All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 201 - 250 of 1941
The Niwot High School girls basketball team had to reevaluate expectations. A few injuries and departures from last year's starting lineup forced the Cougars to rebuild the team from the ground up. With seven games under their belt and new lineups being tested, hiccups are to be expected and struggling is an opportunity to learn. In the first conference competition on Dec. 9, the Cougars fought hard to stay in the game but ultimately lost to Silver Creek High School, 46-35. Rose Pacheco stole...
The Niwot High School boys basketball team has strung together two tough weeks as their season continues to slide. Niwot fell roughly to both Severance High School and Riverdale Ridge High School. The Cougars started the week with a loss to the Riverdale Ridge Ravens, 66-48, to fall to 3-3 on the year before losing to the Severance Silver Knights, 59-36, dropping to 3-4 on the year. Niwot started slow against Riverdale Ridge, only scoring 12 points in the first half. The Ravens ran up the...
Even when not at full strength, the Niwot High School girls swim team is a formidable opponent. On Dec. 13, the NHS girls swimming team hosted the Roosevelt High School Roughriders at the St. Vrain Aquatic Center next to Silver Creek High School, and came away with a 197-88 victory. Coach Ella Thramann said, “This meet, we had very few of our girls there, but the ones that stood out the most were Charlotte Heuer, who made state [qualifying times] in 50 free (26.44) [and] 500 free (5:46.29), our A relay for 200 free relay, [which] was 2 s...
Bert Steele was a beloved member of the Niwot community for over twenty years as the face of the Niwot Market in the Cottonwood Square shopping center. Steele, who died last summer after a short illness, was known for his friendly down-home demeanor, and made friends wherever he went. Steele and his family turned the Niwot Market into a successful business that also hosts several other small businesses within its doors. Steele was also involved in most of Niwot's many community events,...
Her name is simply Sunshine – and she totally exudes it. Sunshine provides manicures, pedicures and facials at Classic Looks in Niwot and is this week's Familiar Face. The owner of Classic Looks, Sheri Sutton, met and hired Sunshine in 2005, when Sunshine first moved to Colorado, and they have been together ever since. "Classic Looks is like my second family," Sunshine explained one recent day, sitting in the salon in Cottonwood Square. "I just love, love this place," she added with a smile. "...
Niwot High School’s Second Annual Art Showcase was a big success Dec. 4-6. The show was hosted by the Niwot High School Booster Music Performance and Art which is affiliated with the Niwot High School Boosters, Inc., and sponsored by the Boulder School of Fine Art. The show displayed art from both students at Niwot High School as well as from younger art students at Burlington Elementary School and Sunset Middle School. The show was started a year ago to help display the achievements of local arts students which often has been overlooked due to...
The annual Longmont Lights Parade was held on Saturday, Dec. 9, on Main Street in Longmont. Niwot High School and Silver Creek High School have both been participating in this parade for many years but in 2014, the two schools started to team up as a super-band for this particular parade. The increase in cross-school band cohesion among St. Vrain Valley schools has been remarkable. "Since we are a combined band and don't wear our typical marching uniforms," said Wade Hendricks, Director of...
The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee approved two funding proposals from the Niwot Business Association (NBA) at its Dec. 5 meeting. Chuck Klueber presented a request for funding to clean up the area along Niwot Road where Eddie Running Wolf's iconic tree carvings have been removed for restoration. The application requested $862 toward the total cost of $1,062, based on a bid from Niwot arborist company We Love Trees. The NBA and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association each...
Niwot High School junior Kennah Brackett has been selected to participate in the Colorado All State Jazz Choir (ASJC), which is open to students in the 11th and 12th grades. Brackett is the first NHS student to be chosen for this honor. According to Laura Walters, Choral Music Director at NHS, Brackett worked hard to prepare herself for the initial audition. "She had to prepare two solos as well as several scales," Walters said, "all performed in a swung/jazz style. For one of the solos, she...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the Best Buddies club. In the words of Claire Jensen, vice-president of Best Buddies, "Best Buddies is a global organization that is devoted to promoting the friendships between students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and students without. We promote activism, acceptance, and education all while having lots of fun. Our club specifically focuses on one-to-one friendships between students outside...
