All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Staging a multi-part choral performance featuring seven dozen voices is challenging even under normal circumstances, but add in online learning, social distancing, and a novice video editor, and things become even more complicated. That was the task facing Niwot High choir director Laura Roberts as she worked to give her students a final chance "on the stage" in a virtual choir performance of Omnia Sol. But as she soon learned, just because something is "virtual," doesn't mean it won't take a...
On the beautifully sunny morning of Friday, May 22, Boulder Country Day School celebrated the graduation of their eighth-grade students in a unique way. Families, including loved ones living far and near, joined a graduation on Zoom, where speeches were made, students celebrated, and promotion awarded. Students and their families then came to campus and lined the parking lot facing toward the school, spaced in accordance with social distancing guidelines. The ceremony was performed from the fron...
On May 18, BCD 3rd grade teacher, Amanda Demler, rode her bike 82 miles to visit all 12 of her students at home. She left her home at 7:00am and rode from house to house on a trip that included 7 hours of riding and 5 hours of socializing from a distance. While her students know of her athletic abilities, when the idea of a bike ride to every single house first came up on a class Zoom meeting, they were unsure. "That is very far!," said Ryan Welch. Demler, who has been a teacher at BCD for 16...
For Audrey Rhoadarmer, being editor of the Niwot High yearbook was more like holding a part-time job, albeit one with no pay and with a high rate of turnover every spring. But even with stressful deadlines, staff management issues, and workflow hiccups, the aspiring journalist is grateful for on-the-job training she picked up in her four years on staff, and considers it one of the most useful endeavors of her high school career. "It's a really good opportunity to meet people you wouldn't...
Each spring, the Niwot High School Education Foundation awards the Pursuit for Education scholarship to honor "motivated students who recognize the power and impact of post-secondary education," and it's hard to imagine a senior who fits that description better than 2020 recipient Daniel Torres. "I look forward to being the first one in my family to go to college," he wrote in an email interview about the scholarship and his future plans. "No one in my family has reached this point, and I'm...
It might not have had much pomp and circumstance, but spirits were high on Friday, May 22 as Niwot High seniors and their families took to their cars to celebrate what would have been the Class of 2020's graduation weekend. Masked spectators lined Niwot Road to cheer as a fire truck from Mountain View FPD led a procession west from the high school, to downtown, and back again. Dozens of cars in varying stages of green, white, and black decoration participated, and shenanigans were few and far...
When SVVSD canceled in-person learning and activities for the remainder of the 19-20 school year, administrators at Flagstaff Academy leapt into action. If the school couldn't hold a traditional graduation ceremony, they still wanted to give the 107 eighth-graders a way to commemorate the occasion with their classmates, even if it had to be from a distance. A few phone calls and emails later, plans for a "very unique" experience to celebrate the Class of 2020 were underway. "We have created a...
Life is full of endings and beginnings. Every ending means a new beginning, and every beginning means the inevitable end. For us, our high school experience is coming to an end. Although it isn't quite the ending we expected, we have adapted to the changes and tried to make the best of the current situation. Each of us has faced individual challenges and successes in high school and during this pandemic, but put together they tell a collective story. They tell the story of the Class of 2020....
Besides having the best grades in Niwot High's Class of 2020, co-valedictorians Anton Lavrouk (IB) and Tim Stokes (traditional) have at least one other thing in common: their modest reactions to earning the honor. "I was just trying to get good grades in my classes, so I could get into a good college," Stokes said of his sustained academic success. "So I took AP classes, and it just kind of happened." Of course, there was a little more to it than that, Stokes acknowledged, and he was surprised...
Niwot High salutatorian Julia Curd thrives on competition, whether in the classroom, on the stage, or at the keyboard, and having valedictorian Anton Lavrouk for a rival during her four years in Niwot's IB diploma programme provided plenty of motivation for success. "I really enjoyed being able to take classes with the amazing students at Niwot," she said. "I think the fact that it was so competitive really helped me reach my best. I took pretty much every class with Anton, and we were really...
