct. 21, from 4-6 p.m. at the Niwot High School front parking lot. This event will be open to the public and there will be plenty of fun activities for elementary school-aged kids. Many NHS clubs and sports teams will be setting up tables with their own activities such as pumpkin painting, face painting, spikeball, cornhole, and...
Keynes Chen, the Niwot High School Orchestra Director and the Assistant Director of Band, said his student, John Hu, "has shown dedication and strong leadership ever since he was a freshman at NHS." Hu is currently a junior and the principal violist in all three of the high school orchestras including Sinfonia, Conservatory, and the Symphony Orchestra. "He always knows his music well," Chen said, "and I can definitely count on him during rehearsals and performances." It is this dedication to...
When you listen to Paige Hahn talk about her daily schedule, it is easy to get the impression that this dynamic Niwot High School junior never sleeps. Her coursework in the high school International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) includes IB History of Europe, IB Math, IB English, IB Spanish and IB Biology, in addition to her contributions to technical theater. It was Jason Watkins, technical director for theater at NHS, who nominated Hahn for Arts Student of the Week. "Paige is the current...
"Every child is an artist," Pablo Picasso once said. "The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." In her four years in the art program at Niwot High School, Ruby Walker has matured as an artist and her work has improved immensely. "Ruby is a dedicated and creative IB Visual Arts student," NHS art teacher, Beth Collier, said. "She is in her senior year, and it has been my pleasure to have had Ruby for much of her time at NHS. She has been growing and stretching as an artist, and...
Boulder Country Day School will host a high school fair for all Boulder County middle school students on Oct. 12, 2022, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. This is the ninth year that Boulder Country Day has held this event. This year the fair will again be attended by over 60 schools, including local and regional public and private schools, as well as boarding schools from across the nation. "This is a golden opportunity for middle school students to consider all of the options available to them at one single...
Niwot High School student Hannah Rudolph has an energetic optimism that drives her to succeed. She is an artist, a singer, and a cheerleader. She plays guitar and she played flute for three years in middle school. She is also the only student in the history of Niwot High School who has performed in all five choirs: Chamber Singers, Evenstar, Tenor/Bass choir, Treble choir and Sedalia. Laura Walters, the Choral Music Director at NHS, selected Rudolph as Art Student of the Week. "Hannah is a...
Rocky Mountain Christian Church in Niwot sponsored the Shine Prom again on Sept. 17, as part of the church's ministry to special needs students. Niwot High cheerleaders and others lined the entrance to the building as students, along with their partners, arrived, decked out in formal dresses and suits....
Niwot High School senior Jessi Lehman clearly remembers her experience as a trumpet player in middle school. "There were definitely a lot more boys in the trumpet section," Lehman said, "Pesky middle school boys. And being one of only two girls, I always had a feeling they didn't really think I should be there." But the stereotypical attitude regarding musical instruments and gender that once dominated the music scene did not have a negative effect on the senior's desire to pursue her interests....
Special to the Courier from Boulder Country Day School 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 wo...
As we approach NHS's 50-year anniversary celebration on Sept. 9, we take a look back at the Cougar mascot and its history. The first graduating class of 1974 selected the mascot. Sources say that it was nicknamed 'Carrie the Cougar.' While the "Carrie" moniker has been dropped, cougar pride remains fierce. A May 25-26, 1974, Longmont Times-Call newspaper clipping shows a picture of the unveiling event when a stuffed cougar was presented to the school. Marybeth Almquist Williams remembers the...
As the song says, "You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table, there'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done." For 2003 Niwot High School graduate and current professional poker player Adam DeMersseman, the dealing at this year's World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is done. The count? A cool $262,300 in prize money and bragging rights as one of the top tournament players in the world. DeMersseman survived a grueling 7 days at the Main Event this July, taking...
Jude Dow-Hygelund graduated from Niwot High School this spring and has been accepted to CU Boulder to study piano performance. Wade Hendricks, Jude's teacher at the high school, spoke highly of his music student. "He is an amazing talented performer and composer/arranger," Hendricks said. Last year Jude relocated to Niwot from Eugene, Ore., and spent his last four months at the new school. "When you're moving your senior year of high school it's probably not going to be fun no matter what you...
Niwot High graduated senior Easten Leatherwood has just a few more weeks before he leaves for Durango to begin his college football career at Fort Lewis College. A 3A North Central 3 League All-Conference honorable mention last fall for Niwot football, he committed to the Division II Skyhawks in February and created a homecoming of sorts. Both of his parents attended Fort Lewis and Leatherwood grew up in Durango before moving to Longmont shortly after completing fourth grade. He said Fort Lewis...
When Eli Rose was in sixth grade, they remember watching their best friend learn to draw. "I thought it was so cool to be able to make something like that," Eli Rose said. "That's when I really started to draw and practice every day." Although they have only been at Niwot High School for one year, the artist Eli Rose (no last name used) has enjoyed the art classes and the opportunity those classes have offered them to experiment with different media, while still having enough freedom to express...
