Arts Student of the Week Sara Hallock

"When I was a freshman at Niwot High School," Sara Hallock said, "it was all online learning because of Covid. We had to learn everything through books and articles. Once we got to in-person learning, I was shown the sound board and almost immediately fell in love with it. As the years went on, I learned more and more about being a sound engineer and how good I was at it."

In the intervening years, Hallock has perfected her craft as a sound engineer. Jason Watkins, who selected Hallock as Arts Student of the Week, has a great admiration for what the high school senior has accomplished. "She is the master of our sound," Watkins said. "For four years she has mastered her skill, and she is an absolute legend."

Watkins, who is the Technical Theater Director at NHS, has worked with Hallock for four years. "Sara is our rock," he said. "She is quiet, yes. But behind that calm determinism is an infinite foundation of knowledge and optimism that very few people I feel ever get to see."

Hallock feels her experience as a theater student at NHS has been nothing less than amazing. "I have made so many memories and friends there," she said, "that I will definitely cherish forever." Overall, her high school experience has been very positive. "There have definitely been some low moments throughout the years, but the positive aspects definitely outweigh those moments," she said. Although she has an interest in theater, Hallock does not necessarily want to be on the stage. She prefers to work behind the scenes. Those who have influenced her career in technical theater, she said, include Watkins, Paige Ioerger and Lyric Bishop.

Hallock's many memorable moments from her performances make it difficult to narrow them down to just one. "The first ones that come to mind is when me and Addie Rozenzon got to give Paige Ioerger and Lyric Bishop their senior roses," Hallock said. "Also, when Paige Ioerger, Lyric Bishop and Kaiya Brown were nominated for a Bobby G. Award and almost the entire crew came to support them. The feeling we had when they won is a feeling that I would give anything to feel again."

"Sara sees a lot but never interferes," Watkins said. "She knows her strengths and knows what she is very good at. And she excels at it." Although Hallock has not worked in technical theater at other venues outside the high school, she looks forward to doing so in the future. Her favorite shows are "Mamma Mia!" and "Beauty and the Beast."

Hallock's other hobbies include puzzles, coloring, and listening to music. After high school, she plans to take six months to a year off to work, travel, and relax. After that, she plans to attend Front Range Community College for two years, and then, she hopes, she will study at either the University of Northern Colorado or the University of Las Vegas.

"She is soon graduating," Watkins said, "so we are desperately peeling back her knowledge and trying to spoon feed it to the beginning techs."