Articles written by Jennifer Simms
Sorted by date Results 1 - 48 of 48
Bond construction begins at Heatherwood
Heatherwood Elementary is getting a much-anticipated facelift thanks to a Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) bond approved by voters in 2014. This $6.2 million project broke ground in February,... Full story
Heatherwood Mini-Society Project
Ever wanted to start a small business? Heatherwood fourth-graders know how. This spring, students in Ms. Runyon’s and Mrs. Zimmerman’s classes studied economics through a unit called... Full story
RMCA Hosts Middle School Choir Festival
Karen Hannahoe, choir festival clinician at Rocky Mountain Christian Academy’s (RMCA) first middle school choir festival, had some advice for some 470 middle school choir students, “Be grateful....
Young journalist fundraises for dream opportunity
With summer just a few months away, families and students are busy registering for camps and booking vacation plans. One Sunset Middle School eighth grader, Aleah Keppler, already knows what she is do...
NHS Theater to auction Hamilton tickets
Attending a Niwot High School theater production is always a treat. But this March, the audience could walk away with an even bigger prize. During the March 10 matinee performance of The Foreigner,...
Love your bike with a fit at IOG
Pain is a major reason people don’t love riding their bikes. Maybe their right hand always falls asleep, or the balls of their feet ache, or their saddle leaves them sore after a long ride....
Niwot Elementary’s Favorite Storyteller
In the Niwot community, Scott Tibbitts is known as an entrepreneur. Tibbits is the founder of the company, Katasi, and his distraction-free driving product, the Groove, recently hit the market. But at...
Heatherwood first grade visits growing gardens
Roots, stems, leaves and more! Heatherwood first-graders are learning about plants this fall. As part of this unit of study, students took a field trip to Growing Gardens in north Boulder on Oct. 10,...
Niwot and the art of bicycle maintenance
Boy Scout Troop 161 of Niwot joined Eric Bergeson and Fernando Tapia at Niwot Wheel Works to learn about the intricacies of bike maintenance on Monday, Sept. 25. The boys, under the leadership of... Full story
Celebrating the Tractor
The Yesteryears Farm Show in Longmont has been a family tradition for Niwot’s Slepicka family since 1990. The event, held annually during the last weekend in August, celebrates the history of... Full story
NHS Welcomes New Assistant Principal
Niwot High School’s new assistant principal, Zach Pinkerton, is thrilled to be back in Colorado. With two young children, ages three and six months, Pinkerton and his wife are grateful for the oppor... Full story
Niwot Wheel Works to celebrate grand opening
What’s keeping you from riding your bike this summer? Flat tire? Bent derailleur? Busted chain? Niwot’s newest bike shop, Niwot Wheel Works, is open ready to help. This service-focused shop,...
Party like it’s an eclipse
The skies were clear over the Front Range at lunchtime on Monday, Aug. 21. Students at Heatherwood Elementary in Gunbarrel grabbed their protective glasses and headed outside for a solar eclipse... Full story
IBM Connector Trail Now Open
The IBM Connector Trail, which links the Longmont to Boulder (LoBo) trail to the Boulder Reservoir trail system, officially opened on Tuesday, June 27, just in time for Bike to Work Day on June 28....
NHS Seniors Well Prepared for Future
The Washington Post, which recently named Niwot High School to its U.S. Most Challenging School’s list, confirmed what NHS students and staff already know - the school does an excellent job of...
NHS graduates the Class of 2017
Dark clouds gathered on the horizon as students, families, and friends gathered at Niwot High School to celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2017. Typically, graduation is held outdoors on the... Full story
NHS Assistant Principal Burnett to retire
Forty-one years ago, Susan Burnett stepped up to the chalkboard in her first classroom. Always up for a new challenge, Burnett has held many titles at many schools over her long career, including... Full story
NHS Named Top Challenging School
At the beginning of May, The Washington Post’s Education Columnist Jay Matthews released his annual rankings of how well the nation’s top high schools challenge their students. This list, called... Full story
IBM Connector Trail Update
The IBM Connector Trail between the LOBO Trail and the Coot Lake Trail south of Tom Watson Park near the IBM plant was initially scheduled to open May 16, but construction issues have pushed out the opening by at least a month. “Unfortunately the...
New film festival leadership brings change
For the last two years, Niwot High School’s Education Foundation has hosted a spring festival to showcase the work of aspiring student filmmakers. But when the foundation announced that it would no...
Catamounts is a Heatherwood Tradition
Heatherwood Elementary second graders are singing and dancing about economics this spring. The students have spent the last six weeks working with professionals from the Boulder theater group, The...
Girl Scouts Partner with Greenwood
Girl Scout Troop 179 is on a journey to Get Moving. The eleven Heatherwood Elementary fourth graders of Troop 179 have spent the school year exploring the theme of movement and energy through an intensive, collaborative study called a journey....