It's the children that drew them to teaching and what they'll miss the most in retirement. But two Niwot Elementary School teachers have decided it's time to focus on other things in life. "I came home crying Tuesday night. I'll miss those bright little faces," special education teacher Trish Norten said. She is retiring after teaching for 25 years, 10 in Niwot. First grade teacher Dale Peterson is leaving the school after 26 years of teaching first and second grade. With the exception of...
Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 161B held its Court of Honor ceremony to award the rank of Eagle Scout to Wyatt Boyd and Cole Robinson May 16 at the Left Hand Grange No. 9. Boyd and Robinson are the 97th and 98th young men to be honored with the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 161 in less than 50 years since the troop's formation. Bruce Grinnell was the first to earn the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 161, and was a member of the first graduating class at Niwot High School in 1974. The names of...
Niwot High School freshman Claire Plath started her theater career at Altona Middle School, where she made the Honor Roll in sixth and seventh grades. Claire first became interested in theater after her mother took her and her sister to see "Les Miserables" when she was in sixth grade. Later that year, they also saw "Dear Evan Hansen." According to Claire, "The messages, and emotions that a single production can create for someone can be so strong, and life changing to a point where one can trul...
Canon Montgomery, an eighth-grade student at Boulder Country Day School in Gunbarrel, was recognized by the SIFMA Foundation as the Fall 2021 State Champion for Colorado in the InvestWrite competition. InvestWrite is the culminating activity of The Stock Market Game™, an online game in which students invest and manage a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and cash. For the Fall 2021 competition, students researched and determined an investment portfolio based on a p...
Niwot High School freshman Claire Plath started her theater career at Altona Middle School, where she made the Honor Roll in sixth and seventh grades. Claire first became interested in theater after her mother took her and her sister to see "Les Miserables" when she was in sixth grade. Later that year, they also saw "Dear Evan Hansen." According to Claire, "The messages, and emotions that a single production can create for someone can be so strong, and life changing to a point where one can trul...
Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 161B held its Court of Honor ceremony to award the rank of Eagle Scout to Wyatt Boyd and Cole Robinson May 16 at the Left Hand Grange No. 9. Boyd and Robinson are the 97th and 98th young men to be honored with the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 161 in less than 50 years since the troop's formation. Bruce Grinnell was the first to earn the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 161, and was a member of the first graduating class at Niwot High School in 1974. The names of...
There's good news for the staff, administration, students, and families of Niwot High School. The school once again ranked well in the recently released 2022 U.S. News and World Report annual schools survey. NHS placed at the top of all 12 high schools surveyed in the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD), ranked fourth for high schools in combined Boulder and SVVSD boundaries, 36th in Colorado, and 1,174th nationally. The U.S. News survey is widely respected by educators and families each...
Niwot High School seniors are invited to participate in a car parade Thursday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m., a repeat of the p2021 Covid-year parade to honor seniors. The parade will start at Niwot High School, with cars lining up at 5:00 p.m. in the drop-off lanes of the high school parking lot. Seniors are advised to recruit an adult driver to allow undistracted celebrations by the students. The parade route will start at Niwot High School and proceed west on Niwot Road to Second Avenue, then travel...
When Niwot sophomore and guitar player Drew Moore was asked to play the upright bass in the orchestra, he took on the challenge and excelled at it. This student taking on a new challenge is nothing new, according to NHS orchestra director Keynes Chen. "Not only is Drew Moore an exceptional young bassist with enthusiasm for learning orchestra, he's also a fun student and a real team player," Chen wrote in an email. "Drew has shown up wherever and whenever he is needed," Chen wrote. "Even though...
On April 23, Up-a-Creek Robotics won both the World Championship of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC Team 1619) and the FIRST Tech Challenge Competition (FTC Team 11260), something that has never been achieved before simultaneously by any group. "We are the best in the world," one of the coaches exclaimed at the gathering held in Longmont to honor the teams. The World competition was held in Houston this year. FIRST is an acronym for For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and...
On March 2, 14-year-old Niwot High School student Joséphine Briggs finished as runner-up in the Colorado Poetry Out Loud contest. The statewide contest requires high school-aged students to memorize and recite multiple poems that meant something special to them. Briggs chose three poems: "Hope is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson, "Spanglish" by Tato Laviera, and "Enough" by Suzanne Buffam. The first trial was to compete at her high school and then after getting picked by her school,...
Mary Ellen Coates, a Niwot High School Senior, is inspired by music. Asked about how she got her start in choir, Coates said she began in elementary school. While she was a member of the NHS Marching Band and played flute in the Symphonic Band, she was talked into singing in the choir by her former teacher. Coates said, "I hadn't really considered choir because the school rules stipulated that students couldn't do both band and choir." But the choir director lobbied for Coates to participate in...