Accomplishments Archives

Academic Recognition

The Peak to Peak High School Yearbook received recognition as a Gold Level yearbook for the Jostens National Yearbook Program of Excellence. Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence Awards are presented twice a year, in spring and in fall based on the yearbook’s arrival date at the school. The award was presented to the Peak to Peak yearbook program for achieving defined criteria in between one and three of the following categories: creating an inclusive yearbook, generating school engagement, and successfully managing the yearbook creation process.

Peak to Peak was one of 16 Colorado schools to receive Governor Polis' Science Bright Spot Awards for high achievement in Science. Peak to Peak will receive a $50,000 award that can be used to purchase educational technology, offer professional development, and other opportunities that will benefit students' learning experiences. Governor Polis said, “By highlighting the top sixteen schools in the state for science achievement, we are shining a light on what works. We look forward to finding out what works at these schools and helping more students excel in science. Improving science education will help students and our state." We are so proud of our students!

Peak to Peak won the ReSource Central Renew Our School SPARK! Competition. Innovation class assistants (with the help of ninth graders) measured our energy usage (lights, electricity, heat, etc.), analyzed what these results meant, and devised plans to improve. Yay, energy efficiency, and yay, Pumas!

Peak to Peak was one of 16 Colorado schools to receive Governor Polis' Science Bright Spot Awards for high achievement in Science. Peak to Peak will receive a $50,000 award that can be used to purchase educational technology, offer professional development, and other opportunities that will benefit students' learning experiences. Governor Polis said, “By highlighting the top sixteen schools in the state for science achievement, we are shining a light on what works. We look forward to finding out what works at these schools and helping more students excel in science. Improving science education will help students and our state." We are so proud of our students!

Arts Recognition

The Peak to Peak High School Yearbook received recognition as a Gold Level yearbook for the Jostens National Yearbook Program of Excellence. Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence Awards are presented twice a year, in spring and in fall based on the yearbook’s arrival date at the school. The award was presented to the Peak to Peak yearbook program for achieving defined criteria in between one and three of the following categories: creating an inclusive yearbook, generating school engagement, and successfully managing the yearbook creation process.

Eleven Peak to Peak artists were selected for the BVSD High School Art Show this Spring. Their works will be displayed at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder until May 4 and can be seen in the slideshow, below. Logan Conigliaro ('26) won first place in the mixed media category! 

19 Peak to Peak students received Scholastic Art Awards this year! This prestigious national program has been an annual event in Colorado since 1947. Each year, thousands of Colorado youth enter an average of 5,000 pieces of artwork into the program with the Colorado Art Region of Scholastic Art & Writing. Judges look for work that best exemplifies originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. The selected artworks will be displayed digitally and physically at the Denver Art Museum and 40 West Gallery in Denver starting in early February 2024. You can view their art in the slideshow below, or on our social media pages.

Congratulations to Peak to Peak's High School Ethics Bowl team for winning the Colorado Bowl this Saturday and moving forward to the divisional playoff against the winner of the Oklahoma meet. Way to go, Pumas!

Congratulations to Peak to Peak's Mock Trial Team for another fantastic showing at the Boulder Regional Mock Trial Tournament. The students presented a court case in real courtrooms, including opening statements, direct and cross-examinations, and closing arguments. The kids learn the actual rules of evidence to make objections and motions during the trial.

Athletic Recognition

After a solid performance at State with a Runner Up finish which wears a first for Peak to Peak girls golf, we have two of our players making the CHSAA All State Teams.  1st Team All State is Noelle Thompson ('23) and 2nd Team All State is Shriya Sharma ('25). Click here to read the full article in BOCO Preps.

BVSD's water polo team, which includes several Peak to Peak athletes, won the Colorado state high school water polo championship! This was their third win in four years. Way to go!

Boys' Tennis took 2nd in Regionals. Go team!

The Girls' Cross Country team took first place at the Metro League meet! Way to go, Pumas!

The boys' cross country team took 2nd place at the Metro League Meet. Congrats, Pumas!

Some of our high school Cross Country athletes elected to travel to Mesa, Arizona over the Fall break to compete in the off-season Nike Cross Regional Southwest meet. The girls team placed 1st and the boys team placed 3rd overall. Way to go Pumas, and way to represent our school!

Character & Service Recognition

Emory Vazquez (Class of 2025) was selected as a recipient of the 2023 Youth Impact Award in the Masters Division. He was honored at this year's Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented Award Ceremony in Loveland for his work on helping the elderly become technologically literate. His student-led nonprofit, Connect Digital Inclusion Labs, hosts free tech help days at the public library, gives computer lessons at local senior living facilities, and volunteers with the EFAA and Sister Carmen to increase digital literacy and inclusion while leveraging their tech skills to help close the digital divide. Thanks for all you and your team do to make our community better, Emory!

Faculty Recognition

High School Math Teacher and Head Girls' Basketball Coach, Joe Howard was selected as Colorado's 2023 Most Valuable Coach/Teacher according to Dairy Max and the Colorado Rapids! He wins a smoothie machine, a thousand dollars for his classroom, and Rapids swag. Congrats, Coach Howard!

High School English Teacher, Karen Amidon, has been named among 12 fellows in the 2023-2024 Teach Plus Colorado Policy Fellowship. Ms. Amidon, along with the other selected teachers, "will focus on a range of education issues important to Colorado's students and communities, including school quality, chronic absenteeism, elementary students reading and writing achievement, as well as teacher preparation and the recruitment and retention of teachers of color."

Read more about this impressive cohort here.

Ms. Shea received two generous grants from the Lafayette Arts Commission and Dog House Music Studio, which allowed five Peak to Peak students to receive a recording session with a professional sound engineer. Congrats to Vix Douglass ('25) and their band Opposing Gravity, Trinley Olsen ('27) featuring Lhadze Olsen ('25), Ahmed Miracle ('25), Mishael Rodriguez Colin ('27), and Isabel Swarr ('26)! After an initial consultation with the team at the music studio, the student musicians prepared their tracks at home and then returned for a four-hour recording session where they multi-tracked different parts of their song, added some spice, and collaborated with the engineer to expand their vision into a fully realized track. To hear the final tracks, go to https://tinyurl.com/P2PRecording

Academic Recognitions

Peak to Peak's Battle of the Books competitors participated in the BVSD regional competition and earned high marks!

• 3rd Grade: First Place
• 4th Grade: Third Place
• 5th Grade: First Place tie with Aspen Creek School
• 6th Grade: Third Place (after the tie-break round)
• 7th Grade: Third Place
• 8th Grade: Close to the podium in a highly competitive field!

The Peak to Peak Mock Trial Team did a fantastic job competing in the Colorado Bar Association's Boulder County Regional Tournament in February, winning several awards! The lawyers and witnesses were all highly talented and posted one of Peak to Peak's best performances ever.

A team of high school students working with our Innovation teacher, Ms. Letter, is the state winner in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition! Led by Alex Zou (11th grade) the team includes: Shreya Senthilkumar (11th grade), Tanishka Tagare (10th grade), Josephine Gaarder (9th grade), Amanda Zou (9th grade), and Penelope Letter (9th grade). The students have been diligently developing a water-testing device using light. After reading about how fire damage can impact pipes and cause benzene to leak into the water supplies as it did after the Paradise fire in California, this team of students wanted to use technology to create an instant test for benzene in water. Current lab testing takes time and can be prohibitively expensive, so these students are trying to prototype an equitable and economic way to test the water. Peak to Peak science teachers have offered their support making this a truly collaborative project. Mr. Schaefer helped them understand the chemical structure of benzene, Ms. Shedd helped them plan safe prototyping by substituting salicylic acid for safer prototyping, and Mr. Hankla demonstrated how to use a phone spectrometer, The team is one of 50 to advance to the next round. Way to innovate, Pumas! Read an article about the big win!

In a thrilling competition, our Peak to Peak middle school team came in 4th overall in the local standings at the MathCounts Competition.

Twenty-one middle school students competed in the North Regional Optimist Brain Bowl. Team 7B placed 1st in morning qualifications and qualified to compete in the state championship.

Peak To Peak Charter School, has earned the College Board's AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding access to AP Computer Science A (CSA). This award acknowledges 1,105 schools for their work toward equal gender representation during the 2021-22 school year. Peak to Peak is one of only 209 schools to be recognized for achieving this important result in AP CSA. This honor recognizes the outstanding work schools are doing to engage more female-identifying students in computer science.

A Peak to Peak Innovation team won the Grand Prize in the Corteva Agriscience People, Purpose Planet Challenge! Along with student teams from across the country, these Pumas grew their skills as social entrepreneurs by designing and pitching (via Zoom) their ideas to create healthier school communities through sustainability and agriculture to a panel of industry leaders. Their ideas to use hydroponics impressed the judges (as did their corny vegetable puns) and the prize included grant funding and a trip to Corteva Agriscience headquarters in Indianapolis for mentoring by environmentalists and scientists.

Art Recognitions

2023 AP Art Showcase

2023 Middle School Art

The Peak to Peak Wind Symphony received a Superior rating on their musical performance in front of three judges at the Colorado West Music Festival held in Grand Junction. A Superior rating is the highest rating an ensemble can receive based on 14 different musical criteria. After the band returned home, we learned that they also won the Outstanding 3A Band award, again the highest rating for all of the 3A bands. The Wind Symphony played two challenging and contrasting pieces, Nimrod by Edward Elgar, and Puszta movements one and four by Jan Van der Roost.

Athletic Recognitions

High School Track & Field athletes qualified to run and compete at the state meet. Here are the impressive results:

• State champion - Kourtney Rathke (11th grade) in pole vault and long jump
• 2nd - Kourtney Rathke (11th grade) in triple jump
• 3rd - Chelsey Streifel (9th grade) in pole vault
• 4th - Kourtney Rathke (11th grade) in 100 m hurdles
• 7th - 4x400 relay - Jack Krupey (10th grade), Teagan Trasky (9th grade), Lucas Briggs (12th grade), Reece DiGiacomo (12th grade)

The High School Girls Golf Team placed first in the Metro League! Both the varsity and the junior varsity teams had strong first-place finishes at the final event of the season, locking in the top slot in the league. In addition, Noelle Thompson (12th grade) and Shriya Sharma (10th grade) earned 1st All-League; Kaylee Craig (11th grade) earned 2nd All-League; and Ava Sommer (11th grade) earned All-League Honorable Mention.

Peak to Peak's High School Girls Tennis players won individual 3A 2023 State Championship titles as follows:

• Sydney Lewis (10th grade): #2 Singles
• Rayne Ezenekwe (10th grade) and Sydney Parkinson (9th grade): #1 Doubles
• Josie Adams (11th grade) and Rory West (12th grade): #3 Doubles

The Peak to Peak Boys 4x400m Track & Field relay team beat a school record with a time of 3:31.47. Jack Krupey (10th grade), Teagan Trasky (9th grade), Lucas Briggs (12th grade), and Reece DiGiacomo (12th grade) will continue to train for the state meet and are currently ranked 4th for 3A schools.

The Middle School Girls Basketball teams advanced to the post-season tournament and the "A" team won the championship game placing 1st place in the league.

After playing in the State Championship Final Four, High School Boys Soccer advanced to play in the 3A state championship game, eventually taking 2nd place in the state.

The High School Cross Country Team had a great finish to a strong season. The boys' team placed 10th overall and the girls' team placed 8th in the state. Jack Cerrulo (10th grade) led the team with a 4th-place finish in the individual rankings.

The High School Boys Varsity Tennis team won first place at the Longmont Boys Tennis Invitational.

Peak to Peak's High School JV Girls Volleyball team won 1st place at the 41st Annual Bennett Invitational Tournament.

Character & Service Recognitions

Peak to Peak's Builders Club was recognized with an award from the Salvation Army called the "Bell Ringer Award."

For its exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that improve the school and community, Peak to Peak's High School Student Council has been recognized as a 2023 National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Student Council (NatStuCo). This is a testament to the highest standards of quality that the council consistently demonstrates in its operation, and its projects, and activities. A student council must meet a variety of criteria to earn the National Council of Excellence Award. In addition to basic requirements such as a written constitution, regular meetings, and a democratic election process, the councils must have demonstrated successful sponsorship and participation in activities such as leadership development and service to the school and community.

Faculty Recognitions

The Lafayette Cultural Arts Commission has awarded Peak to Peak three $1000 Arts in Education grants! The first grant will fund a middle school project titled "Inside/Outside: My Letter to the World" during the 2023-24 school year and was championed by Ms. Bunting.

Our orchestra teacher, Ms. Schneider received grants for the following projects:

Recording Lafayette's Musicians of the Future: Students each semester will have the opportunity to record their bands and solo projects with a professional recording engineer at Dog House Music Studio. The cost of professional music recording has skyrocketed over the past twenty years, and more barriers to entry to the music industry exist than ever before. This program not only provides youth with free recording time, but prepares students to be efficient and effective in their music creation process, and equips them with the knowledge they need to be successful in the Colorado Music Scene and beyond.

Intro to Sound Engineering for Budding Musicians: Peak to Peak students in Guitar Lab, Tri-M and the larger student population will visit a local music studio in Lafayette to explore a career path not always included in standard secondary music curriculum: sound engineering. With this grant funding, multiple field trips will be able to take place for students to tour the student, meet with professional engineers, and see how they can get involved with the local music scene.

Mr. Spicer was also recognized at the Colorado West Music Invitational as the Class 3A "Outstanding Concert Band Director!"

