All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 401 - 450 of 532
The Colorado State Legislature passed HB 19-1261 in 2019 to confront the global climate crisis. A year later, the governor's energy Office drafted a roadmap for how to confront greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but this roadmap has been criticized by a number of environmental organizations. Since the release of the roadmap, 60 organizations came together to send a joint letter to the Polis administration. On Thursday, March 18 Maya Beauvineau, president of Niwot High School's Environmental Club,...
Niwot senior Grable Howie is passionate about music. His advice to music students: "Take risks, never back down from a challenge, and surround yourself with people who will push you and help you become better. Always believe in yourself, and never let any amount of criticism stop you. If you want to become a musician, put in the work, and never quit." Howie certainly hasn't quit, and it's possible that his incredible drive was inspired by his parents, who are musicians as well. He's done...
As an already-established volunteer at Longmont United Hospital, when it came time to think about CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) projects to fulfill International Baccalaureate requirements, Niwot Senior Meriem Krarti already knew what to do. "I like helping people and I knew the volunteer coordinator at the Longmont United Hospital," explained Krarti. The service element of CAS was in the bag for her, and to a lesser extent, so was creativity--Krarti has always been interested in creative...
Niwot senior Autumn Baldwin is a talented trumpet player in the school's advanced jazz and symphonic bands, and also a member of the chamber singers choir group. Lately, she has also turned her talents to composing and songwriting, and has contributed to "several performance pieces," according to Niwot music director Wade Hendricks. "The once-shy underclassman has become a terrific senior leader and role model for younger students in the NHS band program," he said. "She is not shy about grabbing...
The International Baccalaureate (IB) program was created in 1968 as part of an effort of "creating a better world through education." Nearly 30 years later in 2001, Niwot High School was authorized to become an IB school and offer students the opportunity to participate in this academically rigorous program. But IB isn't just about difficult classes and stressful tests. To complete the program, the students must complete an extended essay, a course called "theory of knowledge" and a CAS...
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...
Many students initially enroll in forensics (speech and debate) to overcome their fear of public speaking, to improve those skills or even to simply fulfill an extracurricular requirement. But for some students, forensics quickly becomes a passion. Last weekend, students were able to compete at the state level and had to bring their A-game. "It's very exciting to attend larger tournaments, because the competition is usually more intense and you get to see a variety of different competitors and...
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....
In 1925, the National Speech and Debate Association (formerly the National Forensic League) was created to "provide recognition and support for students participating in speech and debate activities." Since then, students across the nation, and even the world, have participated in debates, given speeches and performed theatrical pieces. Like most aspects of life in the post-COVID world, speech and debate has been subject to safety and social distancing guidelines. Before COVID, competitions...
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is typically defined by its accelerated and demanding academic level. But as it touts itself as a "world school," part of the curriculum extends beyond the classroom and asks students to consider community, action and service (CAS) and create a project that brings these aspects together. IB juniors Sydney Rothstein and Mercer Stauch came together on their project, which has become the school's new student newspaper: The Green and Black. "We have a...
In 1928, Earl Blank, a Wyoming teacher, suggested that his school celebrate the achievements of high school theater students. One year and many meetings later, the first charter was granted to Mr. Blank's school and the National Thespians (later to be renamed International Thespian Society) were created. Membership grew quickly, and 91 years later, there have been 2.3 million thespians inducted, with programs in 5,000 schools, and charters in every state, plus 13 countries. Next June, five...
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...
In 2017, Crestone Peak Resources, a Denver-based producer of oil and natural gas, requested permits from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) for three large drilling sites in Boulder County along Highway 52. However, the Bounder County Commissioners have held the Crestone Peak applications due to an update to permitting requirements (Senate Bill 19-181). At the county level, Crestone has not submitted any applications. "It surprised me how little people in the community...
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 time for Thanksgiving and in the spirit of helping others, Flagstaff Academy, Longmont's pre- K through eighth grade public charter school, is launching a nonperishable food drive to benefit the OUR Center of Longmont. The community service project is a collaborative effort between the school's National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) and the PBIS team (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) and part of Flagstaff Academy's Dragon PRIDE Core Virtue and Character Education program. Dragon PR...
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...
In the past few years, Niwot High School's Environmental club has grown in size, but also in civic engagement. Previously, they have gone before the Boulder County commissioners about environmental issues, and they will soon be working on a video project to inform the Niwot community about a proposed fracking site and the potential repercussions of it. This year, club members were going to participate in the Climate Ribbon Project, which is an international art demonstration with the intention...
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...
Matthew Kachensky, a 2020 graduate of Niwot High School, is the recipient of this year's Molecular Biosciences, Inc., presidential scholarship award. The scholarship covers full tuition and expenses for four years at a major university, and is renewable for any graduate work. The award also includes a cell phone, ipad, laptop computer, credit card, travel allowance, a new car, and a cash prize. Molecular Biosciences is a Boulder-based biotechnology company with worldwide presence and...
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...
When high school students take the preliminary scholastic assessment test (PSAT) in their junior year, some know that they are starting down a long path that could open college doors wide for them. Some just take the test to practice for the SAT. There is some controversy in the U.S around college assessment tests. Some schools have made SAT and ACT score reporting on college applications optional, notably Colorado College, Caltech, and the entire California State University system. While the...
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...
The old adage advises that when life presents us with lemons, we should make lemonade! This positive attitude has certainly been the case at Flagstaff Academy, which has had a successful start to the 2020-21 school year, and is moving into a hybrid model for the second quarter. Celebrating its 16th year, Flagstaff Academy has provided an all student remote learning environment for the first quarter of school, with onsite Remote Learning Support from Dragon Flight, the school's before and...
