All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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How do you capture the careers of two teachers whose combined experience totals over 50 years of teaching at Sunset Middle School? It’s a challenge to do in just a few paragraphs. This May, longtime Sunset Middle School teachers Laura Lewis (drama) and Myron Whisman (band) will be saying good-bye to students, parents and colleagues as they transition into retirement. Laura Lewis went into teaching because her father was a junior high school teacher, and she saw firsthand the importance of w...
Starting defensive back Lauren Cranny may be accustomed to keeping the ball away from the net, but she had no trouble overcoming that inclination against cross-town rival Longmont on April 18. Making her first high school start at midfield, the speedy sophomore scored her second and third career goals to lead Niwot to a 4-0 victory, the Cougars’ first multiple-goal game since April 5. “Lauren Cranny is just an all-around great player and athlete,” Niwot head coach Stephen Dimit said follo...
In the seven matches since their narrow 4-3 loss to defending Class 4A champion Cheyenne Mountain on March 17, the Niwot girls tennis team has been nearly untouchable. Led by a stacked singles lineup, the Cougars posted wins in 48 of 49 individual matches for six consecutive shutouts. Heading into the final week of the regular season, head coach Aimee Keronen said her team is ready for another deep run in the postseason. “They’re gelling more and more,” Keronen said at her team’s road match a...
For recognition of her “truly extraordinary understanding of service, leadership, and duty,” the National WWII Museum has selected Niwot senior Mary Stischer as the Colorado recipient of the Billy Michal Student Leadership Award for 2018. Stischer will be recognized at the Museum’s American Spirit Awards Gala, which will be held June 7-8 in New Orleans. Stischer was nominated for the award by Niwot social studies teacher Beth Lozen, who noted the senior’s penchant for “enriching the lives of...
Alzheimer’s support group An Alzheimer’s support group will meet on the first Wednesday of every month. This class is free and open to the public, no registration required. The events are from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Niwot United Methodist Church, 7405 Lookout Road, Gunbarrel. Community Book Discussion The "Beyond Bestsellers" book discussion group meets at 7 p.m. at Inkberry Books in Niwot at Cottonwood Square Shopping Center, on the last week of each month (days to be determined monthly). Members propose books for discussion and the group sel... Full story
David Bote drove the second pitch he saw to the wall in right-center for the Chicago Cubs Saturday night at Coors Field, marking his major league debut with a double. Bote is the son of long-time Niwot High School baseball coach Bob Bote, and the younger Bote pointed with both arms to his parents and the 32 family members and friends seated on the third-base side of Coors Field. The moment was not lost on the Colorado Rockies’ television crew, who interviewed Bob and Therese Bote during a b...
Niwot’s Michelle Law has dedicated herself to the boys in her life and the community, earning her the Courier’s Left Hand Laurel. Law is the mother of three boys and also a long-time leader of Boy Scout Troop 161, holding different positions over the years, including serving as the troop’s Advancement Chair for the past two years. A resident of Niwot since 2000, she was a member of the Left Hand Grange when she learned the Grange, as the chartering organization for Troop 161’s Boy Scouts...
ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP An Alzheimer’s support group will meet on the first Wednesday of every month. This class is free and open to the public, no registration required. The events are from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Niwot United Methodist Church, 7405 Lookout Road, Gunbarrel. COMMUNITY DINNER The community is invited to attend the 22nd annual Soup, Soup and More dinner on April 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Niwot United Methodist Church, 7405 Lookout Road. Proceeds to benefit OUR Center of Longmont and to help send the choir to sing at Car...
Track and field coaches, student-athletes, parents, and other spectators from across Boulder paid their respects to long-time Courier photographer Edward Navarro at the 42nd annual Lonnie Nixon Boulder County Championships, held April 14 at Centaurus High School.. Navarro, a fixture at area high school and college sporting events for more than a decade, passed away on Dec. 31 from complications of pulmonary fibrosis. Navarro family members, including wife Trudy, son Edward (Lucky) and daughter...
February 21, 1947 – April 7, 2018 Dennis Jerome Hurianek, 71, passed away on April 7, 2018 at his home in Niwot. Dennis was born February 21, 1947 in Denver, CO to Jerome W. and Lois E. (Cushatt) Hurianek. Dennis grew up around the world with his family wherever his father was stationed as a US Army medic. He graduated from Kaiserslautern American High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. As a young man, he was a Boy Scout, achieving the Order of the Arrow, and a camp counselor. Dennis earned a B...
