All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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An unexpected "glitch" might have sealed the victory for third-grader Sylvia Madry at the 12th annual Niwot Elementary Spelling Bee on Dec. 5, but her hard-fought victory was definitely no mistake. Careful study of the Scripps spelling list, plus a few tried-and-true tricks helped propel the bespectacled eight-year-old through 34 challenging rounds against older and more experienced competitors. "It wasn't the words that were hard, it was standing up and spelling them in front of all those peopl...
Their first names rhyme, so it is easy to see them as a matched set and their last name is emblematic of the brightening effect they have on the community. It's Jill and Bill Whitener - the vivacious, capable, and caring duo who have become very familiar faces in Niwot. We posed a few questions to find out what makes this generous couple tick and here is what we've learned. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC): Tell us a bit about your backgrounds. Jill & Bill (J&B): Jill grew up in Aspen. Her...
On Nov. 21, third graders at Niwot Elementary School received personal dictionaries donated by the Rotary Club of Niwot. Rotary members Eli Buzas, Kevin Parrot, and Dennis Daly, retired principal of Niwot High School, visited each of the three classes and distributed the dictionaries to each student. "It was a breath of fresh air and sort of invigorating to me," said Daly (pictured) after the visit. "I just wish everyone could experience the positive environment that Principal Nancy Pitz...
Medicine on a leash is how this month's Laurel recipient Jim Thomas refers to his faithful companion, Archie the fox red Labrador retriever. As part of the organization, Therapy Dog Boulder County (TDBC), 65-year-old Thomas and six-year-old Archie are weekly visitors at Superior Elementary School. All 76 pounds of the wagging pooch exudes love, so it's the perfect gig for him. His human partner is all about being there for others too. "My mom and dad brought us up to help people," Thomas said...
Thanks to the Niwot Historical Society archives, we get a glimpse into Niwot's bygone Thanksgiving celebrations. On Nov. 22, 1957 "The Niwot Tribune" reported an evening church service at the EUB Church, a middle school rendition of "Wildcat Willie Carves the Turkey," and advertisements from Curtis Confectionary encouraging readers to "Start Now with Your Christmas Lay-Away." First and second grade teacher Dora Chappell reported, "Last Friday we made many vegetables and fruits for our Horn of...
Our town is home to many noteworthy eateries offering mouthwatering dishes and a place to catch up with family, friends and neighbors. But no place has seen our town's transition quite like Lefty's Gourmet Pizza, on 2nd Avenue and Niwot Road. This pizza place has been a staple in the community, and, for the past 25 years, has outlasted even some of Boulder County's most-famed former establishments. Former astrophysicist, Lefty Harris, moved to Niwot almost three decades ago with his wife and...
Janet M. “Jan” Tornow, retired beloved Niwot Elementary School Clerk, died Tuesday Oct. 15, 2019 at age 81. Services have been held. Memorial contributions can be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church or Bethlehem Lutheran Church directed to Aspen Center for Childhood Development, 1000 15th Ave. Longmont, CO 80501. Former Niwot resident Beverly Ann Newton died Thursday Oct. 17, 2019 at age 88. Services were in Loveland with inurnment at Foothills Gardens of Memory....
On Friday Oct. 5, a cadre of tweenage ninjas-in-training jumped, swung, and climbed their way through a colorful obstacle course that tested the strength and agility of even the most seasoned trainees. In the process, they raised more than $15,000 for the Sunset Middle Parent Advisory Committee, which will go towards upgrades in the school's interior, and a new sound system for the cafeteria. The obstacle course was a new twist to Sunset's annual Fall Crawl fundraiser, and both parents and...
On Sept. 22, the highly anticipated Niwot Trot road race returns once again to the tranquil streets of Niwot.This year marks the 14th annual 5K fundraiser, hosted by Niwot Elementary School PTAC. Runners, joggers, walkers, and even trotters are invited to enjoy this race at their own pace. A fun and flat 3.1 mile course winds through town, giving participants the chance to see Niwot in its turn season. This year, the Niwot Trot will benefit from financial support and in-kind donations from 20...