Peak to Peak's 2023 Impact on Education award winner is Ileana Peterson. Ms. Peterson works in the main office as our Latino Cohort Coordinator providing support and translation services to our families. As a long-standing and beloved member of our community, Ms. Peterson's contributions go above and beyond to make Peak to Peak a special place. She leads with her heart and approaches everyone with love and care. With this award, we celebrate her immeasurable value, her generous spirit, and her warm kindness.

High school science teacher, Sandra Shedd, received a $4,127 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation (TAF). These funds will support the Green Week group during the inaugural Peak Week experiential learning initiative this spring, in addition to supplementing the AP Environmental Science and 9th-grade Biology courses.

The goal of this project is to provide a robust experiential education program for 9-12 students in sustainable agricultural technology and the intersection of sustainable food systems and the resilience of human society in a changing climate.

For a couple of years, our community has been cheering on Ms. Harlow, our Elementary Library Teacher, as she fulfills a goal that is unreachable to many. Pictured here at the finish line with Ms. Manzanares, Middle School PE Teacher, Ms. Harlow completed a 100-mile run and race.

Academic Recognitions

Peak to Peak students were honored as the top five innovation teams in the international Conrad Challenge for their amazing projects making xylem-based water filters (Shreya Senthilkumar- 10th grade and Ziba Ahamad - 10th grade) and creating sustainable period products (Josie Karr - 9th grade, Dagny West - 9th grade, and Isa Brady - 9th grade). They were honored at the Johnson Space Center in Houston where they presented their innovative ideas to CEOs, astronauts and scientists.

Each year in the spring, school ratings and rankings are announced, lining up schools across the country to identify those that are demonstrating success. To be sure, “success” is defined by the data available, by various priorities, and by the algorithms established by the reporting entities like US News & World Report, The Jay Mathews Challenge Index, Niche, Great Schools, and many others. These algorithms change frequently, so while the rankings are a positive way to showcase student success, first and foremost, we consider them the result of work we have been doing consistently since Peak to Peak started. Fundamentally, our focus is on each individual student as a human being with great promise and potential, not on chasing after the rankings. . Having a K-12 community means we can personalize learning experiences and create opportunities for students and staff alike. Our success is about relationships as much as it is our ongoing dedication to high expectations, rigorous instruction, and risk-taking through innovative practices. We value authentic learning, character development, and people. The rankings are simply a byproduct of our passion and mission. It’s true that the recognition we gain through these rankings helps all current and future alumni in their search for their best-fit schools by garnering the attention of thousands of colleges and universities across the nation and around the globe. We are grateful that the hard work and dedication of our students and staff are reflected in these rankings.

US News and World Report ranks Peak to Peak at #210 out of 24,000 high schools and #56 of charter high schools. Peak to Peak is #1 in the Boulder Valley School District and #6 in Colorado. This places Peak to Peak solidly among the top 1% of America's 24,000 high schools. 

The Jay Mathews Challenge Index ranks Peak to Peak at #100 of the top high schools in the nation. 

Niche recognizes Peak to Peak as #2 in Colorado at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. 

Peak to Peak ninth graders have been honored for their skills addressing climate change and innovating potential solutions in CAVU's 2022 international Climate Innovation Challenge! Sydney Cusack won for Most Effective Storytelling, Lauren Laird won for Most Engaging Project, and Ranye Ezenekwe for Outstanding Individual Entry. Annabelle Tin, Izze Guido and Gabi Drozdzewicz all won Honorable Mentions. Students win prizes, climate change swag, and the knowledge that they are changemakers.

Two Peak to Peak students have earned the distinction of being Finalists in the World Series of Innovation!

Sydney Lewis's (9th grade) amazing innovation Hydroilet was a top ten finalist in the Bank of the West Move on Climate Change Challenge. See her idea for an eco-friendly toilet with a flushing turbine through this link: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9391328/video/691471177

Olin Harrison Anguiano's (9th grade) sophisticated program R360 was also a top ten finalist in the Bank of the West Move on Climate Change Challenge. See his idea to restore healthy soil through a grazing rotation initiative through this link: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9391328/video/691471317

These students used the UN Sustainability Goals to innovate unique solutions to change our world for the better and they were recognized in this international competition for their fabulous concepts.

Four Peak to Peak ninth-grade students won national awards and the support to start making positive change in the world! Their creative solutions for solving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals have won accolades and support from Teen Dreams to make a global community of teen changemakers.

The 2021-2022 Peak to Peak Mock Trial Team had a great showing at the Boulder County Regional Tournament. Several individuals on the team were recognized by the judges for their accomplishments at the tournament.

Peak to Peak has 14 students who received National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Awards for Aspirations in Computing in Colorado! Of special note, Quinn Burns also received a National Honorable Mention.

Peak to Peak middle school MATHCOUNTS team finished 2nd in the chapter competition. Additionally, Tanush Shekhar (8th grade) finished 2nd and Amanda Zou (8th grade) finished 6th as individuals. Additional team members were Michael Lu (7th grade) and Saatwik Das (8th grade).

Tanush Shekhar (8th grade) battled ferociously from 9th to 5th place in the head-to-head buzzer round at the state competition.

Max Turczyn-Scheppach (9th grade) and Aizek Kemp (9th grade) have won the 2021 AT&T Inventor's Challenge! Their innovative Water Tracking App impressed the judges and out of more than 26,000 students participating, they were chosen as the winners of the Grace Hopper Incubator prize for the best group project. Max and Aizek created an app to help awareness of water waste and preserve this precious resource.

Eight Peak to Peak students participated in the American Math Competition ("AMC 10" and "AMC 12") in person this year. The AMC 10 and AMC 12 are both 25-question, 75-minute, multiple-choice examinations in high school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. The AMC 10 is for students in 10th grade and below, and covers the high school curriculum up to 10th grade. The AMC 12 covers the entire high school curriculum including trigonometry, advanced algebra, and advanced geometry, but excluding calculus.

Five students received awards for their performance. For the first time in Peak to Peak's history, one of our students was invited to participate in the American Invitational Math Competition. Waren Chen (10th grade) earned a score of 99 and advanced to this prestigious level of competition.

https://www.maa.org/math-competitions/amc-1012

Students from Ms. Letter's innovation class have been named a 2021-22 State Winner in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition! It’s great to see their hard work celebrated as they strive to develop a STEM solution to an issue that impacts our local community. Solve for Tomorrow is a "nationwide education competition that challenges 6-12th grade students and their teachers to creatively use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills to tackle local issues of national importance while keeping sustainability in mind." The winning team's project idea will use GIS mapping and citizen science to help with pine beetle infestations and will receive funding from Samsung. Ms. Letter hopes to take 9th graders on a spring field trip to track infested trees after creating the interactive GIS tools with a Samsung mentor. Addie O'Connell (10th grade) and Jade Fernandez (9th grade) are the student leads on this project.

https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/

Forty-seven students were proudly inducted into the Peak to Peak chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) during a chilly, outdoor ceremony. High School Principal, Mr. Mathews, and the NHS advisors, Ms. Bostic (High School Counselor) and Ms. Tarbutton (High School Math Teacher), were pleased to honor these students. Selection into NHS is based on four criteria: scholarship, leadership, service and character.

Lily Zhao (10th grade) won a national award for a video game she created in her Innovation class last year. LIly's creation, called Hegemony, won a national award in the Games for Change "Build a Better World" 2021 challenge. This game engages players in a Minecraft world where celebrating diverse cultures conquers all! You can play Lily's amazing game in the Student Arcade linked below.

Arts Recognitions

Six members of the Peak to Peak band were recognized for their hard work, dedication, passion, and commitment to pushing themselves to the highest musical level possible in the State of Colorado for High School Band. Out of approximately 800 auditions across the state, Sartaj Singh (12th grade), Natalie Sievers (11th grade), Katelyn Remund (11th grade), Jadyn Ries (11th grade), Sophie Steven (12th grade), and Vasilisa Malenki (11th grade) auditioned and were selected to perform in a 90-piece band at the state level.

The 2022 BVSD Student and Faculty Exhibition includes artwork from twenty Peak to Peak high school students and one teacher. These unique mixed media artworks were on display at the Dairy Center in Boulder.

Fifth-grade students, led by Katy Mathes, Elementary Art Teacher, created a community-based artwork that is currently on display for the month of April at the Museum of Boulder. The student-led design developed into a full-blown community project, encompassing elementary students, homeroom teachers and specialists, office staff, paras, cafeteria staff, custodians, and more. Ms. Mathes custom cut the acrylic clouds and raindrops per the 5th grade design. Then, each person designed their own raindrop, which was assembled by hand to create the final work. 5th grade students chose a quote by Maya Angelou to accompany their work, "Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud."

Alex Henry (9th grade) is one of ten students in the U.S. to win the Outstanding Performance prize for his original song "Phillis Wheatley, the First of Her Kind." This song, like the ones Lin Manuel Miranda wrote for Hamilton, was based on historical fact and inspired by Alex's analysis of primary source documents. His historical analysis, innovative songcraft and excellent singing wowed the professional judges.

The following students received 2022 Scholastic Writing Awards for their works:

Kylie Ford (9th grade) - Silver Key: Poetry award for "Hear Our Voice"
Avanti Gautam (10th grade) - Silver Key: Poetry award for "The Poet"
Sena Kavi (12th grade) - Gold Key: Critical Essay award for “'Public Enemy No.1:' War on Drugs, Racism, and Disproportionate Incarceration"
Lindsay Li-Garrison (12th grade)
Honorable Mention: Flash Fiction award for "Black Ice"
Honorable Mention: Flash Fiction award for "His True Threat"
Honorable Mention: Short Story award for "Swim with me, Sam"
Honorable Mention: Writing Portfolio award for "They Coped"

The following students received 2022 Scholastic Art Awards for their works:

Mandy Lieng (12th grade) - Silver Key Portfolio Award for "My Coming of Age Story: A Visual Diary"
Gabby Reiland (12th grade) - Gold Key Portfolio Award for "Witnessing Regrowth and Destruction in Nature"
Detmar Bloom (9th grade) - Gold Key: Fashion award for "Evolve 4 Environment"
Avanti Gautam (10th grade) - Silver Key: Editorial Cartoon award for "Weighing Down the Planet"
Yosha Gautam (10th grade) - Gold Key: Painting award for "Crossing Into The Unknown" and Honorable Mention: Drawing & Illustration award for "Distance"
Micaela Kerrane (10th grade) - Honorable Mention: Ceramics & Glass award for "Sea Glass"
Stanley Li (12th grade) - Gold Key: Photography award for "Painting-esque" and Gold Key: Photography award for "Life's a Blur" and Silver Key: Photography award for "Captivating Conversations" and Honorable Mention: Photography award for "A World Beyond Home"
Ty Matthews (9th grade) - Silver Key: Architecture & Industrial Design award for "Net-zero housing"
Annaka Rudolph (10th grade) - Silver Key: Jewelry award for "Chowder"
Ashley Trathen (12th grade) - Gold Key: Sculpture award for "Treasures of the Sea"

Six Peak to Peak high school students earned spots in this year's 2022 Colorado All-State Concert Band. The All-State Concert Band is comprised of 95 students representing 46 high schools. A total of 590 students from 145 schools participated in the recent All-State Bands auditions. 

Seniors: Sophie Steven - Tenor Saxophone & Sartaj Singh - Alto Saxophone (alternate)

Juniors: Vasilisa Malenkiy - Clarinet, Katelyn Remund - Flute, Natalie Sievers - Flute, and Jadyn Ries - French Horn

Selected for the 2022 CU Middle School Honor Band is 8th grader, Jacque Steven, on trombone. Jacque not only made the honor band but also secured the first chair position of the entire trombone section.

Aditya Nandyal (10th grade) was awarded 1st place in the 2021 Congressional App Challenge! In addition, Yosha and Avanti Gautam (10th grade) were awarded 2nd place! "The Congressional App Challenge is an annual competition hosted by Members of Congress, and is the most prestigious prize in student computer science."

Eight Peak to Peak artists were selected out of hundreds of other entries to hang in the I'm Here Art Show. I’m Here will hang in the Center for the Arts Evergreen Gallery from January 13-February 12. Information about the show:  2020 was a year of separation and uncertainty. 2021 has been a year of reuniting, rebuilding, and looking forward with a renewed sense of hope and strength. Center for the Arts Evergreen’s (CAE) teen exhibition, I’m Here, seeks artwork that reflects on the resilience and growth that today’s teenagers were forced to dig deep and find in the midst of the pandemic. This show will serve as a platform for others to celebrate today’s teenagers through their art

For the second time, Sophie Steven (12th grade) has been named to the Colorado Small School All-State Jazz Band! Sophie is the only student in Peak to Peak’s history to make this highly competitive and prestigious band and has secured a spot as the 1st chair tenor saxophone. The 2022 Colorado All-State Jazz band performance will take place on January 29th in Colorado Springs.

Lauren Thornton (11th grade) auditioned against over 1400 other juniors and seniors across the state and was selected to this year's All State Choir! Lauren will be participating in the Colorado All State Choir Festival in Denver from January 20th to 22nd.

Chloe Veitzer (10th grade) won an award in the international Bowseat Ocean Awareness competition with her response to the 2021 theme "Water Rising." Her photograph, "Water Privilege," creates a reflection on the incredible privilege that is clean water and the disparity that exists. She earns a cash prize to further her passion for water equity and art.

Shuya Edmans (11th grade) and Brianna Tang (9th grade) represented Colorado in Senior Piano Duet Performance at the West Central Division at the Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) performance competition. These musicians worked hard to reach the national level and this is a spectacular achievement.

