All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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The Boulder Valley Regional Spelling Bee was held at Platt Middle School on March 16 with 51 contestants from Boulder and Broomfield Counties. Niwot Elementary School fifth-grader Cooper Edwards took top honors as the Spelling Bee's first place winner. Edwards is one of two students from Colorado who will be competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, in May. Tejas Raman, a seventh-grader at Boulder Country Day School in Gunbarrel, took second place. A former student at...
Although Niwot High School sophomore Lexi Adams does not yet have any firm plans regarding her future school and work, the one thing she knows for sure about what lies ahead is that she would like to dedicate herself to something artistic. Adams readily admits that art has always been present in her life. "I didn't practice it consistently until about six years ago," she said. "I enjoyed having a hobby that was unique in my family and friend group, and it quickly [changed] from a hobby to an asp...
Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) has been experiencing declining enrollment since 2018, a decline exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. One of the schools most notably affected is Heatherwood Elementary School, which has approximately 226 enrolled students as of Oct. 1, 2023. Heatherwood is running at just above 40% of its 500-student capacity. To address declining enrollment throughout the district, BVSD has implemented a long range planning process, an "Enrollment Advisory Phase" and a...
On the evening of March 21, Heatherwood Elementary School, located in Gunbarrel, hosted its second annual Math Night to celebrate the young Husky learners from Pre-K through fifth grade. Each class prepared an interactive activity, or game, for the numerous families and community members who attended the dynamic event. The fifth-graders made an incredible game where estimation meets math, called "esti-mysteries." It was a guessing game to test your estimation skills with helpful clues. Each...
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a rigorous academic program offered to students at Niwot High School. The International Baccalaureate website states that the Diploma Programme "aims to develop students who have excellent breadth and depth of knowledge-students who flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically." Students in the program take college level coursework, while completing an extended research paper as well as participating in "CAS" (creativi...
Departing on Saturday, March 16, and returning home on Wednesday, March 20, the Niwot High School Symphonic Band ventured down to Orlando, Florida, to experience the "Most Magical Place on Earth." Forty-two students, two directors, and eight chaperones got to experience Disney magic in ways not many people do as a part of their Disney vacations. Saturday morning, students and chaperones met behind Niwot High School at 3:30 a.m. to catch a bus to Denver International Airport for a flight...
When the curtain comes up on the Niwot High School spring show "Shrek the Musical" in April, senior Fred Zorgdrager will be front and center in the leading role. "It is a really big honor," Zorgdrager said. "I don't plan to do musical theater professionally but if I were to perform on Broadway 'Shrek' would be my dream role. It is super exciting to get the opportunity to do it now." Based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film "Shrek," "Shrek the Musical" is a show with music by Jeanine Tesori...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the Gender Studies Club. "Niwot Gender Studies is devoted to being a discussion-based safe space for anyone and everyone to talk about topics related to gender issues in the world," said Club Leader Claire Jensen. "We hold meetings every other week devoted to different topics and talk about them in-depth, in addition to service projects around our Niwot community. We have worked with non-profits to advocate for period...
During his junior year, percussionist Owen Powers played his first homecoming game with the Niwot High School Marching Band, performing alongside the Niwot drumline. "There were hundreds of people lining the football field and all up the hill adjacent to it," Powers recalled. "It was surreal. And on top of that, it was pouring rain, so everyone was getting drenched. Nevertheless, that performance might have been my personal best, and will without a doubt be one that I remember and cherish for...
On Wednesday March 6, 2024, the Niwot High School Advanced Symphonic Band attended the Colorado Bandmasters Association (CBA) festival at Fort Collins High School. The CBA is made up of active and retired band directors in Colorado. One of the primary purposes of the CBA is to host events for band students of all levels and ages throughout the year, including marching band competitions in the fall, All-State Band and All-State Jazz Band events throughout winter and spring, and middle-high...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the Political Action Club (PAC). In the words of co-founder Oliver Fowler, "Niwot Political Action Club is a Niwot-focused club that provides a safe space for NHS students to debate important political news, talk about issues, and get involved in politics. It exists to provide a bias-free and moderated outlet for people that isn't just a single issue." Fowler and Evan Debusk created PAC in September of 2023 with the...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the Students for Rare Diseases Club. Students for Rare Diseases is a club of students with the shared goal of educating and spreading awareness of rare diseases to improve and better the lives of individuals living with rare disorders, and the lives of their families and caregivers. According to the SFRD website, if 1 in 10 Americans has a rare disease, it is likely that roughly 118 Niwot students struggle with a rare...