Going strong 25 years after its debut, Boulder County Kids (BCK) magazine is the area’s comprehensive guide for all things family oriented. The brainchild of Jennifer Martin, BCK is about to celebrate the publication of its 100th issue. “It’s been a joy to do this over the years, “ Martin said. “Boulder County is extremely lucky to have the kind of facilities and diversity of activities for kids. There’s everything from paleontology to aerial dancing.” Quarterly, Martin puts together a 40...
Knowing children in Uganda were playing soccer barefoot, and in some instances with only one cleat, was not acceptable to Preston Lee, so he launched a project to remedy the situation. Called Kleats for Kids, Lee’s initiative was inspired by Niwot Elementary School teacher Dale Peterson and the Mwebaza Foundation, an organization that has its roots at NES. “My dad travels a lot for work,” Lee said, “and on one of his travels he got some pictures of kids without cleats or with just one cleat,...
Last year, Mwebaza Foundation set the goal of outfitting Niwot Elementary’s sister school, Mwebaza Infant Primary School in Kyengera, Uganda, with two shipping container classrooms to help with overcrowding. When students reach age 10, they usually drop out of school, because there isn’t a physical place to go anymore. The Mwebaza Infant Primary School tries to hold on to these students for as long as possible, even construction card-board partitions to increase individual classrooms, but thi...
Returning students have probably noticed a little more hustle and bustle in the halls at Niwot Elementary. With all bond construction now complete and a boomlet in enrollment, the 2019-20 school year is shaping up to be a busy one, and principal Nancy Pitz said that students and staff have hit the ground running. “It’s been a super smooth transition, and it’s great to be back,” she said. “Teachers are working hard, and students are getting ready to learn.” Thanks to the growth, Niwot Eleme...
There’s just nothing like the anticipation of opening a package, so everyone loves it when the big brown truck stops in front of their house. UPS driver Gabe Amaya is Niwot’s main guy in the brown uniform driving that brown truck. The Courier wanted more than just a friendly wave “hello” from the reliable person who makes hundreds of stops around town. So we asked Amaya some questions and learned that his ties to the town run deeper than his daily route. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) Gabe Amay...
The Aug. 22 Rock & Rails Tip Jar recipient is The Mwebaza Foundation, founded right here in Niwot. The Mwebaza Foundation seeks to unite Colorado students from four elementary schools with students in Uganda to foster a better understanding of each group’s culture. Before he started The Mwebaza Foundation, Dale Peterson, first-grade teacher at Niwot Elementary, fostered cultural exchange through a pen pal program. He knew this type of exchange gave children the opportunity to learn about o...
Full-day kindergarten programs have been available in the local school districts for more than a decade, but often came with a steep monthly tuition fee. Starting this school year, those programs will be free to families in all Colorado public schools, thanks to a bill signed into law last May by governor Jared Polis that funds kindergarten at the same per-pupil rate as the other grades. For principals at Heatherwood and Niwot Elementary Schools, the move to make full-day schooling available to...
Editor's Note: The Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms will be collecting for the Rock & Rails tip jars on August 8, not on August 1, as stated in the Courier's July 31 Community Calendar. Want to dance the evening away to some “joyful” rock and roll? Want to increase the happiness quotient by supporting our military members? You have the chance to enjoy both activities at the Aug. 8, Rock & Rails concert in Whistle Stop Park. While Something Underground plays what band members call “joyful rock,” all t...
Patty Strecker of Niwot is unabashedly red, white and blue patriotic. The co-founder of the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms will serve as the Niwot July 4 parade Grand Marshal, an honor given by the Niwot Community Association board which sponsors and organizes the parade. She has asked the entire cookie moms group – about 40 strong – to walk behind the grand marshal’s car in the parade. “I was just utterly shocked to receive this honor,” Strecker said. “I am not the only one who helps in this eff...
Debbie Lammers is this month’s Left Hand Laurel recipient because of her dedication to St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) and schools throughout Colorado. Lammers spent her formative years in Las Vegas where her father was a hotel executive. She was in seventh grade when her father passed away. Her family relocated to Northern California a year later. She attended California State University - Chico and then worked as a legal assistant and a paralegal for many years. She and Chris, her h...
Editor’s note: Part I of this story can be found here. A memorable year for Niwot athletics turned into a memorable Letter of Intent signing day on May 22, as 12 athletes crowded onto the auditorium stage to make an official commitment to competing at the next level. Caleb Churchill, West Point Gymnast Caleb Churchill didn’t have a conventional high school athletic career, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t impressive. In his senior year alone, Churchill took second All-Around in the Colorad...