Athletic Recognitions

The High School Girls Golf Team won the CHSAA 3A Regional 1 Title. Led by Noelle Thompson (11th grade) who took 1st place honors for the event by shooting a very solid par 71. Kaylee Craig (10th grade) finished 4th, Ava Sommer (10th grade) finished 5th and Shriya Sharma (9th grade) finished 12th out of 48 golfers. The team will be competing in the State Tournament on May 31st and June 1st in Broomfield at the Broadlands Golf Course.

At the Colorado State Track & Field Championships this past weekend, Kourtney Rathke (10th grade) broke the State meet pole vault record and finished 1st place with a 12’11” jump.

The following fall sports athletes received recognition for their successful seasons:

*Cross Country:*

State Qualifiers: Shriya Biddala, Abbey Brende, Carmela DiSciullo, Alexandra Kerschner, Kiele Maunakea, Emily Post, Annaka Rudolph, Jack Cerullo, Olin Harrison Anguiano, Lorenzo Harrison Anguiano, Brenden Hartley,Thomas Liu, Ryan Taylor, Emory Vazquez

• Metro 2nd team: Annaka Rudolph
• Honorable mention: Shriya Biddala

*Golf:*

• State: Raseesh Bhandari

*Softball:*

• Metro 1st team: Alena Carpenter, Kelsey O'Dowd
• Metro 2nd team: Paige Putthoff, Leah Legeer, Sydney Cusack, Maggie Walis
• Metro Hon Men: Peyton Larsen

*Boys Soccer:*

• Metro 1st team: Luke Crotty
• Metro 2nd team: Ian Faussett
• Metro Hon Men: Ethan Wang

*Boys Tennis:*

• State: Benjamin Weintraub, Claeb Harris, Atticus Phillips, Sartaj Singh

*Volleyball:*

• Metro 1st team: Sarah McLaughlin
• Metro 2nd team: Grace Langlois
• Metro Hon Men: Tatiana Anderson

Diya Shajikumar (4th grade) won first place in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournament held recently in Colorado Springs. She played two matches in the under 12 girls category and won both to receive first place.

For the first time since 2012, Broomfield High School (representing all of BVSD) won the 5A Gymnastics State Championship, finishing off their season undefeated. Mia Ritchie (10th grade) was the only Peak to Peak student who competed at the state meet. She scored 9.125 and 9.2 on her two events. Charlotte Gentry (12th grade), Izzy Pych (12th grade), and Sophia Pych (10th grade) are on the team and in the picture. Sophie Hodgson (12th grade) was also on the team.

Ben Weintraub (12th grade) and Atticus Phillips (10th grade) accomplished a No. 3 Doubles victory at the Boys State Tennis Tournament. Also qualifying for the state tournament in the No. 1 Doubles match were Caleb Harris (11th grade) and Sartaj Singh (12th grade) who put up a great fight.

Character & Community Service Recognitions

Seniors Maddie Ball and Cecile Stone were honored at the Broomfield Youth Recognition Awards. These awards honor students who have made great contributions to their community and overcome great adversity.

Faculty Recognitions

Ms. Kayleigh Esswein, High School English Teacher, was nominated as one of the four finalists for the Imogene “Jean” Maxon Early Educator Award from BVSD’s Impact on Education Foundation.

Kelly Reeser, Peak to Peak's Executive Director of Education, was honored at this week's Colorado State Charter School Conference with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her years of service at Peak to Peak, but also in the broader charter school community

Peak to Peak's Middle School Technology Teacher, Gayle Van Tol recently published a feature article titled "Read, Write, Talk, Listen, and Move" in *Hello World: The Magazine for Computing and Digital Making Educators*.

"I needed to implement more breaks and balance into my screen-dominated class time. I needed to do this not only to improve the health of my students in my classroom, but also to encourage healthy habits outside the classroom. Whether it’s eye strain, obesity, or social withdrawal, prolonged screen time and a lack of movement can become an unhealthy habit for students, and can turn other students away from computer science."

Middle School Counselor, Liz Meier Thornton recently published an article in the Colorado School Counselor Association Newsletter. The topic is timely and her advice, following the "Airplane Mask Protocol," is something we can all follow.

"While burnout is a major issue for educators and school counselors around the nation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rising tides of mental health issues continue to challenge school counselor mental well-being and job enjoyment. Rather than burning out from the overwhelming tasks added to their already busy jobs, school counselors are encouraged to follow the “Airplane Mask Protocol,” of putting their oxygen masks on first before helping others. Protective and preventive factors against burnout for school counselors are included to help school counselors tap into multiple resources to support them as they continue to keep breathing through the ongoing crisis of COVID-19 and the ensuing mental health crisis."

Middle School Counselor, Liz Meier Thornton, was published in the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision fall newsletter. Her article, titled "School Counselors as Community Bridges, and Counselor Educators as Bridge Builders," is important to Ms. Meier because being properly prepared and trained to be social justice advocates or equity bridges is critically important to student success.

Kathleen Weil (Elementary Technology Teacher) was recently interviewed on the topic of Digital Citizenship for a BrainPop blog. Through her work on this topic, Ms. Weil has also been contacted by the Ronald Reagan Institute, who have invited her to participate in a panel discussion in their series, "State of Civics" with Colorado's Commissioner of Education.

From the blog:

“I believe it’s important to help students identify that their character plays an important role when working online,” says Kathleen Weil, whose school maintains a strong focus on character education. “Character traits from our school program that I incorporate into my digital citizenship lessons include respect, responsibility, kindness, integrity, self-control, cooperation, and perseverance.”

Ms. Guajardo and Peak to Peak’s yearbook team for won a Jostens 2021 National Yearbook Program of Excellence award at the Bronze Level. The National Yearbook Program of Excellence recognizes engaging yearbooks that reflect a broad representation of the student body while helping students develop 21st century skills such as communication, collaboration, and information and communication technologies (ICT) literacy.

Innovation course teacher, Ms. Kristie Letter, was selected as a 2021 Educator Innovation Award Winner by the Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Program! This award recognizes teachers who have empowered their students to become creative stewards of our planet by incorporating the Ocean Awareness Contest into their curriculum. The program invites youth to learn about and explore the connections between human activities and the health of our ocean through visual and performing arts, creative writing, film, and multimedia.

Academic Recognitions

The following rising 10th graders were selected as one of 16 winning high school and college teams in the T-Mobile Foundation and Ashonka 2021 Changemaker Challenge. Shreya Senthilkumar, Amory Mun, Kourtney Rathke, and Nick Pineda collaborated on their project as a part of the Introduction to Innovation class. Two of the team members will be flown to the Changemaker Lab at the T-Mobile headquarters in Washington where they will be mentored and will receive $5,000 to help make their educational innovation, "Solar Education Center" a reality. Way to go, Pumas! #TMoChangemaker.  Click here to read more about the Changemaker Challenge

Class of 2021 graduate Allison Beasley was presented with the Bruce Tashiro scholarship award

The National Junior Honor Society has recognized nine Peak to Peak students with their Outstanding Achievement Award! The award recognizes 500 exceptional NJHS students with $500, to be placed in a college savings account. 

• Tej Mathur (9th grade)
• Aisha Ebadi (9th grade)
• Kourtney Rathke (9th grade)
• Amrita Saini (9th grade)
• Adalena Crotty (8th grade)
• Siddharth Nareddy (9th grade) (9th grade)
• James Kerrane (9th grade)
• Chase Brandt (9th grade)
• Annaka Rudolph (9th grade)

Ninth graders Warren Chen and Santiago Moreno Ontiveros won the international 2020 AT&T Inventor's Challenge with their innovative idea to curb food waste! They won the Grace Hopper Incubator Prize for the best group entry. You can view their video describing their project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkAYGVE-f38. You can read more about the competition and awards by clicking here.

Kaden Brooks (9th grade) is a member of a team, "The Wright Angles," which was comprised of four high school students from various Denver/Boulder schools. The team placed first in the ACE Mentor of Colorado tiny home community design project. The four-month project featured lessons from industry professionals on landscape design, engineering, construction, and architecture, culminating in a full community design plan using an actual location in the Denver Metro area. Click here to see their first-place presentation.

Congratulations to Madison Lin (12th grade) who has been awarded a Boettcher Foundation Scholarship, a four-year scholarship that includes virtually all expenses to attend the Colorado school of the recipient’s choice! Additionally, Peak to Peak had two seniors, Andrew Woen and Logan Norman, who were recognized by the Boettcher Foundation, but who have elected to accept other amazing opportunities outside of the state.

Click here to see all of this year's recipients.

Shriya Biddala (10th grade) and Yashaswi Bista (10th grade) advanced to the third round in the 2021 TI Codes Contest, in which only 15 teams were selected. Together, they won a TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator, TI-Innovator Hub, TI-Innovator Accessory Packs, and a $50 Visa gift card to create a prototype of a bionic knee brace. This knee brace will help people going through the knee recovery process and those paralyzed walk. 

Ria Jansun (12th grade) and Amrita Saini (9th grade) were recognized with awards at the 2021 Colorado State Science Fair.

Ria was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Medicine and Health category for her project: Designing an Internal Whippletree Mechanism in a Prosthetic Hand.

She also received one special award - The Adams State Porter Scholarship for students majoring in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science and Mathematics.

Amrita received two special awards for her project: Analyzing Most Effective Cotton Species for More Sustainable Absorbent Products and Textiles.

Ricoh USA awarded her project with a Ricoh Sustainable Development Award for "develop[ing] brilliant innovations for driving environmentally and socially responsible businesses." The SACNAS, Colorado State University Chapter, awarded her project as one of the "Best projects by students from underrepresented populations who display a well-organized and attractive exhibit, possess a genuine interest in pursuing scientific or engineering studies in college and demonstrates an excitement for the project." SACNAS is devoted to advancing Hispanics, Chicanos and Native Americans and other underrepresented populations in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

Full results from the Science Fair can be found here: http://www.csef.colostate.edu/2021_Press_Release-Grand_Awards.pdf

Special Award results can be seen here: http://www.csef.colostate.edu/Special_Award_Winner_Presentation.ppsx

Junior, Sophie Steven, who has accepted a full-time summer internship with NASA. She will be computer programming and conducting data analysis on SAGE III, which is mounted onto the International Space Station. SAGE III makes long-term measurements of ozone, aerosols, water vapor, and other gases in Earth's atmosphere.  Sophie is one of five interns selected nationally to work on this project out of a pool of over 1,000 applicants.

Sophia Du (11th grade) and Warren Chen (9th grade) participated as a team in the international Purple Comet Math Meet competition, an annual student event. Students across the world participate in teams of 6, but Peak to Peak was represented by this twosome. The questions are grueling and deal with all areas of mathematics. These students answered every question they attempted correctly and did amazingly considering the odds. This team ranked 241 out of 884 internationally and 122 out of 288 from the U.S.

At the middle school level, Peak to Peak was represented by Tanush Shekhar (7th grade), Saatwik Das (7th grade), and Joaquin Hoffer (6th grade). This team ranked 184 out of 503 internationally, 83 out of 176 in the U.S., and 5 out of 17 in Colorado.

https://purplecomet.org/

Senior Logan Norman was selected to receive a Certificate of Accomplishment from Princeton University as part of its Princeton Prize in Race Relations program! The selection committee stated that they were very impressed with Logan’s racial equity work and would like him to be formally recognized and commended.  https://pprize.princeton.edu/

Peak to Peak has two National Honor Society (NHS) 2021 Scholars, seniors Ayush Shekhar and Andrew Woen. These students were chosen from nearly 10,000 applicants and will receive scholarships toward higher education. Recipients are chosen based on their demonstrated work to support the four pillars of NHS: scholarship, service, leadership, and character.  https://www.nhs.us/students/the-nhs-scholarship/

Andrew Woen was ultimately honored as a National Finalist, one of 24 for winners across the U.S. Andrew is Peak to Peak's first ever NHS Scholoarship national finalist.

Vidya Balachander (9th grade) won the World Series of Innovation with her idea for The Green Careers Training Program! In response to a prompt sponsored by the Citi Foundation for ideas about post-Covid economic recovery, Vidya's innovation addressed post-pandemic economics with a program to train those who lost jobs for green careers. Six other ninth-graders were honored as finalists in this international competition.

You can watch Vidya's video pitch via this URL: https://www.wevideo.com/view/2052504965

Click to see the published list of winners.

The following seniors are Peak to Peak's 2021 National Merit Scholarship finalists:

• Matthew Chen
• Paris Kiehl
• Sophie Kiehl
• Michael Liao
• Jenna Plute
• Cailyn Smith

Emily Post (11th grade) and Jeffrey Chen (12th grade) have both won national grants from Adcap! Emily's grant will support art projects using seed paper to encourage Lafayette kids to plant their own herbs and vegetables. Jeffrey's grant will empower ninth graders to make connections in their community.   https://adcapyouth.org/about

Peak to Peak's ninth-grade team Honeypack (Xana Scriber, Riley Hall, and Shreya Senthilkumar) has made the international finals of the Conrad Challenge with their innovative idea for a renewable alternative that reduces the amount of plastic packaging foam in waste streams. They use potato foam and bee-based biomimicry to replace plastic and redesign packaging. They will compete in April against teams from around the world.