Winds gusting up to 65 m.p.h. knocked down power lines and snapped tree limbs as a quick moving front descended on the front range Tuesday afternoon. Power outages and street closures caused busing disruptions for students in the St. Vrain Valley School district, and many area athletic events were rescheduled. The girls soccer match between Niwot and Longmont will be played tomorrow at Niwot at 4 p.m., as will the baseball game against Skyline. Winds are expected to diminish overnight, and the...
The Centennial State Ballet will be presenting The Sleeping Beauty at Niwot High School on April 21 and 22. This marks the 20th season for the ballet, so it’s going to be a big one. For the first time in those 20 years, the production of The Sleeping Beauty will be the entire show. “We’ve done pieces of The Sleeping Beauty in the past, but the full production is a prologue plus three acts and two intermissions,” Lawrence said. “So the full piece is extensive, so we hadn’t taken it on previously....
Alzheimer’s support group An Alzheimer’s support group will meet on the first Wednesday of every month. This class is free and open to the public, no registration required. The events are from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Niwot United Methodist Church, 7405 Lookout Road, Gunbarrel. Book signing Hear a presentation from author Katy Butler about her experience with dealing with end-of-life care for her parents and have a discussion with The Conversation Project, an organization that helps ease the burden on individuals and their families at the end of l... Full story
Niwot senior Mya Ostrom battled gusty winds and chilly temps to finish a career-best fourth overall at the season’s second Northern League meet, held April 3, at Ute Creek Golf Course in Longmont. The suboptimal conditions proved challenging for the entire 30-player field, especially in the early going, as balls sailed out of bounds or into hazards with alarming frequency. Every golfer but one—reigning state champ Lauren Lehigh of Loveland—was at least 10 strokes over par for the day. Ostro...
Niwot sophomore Cruz Culpepper has finally hit his stride. After head-turning performances in two recent high profile track meets, the son of two former Olympians is generating buzz not just in local running circles, but nationally as well. On March 31, Culpepper took second in the 1600M at the Texas Relays, with a time of 4 minutes, 11.54 seconds, the fifth fastest high school time in this event so far this year. On April 7 in southern California, he took first in the boys mile race at the... Full story
Don Haddad, Superintendent of Saint Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD), is on the short list of candidates to be at the helm of Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada, the fifth largest school district in the country. Haddad was named as one of four finalists for the superintendent position from an initial pool of 77 applicants. Haddad, 56, has been an educator for 33 years and progressively moved up the ladder from being a teacher to entering the administration ranks, including a stint...
The Niwot boys track team is off to its best start in years, thanks in part to distance specialist Oskar Wells. At the season’s opening meet on March 10, Wells claimed his first-ever individual title with a victory in the 800M, finishing in 1:58.61, a new personal best. Since then, the soccer-player-turned-runner has won the 800M at two more local meets, the St. Vrain RE-1J meet on March 22 (1:58.69), and the Lyons Invitational (1:59.19) on March 31. He has also raced on several of the Niwot r... Full story
Niwot and Gunbarrel residents should be extra cautious about clearing out valuables and locking their vehicles along with making sure their garage doors are down, Boulder County Sheriff’s Department Commander Mike Wagner told Niwot Community Association board members at the board’s April 4 meeting. “We are seeing an uptick in vehicle thefts, along with crimes of opportunity,” Wagner said. “People are having their cars stolen, along with items from their unlocked vehicles or open garages.” Wagner said the sheriff’s department believes ther... Full story
St. Vrain Valley School District Superintendent Don Haddad opened the bond update and school safety town hall meeting held at Silver Creek High School (the fourth such meeting this month in the district) by emphasizing that for SVVSD, and for himself, student safety was an area of concern long before the recent shootings. Haddad pointed to the “summer of violence” that occurred in Denver in 1993 as the initial cause for the heightened worry over school safety. At that time he was working at a h...