When the coronavirus pandemic cancelled athletics and in-person learning for Colorado schools, it was a shock to the system for student council president Natalia Storz, who may be the busiest student at Niwot High. But like any successful leader, she had a prudent outlook about losing so many important senior milestones and how the Cougar community can move forward even stronger. "This is definitely a learning experience and a pivotal time for the Class of 2020," she said. "It has definitely...
Niwot senior Nicholas Valin wasn't always the confident, aspirational young adult he is today. In fact, after going to private school and then being homeschooled for freshman year, his transition to Niwot was somewhat jarring. "I was new as a sophomore, so for the first two days of school, I didn't know anyone and was silent," he said, laughing at the memory. "[But] I made a lot of friends after that." Valin quickly became involved in the high school's forensics team, student council, Model UN...
Carson Simon has experienced an event that not many high schoolers can relate to. In January 2018, Simon and his father were in a single engine airplane accident due to an engine failure at Longmont's Vance Brand Airport. Simon suffered multiple injuries, including a concussion and a hairline fracture in his back, but he made it out alive. The Niwot High School student was swimming for Silver Creek High School's combined boys squad four months later. Simon is one of the more remarkable...
For the past four years, Lauren Squire has walked the halls and fields of Niwot High School. In that time, she has made friends and memories that will stick with her for a lifetime. In fact, in her advice to freshmen, she said, "Make the best of high school. It's no one's favorite time, but it's a big time in your life that you'll remember forever, so have fun." Squire has certainly had her share of fun over the years, especially on the soccer field. Not only did she have successful games, but s...
Recognizing her "positive impact on" the school community, The Niwot High School Education Foundation has awarded senior Sophia Chivers the Founding Director Scholarship for 2020. Chivers will receive $1,000 for her post-secondary education. For Chivers, making a positive impact was easy to do in a school like Niwot High, where she usually found herself "happy and engaged." "I've always really enjoyed school, and always felt really supported at Niwot," the senior said. "I love the community....
Since its founding in 1970, Dawson School has strived to nurture and prepare students to bring their best to the world, and the school is celebrating its 50th graduating class this year. "The Class of 2020 is a remarkable group of students, whose resilience and drive, creativity, integrity, and compassion are just what the world needs right now," said George P. Moore, Head of School for Dawson. "We couldn't be more proud to have these students represent Dawson's 50th graduating class." Given...
Boulder Country Day's Class of 2020 is kind and has always supported our community and each other. As a group they act with integrity, have high expectations of themselves, and will make a positive difference in the world around them! BCD graduates love school. They are: *Engaged - They are active learners, strive to do their best, have high expectations, and have fun. *Kind - They care about their community, are responsible, inclusive, and respectful. *Resourceful - They innovate, create, and...
Niwot High seniors and their families are holding a car parade to honor the Class of 2020 on Friday, May 22 at 4 p.m. The procession will begin at Niwot High School, travel west on Niwot Rd to 2nd Avenue, and then head through town to end at 83rd St. and Neva Rd. Strict social distancing and other guidelines will be followed....
Make a float out of your car and come celebrate with a graduation parade. That's what a mom in Heatherwood is telling graduates of any age or school in the area. She's organizing a car parade for May 9 in the Heatherwood neighborhood of Gunbarrel. Kathy Kester's daughter, Sara, is graduating from the University of Colorado. Kester said she wanted to do something to mark the occasion since colleges and schools aren't doing in-person ceremonies. "I felt bad that they aren't going to have any...
The Education Foundation of the Saint Vrain Valley School District recently announced the winners of their 2020 Tribute to Teachers, which honors individual teachers at the Pre-K through 12th grade, who exemplify excellence in teaching. In what has been an unprecedented end of the academic year, these three award-winners have continued to play a critical role in the growth and development of the youngest members of our community. Jess Esinhart: Legacy Elementary School Jess Esinhart is no strang...