Other Peak to Peak ninth grade teams were honored by the Conrad Challenge. Avanti Gautam, Ziba Ahamad, Erika Sexton, Bipartap Singh, Annaka Rudolph, Ashlyn Kerrane, Kourtney Rathke, Arihant Swain, and Luca DiScullio have been named alternates in this international competition with their innovative ideas to solve world issues!  https://www.conradchallenge.org/2021finalists

Daneca Nelson is one of only 240 students selected as a 2021 Daniels Scholar.

"The Daniels Scholarship Program offers a comprehensive, four-year college scholarship that provides financial and personal support focused on helping Daniels Scholars succeed in college, and in life. The Daniels Scholarship can be used at any accredited nonprofit college or university in the United States. Our goal is not only to help Daniels Scholars succeed in college, but to ensure that they thrive beyond their years in college."  https://www.danielsfund.org/2021DanielsScholars

After a cool Q & A session with astronauts, NASA named Peak to Peak's Anjana Radha (9th grade) as the Colorado state semifinalist for the high school Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest. Her creative essay about using "lunar concrete" for a landing pad stood out from over fourteen thousand entries received by NASA and will continue on in the competition with the winners from each other state. You can read her essay via the following link: https://www.futureengineers.org/artemismoonpodessay

Our varsity Speech & Debate team members had an excellent showing at the state meet:

• Palpasha Karki (11th grade) - 12th place, International Extemporaneous Speaking
• Lauren Wagner (11th grade) - 4th place, National Extemporaneous Speaking
• Alvina Zhang (11th grade) - 10th place, Informative Speaking
• Bryce Li & Aayam KC (11th grade) - made the top 16 teams in the state in Public Forum Debate
• Nivedita Prabhu & Bronwyn Busby (11th grade) - made the top 8 teams in the state in Public Forum Debate

Bronwyn Busby, Bryce Li, Nivedita Prabhu, and Alvina Zhang, this year's IPPF team, are preparing to compete as finalists in the 20th annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) global debate competition. The team has advanced to the “Elite 8” round of the IPPF, a global debate contest sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University (NYU).  The IPPF is a one-of-its-kind collaboration between a law firm and major university providing a debate platform through which high school students hone their debate and advocacy skills on issues of public policy in written and oral debates. Students are debating the topic, “Resolved: The benefits of artificial intelligence outweigh the harms.  Eleventh grader, Sophie Steven submitted this year’s winning essay to the Westminster/Broomfield Optimist Club International Essay Contest. The 2021 Optimist Club essay topic was “Reaching Your Dreams by Choosing Optimism”. Sophie’s club winning essay will be sent on to the Colorado/Wyoming District contest, where she will compete for a $2,500 college scholarship.

Tanush Shekhar (7th grade) participated in two rounds of the Middle School National Mathcounts competition and was rated in the top 15 in Boulder Valley and 38th in Colorado out of hundreds of students.

Fareed Ahamad is a 2021 Coca-Cola Scholar! He is one of 150 students selected from the 251 finalists, which were previously identified from a field of over 99,000 applicants! 

"The Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship is an achievement-based scholarship awarded to graduating high school seniors. Students are recognized for their capacity to lead and serve, as well as their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities."  https://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/

Pi competition:  Faith Peddycord (10th grade). Faith recited 870 digits from memory, a new Peak to Peak record, and 270 more than our last record held by Josh Kirkfield (10th grade). It was amazing to have several elementary students and middle say over 100 digits for the first time. The final results were: Faith Peddycord-870 and Josh Kirkfield-602

Senior Logan Norman has been selected as a Danforth Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. Logan was one of only 15 students selected for this honor from a pool of over 3000 applicants. https://students.wustl.edu/danforth-scholars-program/ 

Senior Madison Lin has been awarded the Park Scholarship to North Carolina State University!  https://park.ncsu.edu/

Three 11th graders have qualified for the National Speech & Debate tournament:

• Bryce Li - 3rd place, qualifying in International Extemporaneous Speaking
• Nivedita Prabhu - 1st place, qualifying in National Extemporaneous Speaking
• Alvina Zhang - 2nd place, qualifying in Original Oratory

Senior Sofia Casini has been awarded a full-ride Morehead-Cain Scholarship to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill! http://www.moreheadcain.org/

The following high school students won awards in this year's Corden Pharma Regional Science Fair:

Thanussh Gnanasegeran (12th grade) and Koki Gunasinghe (12th grade): 3rd Place Biological Sciences for their project: "A Pandemic: 3D Printing the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Understanding its Foundational Basis."

Ria Jansun (12th grade): 2nd Place Biological Sciences for her project: "Internal Whippletree Mechanism for Prosthetic Hand." Ria will also be advancing to the State Competition. She also received a special recognition from the US Agency for International Development.

Ethan Mun (12th grade): 3rd Place in Math for his project: "The 5G Technology Impact on the Society and Economy."

Charlie Ray (11th grade): 2nd Place in Computer Science for his project: "Predicting United States Election Results with Data from Social Media."

Mason Rein (12th grade): 2nd Place Physics/Astronomy for his project: "Peak Emission-Density Relation of Solar Flare Formation: Observations of Solar Flare Temperature Emission." Mason will also be advancing to the State Competition.

Amrita Saini (9th grade): 1st Place in Environmental Sciences for her project: "Analyzing Most Effective Cotton Species for More Sustainable Absorbent Products and Textiles." Amrita will also be advancing to the State Competition and is an alternate for the International Science and Engineering Fair. She also received the Ricoh USA Sustainable Development Award and the US Air Force Senior Division Special Recognition.

Here is the slideshow and live stream video from the awards presentation:

Slideshow: https://docs.google.com/…/18IzfwUG-gVbk5xO4O1eYx57kPx…/edit…

Livestream video: https://drive.google.com/…/1pxDyCZZaDJF06_y4RXHYpEZlz…/view…

Congratulations to the following students who have received NCWIT awards this year. Every Peak to Peak student who entered the competition received an award! This year is perhaps the best showing ever for our students. Well done, Pumas!

• Allison Beasley (12th grade): Affiliate Honorable Mention
• Shriya Biddala (10th grade): Affiliate Honorable Mention
• Quinn Burns (9th grade): Affiliate Winner
• Nicole Kerschner (11th grade): Affiliate Winner
• Aveena Rawal (11th grade): Affiliate Winner
• Julietta Rozin (12th grade): National Honorable Mention and Affiliate Winner
• Cailyn Smith (12th grade): Affiliate Winner
• Sophia Steven (11th grade): Affiliate Winner
• Lauren Wagner (11th grade): Affiliate Winner

Seniors Jenna Plute, Michael Liao, and Cailyn Smith were named as candidates in the 2021 United States Presidential Scholars Program. Candidacy is based primarily on outstanding performance on the ACT Assessment or the College Board SAT. Of the nearly 3.6 million high school seniors graduating this year, approximately 4,000 students receive this invitation. The scores associated with the top 20 male examinees and top 20 female examinees are used to select candidates from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and from families of U.S. citizens living abroad.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors.

https://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/index.html

Julietta Rozin (12th grade) received a national Honorable Mention for the Award for Aspirations in Computing 2021. 

Bryce Li (11th grade) qualified to compete in the Speech and Debate Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky in April. Bryce will compete in the Extemporaneous Speaking category.

https://ci.uky.edu/UKDebate/2021-tournament-champions

Quinn Burns (9th grade) and Reema Patadia (9th grade) pursue their passion by volunteering their time to offer TechGirlz virtual workshops for middle school students. In these workshops, girls learn the basics of Python programming including simple data types, comparisons, if-statements, and loops in Trinket.io. Using what they learned, students make a fun game. It is a great opportunity for girls to try out the technology and learn the basics of Python Programming in a fun environment. 

TechGirlz exists to empower girls to be future technology leaders. According to their website: "TechGirlz’ mission is to inspire middle school girls to explore the possibilities of technology to empower their future careers."

Alvina Zhang (11th Grade) won 3rd place in Informative Speaking and 5th place in original oratory at the Colorado Cup Speech and Debate tournament this past weekend. She also earned 2 bids in Informative and 2 bids in Oratory for NIETOC (National Individual Event Tournament of Champions), which qualifies her for both Informative and Oratory for 2021 NIETOC. NIETOC is a very prestigious national high school speech competition. More information about NIETOC is at www.nietoc.com. 

Andrew Woen (12th grade) was named as one of the top 300 scholars in the 80th Regeneron Science Talent Search—"the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors."

In recognition of this achievement, Andrew will receive $2,000, and Peak to Peak will also receive $2,000 to use toward STEM-related activities.

Paris Kiehl, Sophie Kiehl, Julietta Rozin, and Cailin Smith (all 12th grade) truly are Enigma Experts. This amazing HS team placed 6th overall in the InteGIRLS global puzzle hunt competition. They had a lot of fun problem-solving 20 challenging mathematical and word puzzles together. The puzzles came in many different forms; the only real commonality is that you usually receive no direct instructions, so it’s up to you to figure out how to make sense of the information you’re given. The Fall 2020 event drew hundreds of teams from close to 50 countries/territories.

Andrew Woen (12th grade) continues to receive accolades for his invention "ReDetect Recycle." He was named a Top 10 Finalist for the fall 2020 Innovator Competition sponsored by the Jacobson Institute at the University of Iowa.

Alessandra Wilson (4th grade) was chosen as a winner of the Colorado "Experience Your Nature" Capitol Christmas Tree Essay Contest. 

Peak to Peak's National Honor Society inducted 35 new members in the fall of 2020.

Peak to Peak's National Junior Honor Society inducted 91 new members in the fall of 2020.

Oliver Pollock and Peter Trainor, Class of 2020, were encouraged to enter "The Game Plan Challenge" by Mrs. Letter's Senior Literature Class during the spring 2020 semester. Six months later, Oliver and Peter received a letter from the President of the Hard Rock Cafe, congratulating them on their 1st place public service announcement, out of over 16,000 entries, on the effects of video games on teenagers - addiction. They won more that $2500 in gifts including Hard Rock Cafe Electric guitars, a case, a strap, Fender bluetooth speakers, Skullcandy ear buds, hoodies and t-shirts. Click here to view their video entry.

Click on the links below to see a list of students who made Peak to Peak's honor roll for the Fall Semester, 2020. 

Student Honor Requirements

• MS Honor Roll: 3.0 – 3.499 GPA 
• MS High Honor Roll: 3.5 – 3.899 GPA  
• MS Dean’s List: 3.9 – 4.0 GPA  
• HS Honor Roll: 3.3 – 3.699 GPA  
• HS High Honor Roll: 3.7 – 3.899 GPA  
• HS Dean’s List: 3.9 – 5.0 GPA    

HS Honor Roll 2019-20 2nd semester list

MS Honor Roll 2019-20 2nd semester list

Several Spanish students from Peak to Peak attained national recognition for excellent performance in the 2020 National Spanish Examinations.

• Madelyn Baldwin (8th grade) - Bronce ( bronze)
• Maren Bradley (8th grade) - Oro ( gold)
• Alexandra Eschmeyer (8th grade) - Honor ( honorable mention)
• Lola Graves (8th grade) - Plata ( silver)
• Lindsey Liu (8th grade) - Bronce ( bronze)
• Tyler Roy (8th grade) - Bronce ( bronze)

Sophie Steven (rising 11th grader) has been recognized as an honorable mention winner the nationally sponsored 2020 Kaplun Foundation essay contest. Additionally, she was invited to serve on the prestigious Kaplun Teen Foundation Board where the top essayists get to help allocate other foundation funds to non-profits.

Arts Recognitions

Grace Fuller, Class of 2021 graduate and new alumna, placed 4th in Congressman Neguse's 3rd annual Congressional Art Competition for students in the 2nd Congressional District. The Congressional Art Competition is meant to encourage creativity and is an opportunity for high school students to be recognized for their artistic talents not only within the Congressional District but in our nation's capital. Grace's piece is mixed media and digital photography and is titled "There Are So Many Holes in My Facade."

Isa Brady (8th grade) is featured in this article that appeared in Chalkbeat. Isa is one of several students in Peak to Peak's Heritage Speakers course who worked with Sr. Barbour to create shadow boxes as a part of an exhibit at the Museum of Boulder. The exhibit is a part of a larger project to showcase Latino culture in Boulder County. The shadow boxes in the exhibit were created by students from several Boulder Valley high schools with the intention of allowing young people to tell their perspectives through the use of artifacts and symbols.

“I wanted to give off the sense that I still identify as Latina, but it doesn’t confine me to stereotypes,” Isa said. “At the same time, I also embrace a lot of the culture that is sometimes stereotyped especially in the community that doesn’t have a lot of Latinos.”

The project was a part of a broad collaboration between the Museum of Boulder, graduate students at CU Boulder, and local high schools.

Click here to read the article.

For the first time in Peak to Peak history, a ninth-grade student won a national Gold Medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards! Yosha Gautam handpainted her black and white photograph "Woman in White" to create a stunning piece that took top honors in the national competition. Yosha will be honored at a star-studded ceremony broadcast from New York on June 9th and her work will be published in online galleries. More information can be found in the newsroom on the Scholastic Art and Writing website: https://newsroom.artandwriting.org/…/national-announcement…/

Owen Hinrichs (12th grade) photography portfolio titled "Mirrors" won a National Scholastic Silver Key portfolio award. The portfolio contains six original photographs with heavy digital manipulations. This is a significant national accomplishment. 

Nattanan Jaraschatrkaew's (11th grade) black and white photograph was selected into the 2021 Month of Photography Teen Exhibit Gen Z: Responses to 2020. 