TRACK & FIELD Valarie Allman (Silver Creek) is back for her senior year at Stanford after redshirting last season. Allman was far from idle, earning a silver medal at the World University Games in Taiwan, and setting the 12th-best discus mark in U.S. history. She opened the 2018 Track & Field season with a discus throw of 199.0 feet at the Stanford Invitational March 31, easily outdistancing the competition. In fact, all three of Allman’s throws would have won the meet, topping 184’5” each... Full story
Ms. Strecker and all Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms and Dads, Good evening from [the middle east]. I just received an Easter package from you guys and I wanted to shoot you a quick note to express my appreciation and gratitude. I am an infantry platoon leader with 25 soldiers and I was able to share the cookies and goodies with all of my guys. They loved the cookies and we've been sharing the chocolate Easter bunny.The Rummy game and playing cards have been a hit and the flag stars were a real...
Senior Stephanie Reitzig capped off her memorable Niwot Forensics career with a trip to the finals at the 2018 State Speech and Debate Tournament held March 16-17 at Rocky Mountain HS in Fort Collins. Reitzig, who looks forward to attending the University of Chicago next year where she will study history and French, delivered a seven-minute speech on the question "Is Western Europe still at high risk of terrorist attack?" to take sixth overall in the International Extemporaneous Speaking...
When Niwot student Jackson Cloud’s eponymous band beat out Golden-based Thunder and Rain in the final round of the Oskar Blues Battle of the Bands contest last month, it is fair to say he was a little awestruck. At the tender age of 17, Cloud and his blues-infused classic rock combo band outplayed five other competitors to claim the 2018 crown and will perform on the Oskar Blues BolderBOULDER Expo Stage during the iconic race, which commemorates its 40th anniversary in May. “I was surprised jus... Full story
Local robotics Team 1619, based in Longmont, earned a significant honor this month at the Hub City Regional Competition in Lubbock, Texas - the Regional Chairman’s Award. Along with their alliance teams, the team also took first place out of 41 teams at the same event. Since the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) team was formed in 2004, and dubbed Up-A-Creek Robotics, membership and facilities have dramatically improved. Its beginnings were humble, with the first meeting in a t...
Upgrades to local trails are a few steps closer to being ready for the upcoming warmer weather. Brent Wheeler, with Boulder County Parks and Open Space, said that the key component of the whole project is the Left Hand Valley Grange trailhead, which has been redesigned and rebuilt. The original parking lot was built to accommodate a small picnic area and playground, as well as the ball field, which is leased by Niwot Youth Sports. “This is to provide more capacity for parking for both Niwot Youth Sports and our trail visitors,” Wheeler said. “S...
The sound of music filled the hallways at Sunset Middle School on Feb. 24 as band students warmed up for their District Solo and Ensemble performances. The festival has been an annual event for choir, band and orchestra students for over 40 years — originally held at Longmont High School, but now hosted at Sunset Middle School. Sunset’s band teacher Myron Whisman performed in it when he was in junior high school. The festival format has changed over the years, but the one constant has been the m...
Kim and Alan Schwarz have racked up thirty some years of odd jobs for their resume. A little of this and a little of that adds up to a whole lot of doing good. When you have kind hearts, some really cool tools, and simply notice that something needs to be done, your hometown is fortunate to have you waiting in the wings. One of Niwot’s stealth power couples, the Schwarzes have made it their second nature to jump in and plow parking lots, cart around 300-pound Left Hand cement chairs, buy h... Full story
If ever there was a good time for a loss, Niwot’s narrow 4-3 defeat at the hands of defending Class 4A state champions Cheyenne Mountain on March 17, was it, according to head coach Aimee Keronen. With four of the seven matches lasting three sets, her team not only showed it can compete with the top teams in the state, it gave the players some keen insights for beating the nine-time champs in May. “I think it was ok to lose some of those three-set matches, because our girls are hungry now...
Niwot High students flowed out of the school building Wednesday morning just before 10 a.m. to join in the countrywide momentum of teens exercising their rights to free speech by asking for stronger gun control legislation. Student hopes were that by emptying classrooms and being heard, they will bring about speedy changes to prevent the growing wave of senseless tragedies in the U.S. Student organizers Sophia Jones and Lauren McHugh stood with fellow march leaders on the berm at the front of...