The socially distant version of the annual Tribute to Teachers awards may have lacked the glamour of a gala, but that didn't make it any less special to Megan Schlagel, recipient of Niwot High's 2020 Teacher of the Year award and a finalist for St. Vrain Valley Teacher of the Year. "I was really honored by the recognition," Schlagel said of hearing the news of her award. "I'm not usually a crier, but I was crying. I've been teaching 11 years, and it's definitely the highlight, I would say, just...
At the University of Colorado Boulder, campus has been a little quieter this spring with the March 11 announcement that in-person classes would be moved online. Five days later, CU recommended all students living in dormitories move back home. But for some, that wasn't an option. Senior David Broughton is a resident advisor (R.A.) at Hallett Hall and one of the few still living on campus. Broughton said there are approximately four students and six R.A.'s remaining at Hallett Hall. Hallet's population of about 10 students is the lowest in the...
To be sure, the local seniors in the class of 2020 are missing some notable high school rites of passage, but assuming Colorado's social distancing measures continue to ease through summer, a commencement ceremony won't be one of them. In an April 20th letter to district families announcing the cancellation of in-person classes, St. Vrain Valley Schools Superintendent Don Haddad wrote: "For our graduating seniors and their families, we know how especially disheartening these past few weeks have...
They call her Mama G., but students and teachers at Flagstaff Academy can now refer to their middle school principal as Colorado Charter School Leader of the Year. "I was very excited and totally humbled when I found out about all the nominations and the kind things people had to say," said Katie Gustafson, 39, who has been an administrator at the school for five years and a teacher for five years before that. The award from the Colorado League of Charter Schools recognized Gustafson for...
Grable Howie isn't used to writing songs on command, but when the talented junior was tapped to represent Niwot High in the CU College of Music's Centennial Song competition, he found that inspiration was easy to come by in his home state. "I was tasked with writing a song about the spirit of Colorado," Howie said of the contest, held to commemorate the College of Music's 100th anniversary. "It was a little difficult to do this, because I was only able to have five tracks, and I had a slightly...
The empty parking lot at Niwot High School is more than the result of a much-needed Spring Break. School closures have forced sports, clubs and all extracurriculars to hit the pause button for the sake of public health in light of COVID-19. While time off from classes may seem like every high schooler's dream, these cancellations have caused upset among students who have been working hard all year. Among these cancellations are the Band Spectacle concert, Choir/Orchestra concerts, Mock Trial...
Beginning on March 30th, BCD will launch 'Bulldogs Connect,' their distance learning initiative developed to meet the needs of students and families during the forthcoming school facility closure due to COVID19. Since March 13th, BCD faculty have been collaborating virtually to design a distance learning program to serve all of their students from Preschool through 8th grade at developmentally appropriate levels. BCD teachers will be using multiple platforms including Seesaw, Google Classroom, a...
Just a few short weeks ago, the long-term closure of schools seemed unthinkable, but the coronavirus pandemic has abruptly forced the world into adopting different ways of thinking about everyday life. For parents, students, and educators, that has meant confronting the reality of full-time "remote learning," and adjusting to unfamiliar roles and responsibilities in the education environment. At Dawson School in Lafayette, the community is embracing the new paradigm with optimism, togetherness,...
A bonus week of Spring Break sounds like a dream come true for students, but, at Niwot High School, reaction to the St. Vrain Valley School District's decision to cancel classes in the wake of COVID-19 has been decidedly mixed. With milestone events and the spring athletic season now in jeopardy, the drastic disruption of the spring semester has caused almost as much anxiety as the virus that prompted it. "I think there are a lot of people filled with fear, because nobody really knows what's...
