ACADEMIC RECOGNITIONS

“Excellent” State Ratings

All three levels of Peak to Peak – the Elementary, Middle, and High School – received the Colorado State Academic Performance Rating of “Excellent”, the top rating based on state-wide CSAP testing by the State of Colorado.

John Irwin School of Excellence

Peak to Peak High school received the “John Irwin School of Excellence” Award in its first year of eligibility. The award is presented to the top 8 percent of Colorado schools.

Advanced Placement Courses

In a year with no seniors and only 25 juniors, more than one-fourth of Peak to Peak High School students took at least one Advanced Placement (AP) course.

CU Succeed Gold Program Begins

This year, Peak to Peak High School offered its first on-site CU course through the University of Colorado’s Succeed Gold Program.

Rocky Mountain Talent Search Participants

Eight middle and high school Peak to Peak students participated in the Rocky Mountain Talent Search (RMTS) summer program at the University of Denver. In addition, a fifth grader was named a “High Scoring RMTS Participant” for his PLUS test results.

National Junior Honor Society & National Honor Society

This year, the Peak to Peak chapters of the National Honor Society (NHS) and the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) held their first induction of new members. Fifteen 10^th and 11^th graders were inducted in the inaugural NHS, while 18 sixth through ninth graders joined the NJHS.

Student Performs at the Children’s Literacy Contest

As one of four winners of a statewide storytelling competition, a Peak to Peak third grader was selected to perform at the Children’s Literature Conference at the University of Colorado.

Peak to Peak Scientists Place at Science Fairs

Peak to Peak students earned numerous awards at the 2003-04 District Science Fair. Two students placed 2^nd in the Senior Division for Chemistry and received a “Best Project” award from the NACE Foundation. Peak to Peak students also took home a 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place award in the Junior Division. One of those winners went on to represent Peak to Peak at the Intel Affiliated Colorado State Science Fair at Colorado State University, where he took 3^rd place (out of 33 finalists) in the Junior Physics Division for his project that demonstrated diffraction and interference effects using both water and light waves.

National Merit Scholar Finalist

A Peak to Peak junior was selected as a National Merit Scholar finalist. Students who achieve a qualifying score on the PSAT compete for the National Merit Scholar honor.

National Leadership Conference Attendees

Two sophomores and one junior were selected to participate in the National Student Leadership (NSL) Conference in Washington, D.C. The NSL’s mission is to identify and recognize outstanding youth leaders from around the world.

Daily Times-Call Writing Contest Winners

The Longmont Daily Times-Call recognized four Peak to Peak “Color Your World” contest winner for their persuasive writing skills. The recipients included one middle school and three high school students.

Destination Imagination Honors

Five teams competed in the annual Destination Imagination tournament, showcasing their talents in quick-thinking improvisation, cognitive thinking and problem solving. One team, the Woodchicks, received 2^nd place honors, while the Milkshakes received the “Spirit of DI” Award.

FINE ARTS RECOGNITIONS

Colorado Charter School Art Expo Winners

Governor Bill Owens opened the “Through the Eyes of Many” art show and unveiled a Peak to Peak ninth grader’s self-portrait pencil drawing, which was chosen for the cover of the invitation. In addition to the invitation piece, the artwork of two Peak to Peak Elementary School students, two middle school students, and four high school students were chosen for display in the state capitol.

Congressional Art Show

A Peak to Peak High School sophomore student received third place for her artwork that competed in the Congressional Art Show that was sponsored by U.S. Representative Mark Udall. Approximately 10,000 people viewed the exhibit.

Artwork Exhibited at the School District Board Room

Five students’ artwork was chosen for displayed in the Boulder Valley Board of Education’s board room.

The Dairy Center for the Arts

Eighteen Peak to Peak High School students’ artwork was displayed in the Dairy Center for the Arts during Boulder Valley School District’s annual art show.

Boulder Public Library Art Exhibit

Visitors to the main Boulder Public Library were greeted by the artwork created by 22 Peak to Peak Middle School students.

PERFORMING ARTS RECOGNITIONS

Elitch Gardens Music Festival

Peak to Peak’s Orchestra and Phoenix Fire both earned a gold medal and the Concert Band earned a silver medal at Elitch Garden’s Music Festival.

National Anthem at the Colorado Rockies game

Peak to Peak’s competitive vocal group Puma Pride sang the national anthem at Coors field during a Colorado Rockies’ baseball game.

Boulder Dinner Theater Participation

A Peak to Peak Elementary School student and a Peak to Peak Middle School student were selected and performed in Boulder’s Dinner Theater production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Ballet Productions

A Peak to Peak seventh grader performed for a second year in the Nutcracker. Six additional Peak to Peak students performed in Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s Nutcracker at the Legacy Theater this year.

COMMUNITY SERVICE RECOGNITIONS

Community Food Drive

The junior class sponsored a hugely successful food drive. Kindergarten through high school students generously donated food which was donated to local food banks.

Pen Pal Program

Elementary students reached out to the community through a pen pal program in which classes wrote letters to elderly citizens for several months. The program culminated with the pen pal coming to the school for a visit.

“You Make the World a Better Place” Thanks

On Valentines Day, a Peak to Peak kindergarten class visited the Lafayette Public Library and Lafayette City Hall to hand out carnations, Valentines, and to say, “You make the world a better place.”

Senior Citizen Gift Bags

Seventh and eighth grade ACCESS classes put together more than 400 holiday gift bags, including special home-made cards, for senior citizens in the community.

Raising Awareness of Slavery in the Sudan

Peak to Peak ninth grade World History classes combined research with a community service project raising money to free slaves in the Sudan, writing editorials, giving presentations, circulating a petition, creating a website, and handing out leaflets.

FACULTY RECOGNITIONS

Impact on Learning Finalists

Peak to Peak English teacher Kristie Betts and English Department Chair MeganFreeman were named as finalists for the Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools Impact on Learning Award.

National Core Knowledge Conference

Kindergarten teacher Susan Prieto was selected and presented a unit of study at the National Core Knowledge Conference in Georgia.

Colorado Excellence in Journalism Award

Peak to Peak Journalism teacher Erika Stutzman won third place in the Best of Colorado Excellence in Journalism competition, sponsored by the Colorado Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.