All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 1976 - 2025 of 2533
Lu defends her Class 4A singles titles Niwot head coach Aimee Keronen was delighted with her team’s performance at the Class 4A tennis championships in Pueblo last weekend. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quite as delighted with the final team standings. “The girls played amazing,” Keronen said. “It was a great tournament, and I honestly don’t know how we didn’t win. We exceeded expectations in several lines and got three state championships. I had to redo the math quite a bit, because I just couldn...
It might be part of the human condition--we can be surrounded by magnificence and bounty in nature, but can’t always recognize or appreciate its value. Sometimes it takes a visitor or outsider to help us appreciate and protect that which we take for granted, because it has always been part of our surroundings. And on behalf of frogs and toads in the Andes, four St. Vrain Valley students have taken on that role of educating outsider, creating an environmental comic book to help remote Peruvian v...
Each year, the University at Colorado-Boulder honors secondary educators across the state who go “above and beyond to support students as they pursue their higher education dreams.” This year, one of those honorees is Niwot High computer science teacher Teresa Ewing, who was described by Principal Eric Rauschkolb as a “kid magnet.” “Niwot High is a stronger school as a whole because of Teresa Ewing. She has a passion for computer science education; she really loves kids, and she combines... Full story
The Niwot girls tennis team has been one of the most competitive programs in Colorado over the past few seasons, and right-hander Rachel Drake is a big part of the reason why. Now as the team prepares to defend its Class 4A state title, head coach Aimee Keronen is looking to her lone senior to help bolster the team’s mental preparedness. “She has been so fun, everybody just loves her, and her attitude is just great,” Keronen said of the veteran, who went 9-1 during her final regular seaso...
Besides the obvious deliciousness listed in the title Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Tasting, the fundraising event hosted by The Rotary Club of Niwot also hits on some other high notes – an evening of musical entertainment, the opportunity to take home fabulous auction items, while giving to the community. The venue for the ninth anniversary of the notable event is the Longmont Museum and the evening is Saturday, May 18, from 5 to 9 p.m. One hundred percent of proceeds go toward the Rotary C...
In the late 1960s, a handful of Gunbarrel and Niwot parents formed a sandlot baseball league as an alternative to leagues in Longmont and Boulder. Over the next five decades, that ragtag group blossomed into Niwot Youth Sports, which serves hundreds of the area’s budding athletes each year. On Sunday, May 5, NYS kicked-off its 50th anniversary season, and executive director Pat Longseth said it’s on track to be one of their biggest yet. “This is the largest turnout we’ve had for basebal... Full story
Ed Weaver and the Niwot girls golf team have checked off most of the items on their 2019 to-do list: Northern League champions (by 122 strokes), conference Player of the Year (Julia Solem), POY runner-up (Halie Ostrom), and conference Coach of the Year (Weaver). Now they can cross off the penultimate item: qualifying as a team for the upcoming Class 4A championships at Pelican Lakes. “I’m very proud of all the girls,” Weaver said after the Cougars took second overall at the Class 4A Regio...
You are enough. It’s the simple, powerful message that ABLE to Sail, a local non-profit, works diligently to impart into the belief systems of the teens who take part in their sailing camps. Today’s teenagers face more challenges than any have for generations—school shootings and social media, for example—often resulting in drug use, suicide and poor life experiences. ABLE (A Better Life Experience) to Sail was founded in 2012 by Diane McKinney with the sole aim to help each teen realize the “se... Full story
It’s no secret that college is expensive, but these days even planning for a post-secondary education can be pricey, between exam fees, application fees, and college visits. Unfortunately, these costs can sometimes keep an otherwise deserving student from taking advantage of every opportunity. In 2018, the Niwot High School Education Foundation (NHSEF) partnered with the school’s counseling department to found the Adopt-A-Cougar program, which helps Niwot families with these costs. “What peopl...
Beginning in the fall of 2020, Colorado high school students will have more options for athletics, after the Colorado High School Activities Association sanctioned three new sports for the first time since 1998. At their annual meeting on April 24, CHSAA’s Legislative Council voted to approve boys volleyball, girls wrestling, and unified bowling, the first new sports since boys and girls lacrosse and girls field hockey were added 20 years ago. Niwot athletic director Chase McBride, who is a...
Terri Ward Longtime Niwot girls basketball coach Terri Ward was formally inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Denver on April 23. Ward was selected for induction into the Hall’s 2018 class back in January, due to her decades-long advocacy on behalf of girls and women in high school athletics and involvement with Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports and Sportswomen of Colorado. She also has a coaching career spanning nearly 30-years, and r... Full story
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...