The Left Hand Valley Courier is introducing a new Teacher of the Month feature chosen by students. Teachers are chosen based on their positive impact on their students, staff, and surrounding community. Jason Watkins is Niwot High School's March Teacher of the Month because of his consistently positive impact on his students, the staff, and the community. Watkins teaches technical theater, CTE, jewelry, photography, and video making at NHS and is a founding member of the Colorado Association of...
While Niwot High School students were sweeping the house before the preshow for "Beauty and the Beast," they learned that the show had sold out. For Marik Magginetti, a sophomore technical theater student involved in the production, it was one of his most memorable moments. "I remember actors running up the aisles and backstage to spread the news," Magginetti said. Another unforgettable moment occurred at the Bobby G awards, a state-wide high school musical theater program that recognizes...
Niwot High School Performing Arts student James Miller has a clear vision of his role in the world. "My interest in theater defines who I am as a person," Miller explained. "Most things about my personality come from my experiences and peers in the theater." His commitment to his craft was one reason his teacher, Amanda Foust, selected Miller as Arts Student of the Week. "James is a terrific actor!" Foust said. "He was in the high school's fall production of 'Puffs' and as his first production...
Last year, several students from the choir and orchestra departments at Niwot High School were given separate opportunities to travel during the spring and summer of the 2022-2023 school year. Orchestra members took a trip to Europe and the Baltics, while choir members took their traditional trip traveling to New York City to perform on Broadway and see some Broadway musicals. This year, the music department world tour continues for students at NHS. Keynes Chen, the orchestra director at Niwot,...
The Niwot High School Education Foundation is gearing up for its annual online auction, March 6-10 to raise funds for educational grants, scholarships, and other programs to meet the needs of teachers and students to enrich their educational experience. Thanks to generous support from sponsors, it should be an exciting one for potential bidders, according to auction committee chair Hadley Solomon. "We have several companies who continue to donate every year," she said, noting that there are donations from businesses in Niwot, Longmont,...
At the beginning of the 2023 school year, Niwot High School freshman Olivia "Liv" Raichart was working on a large landscape painting for a school project. She was in the hallway because the canvas was so big it would not fit in the classroom. Suddenly another young woman came out of the classroom crying, and Raichart wanted to help. So she invited the other student to paint with her, and immediately the tears stopped. "We just painted together," Raichart said. "And it made her feel better. It wa...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the Dance Club. As described by Dance Club leader Ellie Rauschkolb, "Dance Club is a club that is open to anyone who wants to perform and learn to dance and have fun. We perform at assemblies and the Niwot Open House which are our biggest performances. Niwot Dance Club is not an auditioning club which is great since it's open to anyone who wants to join, whether they're experienced or not." Every year Dance Club...
If you are a parent, you probably have begun thinking about summer plans. One option is summer camp for the children. Boulder Country Day in Gunbarrel offers several options for children ages three to 13 with a wide variety of mix and match options to keep your child active and excited this summer. For children ages three to five, “Camp Sandbox” offers half- and full-day options for four weeks from June 3-June 28. Camp Sandbox features weekly themes such as “Brilliant Bug Ball” and “Animal Rescuers” to capture children’s sense of wonder with p...
Niwot High School is dedicated to fostering an environment that emphasizes individual growth and engagement, continuously offering diverse opportunities for students to excel in a setting that prioritizes their voices and enjoyment. One way this goal is implemented is through the Unified Programs at NHS. With the help of Amanda Foust, Chair of the Drama Department, Niwot High School created a unified theater class. Niwot High School is one of the first schools in the St. Vrain Valley School...
Thirteen choir students from Niwot High School had the unique experience of attending a special All-State Choir event held annually in Denver. On Feb. 8-10, the best junior and senior students from across the state had the opportunity to work with clinicians and spend most of their time, morning to evening, in rehearsals, with the final performance on the last day, Feb. 10, at 4:00 p.m. at the Buell Theatre. This year, the 2024 All-State Choir saw 1,717 students from across Colorado audition,...
Four Sunset Middle School students, Keeva Walton, Heidi Kintzel, Sylvia Madry, and Avery Nixon, and Sunset Choir Director Anna Hansil participated in the prestigious Colorado Middle All State Choir 2024 on Feb. 8 and 9. Acceptance into the Colorado Middle All State Choir is an incredible accomplishment for these young musicians. Students from Sunset Middle School auditioned back in October, along with over 1,500 other students statewide. Colorado Middle All State Choir gives seventh and...