Her work can be viewed in the online gallery: https://cpacphoto.org/GenZ/

Sydney Cusack (8th grade) participated in Lafayette's 10th Annual Window Painting Contest. Sydney's artwork was displayed at Chocolaterie Stam.

In addition, Sydney won the Luvin Arms Art Poster Contest for World Day For Farmed Animals in Oct 2020. The win entitled her to a tour of the entire facility with her family. She sold some prints of her picture and donated all profits to Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary.

In December of 2020, Sydney entered the Niwot Window Decorating Contest and won 1st Place in the People's Choice Award.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Award winners for 2020-21 include:

Gold Key Art Award Winners: 

• Sophia Fischer (10th grade)
• Grace Fuller (12th grade)
• Yosha Gautam (9th grade)
• Sophie Graham (12th grade)
• Owen Hinrichs (12th grade)
• Sophie Hodgson (11th grade)
• Nattanan Jaraschatrkaew (11th grade)
• Aayam KC (11th grade)
• Mandy Lieng (11th grade)
• Mia Ritchie (9th grade)

Gold Key Writing Award Winners:

• Nattanan Jaraschatrkaew (11th grade)
• Lindsay Li-Garrison (11th grade)

Silver Key Art Award Winners:

• Lorelei Bell (9th grade)
• Kaden Brooks (9th grade)
• Grace Fuller (12th grade)
•  

Honorable Mentions Art Awards:

• Owen Hinrichs (12th grade)
• Frederick Norman (12th grade)
• Katherine Uzzle (9th grade)
• Tatem Whitehouse (9th grade)
• Luke Wolsko (11th grade)

Honorable Mentions Writing Awards:

• Jeffrey Chen (12th grade)
• Grace Fuller (12th grade)
• Alvina Zhang (11th grade)

Four high school students earned spots in this year's 2021 Colorado All-State Bands. Out of about 800 auditions from across the state of Colorado, the following Peak to Peak student earned the following spots:

Juniors Sophie Steven - Tenor Saxophone & Sartaj Singh - Alto Saxophone, were selected for the All-State Symphonic Band.

Senior, Madison Lin - Alto Sax, & sophomore, Vasilisa Malenkiy - Clarinet, were selected for the All-State Concert Band.

Selected for this year's CU Middle School Honor Band was 7th grader, Jacque Steven on trombone. Jacque secured first chair position of all trombonists earning spots in the CU Middle School Honor Band.

Junior Sophie Steven for being selected to the 2021 Colorado Small School All-State Jazz Band. This is the very first time a student from Peak to Peak has ever been selected for this band. This is a very prestigious honor. Only two tenor saxophones are selected for this group out of hundreds who audition from across the state of Colorado.

Andrew Woen (12th grade) has published a single from start to finish. He composed, sang, played all the instruments, recorded, produced, and published the song all on his own!

Link to his music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4Q-hY-ZUg

Siddharth Nareddy (9th grade) and Anjana Radha (9th grade) have been selected as two of the Top 300 Broadcom MASTERS in the 2020 Broadcom MASTERS® National Competition. This honor places them among a select group of 300 MASTERS named from 3,476 entrants throughout the United States.

"The Broadcom MASTERS seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators to solve the grand challenges of the 21st Century. 30 finalists will be chosen from this select pool to compete for more than $100,000 in awards and prizes."

Click here to read more about The Broadcom MASTERS

Peak to Peak high school artists won the most photography and digital art awards possible from any school for the Art Attack 2020 Exhibition. Aiyana Rockwell (Class of 2020) received a second place award for her piece titled "Arcade."

An online gallery of the winners can be seen here: https://www.artattackboulder.com/

Congratulations to the following students: Maguerite Ford (Class of 2020), Isabelle Pollock (Class of 2020), Katie Perez (Class of 2020), Amelia Schantz (Class of 2020), Thad Krusinski (Class of 2020), Taylor Johnson (Class of 2020), Ella Junker (rising 12th grader), and Taya Kendrick (rising 12th grader).

Meredith Rupe (Class of 2020) and Anna Sparling (Class of 2020) each received an honorable mention in Cooper Hewitt's 2020 National High School Design Competition for the work they created in the Communication Innovation Honors course. Nineteen designs were selected for the honor, and Meredith's and Anna's projects were two of them! A total of three finalists will be selected from the field of nineteen. The winner will have the opportunity to travel to New York City in October, to attend the Teen Design Fair. The theme of this year's challenge focused on inclusiveness. Click here to read more about the competition.

Athletic Recognitions

The following High School Track & Field athletes will compete in the 3A State Meet:

Allison Beasley (Class of 2021) won the 1600-meter race at the regional meet and was named the Metro League's Athlete of the Year. She will compete in the 3200-meter, 1600-meter, and 800-meter races at the state meet. Alison also was named to the First Team All-Conference for the 1600-meter race

Aidan Graziano (Class of 2021) won both the 110-meter hurdles and the Long Jump and was named the Metro League's Athlete of the Year. He will compete in the Long Jump, 110-meter hurdles, and 300-meter hurdles at the state meet. Aidan also was named to the First Team All-Conference for the 110-meter hurdles and the Long Jump.

Corte Peterson (Class of 2021) set a new school record in the Boys Pole Vault with a jump of 12'-9" which qualified him for the state meet and recognition as Second Team All-Conference.

Kourtney Rathke (rising 10th grader) qualified for the state meet in the Pole Vault, Long Jump, and Triple Jump.

Ryan Kuykendall (Class of 2021) received recognition as First Team All-Conference in the 800-meter race.

Annaka Rudolph (rising 10th grader) was also recognized by the league with an Honorable Mention in the 800-meter race.

The Peak to Peak High School Girls Golf Team finished 2nd in the 3A Regional Tournament at Estes Park, earning their ticket to the State Championship. The team was led by Noelle Thompson (rising 11th grader) who won medalist honors in the Regional Tournament. Traveling to the State Championship with Noelle are Ella Junker (Class of 2021), Kaylee Craig (rising 10th grader), and Ava Sommer (rising 10th grader).

Kourtney Rathke (rising 10th grader) has recently broken two more Peak to Peak school records in Track & Field. In the Triple Jump, she jumped 34' 05.75" which broke the previous record of 33' 06." With this stellar performance, she took first place and qualified for the state meet. In this event, she is in the top five for Girls 3A Track & Field. Kourtney then went on to take second place in Long Jump with a mark of 16' 08," topping the previous record of 16' 05.5." She qualified for the state meet in this event and is in the top 10 for Girls 3A Track & Field.

George Grady (rising 10th grader) had a strong round at the Haymaker Golf Course in Steamboat Springs over the Memorial Day weekend. His solid 3rd place finish in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado (JGAC) will move him into the top 20 in the state for his age division.

Noelle Thompson (rising 11th grader) qualified for the Colorado Junior PGA with a strong 5th place finish.  The Major Championship is being held June 15 to 17 at the Country Club of Colorado.

Asher Gannett-Mathews (9th grade) qualified for nationals in Level 10, Men’s Gymnastics where he competed last week in Daytona Beach, Florida. He ranked in the top ten in his session on floor, high bar, and parallel bars for 15-year-olds

Eddie Humphreys (6th grade) won a bronze medal for his performance on the vault at the Level 6 USA Men’s Regional Championships which included five states

Gabriella Drozdzewicz (8th grade) placed 2nd on floor exercise, 3rd on bars, and 4th on vault at the Regional Gymnastics Championships, Level 8. The competition was in Kansas City on April 23-25. The participating states were Colorado, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Texas. 

Charlie Haskins (5th grade) finished first in his age class in the Eldora Mountain Ski Club - Parallel Slalom

Vince Cornella (12th grade) won his 4th state championship. Vince wrestles for Monarch, but attends school at Peak to Peak.  Watch the video and read the story.

Congratulations to the following senior student-athletes who have signed to participate on teams at their respective colleges. Way to go, Pumas!

• Alyssa Alverez - Adams State: Softball
• Allison Beasley - Western Colorado University: Cross Country/Track
• Vince Cornella - Cornell University: Wrestling
• Grace Keogh - Coast Guard: Swimming
• Jamie Rader - Augustana College: Softball
• Karinne Walther - Gordon College: Soccer
• Allison Beasley (12th grade), with a PR of 17:45:93, earned All-American status at the RunningLane National Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, AL.

Congratulations to our fall sports athletes! Way to go, Pumas!

Softball:

• Jamie Rader- Denver Metro Senior of the Year/ 1st Team Pitcher, BoCo Preps All-Region Team
• Alyssa Alvarez- Denver Metro 1st Team Outfield, BoCo Preps All-Region Team
• Alena Carpenter- Denver Metro 1st Team Catcher
• Kelsey O'Dowd- Denver Metro 1st Team Infield
• Isabelle Entin- Denver Metro 2nd Team Outfield
• Peyton Larsen- Denver Metro 2nd Team Infield

Boys Golf:

• Aditya Malhorta- Metro League Honorable Mention/ BOCO All-Region HW
• William Mitchell- Metro League Honorable Mention/ BOCO All-Region HW

XC:

• Allison Beasley- 3rd in 3A State/ Metro League 1st Team
• Ryan Kuykendall- Metro League 2nd Team
•  

Allison Beasley (12th grade) finished in 3rd Place finish at the 2020 State Cross Country Championships. Click here to read the article.

Allison Beasley (12th grade) took 1st place and Ryan Kuykendall (12th grade) finished in 9th place at the Regional Cross Country Finals. Both athletes have qualified for the State Cross Country Meet next weekend in Colorado Springs. The girls' team finished in 4th place and boys' team finished in 5th place.

Peak to Peak's Cross Country team competed in the 3A Metro League championships. The boys' team placed 9th overall and were led by Ryan Kuykendall (12th grade) who has received 2nd Team All Conference recognition.

The girls' team placed 6th overall and were led by Allison Beasley (12th grade) who won the race with a time of 19:25 and has received 1st Team All Conference recognition.

The Peak to Peak Boys Tennis team ended their season with a strong finish at the regional tournament. The #3 doubles team took 3rd place and the #4 doubled team finished in 2nd and qualified for the state tournament. Owen Hinrichs (12th grade) and Caleb Harris (10th grade) will compete in the Boys 4A State Tennis Tournament. Click here to read the article.

The Peak to Peak Boys Golf Team competed in the 3A State Regional tournament on Monday this week. William Mitchell (12th grade) led the team with a solid performance and a personal top 10 finish. Overall, the team finished in 4th place. Congratulations to William, Aditya Malhotra (12th grade), George Grady (9th grade), and Raseesh Bhandari (9th grade). William and Aditya have qualified for the state tournament, and Raseesh finished a three-hole playoff to earn a 1st Alternate position.

Character & Community Service Recognitions

Bryce Li (11th grade) and Cami Sarros (11th grade) helped Peak to Peak with the 2021 Eliza Pickrell Routt Award. Bryce and Cami organized a voter registration drive which registered over 85% of our eligible seniors to vote.  More info about the award can be found here: https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/RouttAward.html

Zach Young (8th Grade) was awarded his Eagle Scout rank in January this year. This is the highest achievement possible in scouting for youth and recognizes many of the same character traits that Peak to Peak emphasizes. He was recognized by the Long’s Peak Council as the Eagle Scout of the Month

In the spring of 2020, the Peak to Peak Key Club led our student body in the Soles4Souls Shoe Drive. While the pandemic put a pause on the project and the results weren't tabulated until August, the school community collected 509 pairs of shoes! To understand the impact, it is helpful to know that one pair of shoes can provide 5 meals; 20 pairs of shoes can provide shelter for about a year; and 30 pairs of shoes can provide a year’s worth of schooling.

Faculty Recognitions

Ms. Kristie Letter, Innovation teacher at Peak to Peak, was named as a finalist for the National Society of High School Scholars 2020 Educator of the Year award! "The Educators of the Year Award is presented annually to exemplary educators who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to preparing students for success in college and in life. These awardees model best practices in teaching or administration inside and outside of the classroom, are peer role models, and demonstrate outstanding leadership and excellence in education."   https://www.nshss.org/educators/educator-of-the-year/

Academic Recognitions

College Success Award-Winning School: Peak to Peak was named as one of GreatSchools.org's "College Success Award-Winning Schools."

Click here to learn more.

Click here to see the list of 2019 awards.

United Launch Alliance Summer Rocket Launch: Peak to Peak students are participating in the United Launch Alliance Summer Rocket Launch with several K-12 payloads. Payload projects include:

• Capturing the Moment
• Greenhouse Gas Assessment Apparatus
• Kinderducks
• Operation Falling Weather
• Smorgasbord 

Click here to read the full article.

Peak to Peak students and staff members participating in the National Alliance rocket launch were featured on the local news.

Click here to watch the video. 

Click here to read the article from the Daily Camera.

Coding:  Paige Burns (12th grade) received a grant to help middle school girls learn about coding. She and several other local high school students took time this summer to teach classes to middle school students.

 Click here to read the full story.

2019 EF Global Leadership Summit: Five Peak to Peak students, Jack Wilson (12th grade), Amelia Schantz (12th grade), Nadia Majd (12th grade), Iris Zhang (12th grade), Shawn Mather (11th grade)) along with Ms. Meghan Lukens (Social Studies teacher) had the unique opportunity to travel with the BVSD delegation to the 2019 EF Global Leadership Summit in Davos, Switzerland, July 10-21. Students used the design-thinking process to create and present their own solutions to this year's global challenge The Power of Communication. Students were split up into 164 international groups to create a solution, a prototype and a 60-second pitch for this challenge. Amelia Schantz's group made it to the Top Ten Innovation Finalists where they presented on the Global Summit Stage to over 2000 people.

