Auction to benefit students at NHS

The Niwot High School Education Foundation will be holding an online auction this week with benefits set to go to a great cause — the students.

With more than 100 items on the list ranging from gift certificates to many area restaurants, to financial plans from the likes of Maryann Ruck at Integrated Wealth Strategies, to free consultations from attorneys at Warren, Carlson & Moore, to entries to the Bolder Boulder race, to coupons for senior portrait packages, the auction has something for just about everyone.

Paula Hemenway, a board member of the education foundation, said that this year’s auction has taken on the form of “Adopt a Cougar.”

Proceeds will go to help students pay for exams related to advanced course they take that are offered by the school. This includes both Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes offered at NHS.

“One of the things Niwot High School is known for is advanced courses,” Hemenway said. “Students can get college credit if they score well enough on the exams but the exams are really expensive. A student might end up taking a half a dozen of them. There are no waivers for the IB, the AP gives a few waivers but not many.”

“So what we decided to do with the money (from the auction) is to go to help pay for exams for students that can’t afford them. Some students simply can’t afford it. People think of Niwot High School as being a wealthy school because Niwot is generally wealthy, but the demographics have changed dramatically.”

She said that the number of students at NHS that qualify for free or reduced lunch has grown in recent years. The qualification is based on household income, which plays a big factor in students taking the exams that are costly.

Eric Rauschkolb, principal at NHS, said that the extra money raised from the auction will go a long ways to help the students who work hard to get ahead in their education.

“There are a number of students who may view the fees associated with AP and IB tests as an obstacle for taking those classes,” Rauschkolb said. “We want to remove as many barriers as possible for students to take upper level courses, because we know that the more upper level courses students are able to take, the more likely they are to get into great colleges and universities, and will increase the scholarship dollars that they receive. Raising money to support students quite literally changes lives for the better.”

The auction and all items included will begin with a preview on May 3. Bidding will be opened on May 6 and close on May 12. Anyone wanting to view the items and place bids can visit www.nhsef.org.

“The NHSEF's annual auction is an exciting time for a number of reasons,” Rauschkolb said. “First and foremost, it raises money that allows us to provide additional opportunities and resources to our students. Secondly, it is a great chance to see very tangibly the support that we receive from our community and parents.”