Niwot senior Nolan Johan was named Most Valuable Athlete for his outstanding individual performance at the 2019 Boulder County Track & Field Championships last weekend, but it was the first-ever BoCo team win for the Cougars that the hurdler was most eager to talk about in the aftermath. “I knew I had a really good day, so in the back of my head I knew maybe it was a possibility, but it wasn’t really my main focus,” he said of the MVA award, the first for a Niwot boy since 2013. “I was just re...
For lovers of the standard pop and jazz classics, the Longmont Chorale and Longmont Concert Band are joining forces to provide an afternoon filled with compositions by such artists as Irving Berlin, the Gershwin brothers, and the Beatles. The May 5 concert will feature many favorite jazz standards, big band pieces and well-known pop tunes in recent and refreshing arrangements. Gary Lloyd, Director of the Longmont Concert Band, and Scott Hamlin, Longmont Chorale Artistic Director, are enthusiasti... Full story
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...
Double-digit population growth and competing budget priorities have combined to put financial pressure on the Boulder Public Library, and now the Library Commission wants area voters to consider whether to fund a separate district that could potentially bring new services to Gunbarrel or Niwot. On April 12, Joni Teter, former chair of the Library Commission, and City of Boulder’s Library and Arts Director David Farnan held an informational meeting with representatives from the Niwot Community As...
Snow and cold seemed a distant memory as hundreds of school aged children gathered at Niwot High on Saturday, April 20 for the 40th annual Niwot Easter Egg Hunt, hosted by Pat Murphy. On hand for the celebration were entertainers Sami the Clown and Eddie Spaghetti, and the Mountain View Fire Protection District stopped by with their truck. The Easter Bunny also brought along a few of his furry farmyard friends as part of a petting zoo....
Coffee, booze, and marijuana - all legal substances that make you feel a little body-mind “something something.” Now you can add Kava to that list. Imported from such exotic South Pacific Islands as Fiji, Vanuatu, and Solomon, Kava has become Boulder-bound going straight to The Root Kava Co., the first bar of its kind in the county. Opened in October 2018, The Root is owned by four partners; Winn Kirkpatrick, John Callahan, Pat Irvine and, the newest partner, Keller Heurich, hailing from Niwot....
The Niwot track and field team turned in an historic performance at the Boulder County Championships (BoCo) meet last weekend, and now head coach Maurice Henriques can cross a few more items off of the Cougars’ 2019 to-do list. “Our goal was to win this meet on both sides,” Henriques said at the 43rd annual event, held on April 20 at Everly-Montgomery Field. “And, it’s the first time in school’s history that’s happened and the first time for the boys to have a win at the Boulder County Champi...
When local realtor Pat Murphy started hosting the annual Niwot Easter Egg Hunt, she wanted to give something back to the community that had supported her growing business in its formative years. Now, after four decades of watching both Niwot and the event flourish, she also feels grateful for the opportunity to create cherished memories for multiple generations of area families. “I am blessed that I’ve be able to work in this town all this time, and as a thank you for everybody’s business and t... Full story
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Niwot High The Centennial State Ballet (CSB) will be presenting A Midsummer Night’s Dream as its final performance in the season on April 27 and 28 at Niwot High School auditorium. The ballet, originally choreographed by George Balanchine to Felix Mendelssohn's music, originates from Shakespeare's play of the same name, wherein the audience follows the complex love story in the world of elves and fairies culminating in a wedding celebration. Featuring the impish Puc...
South Korea native Jongwon “Jon” Lee came to the United States with his family five years ago, determined to soak up as much of the American experience as possible. Now a highly accomplished student and athlete at Niwot High, Lee’s schedule is almost always packed to the brim, and the busy senior wouldn’t have it any other way. “I want to try as many things as possible, which kind of put me in a situation where I’m having a hard time dealing with all the schedules I have,” he admitted. “Bu...
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... Full story
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... Full story
When he was just 24 years old, Justin Hirshfield was likely the youngest head chef in Boulder at his gig with Laudisio’s Ristorante. Hirshfield is familiar to those in Niwot because of his 12 years working at the Niwot Market where he could be spotted most days. But, about a year and a half ago he joined the team at 1914 House as their head chef, so now it’s the evening crowd that’s most likely to see him. You may never have crossed paths with Hirshfield when he didn’t have a hat on his head or...