Two years after its inception, the J.A.R.E.D. Foundation continues its march forward to bring music education to students who could use a boost. The organization, which stands for Join A Revolution, Educate Drummers & other musicians, was formed in the summer of 2017 by Surinder and Renae Dahiya and Jerry Lizakowski after their son, Jared Lizakowski, died in a motorcycle accident on NIwot Road in October 2016. The Dahiyas and Lizakowski wanted to honor Jared, who had been passionate about music...
Barb Van Winkle, Teacher Barb Van Winkle has worked for St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) for 31 years. She started at Niwot Elementary 24 years ago, where she taught fifth grade for a few years and then taught gifted and talented students for another 21 years. She said the students and parents in Niwot are wonderful. NES Principal Nancy Pitz said, “Barb has impacted thousands of lives throughout her teaching career. I will always remember her love for all students, her passion for the G...
School teachers are arguably some of the hardest working people with one of the most difficult, but important jobs. A top complaint that many educators have is that they are expected and forced to fill too many roles at once, stretching their time to be not only educators, but counselors, planners, purchasers, often with their own funds, and social workers. So when a parent or community member volunteers in the classroom, that act helps ease some of those burdens, freeing up our teachers to do...
The quadrennial summer Olympic Games brings millions of new athletes to gymnastics, and after the U.S. team’s dramatic finish in the 2008 Beijing games, one of those was then-elementary school student Erica Bortfeldt. Bortfeldt’s affinity for the sport has endured, and now, more than a decade later, the Niwot High senior competes for a club team based at Airborne Gymnastics in Longmont. On April 20, she captured the All-Around title in her division at the 2019 NCAA Youth Gymnastics Cha...
The Niwot Community Association did one of the things it does best at its April 17 annual meeting for members – connect NCA members with the broader Niwot area community. The group invited the principals of Niwot Elementary School, Sunset Middle School and Niwot High School to speak to meeting attendees about the academic and social achievements, strengths, school focus and infrastructure changes at each of the schools. The presentations grew from concerns from some NCA board members about e...
Niwot Community Association board members are gearing up for the group’s busy seasons. Kicking off the spring is the annual membership drive, already underway. Emails have gone out to members urging them to join for the 2019-20 membership year, and postcards are coming to those still waiting to join. Membership chair Johnny Barrett reported that membership stood at 248 households. In addition, the meeting will feature updates on membership as of April 3, and more members are expected to join a...
Nevin Gilbert may still be a few weeks away from his high school graduation but the future engineer already has the resume of a seasoned professional. Between a demanding robotics internship and a collaboration with a CU professor, the Niwot High student’s precocious talent for math and computer science has created opportunities not afforded to most college students, let alone those still in secondary school. Later this month, Gilbert will get a chance to add another achievement to the g...
Longmont-based Up-A-Creek Robotics is home to one of the top high school robotics teams in the country, thanks in large part to Niwot couple Terry and Cathy Olkin, recipients of this month's Left Hand Laurel. When the Olkins signed on for a stint as mentors to the Up-A-Creek Robotics team five years ago, they were just hoping to spend more time with sons Jake and Zach. Before long, however, the naturally competitive duo found themselves enjoying not just their extra time with the boys, but also...
The National Education Association’s celebration Read Across America has been an annual event since 1998. What better day to revel in reading than to honor cherished children’s author Dr. Seuss? His March 2 birthday was chosen to spread the excitement of reading. On this national celebration of the wonder and importance of reading, Niwot Rotarians, known for bringing about positive changes in the community, read stacks of Dr. Seuss’s beloved stories aloud to every grade in Niwot Eleme...
It’s been the better part of a decade since teenage rocker Jackson Cloud made his St. Vrain Valley Schools debut, and now the Niwot senior will get a chance to end his school performance career the same way he started it—co-headlining with local recording artist Mojomama. “Mojomama came to my school for their music academy when I was in, I think, second grade at Niwot Elementary, and I got a chance to play with them,” Cloud said in an interview about Spectacle 2019, an upcoming concert to bene...
