All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Niwot High School freshman Claire Plath started her theater career at Altona Middle School, where she made the Honor Roll in sixth and seventh grades. Claire first became interested in theater after her mother took her and her sister to see "Les Miserables" when she was in sixth grade. Later that year, they also saw "Dear Evan Hansen." According to Claire, "The messages, and emotions that a single production can create for someone can be so strong, and life changing to a point where one can trul...
Mya McGovern has always had a creative side, and, since coming to Niwot High as a freshman in 2020, she has been taking advantage of opportunities to develop it. So far, the sophomore has taken the 2D Design class twice, plus 3D Design, and Beginning Sculpture, which quickly became her favorite. "I really like sculpture best, because it's more hands-on, and you get to really create something, instead of just a drawing," the sophomore said. McGovern finds more "creative freedom" in abstract art,...
When Niwot senior and trombone player Alexis Marez learned that he had been named first chair for the All-District honor band earlier this year, he was not sure how to take it. "I guess I shouldn't have been, but I was surprised to hear that I was even nominated for first chair," he said. "I haven't gotten anything like that before. There was a total of around 10 trombones, and to be the first one in the entire district, it was surreal." It was also well deserved, according to NHS band director...
Jonah Fahlin has always had an artistic side, which he started exploring through digital art. Since coming to Niwot High, however, the sophomore has taken a more hands-on approach to expressing himself, and opened up new worlds of creativity. "As of recently, I've gotten more into things in the real world, like pencils, canvas, and paper," he said. "I really like to draw on paper. No matter what class I'm in, I'm always doodling. I just really enjoy it." During the fall semester, Fahlin took...
As both a featured performer and student dance director for Niwot High's upcoming production of "Mamma Mia", senior Aliyah Backus doesn't have a lot of leisure time these days. But the talented dancer is gaining a new appreciation for her craft, and picking up valuable skills along the way. "I'm learning more and more with every single rehearsal that we have," Backus said of her new role on the stage. "It's difficult, especially with the fact that I'm in a lot of the numbers that I'm teaching...
Evelyn Mason is a naturally gifted musician who has been playing piano and violin since a very young age. Now a junior at Niwot High, she is the longtime concertmaster for the school’s symphony orchestra, and is a “good role model for her peers”, according to director Keynes Chen. “She has consistently performed at an exemplary level,” he wrote in an email. “Her leadership contribution to our orchestra program is well noted by everyone, and she has earned the respect and love from her peers through her passion, high spirit, friendlines...
Senior Tessa Whittaker hasn't been a Niwot High student for long, but she's making up for lost time in the school's vocal music department, according to choir director Laura Walters. Though a recent transfer, the talented singer has quickly become "an amazing leader" that other students look to for guidance. "Tessa is always upbeat and brings such a positive energy to her choirs," Roberts wrote in an email interview. "In one of the choirs, she took the initiative to create a group chat so...
Niwot sophomore Julian Wu took up photography as a middle schooler and has been seeing the world a little differently ever since. "Photography is a really great medium of art," he said. "You just need a camera and great positioning." Living in Niwot has given Wu an appreciation for the changing textures of a rural landscape. "Especially in different seasons. I like to go to the same spot and take photos a few times each year." Most of Wu's photos are shot on either his cell phone or a "dinky...
November is turning out to be eventful for Niwot junior Lucas Haratsaris, a talented saxophonist in the school's advanced jazz band. On Nov. 13, he submitted an audition for the Colorado All-State Jazz Band, which band director Wade Hendricks described as "incredibly challenging to get into." He followed that up on Nov. 15 with a day of rehearsing and performing with the Combined League Honor Jazz Band, a group composed of the upper quadrant of Colorado band students. To top it off, after...
Live theater returned to the Niwot High stage on Nov. 5 with "Peter and the Starcatcher," and at least one of the cast members was thrilled to be back in front of a live audience. Junior Hosannah Adams starred as Black Stache, the play's comedic foil, and hearing crowd reaction in real time again is definitely something she missed. "It was the best, best feeling of my year so far," she said. "I can't compare anything to that feeling.... The whole cast just took a deep breath and was in awe when...
Live theater returns to the Niwot High stage starting on Nov. 5 with the premiere of "Peter and the Starcatcher," a semi-musical reimagining of the Peter Pan story that explores his life before Neverland. Bringing the title character to life is senior Ethan Rauschkolb, a veteran of the NHS stage who said he is thrilled to be back in front of a live audience. "Opening is November 5th, and we're super excited about it," he said of the upcoming production, the first non-virtual one in more than 18...
Growing up, Mina O'Dell loved to copy the colorful cartoon characters she watched on T.V., and, over the years, that turned into a passion for painting and drawing. Now as a sophomore at Niwot, she is exploring a new medium that is challenging her perspectives. "I really like sculpting because it's so much different from drawing and painting," she said. "Because with a drawing, you can only see one point of view of the art that you're making. Whereas with sculpting, you can really put detail...