Niwot Elementary 5th Grade Student Reporters (Kestrel Glick, Graham Ottem, and Sienna Shear) The Niwot High School auditorium hosted the Niwot Elementary School's talent show on Feb. 2 to a sold-out, enthusiastic crowd. The talent show showcased the brave, courageous participants ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. The talent show was a fun and inclusive experience for all, including a performance done by kindergartener Miles Carland, dancing to "Pretty Bird" in a fantastic parakeet costum...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the Asian Student Association (ASA). In the words of the ASA leadership team, "Asian Student Association is one of the many diverse clubs at Niwot High School. The club is dedicated to promoting understanding, appreciation, and celebration of the diverse cultures within Asia. Through educational presentations, cultural showcases, and community outreach, ASA aims to foster cross-cultural understanding and create a...
St. Vrain Valley Schools presented a concert at Longmont High School Feb. 7, which included a performance by the district's Middle School Honor Band, conducted by Mr. Phuong Nguyen. Nguyen, a graduate of Colorado State University, has 23 years of teaching experience and currently teaches at Boltz Middle School in Fort Collins. His experience includes performing in Colorado rock/jazz/ska/reggae bands. He has also performed with famous rock bands, Vietnamese pop stars, as well as starred in short...
Niwot High School senior Drew Moore has many talents, but he is particularly proud of the fact that he once built a guitar with Legos. "I took the fretboard from a real guitar. And all the hardware. And it worked for a moment, but the nut wouldn't stay on the plastic," he said. "Legos are so much fun. You build whatever you want." Moore developed a love for music when he was about three years old, playing piano and xylophone. At the age of seven his parents got him his first guitar. He remembers...
Niwot High School senior Anna Enssle has the rare privilege among young musicians to say that she has performed at Carnegie Hall, twice. During her junior year, Enssle auditioned for and was accepted into an honor choir in New York, where students from across the country met together to rehearse for a few days and then perform in the Hall. "It was such a surreal and wonderful experience," Enssle said. "I got to meet so many talented people who shared a deep love for creating music. I got to...
Niwot High School is known for its diversity. With students from over 50 different middle schools, it is a melting pot filled with unique students from all walks of life. One of the places you can find that diversity is in Niwot's Unified Programs. Niwot's Unified Program is composed of two parts: Unified Sports (district-wide) and Unified Theater (Niwot and Frederick High School). Both of these programs give students with disabilities opportunities that many other schools do not offer. Unified...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In the words of club leader Sydney Bennett, "We are a group of students who gather before school on Fridays at 6:30 a.m. During our meetings we do devotionals, worship, play games, and more. It is a super great community of people to meet new friends and learn about Christianity. Anyone is welcome to come." FCA is a group that was created by students to bring people together who...
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, the auditorium of Frederick High School resonated with the combined talents of 194 students from across the St. Vrain Valley School District for the High School Honor Choir Concert. Fifty-three of those students were from Niwot High School. The other schools that participated were Erie High School, Frederick High School, Longmont High School, Lyons Middle Senior High School, Mead High School, Silver Creek High School and Skyline High School. The annual Honor Choir Concert...
One of Niwot High School's ongoing traditions is "Cupidgrams." Cupidgrams are musical Valentine's Day greetings performed by the students in Niwot High School's Evenstar Choir during the first few weeks of February. A Cupidgram is a Valentine a student can buy for a classmate or teacher. Students pick a song off of the list provided, and the recipient of the Cupidgram will eventually be sung to in one of their classes on Feb. 15. In the words of Niwot's choir director Laura Walters, "I love the...
Niwot High School bands have no shortage of different ensembles and talent. On Wednesday Jan 31, Wade Hendricks, Director of Bands at Niwot High School, took students from both the Jazz and Advanced Jazz band classes to perform at Longs Peak Pub and Tap House in Longmont. Each student participated in at least one jazz combo (or smaller group of live jazz musicians) starting at 6:30 p.m. They referred to this performance as their "Combo-Rama." The preparation for this event was described as a...
Niwot High School hosted the Class 3A Colorado Speech and Debate State Championships Tournament, which began on Feb. 2 in the afternoon and concluded on Feb. 3, in spite of rain that quickly turned to snow during the day. NHS staff members Danielle Maloit and Joe Brown were on hand to see that the event went smoothly, while the Niwot High School cheerleaders manned the concession booth for the Saturday session. The event carried on well past the anticipated 5:15 p.m. ending time, and the...
When Victor Valdez-Aguero was a young boy, his father was a big car enthusiast. "He owned a few dozen cars imported from Japan," Valdez-Aguero said. "A few Ford Mustangs--Shelby GT 500s. He owned muscle cars like Corvettes. C3s from 1981, a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, and a couple of Mitsubishi Lancer Evos." Initially, Valdez-Aguero thought that learning about cars was too complex and he didn't pay much attention to them, but in his early teens he started asking to help his father work on them. At...