Area schools received a boost to help high school students on their path to tech career readiness. The National Science Foundation awarded the Saint Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) and Front Range Community College (FRCC) a $494,175 grant to open a Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program in cybersecurity. This will be the SVVSD's, third P-TECH program, with the other programs focused on biomedical sciences at Frederick High School and computer information systems...
This fall Boulder Country Day's preschool is taking class outside. Among the many ways BCD has adapted and is thriving this fall is through the expansion of its outdoor spaces. Many new outdoor classrooms were created this summer including the preschool favorite, Adventure Island. Adventure Island is a wooded space nestled between two buildings perfect for activities ranging from music class, to story time, to scavenger hunts. Boulder Country Day School resumed in-person learning on Aug. 20 in...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The scramble for a viable plan to reopen schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced many area parents to weigh their students' health and safety against the quality of their education. But officials at private schools Boulder Country Day and the Dawson School say they've found a way to provide families with both for the 2020 fall semester, and are eager to welcome students back for full-time, in-person learning later this month. "In general, school leadership teams are not made up of...
With students returning to school on Tuesday, Aug. 18, it is time to meet all of the new teachers who will be entering Niwot High School. From PE to English, Niwot is welcoming staff who are prepared to guide students through online learning. Eric Rasmussen will be teaching pre-IB honors biology, pre-IB chemistry/physics, and IB chemistry SL, with classes spanning across all grades (9-12). Previously, Rasmussen taught chemistry and biology for three years at Silver Creek High School. He also...
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...
Editor's Note: Covid-19 has made an impact on almost everyone in the Left Hand Valley, with the announcement of a new online learning schedule at Niwot High School. Students at Niwot are scheduled to complete all of their schoolwork online. This remote learning schedule will tentatively begin on August 18th and last until the end of September. While many are unsure of what the rest of the school year is going to look like, various students are not only worried about the quality of their...
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...
At Niwot High School, there are two parent groups that aim to support students--the Niwot High School Education Foundation and the Niwot High School Boosters, Inc., which supports all athletic teams and other clubs on campus. In fact, in part thanks to the booster club's efforts, Mile High Magazine has ranked Niwot's 4A athletic program number one in Colorado for the past two years. Building on this momentum, booster president Donna Blondeau is excited to get the community involved with the...
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...
Niwot High School has announced plans for an official graduation ceremony for the class of 2020. In a letter sent out to students and parents, NHS principal Eric Rauschkolb thanked everyone for their support through health concerns and the unconventional end to the school year. "We know that this year did not end in the way that anyone expected, however, as we look ahead to our official graduation ceremony, we could not be more excited to celebrate the outstanding students in our 2020...
Two Niwot High School students made their voices heard in an international competition with their performance of "I Am The One (reprise)." Soon-to-be NHS seniors Jazz Mueller and Grable Howie moved from the state level and beyond before the pandemic changed the way competitions were being held. "It kind of ended up evening the playing field," Howie said. "For us, it didn't matter what was happening. We were going to take every opportunity we had. When we got invited to submit a video for it, we...
Much of what students learn in school is something called "crystalline knowledge," or knowledge that is based on memorization of previously learned facts. While some classes, like math, might teach some degree of problem solving--think back to those pesky train problems--students arguably do not have the opportunity to frequently exercise their problem-solving skills. With this in mind, in 1978, two college students in New Jersey founded the first "Olympics of the Mind." It brought together...
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...
Since 2008, the Mwebaza Foundation has been an integral part of our Niwot community. The nonprofit has expanded its partner schools to include Coyote Ridge, Coronado Hills, and Eagle Crest while also incorporating school clubs at Sunset Middle and Niwot High to allow students to continue their involvement with the foundation. Recently, the foundation's four Ugandan partner schools have suffered severely under COVID-19 restrictions, including extended lockdown measures and school closures. Many...
Around lunchtime on February 20, a scary situation unfolded outside of the entrance to Niwot High School when a belligerent 51-year old man tried to enter the building and confront a staff member. But thanks to sharp-eyed campus supervisors La'Mar West and Andrew Hart, the would-be intruder was quickly subdued, and no students or faculty were harmed. Recently, the pair was honored by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office for their "exceptional performance, achievement, and exemplary initiative"...
During his four years at Niwot High, James Tran was always eager to accept a new challenge, from joining the knitting club, to heading up the Innovation Center's curriculum development team, to teaching himself website testing. Now that penchant for self-improvement is paying off in a big way. In April, Tran was one of 100 students from across the U.S. to be awarded the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship, worth $10,000 per year over the next four years. "It's a really cool scholarship," Niwot Hi...
This year has been strange and challenging for educators everywhere, including in Niwot. In a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, three Niwot teachers and one administrator are retiring and being honored for their service to the students and to the development of the greater community. Two teachers are retiring from Niwot High School (NHS) this year, as are a kindergarten teacher and an administrator from Niwot Elementary School. Kathy Benning served as registrar and attendance clerk...
For graduating senior Rachael Triplett, much of her career at Niwot High School has been marked by her involvement in clubs and participation in the International Baccalaureate Program (IB). During her time there, she was a four-year participant in the Knitting Club, played in the orchestra and ran both track and cross country. "Join everything you can, it's the best way to meet people," said Triplett. "Or, at least it was for me." It was her willingness to try new activities and classes that...