Boys volleyball is one of the fastest growing high school sports in America, and this spring it could be among the first new team sports to be sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) since 1999. On April 24, members of CHSAA’s Legislative Council will vote on whether to add boys volleyball, girls wrestling, and unified bowling to the list of “official” Colorado high school sports, which has been static since field hockey was sanctioned 20 years ago. So far, boys vol... Full story
Nothing energizes a project team like a last-minute and potentially catastrophic failure. So when a routine maneuver to reset their robot's climber somehow went wrong during the final round of the FIRST Robotics Colorado Regional, both students and mentors from Longmont's Up-A-Creek Robotics crew flew into action. "It was super-stressful," Niwot senior and team software lead Nevin Gilbert said of the rush to repair a snapped release lever before the decisive match. "We really thought we had it i... Full story
Donating money is wonderful, but engaging with a cause by giving your time and energy is likely to have an even greater impact – to that cause, and to you. It’s completely guaranteed that by volunteering you’ll be making the world a better place, and besides the obvious gratification of bringing about positive change for others, you’ll reap the benefits of connecting with others, which is proven to ward off depression and lower your blood pressure, and will generally make life more satisfying. Y... Full story
After nearly two weeks of bad weather and snowy course conditions, the Niwot girls golf team finally made its 2019 debut on March 20 in Northern League Event #1 at the Olde Course. If the lengthy delay had any effect on Niwot golfers, it wasn’t evident in their play or their scores. In fact, it may even have been an advantage, as three Cougars set brand new career-best marks on the day, as Niwot cruised to the team title by 36 strokes. One of those new PRs was for junior Julia Solem, who c... Full story
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... Full story
The Longmont Community Foundation (LCF) will be celebrating 25 years of supporting charitable giving at its annual dinner on April 4. Since 1994, the foundation has overseen the distribution of $11 million to non-profits. This year alone the organization will allocate more than $1 million to the arts, education, animals, human services, health and environmental causes. There are only 1,900 community foundations world-wide, each honing in on a particular geographic area. LCF was originally under... Full story
To call a snow day or to not call a snow day? That is the question that plagues St. Vrain Valley School District Superintendent Don Haddad anytime it snows in the district, and the answer to that question does not come easy for him. “If we cancel school, there will be many parents and students saying “Why are you canceling school? It’s easy to get there,’ and if you don’t cancel school you get many people saying ‘Why don’t you cancel school?’” Superintendent Haddad never makes the decision light... Full story
March can be a tense time of the year for ambitious high school students waiting on college acceptance letters, but so far that hasn’t been the case for Niwot’s Aidan Peairs. The Rotary Student of the Month has already been accepted to two of the top schools for his intended major, so he isn’t exactly hurting for attractive options. “I applied early to Harvard and got deferred, and I’m waiting for Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Tufts, NYU, Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt,” he said. “My number one is... Full story
DNA testing companies like 23&Me can tell you about your genetic origins, but they can’t tell you much about the fateful encounters, harrowing escapes and happily-ever-afters that helped those genes make their way to you. For those curious about the human drama in their family’s story, researching and preserving genealogical information doesn’t have to be a major undertaking, according to local historian and Gunbarrel resident Dina Carson. Carson is hosting the workshop Publishing Your Herit...
Free entertainment for the community Niwot High School has a beautiful auditorium; the acoustics are fantastic, the seats are cushioned, and it’s a fabulous setting to enjoy a performance. On Tuesday, March 19, NHS is extending an invitation to the entire community to experience Spectacle 2019 – a no cost concert featuring four bands chock full of energy and skill. Joining NHS’s two bands, the Niwot All-Stars, an advanced student jazz band, and the Lefthand Jazz Ensemble, will be professional lo... Full story
The Niwot track and field team lost a number of its top performers to graduation after last season, but Maurice Henriques isn’t fazed. In fact, the ninth-year head coach thinks the 2019 Cougars are poised for even more success, thanks in part to many of those departed stars. “I actually think we’re a better team this year than we were last year, as a complete team,” he said. “All of those girls are a year older, and the leadership that Mary [Gillett] and Mackenzie [Fidelak] passed down has been... Full story
Niwot High School sophomore Fiona Nugent’s six months of treatment for cancer are behind her and in front of her now is the anticipation of the upcoming track and field season, continuing to play her cello and creating art. Then, there’s her first trip out of the country thanks to Make-A-Wish Colorado. Wish Night, the organization’s annual fundraising event, was held on Feb. 22 with hundreds of donors in attendance at the festivities. That evening, Nugent’s gift of a week in Paris was publica... Full story
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... Full story
Niwot will soon be home to the eighth Pinocchio’s Incredible Italian Restaurant establishment. Founder and owner Annie Vick confirmed the good news – a lease was signed on Feb. 28 for the new eatery to occupy what was formerly Treppeda’s Ristorante at 300 2nd Ave. The 2300-square-foot space in Niwot will be remodeled to match the décor of existing Pinocchio’s locations. The kitchen will be totally revamped, carpeting installed throughout, and there will be a new bar. Tables will be set with che... Full story
At age 46, Kim Needham Watkins had been dealt an extremely frightening hand. The Watkins’ family jumped into action last year when Kim was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. This very aggressive form of cancer statistically has a 40 to 50 percent chance of recurrence in a different organ system within the next five years. But there’s wonderful news to report – after five months of chemotherapy treatments and surgery on Jan. 28 to remove 16 lymph nodes, results showed her response to t...