Among the many honors and merits to be earned as a member of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), one stands out from all the rest - the rank of Eagle Scout. The process is intensive, with badge requirements, an individually led community project, and approval by the Eagle Scout board of review. Montana Heather, a senior at Niwot High School, has recently joined the ranks of just over 4% of scouts and earned his Eagle Scout Badge after years of hard work and persistence. Having received his...
Carson Lyle, Editor-in-Chief of "The Green and Black," and a NHS senior with hopes of attending Northeastern University to study journalism contributed to this article. "The Green and Black" is Niwot High School's entirely student-run newspaper which reports on issues and events in the St. Vrain Valley School District that students might find interesting. Its reporters also tap into opinion writing and share their voices on policies regarding their education, or whatever they feel passionate...
Niwot Elementary School will showcase over 50 student acts at the "Niwot Kids Got Talent" show on Friday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. in the Niwot High School auditorium. Tickets are available at the door for $5 for adults and students in sixth grade and above. Students in fifth grade and under are free. "The talent show is a longstanding, beloved tradition at Niwot Elementary," said Principal Nancy Pitz. "I've been at the school for 10 years now and it was a well-established event when I got here. It's a...
In a genuine demonstration of true community support, Niwot High School students and families, Longmont merchants, and the greater Niwot community came together in support of Make-a-Wish Colorado last week and likely exceeded the $10,000 fundraising goal set by the NHS Student Council, the event's organizer. Niwot's Wish Week brought together people from a wide array of backgrounds, all in support of Charlie, Niwot's 2024 Wish Kid, and others like him. Make-A-Wish Colorado supports kids with cri...
When Merrick Blondeau was in elementary school, his sister Ana's friends were percussionists. Blondeau thought they were cool, so in sixth grade he joined the band at Sunset Middle School. Since then, he has simply loved making music and getting lost in music. Blondeau enjoys listening to classical music, "But," he said, "not often enough to be able to pick a favorite." One piece he does appreciate listening to is "The Planets," a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the A Capella Club. In the words of Greta Stauch, who is currently an 11th-grader at Niwot High School as well as the founder of the A Capella Club, "The Niwot High School A Capella Club is made up of a select group of auditioned performers from all four grades who put together vocal performances without the help of accompaniment other than from their peers in the group. The club is completely run by students-everything...
Charlie is a 14-year-old who absolutely loves basketball, specifically the Lakers and the Warriors, as well as Legos and U.S. History. Charlie also loves to eat macaroni and cheese and Doritos. In many ways, he is a totally typical teenager, but something that is unique about Charlie is that he has cystic fibrosis. Make-A-Wish Colorado supports kids just like Charlie, granting their one true wish and raising awareness for kids with critical illnesses. For the past few years, Niwot High School...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Club. NASA Club meets every Monday under the supervision of Niwot High School teacher Erin Smith. NASA Club leader and founder, Amelia Koth, collects feedback from club members regarding goals for their next “observation night.” Koth then presents the feedback to the club members to determine the details of their upcoming observation nights. In addition to “ob...
Lauren Mocilac's love for art goes beyond the classroom walls. As the art teacher at Niwot Elementary School, she not only cultivates creativity in her young students but also brings her own artistic talents to life through greeting cards, prints, and other gift items. Mocilac's journey as an artist began long before she stepped into the classroom. Her passion for capturing the beauty of the world around her, particularly the Colorado landscapes and the innocence of childhood, is evident in her...
Madison Kintzel, an eighth-grader at Sunset Middle School won the Niwot High School Art Show Rising Star Award for her sculpture of a willow tree erupting out of the middle of a book, with long spiraled paper branches and tiny paper leaves hanging over a lake, which was made by cutting several layers of paper deeper into the bottom half of the book. The artwork is entitled "Weeping Willow." The award was presented during the Niwot High School Art Showcase in early December. The Rising Star...
The Sunset Middle School Arts Student of the Week, seventh-grader Aliyah Olivares, was nominated for her incredible drive to create and learn about art. She improves her craft with every iteration and studies art in and outside of school whenever she has free time. Olivares creates art in many different mediums including clay sculpting, digital drawing and artwork, papercraft and paper maché. She particularly enjoys paper maché, however her favorite medium is drawing. She is planning on expandin...
Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one that represents a multitude of talented and passionate Niwot students is the Drama Club. Aiden Sagner, Drama Club President, defines Drama Club as a group that "meets with students who are looking to improve their acting skills and broaden their knowledge and understanding of the theater world." Drama Club particularly appeals to students who may not have time to involve themselves in theater classes. For example those who are...