At age 13, Rumi Natanzi suffered a medical emergency that required years of recovery. She spent a lot of that time listening to original cast recordings of popular musicals, and by the time she was ready to enter ninth grade, she had found a new passion-one that eventually developed into a memorable four-year run on the Niwot High stage. A few weeks ago, Natanzi took her final bow as a Cougar, and said goodbye to the place that has allowed her to tell stories with her expression and voice. "I di...
This past Wednesday, Niwot Elementary School hosted its 12th annual Children's Book and Art Sale to benefit The Mwebaza Foundation, a local non-profit started in 2008 by the school's first-grade teacher, Dale Peterson. Each year, this fundraiser garners donations from parents, students, and visitors from used children's book sale purchases. What set this year apart was the inclusion of children's art, made and donated by students from all grade levels at Niwot Elementary. The Niwot Elementary...
On Feb. 26, Scotland made global history by passing the Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Bill, officially making tampons and sanitary pads freely available to women in public places. There was no parliamentary opposition to this historic act, making it a "milestone moment for normalising menstruation in Scotland and sending out that real signal to people in this country about how seriously parliament takes gender equality," according to its creator, Monica Lennon. In the United States,...
You know they're creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky, but perhaps you didn't know that the Victorian-inspired Addams Family has been a part of American pop culture for more than eight decades. In 1938, cartoonist Charles Addams created a satirical version of upper class 20th century family life for The New Yorker, giving us the enduring characters Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester and Lurch. The family has been with us ever since, most famously as a 1960s sitcom, featuring a th...
Stop by Niwot Elementary School on March 4 and shop the 12th annual Children's Book and Art Sale. Each year, the elementary school hosts various fundraisers to benefit partner schools of local non-profit, The Mwebaza Foundation. Over a decade ago, Niwot Elementary partnered with Mwebaza Infant Primary School, in Kyengera, Uganda to participate in a cultural exchange. Since then, the foundation has added six additional partner schools in Uganda and Colorado, respectively. Students are given the...
On Feb. 20, Niwot Elementary gifted and talented students held a mock trial. Students were assigned several roles, including defense attorney, prosecuting attorney, and reporter, while staff members served as staff officers and advisors....
Niwot High School students are no strangers to helping the community. Whether it's individual teams having Breast Cancer Awareness Games for their sports or or other groups' fundraisers, students have plenty of opportunities for philanthropy. After being inspired by one student's personal involvement with the Make-A-Wish organization, as well as seeing other schools' participation, Niwot High School will have its very first "Wish Week." Starting on March 2, the student council will have a...
Over the years, speech and debate kids have often joked, "We don't cut up dead bodies, but we might quote them." First founded in Wisconsin in 1925, the National Speech & Debate Association, formally known as the National Forensics League, sought to motivate high school students to participate in speech and debate activities. Six years later, in 1931, the first tournament was held at Ripon College with 49 schools participating from across 17 states. Students are able to participate in a variety...
Recently, three Niwot High students were recognized by the Rotary Club of Niwot for their outstanding achievements in and out of the classroom. The three were introduced at a recent Rotary Club breakfast by principal Eric Rauschkolb and received a plaque noting the award. They are now eligible for a scholarship from the RCN. Natalia Storz - December Natalia has excelled in the classroom, and she has also demonstrated many personality traits that have exemplified her selflessness and commitment...
On Jan. 30, Boulder Country Day middle school students participated in the annual Model United Nations exercise. In teams, students represented a member country by researching it, writing resolutions on current issues it faces, and defending those resolutions at a gathering called the MUN General Assembly. Through this process, students learned about international relations, developed empathy, and gained a better understanding of how issues across the world affect us all. As an authorized IB...
Last year, Niwot High School started the Mwebaza Club to turn shipping containers into classrooms for children in Uganda. The classrooms were a booming success and have greatly decreased the overcrowding at the school. After the classrooms were shipped to Uganda, the Mwebaza Club faded away. Now, Niwot High School has initiated the club again, this time to fund a young boy's education. In Uganda, people are required to pay for school, and many families cannot meet the high prices. So, the...