Senior AJ Metlay wins Maggie Long Award It’s been a highly successful season for the Niwot forensics team and now they have some state hardware to show for it. At the CHSAA Speech & Debate State Festival held last month at Heritage High in Littleton, Cougars brought home six medals, including first place in Creative Storytelling and a co-championship in Public Forum Debate. “This is the best we’ve even done at the state tournament,” co-captain AJ Metlay said of the team’s performance. ”We’ve ha...
For fear that they would be taken away by the Nazi forces that had invaded the Netherlands, the Frank family went into hiding in 1942 in cramped rooms concealed behind bookcases.The Jewish family lived a life of isolation for two years before they were discovered and arrested. Over that time, teenage Anne Frank passed the time by documenting her thoughts and the happenings in the secret annex in a diary recovered after the war. This poignant and important story is the subject of Niwot High Schoo...
Niwot sophomore Misha Barrett loves two things: playing basketball and “making the fans happy.” As shooting guard for the Silver Creek unified basketball team, Barrett gets a chance to do both. “I love going out there and showing people what I’ve got,” Barrett said, his enthusiasm for the sport evident. Barrett is one of a handful of Niwot special needs students who play for the Raptors unified team, which competes weekly throughout the district. In their final game of the season on Feb. 27,... Full story
Niwot senior Natasha Ragland recently completed a course in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) training at nearby Front Range Community College, and while it didn’t change her future plans to become a doctor, she said it was life-changing experience nevertheless. “I took a lot away from the class. It was a lot of work and sometimes the work was very challenging, especially knowing what the emergency medical services deal with. And, it kind of gave me a new perspective on life.” Ragland first...
Larry Dorsey will present this year’s first Now and Then lecture hosted by the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) at the Left Hand Grange Hall, 195 2nd Ave.at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 27. Chronicling a dramatic event that was emblematic of difficulties plaguing the nation in 1911, Dorsey’s presentation is titled, “Shoot Out at the Superior Depot, An episode in Colorado Labor Wars.” Dorsey, a retired Boulder Valley School District high school history teacher, chairman of the Superior Histori...
On Feb. 11, Niwot High principal Eric Rauschkolb announced that the school has selected Loveland High’s Kevin Clark to replace outgoing assistant principal and athletic director Chase McBride, who is leaving for a position with the St. Vrain Valley School District at the end of the school year. “After an extensive search, we are pleased to inform you that a recommendation will be made to the Board of Education that Mr. Kevin Clark be hired as the new Assistant Principal and Athletic Dir...
Niwot will once again be represented at the Class 4A state wrestling championships, thanks to surprising performances by juniors Daniel Torres and Jovani Lopez at the Region 4 qualifying tournament, held Feb. 15-16 at Mead High School. “In this sport, it’s never over until it’s over,” Niwot head coach Bobby Matthews said after Torres won the tournament’s final match with just seconds left to claim a state qualifying berth in the 195 pound bracket. “These guys came from never really being in th... Full story
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...
The Niwot girls swim team just wrapped up its most successful season in years, and senior Hanna Luo is a big part of the reason why. In the Northern Conference championships on Feb. 2, she set personal records in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly and helped deliver an overwhelming Cougars victory. A week later, the versatile Luo’s impressive performance was a key factor in her team’s second place finish at the Class 4A State Swimming Championships, an experience she called “a super...
Friends, family members and former players gathered during halftime of the boys basketball game against Silver Creek on Feb. 7 to recognize longtime girls coach Terri Ward for her milestone 300th win and upcoming induction into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of their presence and making sure that that impact lasts in their absence,” Assistant CHSAA Commissioner Bert Borgmann said during a formal ann... Full story