Niwot residents will soon be seeing reminders to renew their Niwot Community Association memberships in their mailboxes, email in-boxes and along Niwot Road. The membership drive will kick off the week of Feb. 17, with an email message to current members and posting of the “Burma Shave” style signs along Niwot Road, NCA President David Limbach told board members at their March 13 meeting. Currently Niwot residents can join the NCA by paying with a check or through PayPal. NCA board members are exploring adding Venmo by PayPal, a mobile payment...
Students, coaches, judges, volunteers, families, and technology fans overflowed Niwot Elementary School’s (NES) gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 26 as NES hosted its first VEX IQ Robotic Challenge event. Enthusiasm, focus, and team spirit amongst all attendees, as well as mutual respect and a sense of accomplishment permeated the event. Twenty four teams from NES, Fall River Elementary School (Longmont), Eagle Crest Elementary (Longmont), Estes Park Elementary, and Hygiene Elementary schools w...
The Boulder Evening Optimists Club is inviting local families to the Wild Game in Longmont on Feb. 3 for a morning of games and pancakes at their second annual Family Fun Day. “We’re calling it a Family Fun Day, because the whole idea is that you can come out from 9 a.m. to noon and spend time with the family on Super Bowl Sunday before all of the football activity starts,” Niwot resident and author Jim Ringel said. He is a longtime member of the service organization. “It’s a really great tim...
September 10, 1999- January 8, 2019 Olivia Ann Kunik, 19, made her final curtain call on Tuesday January 8, 2019. She leaves behind her heartbroken parents, Honey Beuf, Chuck Barnett, Maitland Kunik, and Joanne Kunik, her devoted sister Tess Kunik, her brave brothers Max Kunik and Anthony Martinez-Briggs, and the love of her life, Axel the pug. She graduated from Niwot High School and was studying early childhood education at the University of Northern Colorado. She loved children as she was a s...
The Rotary Club of Niwot celebrated its 10th anniversary on Dec. 18 with a holiday dinner held at 1914 House. On hand to commemorate the milestone were several of the group’s founding members, including Kamla Chopra, Dennis Daly, Matt Dolan, Marty Wehr, Scott Stockert and Jo Kirkenaer, a Norway native who has been deeply involved with the international service organization for nearly 40 years. Kirkenaer, the club’s treasurer, was pleased with turnout for the event, and even more pleased wit...
Contributing to Niwot’s festive holiday decorations around town was on the minds of Niwot Community Association board members at their Dec. 5 meeting. The NCA put up holiday decorations this year at the Niwot Road entrance into town and board members agreed that they would like to add to that display. An informal subcommittee group, headed by Pat Murphy and Julie Breyer, are planning to hit the post-holiday sales to snap up decorations. In addition, board members expressed interest in working i...
The winning word was ‘diminutive’, but the accomplishment was just the opposite for Niwot Elementary fifth-grader Andrew Hudgins. The second-time finalist outlasted 12 other talented spellers to claim victory in the school’s annual bee, which was held at the school on Dec. 5. “I read through the list every night and memorized most of the words,” Hudgins said of his victory strategy. “I also practiced with my mom every day. She would read me words and I would spell them.” That daily commitm...
The tradition of giving books as gifts is practically as old as the printed word itself and, in fact, books were among the first items mass-produced and marketed specifically as Christmas gifts, back in the 1820s. Nearly 200 years later, books remain a popular choice for both givers and receivers, and not just for the holidays. A book can be a token of intimacy, of friendship, or even of just shared interest. A book can sometimes say what we can’t, and giving one at just the right time can m...
Last year at this time, Dale Peterson’s bold vision for building and equipping a new classroom and then shipping it overseas seemed like an impossibly complex undertaking. But thanks to a willingly conscripted army of both local and districtwide students, a brightly painted two-story structure wired for electricity and solar power will be trucked out of Niwot on Dec. 8, bound for its new home at the Mwebaza School in Kyengera,Uganda. “I’m feeling overjoyed that we could have so many kids invol...
Mwebaza Foundation founder and president Dale Peterson was in good spirits after the closing ceremony for ‘Cougars/CDC Creating Classrooms,’ held at Niwot High on Nov. 29. “I’m feeling overjoyed that we could have so many kids involved,” he said about the months-long project to convert two shipping containers into a functioning classroom that will be used at the Mwebaza Infant Primary School in Kyengera, Uganda. “I am also feeling relief that I will get more time with my family, but mainly just...