As one of only two seniors on this year's Niwot High School boys basketball team, Jackson Carano prides himself on being a leader. The third-year varsity forward has his own personal goals, but nothing compares to the value he puts on overall unity. "The biggest thing I've taken away is the importance of team building," Carano said. "As a team captain this year, that's one of the biggest things that I've wanted to focus on. I think we're doing it pretty well. It's building each other up as a...
The Niwot girls basketball team had a tough week, but if the team's last three quarters are any indication, things are looking up for the 2-3 Cougars. On Dec. 5, Niwot traveled to Roosevelt High School to take on the Roughriders, but came out on the short end of a 71-17 score. The Cougars had trouble generating any offense as sophomore Ella Zechman led the team in scoring with five points. Junior Evelyn Melis added four points and no other player had more than two points. Rose Pacheco, the...
In the world of high school sports, triumphs and setbacks are an inevitable part of the journey. The Niwot High School wrestling team faced challenges in the first three duals of the season, resulting in a 0-2 record to start the year. Breaking into the regular season, the Cougars dropped their dual against Timnath High School on Dec. 6 in a 48-30 loss. Despite the team's defeat, several athletes performed well. Sergio Rodriguez at 132 pounds pinned his opponent at 4:57, adding 6 points to...
Several young talents on the Niwot High School girls swim team are finding success early this season despite their inexperience. In the Cougars' 207-106 dual meet victory over Erie High School on Wednesday, Dec. 6, four underclassmen managed a first-place finish. Sophomore Emmy Hostelley won the 100-yard freestyle (1 minute, 4.65 seconds), freshman Camilla Wier-Bigelow's endurance proved best in the 500 freestyle (6:10.24), sophomore Lila Repsher led the 100 backstroke (1:11.11), and sophomore...
The Niwot High School boys basketball team started hot with a 3-0 start to the season before a tough second week. The Cougars took on Roosevelt High School and Silver Creek High School, falling in both games. Niwot started the week on Tuesday against the Roosevelt Roughriders, playing their first away game of the year. The Roughriders gave Niwot its first loss of the year, outscoring the Cougars 48-40. Walker Bounds, NHS boys basketball coach said, “I was encouraged by the team sticking together after a tough loss. They are a tight-knit g...
As expected, Colorado's girls dominated the 2023 Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) Saturday, Dec. 2, in Portland, Oregon, but no one was more dominant than Niwot's Addison Ritzenhein who now adds the title of National Champion to her growing list of credentials. Ritzenhein, just a sophomore, came into the 18th Nike national race expected to be one of the top five or six finishers in the race, but splashed through the mud and deep standing water on Portland's Glendoveer Golf Course to outpace in-state...
This year's Holiday Market at the Left Hand Grange had a record 1,003 people attending, marking a huge jump from the previous record of 635 people in one day, according to Deborah Fowler, one of the event organizers. This year, the Niwot Nickel, a specially made wooden coin worth $5 off one item in December at participating merchants, highlighted the event. Those visiting the Grange also received a tote bag with the Niwot Business Association logo on it. The Festive Food Hall at the Grange...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 different student-run clubs, one of which is the impressive Model United Nations Club. According to the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), "Model UN is a simulation of the UN General Assembly and its other multilateral bodies where students perform an ambassador role while debating topics such as gender equality, climate action, global health, and more." The Niwot High Model United Nation members, under the supervision of...
When jazz musicians have played together for over 50 years, good things happen. Niwot's Keith Waters, a professor of music at the University of Colorado, got together with childhood friend Scott Sawyer to create a new jazz compact disc, titled "Night Songs." The 10-track CD is scheduled to be officially released on Dec. 16 at Sharp Nine Gallery in Durham, NC, but the disc is already available at Inkberry Books in NIwot, which Waters co-owns with Gene Hawworth, as well as online at Amazon and...
Although jazz guitarist Alex Fick has a busy schedule, with classes and performances in Marching Band, Advanced Jazz Band, Tenor/Bass Choir, and Drama, he still finds time to pursue a wide variety of other interests that engage his attention to detail and his passion to create. At the moment, he is inventing a card game. In addition, he is a volunteer gargoyle for Niwot's Rock & Rails summer concert series, and he recently made his own guitar. Over the summer. Fick built the guitar from...
