Left Hand Valley Courier - All Local, All The Time

When she was five years old, Sarah Depestele loved to watch her father sketch cars. "That's when I started drawing seriously," Depestele said. "And that's because my dad loved drawing cars. He drew a...

Arts Student of the Week Kennah Brackett first became passionate about music in middle school when she started taking music courses and composing. "Music gives me a warm, comforting feeling that...

As a young girl, Anastasia Williams loved the sound of the flute. "I can't remember a time when it wasn't my favorite instrument," Williams said. "When I was in third grade, I started taking flute...

"Twins," The philosopher Hippocrates once conjectured, "are like one another for the following reasons. First, the places are alike in which they grow; then they were secreted together; then they...

Mimi Archibold, this week's Arts Student of the Week, was motivated to become an actress by watching her sisters, and she had many to choose from. Archibold has eight older siblings. "When I was...

Although she has experimented with many artistic mediums, including painting, drawing with graphite and pen and ink, ceramics, and multimedia sculptures, Niwot High School senior Hannah Geiling most...

"Ever since I was in elementary school," Najla Onofre Valles admits, "I've been wanting to use a guitar and learn how to play it. I just thought it would be something really fun to do." Valles, who...

Greta Stauch has a passion for choral music. The Niwot High School sophomore describes the music as "a group of people attempting to blend their voices into one sound with as much beauty as...

"There is a kind of closeness in the theater," the musical composer John Kander once said. "The rehearsal pianist, the head carpenter, the stage manager, the star of the show-all are family." Niwot...

During the first week of December, the Niwot High School Jazz Band played in an unusual venue. Instead of performing in the school auditorium, where such performances have been held in the past, the...

Arts Student of the Week Mya Wells has fond memories of the music that surrounded her during her childhood in California. "My mom was born in Mexico. In the morning she'd sing mariachi songs while...

Although ReyLynn Killinger specializes in beautifully drafted, intricate graphite portraits, the Niwot High School senior gets especially excited when she talks about her work as a make-up artist. "I...

For someone who has always been interested in theater, Paige Ioerger knew at an early age that acting was not her calling. "I did a little of it when I was young," Ioerger said, "but I've stepped...

If there is one art form Niwot High School senior Mark Crochiere would encourage people to try, it would be ceramics. "Just try out ceramics," Crochiere says. "It's not for everyone, but you can't...

Shefali Joshi has an earnest curiosity about the world which lights up her face when she talks about her studies and her plans for the future. This curiosity led the Niwot High School sophomore to tak...

In seventh grade, Sophie Arnett-Simon traveled with her family to New York City for spring break. While they were there, they saw "Wicked" on Broadway. The moment the show started, Arnett-Simon knew t...

Discipline is a trait Kaitlyn Duncan developed at an early age. Duncan, the Niwot High School Arts Student of the Week, is a section leader in the Niwot Band flute section. Growing up, she tried to...

Keynes Chen, the Niwot High School Orchestra Director and the Assistant Director of Band, said his student, John Hu, "has shown dedication and strong leadership ever since he was a freshman at NHS."...

When you listen to Paige Hahn talk about her daily schedule, it is easy to get the impression that this dynamic Niwot High School junior never sleeps. Her coursework in the high school International...

"Every child is an artist," Pablo Picasso once said. "The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." In her four years in the art program at Niwot High School, Ruby Walker has matured as an...

Niwot High School student Hannah Rudolph has an energetic optimism that drives her to succeed. She is an artist, a singer, and a cheerleader. She plays guitar and she played flute for three years in...

Niwot High School senior Jessi Lehman clearly remembers her experience as a trumpet player in middle school. "There were definitely a lot more boys in the trumpet section," Lehman said, "Pesky middle...

Jude Dow-Hygelund graduated from Niwot High School this spring and has been accepted to CU Boulder to study piano performance. Wade Hendricks, Jude's teacher at the high school, spoke highly of his...

When Eli Rose was in sixth grade, they remember watching their best friend learn to draw. "I thought it was so cool to be able to make something like that," Eli Rose said. "That's when I really...

Mary Ellen Coates, a Niwot High School Senior, is inspired by music. Asked about how she got her start in choir, Coates said she began in elementary school. While she was a member of the NHS Marching...