Flagstaff Academy's mission is to develop students who are equipped to be well-rounded, ethical leaders in the world community with a foundation based in mathematics and science. How does this look in the world of school counseling? Sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), National School Counseling Week (Feb. 3-7) highlights the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and the tremendous impact they have in helping students achieve academic and...
Imagine this: it's baseball season for Colorado schools and ball fields across the state are filled with young boys, eager to play the game they love. But one such field in Arvada is a little different than the others--that's because many of the coaches are officers with the Arvada Police Department and they use their radar guns to measure pitch speeds. Boulder County Sheriff's Deputy Eric Underwood credits this early exposure to law enforcement for some of his initial interest in the profession...
Three rival high schools came together this past holiday season to bring Christmas to their community. Representatives from Niwot, Longmont, and Silver Creek High Schools met to start a collaborative community project that was modeled after the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program. NHS typically runs a food drive during the holidays, but it hasn't reached the level of impact that it was intended to. Needing a new idea, the student council revamped an old concept. Niwot Student Council's Ben Goff...
From Jan. 7 – 10, all Boulder Country Day middle school students participated in the BCD Seminar. The seminar is modeled after the Aspen Institute Seminar and is intended as an opportunity for BCD students to stretch their intellectual thinking. With over 60 years of experience, the Aspen Institute Seminar is designed to help people of all ages and walks of life to reflect upon the most important questions facing us as human beings and as leaders. Each night, BCD students were assigned texts b...
Last Thursday, Jan. 9, Niwot High alumni Oskar Wells and Sophia Jones stepped up to cut the ribbon. After months of construction, Niwot High School hosted a grand re-opening to show off its latest renovations. "Kids have always been proud to go to Niwot High School," said Principal Eric Rauschkolb, "but now the building reflects the pride they feel in their school." The funding for this project came from a 2016 bond issue in which voters approved $10 million for improvements and renovations. The...
As graduation quickly approaches -136 days to be exact-life after high school seems not just scary, but scarily expensive, as paying for any higher education looms over graduating seniors and their parents. Colleges may offer up some money, but a full-ride is unlikely. For many families, the hunt for scholarships is on. There are thousands of scholarships large and small up for grabs across the country, and narrowing the field can be a trick for many students. Applying for scholarships tailored...
Davita Bird has always been interested in how things work, so at the suggestion of her mother, an engineer at Seagate, she started exploring the world of computer programming as a curious seventh grader at Flagstaff Academy. Now in her senior year at Niwot High, that curiosity has blossomed into a passion that has her expanding the frontiers of technology. "Computers were always the maximum 'how is this doing anything?' for me," she said. "Without the programming, it's just a hunk of metal. We...
Nothing came of last week's bomb threat at Niwot High School, except the arrest of a student believed to be responsible. Nothing, but rattled nerves and the question, when will this fear of school-based violence end? In the last 15 months, the Saint Vrain Valley School District held 24 meetings to solicit community input on our local education system. Understandably, one of the most pressing subjects was school safety. "This is a touchy subject, it's scary," said Paula Peairs, vice-president of...
Every year starting in August, school districts across the state start analyzing enrollment numbers and other demographic data from their students. They track things such as building activity, socioeconomic trends, and more. This wealth of data then allows the planning department create projections in the spring. These projections, which largely focus around how many students are anticipated to be in various school feeder systems, will affect decisions such as open enrollment quotas. Paula...
Three Niwot High students were recently honored by the Rotary Club of Niwot as Students of the Month. From left, senior Keith Hemenway (October), senior Maisey Jefferson (September), and senior Trevor Smith (October) were introduced at a recent Rotary Club breakfast by Niwot principal Eric Rauschkolb and received a plaque noting the award. The three are now eligible for a scholarship from the RCN. The RCN meets Thursday mornings at 7:15 for breakfast, at the Niwot Grange Hall. Guests welcome...