The 2023-24 winter sports seasons are officially underway, and the Niwot girls basketball team came out of the gate with a winning record. In their opening matchup, the Niwot girls demonstrated exceptional teamwork and skill, securing a victory over Regis Groff High School, 37-35, that set a positive tone for the opening weekend round-robin tournament, hosted by Niwot Nov. 30 through Dec. 2. A strong junior class showcased their talents, but it was the cohesive unit of the Niwot squad that shined throughout the showing. Junior Rose Pacheco led...
With a largely inexperienced roster, Niwot girls swim head coach Ella Thramann is taking things slowly early this season. Originally set to compete in an invite on Dec. 2, Thramann instead scheduled a dual meet against Skyline for Dec. 2, hoping to give her Cougars a lower-stress learning opportunity. "A lot of our girls don't understand a meet, and we have a lot of girls this year who don't know really anything about swimming," Thramann said. "We decided to do a low-key dual where the girls cou...
The Niwot High School boys basketball team under first-year head coach Walker Bounds is off to a fast start, posting wins in the season-opening round robin tournament hosted by the Cougars Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Niwot lost seven varsity players to graduation last year, when the team finished with a 5-17 record under Coach Clay Wittrock, who stepped down after four years as head coach. Niwot is also without Jack Jarvis and Drew Stapp, both among the statistical leaders for the Cougars last season as...
After losing several of last year's standouts to graduation, the Niwot High School girls swim team is leaning on a new, younger core early this season. At the heart of Niwot's youth movement is Emmy Hostelley, a sophomore who quickly caught the attention of head coach Ella Thramann last winter. Thramann shared that the versatile Hostelley swims year-round and continues to make strides. "She definitely came back this season and has impressed me the most so far," Niwot's second-year head coach...
The Niwot High School wrestling lineup enjoyed early-season success on Nov. 29 during matches with Wheat Ridge High School. The Cougars ended up walking away with a 60-18 victory. With seven forfeits on the board in Niwot’s favor, the six remaining matches left room for the Cougars to show strategy and control. The team collected pins at the 132, 165, and 190 weight classes, contributing 18 points to the overall sum. Wheat Ridge found their own success with pins in the 120, 126, and 138-pound weight classes. Over the weekend, the Cougars p...
The Nov. 15 issue of the Courier stated that any excess donations above the cost of Bert’s Bench in front of Niwot Market “will be donated to Bert's Memorial Wrestling Scholarship at Niwot High School.” The GoFundMe page for the Robert M. Steele Memorial Scholarship Fund does not limit the scholarships to Niwot High School, stating, “All donations collected will go to a college or trade school-bound High School wrestler who demonstrates humility, acts of kindness and commitment to hard work, as Bert did, in the Fort Collins and/or Niwot,...
Temperatures in the low 20s and light snow did not keep the crowds away from Niwot's Enchanted Evening Nov. 24, nor the Holiday Parade the next morning on Nov. 25. ENCHANTED EVENING The annual tree-lighting ceremony in Niwot began with an abbreviated concert by what one band member referred to as the Niwot Community "Semi-Freezing" Free Grange Band. Niwot Inn & Spa proprietor Cornelia Sawle opened up her conference room to allow band members to "warm-up," a term that took on a dual meaning on...
Winter is a time for cheer, time with loved ones, good food, and of course, festive music. The Niwot High School orchestras, choirs, and bands will be hosting their annual winter concerts from Dec. 4 through Dec. 7. Kicking off the performance schedule on Monday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 p.m. is the “Winter Jazz in the Rockies” concert featuring the two jazz band ensembles at Niwot High School. The ensembles will perform several pieces including Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five,” Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” Lena Horne’s famous “Stormy Weather,” and more....
At the November team banquet for the Niwot High School girls softball team, head coach Bobby Matthews reiterated what he had said earlier in the year: softball can be a rough sport, and the best players don't always come out on top. He was clearly proud of this year's team that went as far as any Niwot team has gone since 2014, posting an overall record of 18 wins, 8 losses and one tie. The softball team placed third in the Longs Peak League and was ranked 32nd in the state. However, their play...