2019 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: The Steven sisters, Sophie (10th grade) and Jacque (6th grade) represented the state of Colorado at the 2019 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Children's Congress in Washington, D.C. this past July. There were 160 children selected among thousands of applicants to meet with national legislators about the need of renewal of the Special Diabetes Program, support for reform on insulin pricing, and the need for continued research to support a cure for Type 1 diabetes. Sophie and Jacque met with Senator Michael Bennet and Senator Cory Gardner's offices, and they spent some one-on-one time with Congressman Joe Neguse. Additionally, they were selected to discuss the impactful research study work they've participated in with top-level members of Health and Human Services.

2019 APEX Student: Makenna Turner is one of three finalists for the 2019 APEX Student Award. The APEX Awards recognize Colorado’s technology excellence, highlighting remarkable leaders and innovators and is awarded by the Colorado Technology Association.

Click here to read more about the APEX Awards.

Click here for more about Makenna

Honor Roll Spring Semester, 2019:  Click on the links below to see a list of students who made Peak to Peak's honor roll for the Spring Semester, 2019. 

HS Honor Roll 2018-19 2nd semester list

MS Honor Roll 2018-19 2nd semester list

Model UN: 

Sixteen Peak to Peak students competed at the Boulder High Model UN Conference. The first conference of the season saw delegates debating world issues such as climate change, the South Sudan Civil War, the spread of infectious diseases, and Brexit. For many, this was their first experience with Model UN. Each delegate worked hard in their council to come to an agreement by listening to all sides of the issues and working together to solve problems. The conference attendees also heard a speech from Major Losuba Wongo, a South Sudan rebel commander.

Congratulations to the following students for their accomplishments at the event:

- Zach Danzo (9th grade) and Catalina Hiller (9th grade) won an award for Best Position Paper.

- Mattie Stevens (10th grade) & Maddie Ball (10th grade) won an Outstanding Delegation award.

- Lauren Wagner (10th grade) & Palpasha Karki (10th grade) won the Best Delegation award.

- Nicole Kerschner (10th grade) won Honorable Mention for her work in an intermediate World Health Organization council.

Peak to Peak students took part in a Model UN conference where they tackled the issues of Central American Migration and Deforestation in the Americas.  The conference was inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.  Peak to Peak’s delegates assumed the role of ambassadors from four different countries (China, Russia, Kuwait & Guatemala) and engaged in debate incorporating many different views of the problems.  Resolutions were passed and students came away with a deeper knowledge of these important world issues and hopefully, a better understanding that there are many sides to a conflict that must be considered and respected in order to move forward toward resolution.   Awards were presented at the end of the day to two Peak to Peak delegations:  Tate Browder & Josh Kirkfield (9th) took home Honorable Mention for their work as the Russian delegation and Emily Post & Alisha Kumari (10th) took home Best Position Paper and Outstanding Delegation for their work as Guatemala. 

Imbellus test:  A handful of Peak to Peak high school students had the opportunity to provide feedback on a new kind of test that may one day replace or complement traditional college entrance exams. Peak to Peak has partnered with Imbellus, the company developing these assessments, to pilot some of their early stage models. The representatives from Imbellus shared that they were delighted with our students' engagement in the opportunity and with their ability to provide constructive feedback.

Click here to see the news story.

Click here to read the article.

Congressional App Competition:  Andrew Woen (11th grade) and Quin Burns (8th grade) won 1st and 2nd place respectively for the 2nd Congressional District in Congressman Neguse’s first annual Congressional App Competition.

Click here to read more about the competition.

Pete Conrad Scholars:  Palpasha Karki, Lyric Martin, and Domenic DeCaro (all rising 11th graders) were named Pete Conrad Scholars in the category of Smoke-Free World, Repurposed Farmlands & Tobacco Crops at the virtual Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit last week! Their team, called TobaccOats, was coached by Mrs. Letter and is Peak to Peak’s second team to be recognized at The Conrad Challenge for two years in a row! The Pete Conrad Scholars award is the top acknowledgement in The Conrad Challenge which is a multi-phase STEM & entrepreneurship competition inspired by the legacy of Apollo 12 astronaut Pete Conrad. This year’s Innovation Summit, which is the final round of The Conrad Challenge, included 37 international finalist teams and was held completely online for the first time due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines. The students have been awarded scholarship dollars along with the award. Click here to read more. 

Future Leader:  Andrew Woen (rising 12th grader) received a "Future Leader" award from CBS 4 Denver.

 Click here to watch the news video.

National Yearbook Program of Excellence:   Both our Middle School and our High School Yearbook programs have earned the National Yearbook Program of Excellence Awards! This honor is very hard to achieve. Nationally, Jostens prints books for over 15,000 schools and only 350 schools earned the honor. 

Big rewards from Adcap:  Three teams of 10th grade students just won big rewards from Adcap to make their innovative ideas a reality at Peak to Peak next year.

Grand Prize went to "The Bite" to promote healthy eating at Peak to Peak, so get ready for Peak to Peak's first healthy food cooking show! A team made up of Milan Hancock, Nivedita Prabhu, Bergen Cloninger, and Kaja Marshall will be producing "The Bite." This Masterchef-esque show will feature healthy cooking competitions (featuring students and staff) and connect nutrition and mental health. This fun, healthy idea won a thousand dollars of seed money.

The two runner-up teams received $250 to get their fabulous ideas started.

The Filtrate-inator:

Using amazing design skills and influenced by our current need to protect our airspace, this team made up of Caleb Foster, Ivan Brazy, Bryce Li, and Ryaan Khan will be prototyping a personal air filter which is small and portable.

Puma Planters

This team, made up of Caroline Gable, Maddie Ball, Grace Langlois., MJ Byrne, and Lauren Hudson, will grow our school commitment to the environment by giving each classroom a plant next year, along with grade-appropriate instruction.

Congratulations to the following students who were selected as National Merit Scholarship Finalists:

• ​Charles Dupras
• Ayush Garg
• Brandon Guo
• Jeffrey Li
• Leonard Shearer
• Logan Wagner
• Angela Weddig

Brandon Guo was selected as a winner of the National Merit $2500 Scholarship.

Battle of the Books competition:  Out of fourteen schools participating in the district's Battle of the Books competition this year, Peak to Peak students truly shined! 

3rd grade placed 4th place

4th grade tied for 1st place

5th grade tied for 3rd place

6th grade placed 1st

7th grade placed 1st

8th grade placed 2nd 

NJHS Outstanding Achievement Award: Pushapman Brar (9th grade) and Anjana Radha (8th grade) each received a 2020 National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) Outstanding Achievement Award for their character, volunteer efforts, and academic achievements. The award includes a $500 529 college scholarship.

Monmouth College's Trustees’ Scholars:  Celeste "Zesty" Lythgoe (12th grade) was named as one of Monmouth College's Trustees’ Scholars. 

Click here to read the article.

National Qualifying Speech and Debate Tournament:  Alvina Zhang (10th Grade) earned 3rd place in Original Oratory at the CHSAA Rocky Mountain North NSDA National Qualifying Speech and Debate Tournament held on 3/7/2020, which put her as the 1st alternate for Nationals.

Amazon Future Engineers Scholarship: Makenna Turner (12th grade) was awarded the Amazon Future Engineers Scholarship which provided $40,000, plus a guaranteed paid internship at Amazon during summer. 

High school State Science Fair winners: 

Eleanor Gentry (12th grade) was awarded first place in the Physics category. 

Middle school State Science Fair winners: 

Anjana Radha (8th grade) was awarded first place in the Chemistry/Biochemistry category.

Megan Wagner (8th grade) was awarded first place in the Energy and Transportation category. 

Quinn Burns (8th grade) was awarded second place in the Physics category. 

Click here to read more about the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair

International World Series of Innovation:  Peak to Peak had two teams winning grand prizes in the international World Series of Innovation this year! We also had two teams win runner up and seven teams make the finals for this competition asking high school students to engage UN Sustainability goals to change the world. You can see Peak to Peak's two winning teams' concept videos through this link..

Awards and winning teams were as follows:

Intuit Education Challenge GRAND PRIZE -

Amelia Schantz and Isabelle Pollack - ResMed, a distance learning program that utilizes virtual reality to train health workers for Indian reservations.

PayPal Equality for all Challenge GRAND PRIZE -

Edgar Lozano and Vithika Goyal - UV Smiles, a solar-powered UV light water purification system promoting equality for people who lack access to drinkable water.

Bank of the West Clean Energy Challenge RUNNER UP -Catalina Pezzuti and Austin Roeder - FAN-tastic, a residential hydropower solution that harnesses kinetic energy from mini water turbines placed in plumbing pipes.

PayPal Equality for All Challenge RUNNER UP -

Nikita Dutta - Kalokagathia, a nonprofit that places sanitation stations in rural communities where female lack access to menstruation care and birth control

PayPal Equality for All Challenge FINALIST -

Iris Zhang and Vanessa Barazza - Swapp, an online platform for bartering goods and services, taking money out of the equation to promote equality and inclusion.

Assurant Stronger Communities Challenge FINALIST -

Crop Top - Keeli Finan and Brennah Friesen - Crop Top, an agricultural device made with recycled textiles that provides a protective cover for crops at risk from extreme heat or cold.

Assurant Stronger Communities Challenge FINALIST -

Luke Smith and Michael Free - Disaster Taxi, a taxi service with vehicles specially equipped for snow emergencies and drivers trained in snow driving, first aid and CPR.

EY Belonging Challenge FINALIST -

Samson Baker and Megha Bhattachan - Civitas, a check-your-phone-at-the-door social club that encourages face-to-face interaction and real conversation

EY Belonging Challenge FINALIST -

Izzy Leutenegger and Gavin Looney - Generation BoomerZ, an online platform designed to connect socially isolated Baby Boomers with Gen Zers who want to trade skills.

Moody's Foundation Climate Action Challenge FINALIST - Sofia Lowrimore and Garrett Shriver - Tree Sox, a tree-saving product made from recycled fabric that protects trees from pine beetles and other harmful insects and insulates against cold.

Mastercard Financial Access Challenge FINALIST -

Makenna Turner and Ryan McCallan - TAP, a new kind of banking hub that utilizes near-field communication technology to serve younger consumers in their communities.

2020 Boettcher Scholarships:  Seniors Ayush Garg, Eleanor Lindsay Gentry, and Makenna Turner have received 2020 Boettcher Scholarships! This merit-based scholarship is for Colorado high school seniors and provides what is essentially a full-ride to any four-year institution in Colorado. This scholarship covers tuition as well as laboratory and other special fees. Senior Renesa Khanna was also named as an alternate..

 Click here to read more about this scholarship.

2020 National Honor Society (NHS) Scholarship: Ayush Garg (12th grade) has been selected as one of the 2020 National Honor Society (NHS) Scholarship recipients. Our High School Counselor Linda Bostic had this to say, "Ayush has been a member of our NHS Leadership Council for the past 2 years and he has been a fabulous model leader to his peers--leading with commitment, integrity, generosity and humility. He has spearheaded multiple events, and presided over many morning meetings. He has helped our chapter create and maintain novel systems of organization and communication. We will be sorry to lose your expertise, Ayush, but wish you great success in your future endeavors!"

Click here to read more about this scholarship.

Coca-Cola Scholarship:  Makenna Turner (12th grade) received a Coca-Cola Scholarship. This is an extremely competitive award that goes to only 150 high school seniors from across the nation. Students are recognized for leading positive change in their communities and around the world. 

Click here to read more about the scholarship.

Speech & Debate:   Seventeen students went to the state qualifying event recently to compete in a variety of categories. The following students have qualified for the state competition:

Kendric Chen (10th grade) - Poetry Interpretation

Aayam KC (10th grade) and Bryce Li (10th grade) - Public Forum

Bronwyn Busby (10th grade) and Nivedita Prabhu (10th grade) - Public Forum

Lauren Wagner (10th grade) - International Extemporaneous Speaking

Gianna Guidado (10th grade) - International Extemporaneous Speaking

Alvina Zhang (10th grade) - Original Oratory

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) announced their Aspirations Awards for 2020 and there are nine students from Peak to Peak who were recognized. Congratulations to:

Paige Burns (12th grade) - Winner

Nicole Kerschner (10th grade) - Winner

Aveena Rawal (10th grade) - Winner

Cailyn Smith (11th grade) - Winner

Angela Li (12th grade)- Honorable Mention

Sophia Steven (10th grade) - Honorable Mention

Julietta Rozin (11th grade) - Rising Star

Isabelle Ruble (12th grade) - Rising Star

Lauren Wagner (10th grade) - Rising Star

The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC) honors 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary for their computing-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and plans for post-secondary education. Since 2007, nearly 14,000 students have received an Award for AiC.

Peak to Peak's honor roll for the Fall Semester, 2020 click on the links below to see a list of students.

Student Honor Requirements

• MS Honor Roll: 3.0 – 3.499 GPA 
• MS High Honor Roll: 3.5 – 3.899 GPA  
• MS Dean’s List: 3.9 – 4.0 GPA  
• HS Honor Roll: 3.3 – 3.699 GPA  
• HS High Honor Roll: 3.7 – 3.899 GPA  
• HS Dean’s List: 3.9 – 5.0 GPA    

HS Honor Roll 2019-20 1st semester list

MS Honor Roll 2019-20 1st semester list

Corden Pharma Regional Science Fair:  Peak to Peak students had a big showing at the Corden Pharma Regional Science Fair which includes students from Boulder Valley and Saint Vrain Valley School Districts.