Charges have been filed against two juveniles following a Feb. 16 “Safe 2 Tell” report at Niwot High School. Last month, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report, but the school has been unable to report the incident to district patrons due to the investigation. Now that charges have been filed, the two students were arrested on Friday, March 16. Since they are both 16, names have not been released. “Safe 2 Tell” is an anonymous method for students to report suspicious behavior or knowledge of threats made by other students o... Full story
Even on St. Patrick’s Day, it wasn’t hard to spot the green-clad Niwot athletes competing in the Windsor Invitational, as they were almost always out in front of the pack. On a sunny spring day, tailor made for running fast, both veterans and newcomers set new personal bests in many of the meet’s sprint events, helping both the boys and girls to their second top-ten finishes of the still-early season. “It’s a perfect day,” Niwot head coach Maurice Henriques said. Now in his eighth year, Henri... Full story
The Niwot girls tennis team is a serious contender for the Class 4A State title this year, and senior Julia Pentz is leading the charge. In four matches so far this season, the Cougars’ No. 3 singles player is undefeated, with a two-time state title-winner and last year’s state runner-up among her vanquished foes. “Julia is just awesome all around,” Niwot head coach Aimee Keronen said. “She’s a good team leader and she plays hard. I have all the confidence in the world in Julia.” In Niwot’s se...
Colleen Rae Kanemoto, a 1981 graduate of Niwot High School, died Friday, March 16, 2018, at age 54. There will be a gathering of family and friends at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel on Wednesday, March 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. A funeral service will be held at the Longmont United Church of Christ on Thursday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m. Donations in Colleen’s honor can be made to Global Hope or Boulder Homeless Shelter, two organizations very close to her heart. Share condolences at www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com....
Niwot head baseball coach Adam Strah had strangely mixed feelings after his team’s loss in the season debut on March 8. Though unhappy to come out on the short end of the 3-1 contest, Strah said he was heartened by his youthful squad’s performance against the older, battle-tested Grizzlies. “It was very encouraging,” Strah said. “It’s two sides of the same coin. We hate to lose. We’re not getting on the bus happy because we lost. However, if you look at some of the young kids who were in there...
Teens and adults can apply for summer jobs Boulder County residents ages 14-17 have until 4:30 p.m. on March 30 to apply for summer jobs with the Boulder County Youth Corps. Boulder County is also hiring adults to be team leaders. Boulder County is especially in need of female applicants. The Youth Corps will hire 160 teenagers to work 30 hours per week, Mon. through Thurs., from June 11 to Aug. 1, on a variety of community service projects such as trail construction and maintenance, historic preservation, forest thinning, construction and repa...
Having their students perform at Carnegie Hall even once is a lifelong dream for many choir directors, so imagine Niwot High Choir Director Laura Marshall’s excitement when it happened to her twice in February. Two weeks before she and Principal Rauschkolb accompanied a group of 20 NHS singers to New York City, talented Niwot vocalist Liam Benson took the hallowed Carnegie stage to perform with the Honors Concert Choir, an elite group of young singers selected for the High School Honors Performa... Full story
Arrest warrants issued for two 16-year-old students today Niwot, Colo. - On February 16, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office received a “Safe 2 Tell” report that a 16-year-old juvenile male student at Niwot High School, located at 8989 Niwot Road in unincorporated Boulder County, made statements and posted a video on social media which were generally related to the recent school shooting in Florida. These online comments caused other Niwot students alarm and resulted in several Safe2Tell reports being made. The school district and law enfor...
Students and staff are ecstatic that local real estate firm, Estate Professionals, recently donated a 3D printer to Niwot High School (NHS). Computer science teacher Teresa Ewing, who was also integral in bringing this wish list equipment to the school, said this donation has been a great way to help build up the school’s technical program. “Programming the 3D printer is a carrot,” Ewing said. “When students complete an assigned project, like their latest one of designing a playground, they ar...
Senior Anna McCarthy and the Niwot girls soccer team kicked off the season in dramatic fashion with a 6-2 rout of the Skyview Wolverines on March 8. The speedy McCarthy scored two goals in the first ten minutes on her way to a career-high five goals on the night, more than exceeding the already-high expectations of coach Stephen Dimit. “I didn’t expect five, but I did expect the first two because she was just ready to do those,” Dimit said. “And I was really proud of the way she stepped up in t...
There’s an old saying that “To catch a thief, you have to think like one.” For five intense days, two teams of Niwot High School (NHS) girls rewired their thought processes to compete in a computer security challenge to thwart cybercrime. Stepping into the virtual shoes of hackers, the teams out-performed their competitors admirably. The Coding Cougars team, made up of Julia Curd (sophomore), Davita Bird (sophomore), Michelle Tran (senior) and Aileen Ma (senior) finished first in the state...