With the help of her teammates, Sami Sessa quickly developed confidence in her first season as a starting libero for the Niwot High School girls volleyball team. "I definitely was nervous coming into the season because I was like, 'Now I'm a starter for the first time. I don't want to let the team down and let the program down since we've had such an amazing program the last couple of years,'" the senior said. "But I started to believe in myself. I really think that pushed me forward and I...
The top two high school cross country teams from each of the nine Nike regional qualifying meets in November secured automatic berths into this weekend's Nike Cross Nationals (NXN). That left just four at-large invitations available for high school boys teams from across the United States to compete in the national championships on Saturday, Dec. 2, in Portland, Oregon. When the Niwot boys cross country team finished fourth in its Southwest Regional meet on Nov. 18 in Arizona, it looked like a...
The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop, primarily a children's bookstore, will be closing its doors on Dec. 9, two-and-a-half years after it opened in the former "Niwot Tribune" building on Second Avenue in Niwot. The bookshop, affectionately dubbed TWJ, has been a warm, welcoming place for community members and authors alike. It showcased local authors and diverse perspectives, and catered to young readers and those young at heart. The owners cited a failure to meet financial goals as leading to the...
NIWOT GIRLS WIN REGIONALS, GOING TO NATIONALS When the top teams in the country gather in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 2, for the Nike Cross Country National Championships, all eyes will be on the two girls teams representing the Southwest Region – Niwot High School and Air Academy High School. Colorado's 4A State Champion Cougars and 5A champion Kadets squared off Saturday, Nov. 18, for the first time this season at the four-state Nike regional qualifying meet at the Coyote Run Golf C...
Every day was "leg day" this fall for Niwot High School senior Paris Lee. After balancing both soccer and kicking/punting duties on the varsity football team over the past few months, Lee said he could barely walk when it was all over. "I was very sore," Lee said. "After my first three days of not having both (sports), I wasn't able to walk up the stairs." Although NHS certainly doesn't lack multi-sport athletes, very few manage to play two sports during the same season. Lee's weekday afternoons...
As the whistle blows and the 2023 season comes to a close, the Niwot High School volleyball team reflected on a successful and memorable season. The Cougars finished their season with an impressive 8-1 record in the Longs Peak League, and an overall record of 17-10, with 11 of those victories coming as sweeps. With a remarkable record, hardships the team faced were well hidden and attested to the quick adjustment the team was able to make to ensure a successful performance from the beginning of...
Elise Marylander, who has served as Assistant Editor of the Left Hand Valley Courier since July 2022, has dropped "Assistant" from her title, and is now the Editor of the Courier. Bruce Warren, who had served in dual roles of Managing Editor and Editor of the Courier since April 2022 when former editor Jocelyn Rowley left to take a full-time position with a Loveland newspaper, will continue to serve as Managing Editor of the Courier. Marylander's duties as Editor include determining content for...
The Niwot community was shocked and saddened by the death of Niwot Market owner Bert Steele following a short illness last summer. A wrestling scholarship at Niwot High School was established in his memory at the request of his family, but many in the community looked for an opportunity to create a permanent visual memorial to beloved businessman and philanthropist, who for over 20 years, quietly got to know his customers and supported every event and project in Niwot, with little to no...
Niwot High School student Rae Sweeney has been an outstanding leader of the Niwot High School Color Guard for the last two seasons. The Color Guard performs with the marching band at football halftime shows, in parades, and at competitions, using a combination of flags, sabers, mock rifles, and other equipment, as well as dance and other interpretive movements. Its main purpose is to interpret the music that is being played by the band through dance and synchronized movements. Sweeney remembers...
Niwot High School's art show, hosted by the NHS Booster Music Performance and Art under the umbrella of the parent-run Niwot High School Boosters, Inc., is returning for its sophomore year Dec. 4-6 from 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. each evening. The art show is sponsored, in part, by the Boulder School of Fine Art. "Niwot High School is not only academically and athletically driven, but artistically driven," said Lydia Moy, Chairman for NIwot High School Booster Music Performance and Art, who helped to organ...