In the senior division, Eleanor Gentry (12th grade) took first place in the Physics category. Eleanor has qualified to compete at the state level Colorado Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF).

Andrew Woen (11th grade) took third place for Math and Computer Sciences. Andrew's project also received recognition with an award from the Yale Science and Engineering Association.

In the junior division, Quinn Burns (8th grade) was awarded first place in the Physics category.

Ziba Ahamed (8th grade) was awarded second place in the Animal Science category.

Peak to Peak students swept the Chemistry category with Anjana Radha (8th grade) receiving first place, Riley Hall (8th grade) receiving second place, and Kyle Thengvall (8th grade) taking third. Kyle's project also received a Broadcom Masters award in addition to recognition from the STEM Department for Junior Science in the Service of the Community. Anjana's project received the Corden Pharma Colorado Junior Cup Award.

Peak to Peak students also swept the Energy and Transportation category with Megan Wagner (8th grade) taking first place, John Miley (8th grade) in second, and Dante Rozin (8th grade) in third place. Dante's project also received recognition from the Office of Naval Research.

In the Environmental Sciences category Siddarth Nareddy (8th grade) was awarded first place and Lily Sutton (8th grade) took third place. Siddarth's project also received a Broadcom Masters award, the Thorne Nature Experience award, and the Soil and Water Conservation Society Junior Level 1st place award. 

In the junior division, Anjana, Siddarth, Megan, and Quinn have all qualified for state-level Colorado Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF).

The following seniors are Peak to Peak's 2020 National Merit Scholarship finalists:

Charles Dupras

Ayush Garg

Brandon Guo

Jeffrey Li

Leonard Shearer

Logan Wagner

Angela Weddig

Math Counts:  Peak to Peak's team placed 2nd in the Math Counts competition. Warren Chen (8th grade) placed 6th as an individual and Alex Zou (8th grade) placed 10th as an individual. They are now moving on to the state competition

2019-20 Air & Climate Challenge High School Winners: The Peak to Peak Innovation team called "ReeHive" was named as one of the 2019-20 Air & Climate Challenge High School Winners. For this challenge, "ReeHive chose to reuse trash in landfills to construct safe, sustainable, and efficient beehives that are made entirely from recycled materials and that can be used in place of traditional beehives." The team has won $10,000 and will now go on to compete in "The Final Challenge." Way to go, Pumas!

Click to read more about the competition.

Peak to Peak's Ethics Bowl Team took 1st place at the Colorado High School Ethics Bowl.

Innovation Award:  The Puma Robotics Club went undefeated and took 1st place and won the Innovation Award at the FIRST Tech Challenge Qualifier. Now, they will compete at the State Championship on February 8th. The following team won the "Central Denver Qualifier:" to Matthew Chen (11th grade), Prash Satish (12th grade), Charlie Dupras (12th grade), and Isaac Dupras (9th grade).

Brain Bowl:  The 6th-grade North Region Optimist Brain Bowl team, consisting of Roshan Bharadwaj, Das, Ram Mangu, Nick Griffin, Tanush Shekhar, and Owen Widmar, placed 4th and qualified for the State Championship tournament.

2019-20 Lexus Eco-Challenge:  Students on the "ReHive" team in this year's innovation course have won the first round of the 2019-20 Lexus Eco-Challenge! Each student on the team earned $1,000 in scholarship money, and the class earned $3,000 to continue their push to develop creative projects that help the Earth and all of us on it. For their project, students are raising awareness about colony collapse disorder and ways to help bees. They also prototyped a beehive made out of trash. Click on this link to read more about their project, research, and ideas.

The team included the following 10th-grade students:

• Sophia Dunkin
• Caleb Foster
• Domenic DeCaro
• Caroline Gable
• Nicholas Copanas
• Milan Hancock
• Arya Nandyal
•  

International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) debate competition:  Brandon Guo, Ayush Garg, Leonard Shearer (all 12th grade) have advanced to the “Top 32” round of the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) debate competition. Sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, the IPPF is the first and only debate contest that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.

Click here to read more about the competition.

Arts Recognitions

Young Artist:  Chloe Doubrava (12th grade) won 2nd place in her division at the Thornton ArtsSciences and Humanities Council's Young Artist Fall Festival.

Lafayette Youth Poetry Prize:  Several Peak to Peak students won awards for their works submitted in the Lafayette Youth Poetry Prize. In the K-2nd grade division, Dominic Wilson (1st grade) received 1st place, and Linnea Peterson (2nd grade) was awarded 2nd place. In the 3rd-4th grade division, Alessandra Wilson (3rd grade) received an Honorable Mention. In the 5th-7th grade division, Henry Gabriel (6th grade) was awarded 1st place! Way to go, Pumas!

You can read all of their works on contest website at: https://www.cityoflafayette.com/LYPP

Poetry Out Loud high school winners: Nicole Kerschner (10th grade) in first place, Natti Jaraschatrkaew (10th grade) in second place, and Ali Kerschner (3rd grade) in third place. Nicole Kerschner will be going on to compete in the state level. 

The following student artists who have won Individual Scholastic Art Awards:

• Grace Fuller (11th grade) - Silver Key, photography
• Taylor Gallo (12th grade) - Gold Key, photography
• Jake LeCarner (12th grade) - 2 Gold Keys, photography; and 1 Silver Key, photography
• Edgar Lozano (12th grade) - Silver Key, mixed media
• Isabelle Pollock (12th grade) - Gold Key, photography
• Makenna Turner (12th grade) - Gold Key, photography

Click here to see a slideshow.

2020 Colorado All-State Band:  Out of about 800 auditions from across the state of Colorado, five of our students have been selected:  

• Ben McCloskey (12th grade) - Trumpet
• Prash Satish (12th grade) - Trumpet
• Madison Lin (11th grade) - Alto Sax
• Sophie Steven (10th grade) -Tenor Sax
• Sartaj Singh (10th grade) - Alto Sax.
•  

High School Playwriting Competition:  Peak to Peak has two student playwrights in the top ten of the Denver Center's AT&T High School Playwriting Competition. Brandon Guo's (12th grade) "God's Not Dead, He's Just an Admissions Officer" and Angie Weddig's (12th grade) "Human" both have made the top ten for one-act plays. Now, their works are being evaluated by professionals to see who wins the grand prize.

Click here to read more about the competition.

Click here to see a list of the finalists.

Brandon Guo (12th grade) was selected as one of three top winners in the 2020 Denver Center for the Performing Arts High School Playwriting Competition.

Click here to read more.

The following students received Scholastic Writing Awards:

• Lindsay Li-Garrison (10th grade)
• Gold Key - fiction
• Lily Dunkin (12th grade)
• Silver Key - poetry for "Circle the Hawks"
• Silver Key - critical essay for "To Vote with Your Dollar"
• Ellie Gentry (12 grade)
• Silver Key - poetry for "The End and other Fears"
• Brandon Guo (12th grade)
• Honorable mention - personal essay for "How I Found My City"
• Alexis Kerrane (12th grade)
• Honorable Mention for dramatic script "2075"
• Jeffrey Li (12th grade)
• Gold Key - critical essay for "MSG: Enhanced Racism and Flavor"
• Jonathan Lu (12th grade)
• Honorable Mention for personal essay "Comp Sci"
• Leonard Shearer (12th grade)
• Silver Key - personal essay for "Chaturangas and Crevices"
• Makenna Turner (12th grade)
• 3 Silver Keys - poetry for "Memento," "Mirachio" and "The Ghost I (Mezza)"

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Lindsay Li-Garrison (10th grade) and Jeffery Li (12th grade) each won a Silver Medal and at the National Level for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Click here to see the full list of winners.

Athletic Recognitions

Cross Country Championships:  Allison Beasley (11th grade) finished in 6th place at the High School Girls 3A Colorado State Cross Country Championships race. Ryan Kuykendall (11th grade) finished with a top-30 time to put the Pumas to 20th place in the boy's race.

Click here to read the article.

Flag Football:  Andrew Cusack (5th grade), Luke Slater (4th grade), Jake Brinkman (4th grade), Noah Baldwin (4th grade), William Fischer (5th grade), and their team, The Ravens, won the National Flag Football League-Madden Division Championship game after finishing an undefeated season.

The following high school fall sports student athletes received recognition for their talents:

Boys Golf

Davis Long 

• Metro League 1st Team 
• Honorable Mention All State

Suchit Sharma

• Metro League 2nd Team 
• 2nd Team All State

Boys Soccer

Michael Crotty

• Metro League Honorable Mention - Goalkeeper

Patrick Grady

• Metro League 1st Team- Defender

Volleyball

Paige McSavaney

• Metro League Honorable Mention

Isabelle Pollock

• Metro League 2nd Team 

Calla Winner

• Metro League 2nd Team 

Softball

Coach Becher

• Metro League Coach of the Year

Alyssa Alvarez

• Metro League 1st Team Outfield

Alena Carpenter

• Metro League 2nd Team Infield

Julia Coates

• Metro League 1st Team Catcher
• Honorable Mention All State

Jamie Rader

• Metro League 1st Team Pitcher
• Honorable Mention All State

Audrey Wilcox

• Metro League 2nd Team Infield

Cross Country

Allison Beasley

• Metro League 1st Team 
• 1st Team All State

Ryan Kuykendall

• Metro League 1st Team 
• Honorable Mention All State

Alvina Zhang

• Metro League Honorable Mention

Ultimate Frisbee: The Lafayette Ultimate Frisbee Club fielded two teams at the state tournament, held over Veterans' Day weekend. The teams finished second and third in their respective divisions and featured Peak to Peak students Charlie Dupras (12th grade), Gabe Fromme (12th grade), Gibson Friedman (11th grade), and Prash Satish (12th grade).

Softball:  Three of Peak to Peak's softball players were recognized locally on the 2019 BoCoPreps All-Region Team! Jamie Rader (11th grade) made the first team as an infielder. Alyssa Alvarez (11th grade) and Julia Coates (12th grade) received honorable mention.

Click here to read more.

BoCo Preps Wrestler of the Year:  Vince Cornella (11th grade) was named the BoCo Preps Wrestler of the Year.  Click here to read the article.

2nd team, All Metro League:  Two student-athletes were recognized on the 2nd team, All Metro League: Aiyana Rockwell (12th grade) - Girls Basketball; and Garrett Shriver (12th grade) - Boys Basketball.

5A State Championship:  Vince Cornella (11th grade) won a third straight 5A State Championship title in wrestling.

Click here to read the article.

Garrett Shriver (12th grade) broke Peak to Peak's record for the number of three-point shots made in a single game. Garrett hit a whopping 9 three-point shots and scored a total of 27 points against Prospect Ridge Academy.

Character & Community Service Recognitions

Group Volunteer of the Year: Sister Carmen Center selected Peak to Peak's Key Club for their Group Volunteer of the Year award.

Pumas for the Planet:  

The October winner for the Pumas for the Planet award is Marielle Brooks (6th grade)!

Marielle was chosen as a finalist in the 2019 International River of Words Poetry Contest. She was one of 35 finalists chosen from over 4,000 entries K-12th grade. River of Words is a program of The Center for Environmental Literacy and the contest’s theme was to explore the human experience and its impact on the natural world around us. She volunteers as a service dog sitter through Canine Partners of the Rockies and volunteers with Lafayette Birds Open Space program as a teen program helper. Always looking for ways to lessen her impact on the planet, she brings wooden utensils, metal straws, and cloth napkins in her lunch every day.

Terra Sutak (4th grade) was the November the Pumas for the Planet Award winner. Terra is extremely passionate about the environment, and more specifically, litter. Terra is constantly collecting trash and recycling items that have been thrown carelessly on the ground. She actively searches for any garbage she finds, collects it, and throws it away where it belongs. She is passionate about taking care of the earth and our environment, and is dedicated to cleaning up open spaces and anywhere she may be.

Daniel Kohlbrenner (8th grade) is our 3rd Quarter Pumas for the Planet award winner! Daniel and his older brother Benjamin (10th grade) are the co-creators of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable corporation called HELPCO. Two years ago, they came up with an idea to do something good for the environment and decided that the best way for them to have an immediate and positive impact on their community was to clean up their neighborhood. With a box for recyclables and a bag for garbage they began by collecting trash every Sunday. These students have since attended a majority of the over 100 events held by HELPCO. Their Preserve and Enhance the Environment events have resulted in the removal of over 3,000 pounds of garbage and recyclables from area parks and schools. Some of the company's other offerings include Community Wellness Programs that provide free fitness activities and youth sports to the local community.

Optimist Club International:  Sophie Steven (10th grade) was recognized as the 3rd place winner of the overall Colorado/Wyoming Optimist Club International District contest.

International Teen Dreams video competition: Sam Celico (12th grade) won the international Teen Dreams video competition addressing action on the United Nation's sustainability goals. Not only has Sam won a prize for his vision on tiny housing, but he will be given a mentor and invited to lead a "dream hub" to enact action on his chosen UN sustainability goal. Click here to see the winning videos including Sam's.

Optimist Club essay contest:  Sophie Steven (10th grade) won the local Optimist Club essay contest, sponsored by the Type 1 Diabetes Optimist Club (T1DOC). As a result, Sophie wins the $100 first-place prize, a contest medallion, and her essay will advance to the overall Colorado/Wyoming Optimist International District contest where the winner receives a $2,500 college scholarship.