Niwot High students flowed out of the school building this morning just before 10 a.m. to join in the countrywide momentum of teens exercising their rights to free speech by asking for stronger gun control legislation. Student hopes were that by emptying classrooms and being heard, they will bring about speedy changes to prevent the growing wave of senseless tragedies in the U.S. Student organizers Sophia Jones and Lauren McHugh stood with fellow march leaders on the berm at the front of the sch...
Niwot High School’s remodeling project will take two summers to complete. Plans are for the work to begin this summer, be paused while school is in session, and then begin again in the summer of 2019, with completion being August of 2019. As part of the $260 million bond issue passed in November 2016, NHS’s commons, library and auditorium will be the most changed elements, along with the addition of interior natural lighting enhancements. These improvements will “increase daylight in the building and movement through the hallways,” SVVSD D...
BASEBALL David Bote, son of former Niwot High Baseball Coach Bob Bote, is in his first major league spring training camp with the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, AZ. Bote, playing second base, opened the exhibition season in the starting lineup and collected a single in his first plate appearance. He followed with another base hit in the second game of the spring, coming in as a replacement for Javier Baez. Bote, the Cubs’ 15th-ranked prospect, is featured on a video on the Cubs’ website, talking about working with Hall-of-Famer Alan Trammell last fal...
Niwot High’s Mock Trial team is generating real buzz in local legal circles, and deservedly so. Led by senior captain Kynzie Clark, Niwot upended perennial powerhouse Fairview High School to take first place at the Boulder County regional mock trial tournament, held Feb. 8-10 at the Boulder Justice Center. With the win, Niwot secured a berth in the upcoming State Mock Trial Tournament, scheduled for March 9-10 at the Weld County Justice Center in Greeley. A win there, and the team earns a t...
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, the theater department will be auctioning off four tickets to the Broadway hit musical Hamilton, currently playing a sold-out run at Denver’s Buell Theater. The Hamilton tickets, along with other items donated by local Niwot and Longmont businesses will be part of a silent auction held in the NHS a...
Although there weren’t any Cougar wrestlers at this year’s Class 4A State tournament, a talented Niwot student had the crowd buzzing before the championship finals nevertheless. On the final night of the three-day tournament, Niwot junior and home crowd favorite Ellie Brown brought members of the overflow Pepsi Center crowd to their feet with her uniquely beautiful rendition of the national anthem. “Ellie is such a gifted singer, and she has done such an amazing job for us here at Niwot, I tho...
Niwot junior Caleb Churchill doesn’t remember a time when gymnastics wasn’t an important part of his life. As the son of a long-time gymnastics coach, Churchill has been in training ever since he could stand on his own. “When I learned to walk, my mom started doing classes for me,” Churchill said. “I started learning the basics then, and when I was in kindergarten, I started competing.” His mom, Kenzie, is the head coach at Cats Gymnastics in Boulder. Now in his tenth competitive season, the... Full story
This month’s progress issue features several area groups, clubs and organizations that are all about volunteerism. Though they may range in variety — such as the Niwot Historical Society, the Niwot Community Association or the Longmont Foundation — they have one common goal, and that is to make the community a better place to live, work and play. The next six pages of this issue feature several of the organizations, what they’re about and ways to get involved. We hope you enjoy learning about the many groups that make this community tick. N...
While waiting on the back side of Ski Cooper to take her final run in the girls slalom race at the 2018 CHSAA Alpine Skiing Championships on Feb. 23, Niwot freshman Emily Creek wasn’t sure what to think. Though she was racing on one of her favorite courses and held the lead by nearly a full second, the ninth-grader was afraid she would lose her competitive edge if she allowed herself to relax even a little bit. As she waited for 14 other competitors to take their runs before her, Creek decided t... Full story
Making music on stage at Carnegie Hall is a gold standard for performance excellence. Earlier this month, 20 Niwot High School (NHS) students did just that. This is the fifth year that NHS has hit the big-time in NYC by taking part in a trip arranged through Manhattan Concert Productions. NHS Choir Director Laura Marshall said the school is invited back each year because NHS students have proven they are strong, excellent singers. This year’s trip was chaperoned by Marshall, along with P... Full story