The Niwot High School cheerleading squad is headed to the state competition, tentatively set to begin Friday, Dec. 8, at the Denver Coliseum. Coach Christina Ayers's squad just finished the high school football season, and has already begun appearing in local and regional competitions. Squad members include Ashley Lavato, Audrey Perez, Ayushi Bhandari, Azariah Lucero, Cassidy Skole, Clara Rhea, Elizabeth Sullivan, Fernanda Laguna-Perez, Isaac Lopez, Juliette Cook, Juliette Sales, Kyla Helme, Lib...
All around the country, we honor and thank United States Veterans for their military service on November 11. This originated after World War I to commemorate the armistice reached during the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Every year in honor of Veterans Day, the Niwot High School "Pride of Niwot" Marching Band marches in full uniform down Main Street in downtown Longmont playing, and singing the lyrics, to "The Army Song" (also known as "The Caissons Go Rolling...
Mia Prok has enjoyed quite an impressive past few weeks. First, the senior helped Niwot High School win its sixth straight Class 4A girls cross country state title on Oct. 28. Then, only 11 days later, she signed her national letter of intent to continue her running career at Wake Forest University. After committing to the Division I Demon Deacons in March of last year, Prok was thrilled to finally make things official. "It was cool to actually sign the papers and see it in writing," she said. R...
The Niwot High School volleyball team season finally came to an end, but not until the Cougars were eliminated at the state Class 4A tournament Nov. 10. The Cougars got to state by knocking off cross-town rival Longmont High School, a higher seed, on the Trojans’ home floor Nov. 4. At state, Niwot was seeded 11th out of the 12 teams that qualified, and found themselves paired up with No. 6 seed Palisade High School in the first round on Thursday, Nov. 9. Niwot started strong, winning a hard-fought first set 25-23. Palisade regrouped to win t...
Wednesday, Nov. 8, was a busy day at Niwot High School as ten student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic careers at the next level. The athletes represent a cross-section of fall sports at Niwot, including soccer (2), volleyball (2), cross country & track (2), softball (1) and golf (1). In addition, two athletes signed to play lacrosse in college, a sport not offered at Niwot High. Ashton Karch, who played football at Niwot, will play lacrosse at Westminster...
BASEBALL Niwot was represented at the World Series by Patrick Perry, a 2001 NHS grad, who is an area scout for the Texas Rangers. Perry was able to meet up with Matt Mercurio, a former teammate from Perry's days in the Boston Red Sox organization at the World Series. Mercurio, who played first and third base for the Lowell Spinners in 2005, is now a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Perry, was a catcher for Lowell in 2005 after being drafted out of the University of Northern Colorado. Skyler...
Lulu LaFortune, a Niwot High School graduate, is conquering the world of design by making a name for herself as a furniture, textile, and interior designer in Los Angeles with her company "Lulu LaFortune Limited" brand. LaFortune graduated from Niwot High School in 2014, and went to the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Furniture Design and Manufacturing, as well as minors in Textile Design and Interior Design. Though she initially...
When Niwot High School music students traveled to Europe for two weeks last summer, visiting Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, one of the highlights of the trip for violinist Ian Springsteen was the visit to the Sibelius Academy and the Jean Sibelius house in Finland. Sibelius, who is widely known for his symphonies and tone poems, especially "Finlandia," now ranks among Springsteen's favorite composers. It was an inspirational trip. Springsteen remembers that their group performed in...
"Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic" is Niwot High School's fall theater production. This show is entertaining, comedic, and witty. It is also rated PG-13 because it includes adult language and situations at times. Amanda Foust, Niwot High's theater director and teacher, has put an immense amount of thought and effort into this show. The production has two full casts, both of which are full of talent. The characters in this show each have very...
Thursday Nov. 2 was the final football game for the Niwot Cougars' 2023 season. However, it wasn't just the final game for seniors on the football team; senior members of the cheerleading squad and marching band also had their last experience as students performing on Everly-Montgomery Field that night. Throughout the season, and for many, the past four years, students have dedicated hours of practice outside of school and performing at various sporting events and exhibitions. "I calculated the...