May 3, 1933 - Nov. 2, 2018 Donald Richard “Dick” Hicks was born on May 3, 1933 to the union of Chester Carl and Anna Louise (Hubbard) Hicks of Olathe, Colorado. He graduated from Western State College in 1955 with a BS degree in Accounting and a minor degree in drafting. Dick married Ann Josephine Warfel on June 14, 1953, in Olathe, Colorado. Dick and his dad operated a logging operation and sawmill for several years. In the early 1960’s, he moved his family to Longmont to work on the new water...
Communities within St. Vrain are thriving and leading the way as Colorado continues to build and attract the top workforce and companies who want to call our thriving state home. St. Vrain Valley Schools is the educational home to more than 32,000 of Colorado’s students, with every school and feeder system committed to providing exemplary programming. While all schools share a high standard of excellence, as a district of choice, St. Vrain Valley Schools readily embraces a systemic approach t...
Residents of Niwot showed up in force at the community meeting to both question county officials and for many, to hold their ground regarding what their preferences are for development within the business district of their town. For the residents on 3rd Avenue, many of whom have lived in Niwot for several decades, two topics were high priorities: the county’s process around the development and the moratorium and secondly, the sanctity of the alley between their homes on 3rd Avenue, and the m...
This year’s Jazz on 2nd Ave, the eighth year for the event, welcomed more than 1500 participants over the weekend of Sept 15-16, according to organizers. With the event’s profits used to fund jazz education, Colorado Jazz Group, the 501(C)3 non-profit organization that stages the festival, hopes to expand its visits to Front Range schools and continue to inspire a new generation of musicians. 2018 Jazz on 2nd Ave’s Funk and Jazz Festival Festival director Rachel Cohen said total sales were...
There’s a school in Kyengera, Uganda named Mwebaza. Two hundred students and six teachers spend their days learning and teaching there. More than 8,000 miles away, at Niwot Elementary School (NES), 450 students and 18 teachers spend their days doing the same thing. Dale Peterson is one of NES’s teachers and he has helped bring together the hearts, minds, and souls of the people of Mwebaza and NES. Peterson began his career as an educator 23 years ago as a student teacher at NES. As part of a w...
The annual Fall Crawl fundraiser hasn’t been a Sunset Middle School tradition for very long, but it has quickly become a favorite among parents and students alike. Last year’s event raised nearly $20,000 and helped the school purchase a new scoreboard, a sound system for the choir, and a 3-D printer. Now in its third year, the 2018 Fall Crawl is coming up on Friday, Oct. 5, and the Sunset Parents Advisory Council is inviting past and future students to come out and lend their support. “All of ou...
In a ceremony at the Longmont City Council chambers, the Longmont City Council designated Sept 11 as Mwebaza Day. The proclamation acknowledged the work of the Mwebaza Foundation, an organization founded by Niwot Elementary School teacher Dale Peterson to build and improve schools in Uganda. The proclamation reads: Whereas, the citizens of Longmont recognize that cross-cultural awareness and service learning enrich and strengthen a community; and whereas, the Mwebaza Foundation has been...
On Sunday, Aug. 26, the Niwot Cub Scout Pack 161 held its annual rocket launch at Niwot Elementary School. More than thirty excited scouts and potential recruits built and then launched the projectiles, with assistance from several older boys from Troop 161 as well as adult volunteers. The rockets were capable of altitudes up to 400 feet in the air, although the prevailing windy conditions were sometimes a hindrance....
World-class jazz will be wafting through Niwot, Sept. 15 and 16. The once secret-ish festival, Jazz on 2nd Ave, will be staging its eighth event with high caliber entertainers letting loose in Niwot’s unique small town outdoor venue. This year’s musical line-up welcomes back Liquid Soul and Jeff Coffin as festival headliners along with several groups new to the scene. The first day’s five acts begin with Niwot High School’s (NHS) jazz band which will have worked with Mars Williams of Liquid...
Niwot Elementary School (NES) starts this school year with Kylea Winka as the newly appointed dean of students and Avery Bounds as the new digital media technician. Kylea Winka has worked at NES since 2012 as a special education facilitator. She holds a master’s degree in special education and an interdisciplinary education specialist degree in educational administration and special education administration. She has worked in special education for 17 years. Winka’s new responsibilities as dea...