NHS Teacher Awarded Colorado Economics Teacher of the Year
Each spring since 1988, the Colorado Council for Economics Education (CCEE) presents the Koebel Enterprising Teacher of the Year Award to an educator who demonstrates excellence in the teaching of economics and personal financial literacy. This year...
A celebration of community: Niwot Elementary marks 50 years
Niwot Elementary was hoping for good weather for the school’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, and Saturday, April 8, turned out to be a perfect sunny spring day. “It was so important to be outside t...
APEX homeschool program sees steady growth
“We know you’re guilty.” Fourth grader Eden Zenz and her classmates accuse Kim Lancaster, director of St. Vrain’s APEX Homeschool Enrichment Program, the moment she walks into their... Full story
Niwot Elementary celebrates 10 year partnership
Third, fourth and fifth graders at Niwot Elementary felt a mixture of curiosity, excitement and pride as they filed into the gym for the Skype assembly with their sister school Mwebaza Infant Primary...
White Rocks Bridge repair coming this fall
With the pockets of spring-like weather this winter, hikers, runners, and cyclists have been flocking to local trails. Outdoor enthusiasts who frequent Gunbarrel’s White Rocks Trail will notice the...
New trail connects LOBO to IBM
Since a trail priority study in 2003 identified the need for a Longmont-to-Boulder (LOBO) regional trail system, Boulder County has worked to link 12 miles of trails through south Longmont, Niwot,... Full story
Student takes steps toward illustrating dream
Niwot High School senior Anya Berlova received a unique recognition for her art this past fall. Berlova was the first high school student to have an illustration in the annual calendar published by... Full story
The art of Valentine's chocolate
Chocolate and Valentine’s Day. The two were forever united in 1861 when British chocolate maker Richard Cadbury began selling chocolate candies in heart shaped boxes. For the Gunbarrel-based Concert... Full story
Jazz Goes to Niwot Elementary
“Jazz music is our gift from America to the world,” musician Tony Gulizia told an audience of fifth graders at Niwot Elementary School during an assembly on January 27, which was sponsored by the Niwot-based Colorado Jazz Group. Primarily known... Full story
Niwot's Interact Club aims to serve
Clubs abound at Niwot High School, but one new offering, the Interact club, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Niwot, stands out because of its focus on service. “I’ve participated in various...
Boulder Country Club Prepares for Pac 12 Championships
While most people are busy preparing for the upcoming winter holidays, Boulder Country Club (BCC) is already making plans for spring. The club has been selected by the University of Colorado Men’s...
Heatherwood Students Ring in the Holidays
Bells rang out holiday carols at Barnes and Noble as the Heatherwood Huskies Handbell Choir, led by the school’s new music teacher, Lynette Schulz, delighted families and shoppers during their...
New music teacher makes NHS directing debut
New teachers often inherit a treasure from their predecessors -a desk, a set of text books, maybe a syllabus. This fall Niwot High School (NHS) vocal music teacher Laura Marshall inherited an entire...
BVSD ballot measure 3A to fund maintenance and more
In November, Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) will be asking voters to approve an operational mill levy, ballot measure 3A. Though the ballot language states the levy would support the...
NHS murder-mystery play engages audiences
The Niwot High School drama department aims to keep its audiences guessing with its upcoming play, Murder in the House of Horrors. “It is the first interactive play that Niwot has ever done, and is... Full story
Class of '76 celebrates 40 years
Homecoming weekend wouldn’t be complete without a reunion, and this year the class of 1976 celebrated its 40th. “For us being the first class that went four years at Niwot, it’s kind of a big... Full story
Heatherwood Principal ready to learn
Genna Jaramillo loves to learn. From the time she was a high school senior serving as her school’s mascot, T-Doug the Cardinal, to stepping into the role of principal at Heatherwood Elementary...
NHS grads have bright future
On May 28, the Niwot High School (NHS) class of 2016 received their diplomas, stepped off the stage and launched into their futures. For several of these high-achieving students, their high school...
Heatherwood Elementary principal selected to lead new school
During the last four years, Principal Brent Caldwell has brought many positive changes to Heatherwood Elementary, including the creation of a new vision and mission statement, a significant upgrade... Full story
Niwot High School retirees
The end of the school year is always full of emotion as graduating students say farewell and transition to the next phase of their lives. These final days are especially poignant for the three Niwot H...
Camping expert makes outdoor adventures accessible
The campsite reservations are made. The kids can’t wait to roast marshmallows and throw rocks in the creek. Even the dog is excited to chase sticks and the occasional deer. But as the trip approaches, your apprehension increases. What should we...
Design thinking drives problem solving at Heatherwood
A new play structure. The best backpack ever. Over 300 Heatherwood Elementary School parents and students used the Design Thinking method to dream up solutions for common elementary school problems,...
NHS Film Festival Hopefuls Prepare Entries
With the submission deadline for the second annual Niwot Student Film Festival rapidly approaching, NHS teacher Jim Asmus is helping his digital film editing students prepare their entries. All...