Dung Nam Pham is a gifted violinist in Niwot High's orchestra who pours his emotions into his performances. But for the school's orchestra director, Yin-Feng Keynes Chen, the senior's natural talent is just one of the attributes that make him a great musician. "He has been a very dedicated musician in our orchestra program ever since his freshman year," Chen wrote in an email. "Not only is he one of the hardest workers among his peers, his strong passion for high-level music making is quite...
Vocalist Rianna Rickford loves to perform, whether it's in Niwot's prestigious Evenstar choir, or in a theater department musical, such as Cinderella or Little Shop of Horrors. For choir director Laura Roberts, Rickford's dedication to her craft is nothing short of inspiring. "She is probably one of the most improved singers in the choir program," Walters wrote of the senior, who is currently a member of the school's Evenstar choir, and is deeply involved in the fall musical. "She has the...
Thanks to the pandemic and restrictions on school activities, Sreya Karumanchi's year as a junior drum major for the Niwot Marching Band was a bit of a let-down. But dealing with the challenges from the 2020 season also taught her some valuable lessons in leadership that have helped her senior year get off to a great start. "It made me understand the importance of flexibility and long-term growth," the longtime clarinet player said. "I knew that this year would be difficult, just because of the...
Recent graduate Zoe Craven is the Arts Student of the Week. Writes her teacher Laura Collier: Zoe Craven is a very talented Visual Arts student. Her work is skillfully executed and well thought out. It has been a pleasure to watch her and her work mature. I think maybe she has taken nearly every art class we have here at NHS! It is definitely time for her to stretch those wings and fly! I will miss her, but I can't wait to see where she goes next....
Anna Enssle is a freshman at Niwot High, but has taken on some challenges that are normally confronted by older students. In an email, Niwot choir Director Laura Walters said that Enssle is an "amazing leader," and has made choir "an incredible place this year." "Anna Enssle is a freshman in Sedalia, one of our auditioned choirs...She is very confident learning and singing her music, has an amazingly positive attitude, and goes above and beyond wherever we need her in class. She has a lovely...
Alex Williams joined the Niwot High theater tech crew as a freshman, hoping to learn more about stage lighting and design. Four years later, not only has "Goose" become a lighting "wizard," according to faculty stage manager Jason Watkins, but also an indispensable member of the crew who won't be easy to replace. "I have known Goose for three years, and it has been extremely wonderful to see him progress in that time," Watkins said in an email. "He is my right hand man this year. Being an...
For Niwot High band director Wade Hendricks, students like Jacob Pennington don't come around very often. Both a talented musician and gifted student, the junior is both a role model to his fellow bandmates and a delight to have in class. "[Jacob] has lent his abilities to our groups on both trumpet and piano, jumping in and doing whatever is asked of him," Hendricks said in an email. "He is a fantastic soloist and has a great ear, analyzing chords and harmonies before I can figure them...
Junior Nguyen Pham is a talented student in Niwot High's IB art program who prefers to let her artistry do the talking. She is currently enrolled in a 3-D design course at the school, where she has worked with everything from metal and plaster, to wood and clay. Last month, one of her sculptures was featured in St. Vrain Unframed student art show, a virtual showcase of the most interesting student artwork from schools around the district. Pham's submission resulted from an assignment to create...
Niwot freshman Juliette Molina has been appearing on stage since age seven, but when the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled live performances in 2020, the accomplished singer and actor decided to broaden her creative horizons. Over the past several months, she has been writing, directing, and starring in a one-woman film called "Passion Project," about a student who is struggling to choose a path in life. "My character is in high school, and all of her friends know what they want to do for college,...
Teyha Laughlin has excelled in Niwot High's visual arts classes, but was hoping to expand her creative horizons during her senior year. So under the mentorship of art teacher Beth Collier, she has pursued an independent study that has taken her art in exciting new directions. "Teyha is a senior now, and she has been in one or another of my art classes every year since she was a freshman," Collier wrote about the talented portrait artist. "She is creative, funny, and such a hardworking student. I...
Niwot sophomore Morgan Lane was a curious kindergartener the first time she heard someone play the violin. "We had show-and-tell, and one of my friends brought their violin and played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" for the class," she recalled. "And I thought it was the coolest thing. So I went home and begged my parents to let me play." That was nearly a decade ago, and Lane has been working her way toward virtuoso status ever since. Today, she is a member of two orchestral groups at Niwot...
Niwot senior Grable Howie is passionate about music. His advice to music students: "Take risks, never back down from a challenge, and surround yourself with people who will push you and help you become better. Always believe in yourself, and never let any amount of criticism stop you. If you want to become a musician, put in the work, and never quit." Howie certainly hasn't quit, and it's possible that his incredible drive was inspired by his parents, who are musicians as well. He's done...
Niwot senior Autumn Baldwin is a talented trumpet player in the school's advanced jazz and symphonic bands, and also a member of the chamber singers choir group. Lately, she has also turned her talents to composing and songwriting, and has contributed to "several performance pieces," according to Niwot music director Wade Hendricks. "The once-shy underclassman has become a terrific senior leader and role model for younger students in the NHS band program," he said. "She is not shy about grabbing...