Faculty & Staff Recognitions

2019 InnEdCo: Elementary Technology Teacher, Michelle Eckstein, and high school student, Erin Byrne (12th grade), presented on Creating VR Tours at the 2019 InnEdCo.

2019 Colorado History Teacher of the Year: Carla Flanhofer, High School Social Studies teacher, was selected as the 2019 Colorado History Teacher of the Year.

As the 2019 Colorado History Teacher of the Year, she will receive:

• A $1,000 award
• A Certificate of Recognition
• An archive of books and historical resources
• An invitation to attend a 2020 Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar
• Recognition at a ceremony in your state

She is also one of fifty-three finalists for the $10,000 National History Teacher of the Year Award.

Statewide Policy Fellowship: High School English teacher Ms. Amidon has been named by Teach Plus as one of sixteen effective teachers for a Statewide Policy Fellowship. Click here to read more about the program. 

Personal Record:  Ms. Harlow, our teacher-librarian, completed her most recent 50-mile run with a personal record! With Ms. Manzanares joining her for a portion of the race and numerous other staff members supporting Ms. Harlow toward this goal, it is wonderful to see the joy on her face and hear the pride in her voice. Click here to read her blog where she captures the emotion in her words and has also posted a number of photos. 

Honorable Mention for the Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award:  Mr. Benson, High School English Teacher, received Honorable Mention for the Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award! This award " honors teachers on the leading edge of best practices that help students with print disabilities succeed in the mainstream classroom." 

Academic Recognitions

P2P debate team:  P2P debate team members Ayush Garg (11th grade), Brandon Guo (11th grade), and Leonard Shearer (11th grade) finished as one of the top 4 teams in the WORLD this past weekend at the International Public Policy Forum debate competition in New York City.

Ninth graders Tannvi Banerjee and Bronwyn Busby qualified for this year's National Speech & Debate Tournament in Public Forum debate. This team took on seasoned veteran teams from all over the front range to place 3rd overall at the qualifying tournament.

Yale Bassett Award:  Makenna Turner (11th grade) was named as one of twenty semi-finalists for the third annual Yale Bassett Award for Community Engagement. Way to go, Puma!

 "Yale Bassett Award winners will demonstrate a record of creative leadership and public service, academic distinction, interdisciplinary problem solving, and experience addressing societal issues that might include, but need not be limited to, race and racism."

 Click here to read more about the award.

Conrad Scholars:  Peak to Peak's Conrad Scholars, 5 teams of high school students who spent this year innovating solutions to global challenges, won top honors at the Conrad Summit at the Kennedy Space Center.

Sophomores Mana Setayesh, Paris Kiehl and Tenzin Nangsal are Pete Conrad Award winners, the top international prize selected from among 191 semifinalist teams from around the world. The award includes scholarships, prizes, business development, and an all-expense-paid trip to India for their enterprise to reduce tobacco use in India;

John Douthit (12th grade) and Clara Tracy (11th grade) won the Power Pitch award for their Innovation to reduce teens' nicotine vaping;

Sophomores Isabella Brakhage, Ander De Onaindia, Vikas Muralidharan and Jeffrey Chen were chosen as the Good Citizens of the Summit;and Kristie Betts Letter won the Nancy Conrad Innovative Teacher Award.

Lafayette's See and Respond contest: Four 12th grade students in the Communication Innovation Honors class won cash prizes through Lafayette's See and Respond contest. Congratulations to the following students:

Ben Blankenship - First Prize in Art

Matthew Willetto - Second Prize in Art

Jenna Howard - Second Prize in Poetry

Noah Irwin - Third Prize Poetry.

Click here to read about the competition.

NJHS:  The following NJHS students won the Outstanding Student Achievement Award and won a $500 college scholarship!!

• Sophie Steven (9th grade)
• Alisha Kumari (9th grade)
• Riley Justice (9th grade)
• Alec Babineau (8th grade)
• Bryce Li (9th grade)

Click here to learn more about this award.

National Junior Honor Society student leaders Lauren Wagner (9th grade), Gianna Guido (9th grade), and Palpasha Karki (9th grade) attended the LEADership conference in Florida.

National Honor Society: Our National Honor Society chapter inducted 50 new members this fall and the National Junior Honor Society inducted 40 new members.

BVSD Student Advisory Committee:  At the BVSD Student Advisory Committee last week, Sam Custard (10th grade) teamed up to present on Alternatives to Suspension, while Izzy Hettmansperger (12th grade) included great data and links in her presentation on Mental Health Needs. Chloe Doubrava (11th grade) focused her presentation on Alternative Ed Options in BVSD.

LEAD Boulder:  LEAD Boulder is a two-year leadership program offered to juniors and seniors through BVSD. Students participating in the program presented their LEAD Capstone projects. Sam Goertzen (12th grade) and his team produced an engaging project on mental health and mental illness concerning teens in our state. Their presentation included hands-on recommendations to put supports in place.

Luc Almony (12th grade) and Jules Walther (12th grade) presented on collaborative recycling efforts on our campus including ideas for reusable metal straws, a LaCroix/Switch can capture challenge, and connections to our Rise to the Peak day on May 3rd.

Impact on Education Classroom Innovation Grant Showcase:  Brooke Van Der Jagt (3rd grade), Gianna Clark (3rd grade), Kate Guengerich (3rd grade), and Jillian Ingle (3rd grade) presented at the Impact on Education Classroom Innovation Grant Showcase on Monday evening, with Ms. Oliva and Ms. Eckstein, showcasing their Colorado Life Zone Virtual Reality projects.

Battle of the Books:  The following students will be advancing to the district level Battle of the Books competition:

3rd 

• Aleema Razzak
• Tessa Hirt
• Levi Hartter
• Clara Wright
• Jocelyn Fiegland

4th

• Kyra Rein
• Shibani Senthilkumar
• Vyom Jain
• Lila Eikel
• Eddie Humphreys

5th

• Ram Mangu
• Nicholas Griffin
• Will Rigney
• Saatwik Das
• Amanda Zou

6th

• Tanishka Tagare
• Jude Hartter
• Lola Graves
• Evan Douglass
• Fritz Weber

7th

• Anjana Radha
• Shreya Senthilkumar
• Siddharth Nareddy
• Amrita Saini
• Ava Sommer

8th

• Lucas Briggs
• Ryan Taylor
• Pranaya Kansara

Cooper Hewitt design competition:  Five Peak to Peak students were recognized in the national Cooper Hewitt design competition for innovative nature-based solutions to global problems. These students had their designs displayed in the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum! Honored students are Jack Begley (10th grade), Paris Kiehl (10th grade), Sophie Kiehl (10th grade), Heather Holtgreive (12th grade), and Payton Shattuck (12th grade).

 Click here to view the projects.

Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation: Senior students Akriti Poudel and Brian Wee were selected as 2019 Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Semifinalists. These 1,896 students were selected from over 95,000 submitted applications from across the country to continue through our selection process. In January 2019, Akriti and Brian advanced to be among the 250 Regional Finalists.

Gateway High School's Calculus Bowl:  Madison Lin (10th grade), Suchit Sharma (11th grade), and Chase Parker (12th grade brought home "a lot of hardware" -- a quote from Mr. Howard -- from Gateway High School's Calculus Bowl. Mr. Lehr and Mr. Howard also received a trophy for being such rockstar Calculus teachers.

2019 Daniel's Scholarship recipients:  Seniors Sam Goertzen and Akriti Poudel have been named as 2019 Daniel's Scholarship recipients. "The Daniels Scholarship Program provides a four-year annually-renewable college scholarship for graduating high school seniors in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming who demonstrate exceptional character, leadership, and a commitment to serving their communities." Sam and Akriti are among the 218 students were awarded the scholarship this year.

We recognize that many of our senior students are receiving recognition for their outstanding achievements in a variety of realms including academic, athletic, artistic, service, leadership, etc.. Some are attaining goals they once thought impossible. During the spring semester, our inboxes are bulging with good news about the accomplishments that carry significance to each one of our graduating seniors. Scholarships, such as the Daniels Scholarship, carry a particular national significance and are celebrated broadly not only because the students have earned it, but also as a reflection of our K-12 program's success.  

Denver Key Club Convention:  Peak to Peak's Key Club members recently attended the Denver Key Club Convention where they were honored with the "Early Bird Registration" award and took first place for their Annual Traditional Scrapbook which means they will now go on to compete at the national level.

In addition, Jessica Kalloor (10th grade) was elected to be the new Lieutenant Governor of Key Club for Division 11! As Lieutenant Governor she will be representing all of Division 11 at the district level as well as communicating with all the local Key Clubs and Kiwanis Clubs about district and international Key Club business.

Future STEM Leader Award: Makenna Turner (11th grade) received the "Future STEM Leader Award" from CBS, Colorado School of Mines, and PCD Energy.

Gold Medal from Scholastic and 2019 New York Life Award:  Brian Wee (12th grade) not only won a national Gold Medal from Scholastic for his memoir "Hug Coupons and Shoe Boxes," but he also won the 2019 New York Life Award for writing about personal loss and grief. Brian will receive a thousand-dollar scholarship award and will be honored at Carnegie Hall this June.

International Public Policy Debate competition:  Peak to Peak debaters Brandon Guo (11th grade), Ayush Garg (11th grade), and Leonard Shearer (11th grade) are now one of the final eight teams left in the International Public Policy Debate competition! As one of the top eight teams in the world, they have won an all-expense-paid trip to New York City where they will debate in-person at the Council on Foreign Relations on April 27th for a chance to win $10,000!

Click here to read a press release announcing the Elite Eight.

Robotics team: The Puma Robotics team performed well at the regional FTC Robotics Qualifying tournament. Not only did they qualify to advance to the state tournament on February 9th, but judges also awarded their robot the Rockwell-Collins Innovate award for its innovative design. 

International Public Policy Forum (IPPF): The Brewer Foundation and New York University announced the “Top 64” teams for the 18th annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) - the first and only contest that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. For the third consecutive year, Peak to Peak had a team named in the Top 64. Congratulations to Brandon Guo (11th grade), Ayush Garg (11th grade), and Leonard Shearer (11th grade).

2019 Boettcher Scholars: Peak to Peak has two 2019 Boettcher Scholars, Nick Entin and Kailey Zaronias. Only 42 students across the state are selected for this highly competitive scholarship which provides a full ride to any Colorado college or university.

Iron Chef: Iron Chef competitors Ellen Lu (7th grade), Sanjita Balaji (7th grade), Shreya Senthilkumar (7th grade), and Brianna Tang (6th grade) and heir team, "Magic Flavors," advanced to the live competition at Casey Middle School to compete against five other teams out of 28 who also advanced. Although they had tough competition, the team placed third! Their prize was a giant check that they have decided to donate to the Peak To Peak.

Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC Chapel Hill: Senior Naomi Burns was awarded a Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC Chapel Hill. Naomi is Peak to Peak's first ever to be honored with this scholarship. In the words of her counselor Ms. Gannett, "She achieved the impossible, by following her passions and finding a fit!"

The Morehead-Cain is a four-year, fully-funded scholarship awarded to "driven, courageous, and inquisitive leaders eager to embrace new and unknown experiences."

Math Counts competition: Peak to Peak students participated in the Math Counts competition and performed well. Warren Chen (7th grade) is moving on to the state competition! 

High School Ethics Bowl:  On Saturday, Feb. 2, the P2P Ethics Bowl team reached the finals in the regional High School Ethics Bowl for the 4th consecutive year, placing 2nd and 3rd in the overall competition. Congratulations to all the members of the team, who worked for months preparing thoughtful, sophisticated considerations of tough ethical dilemmas. 

International School to School Experience (ISSE): In keeping with our mission of providing global learning opportunities for our students, we are participating in the International School to School Experience (ISSE). ISSE is an international exchange program that provides for the exchange of thoughts and ideas through face-to-face contact with students from other countries around the world. Six students and one staff member from The Prescott School in Arequipa, spent two weeks at Peak to Peak. In March, seven Peak to Peak middle school students and one staff member will visit The Prescott School for several weeks.

7th grade Brain Bowl: The 7th grade Brain Bowl team won 5th place at the North regional competition last week. Tej Mathur, Adithi Ramaswamy, Luke Taylor, and Kyle Thengvall have advanced to the state championship.

Scholastic Writing Awards: Peak to Peak students earned 21 Scholastic Writing Awards, in the West Region, which is an 8-state region. Brian Wee (12th grade), Sam Goertzen (12th grade), and Chloe Hodgson (12th grade) earned Gold Keys for their entries and will continue to the national competition.

Click here to read more about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Honor Roll:  Click on the links below to see a list of students who made Peak to Peak's honor roll for the Fall Semester, 2018. 

Student Honor Requirements

• MS Honor Roll: 3.0 – 3.499 GPA 
• MS High Honor Roll: 3.5 – 3.899 GPA  
• MS Dean’s List: 3.9 – 4.0 GPA  
• HS Honor Roll: 3.3 – 3.699 GPA  
• HS High Honor Roll: 3.7 – 3.899 GPA  
• HS Dean’s List: 3.9 – 5.0 GPA    

HS Honor Roll 2018-19 1st semester list

MS Honor Roll 2018-18 1st semester list

Click on the links below to see a list of students who made Peak to Peak's honor roll for the Spring Semester, 2018. 

HS Honor Roll 2017/18 2nd semester list

MS Honor Roll 2017/18 2nd semester list

Speech and Debate: Twelve Speech and Debate students --and a record number of freshmen-- qualified to compete at the State Championships in March:

• Brandon Guo (11th grade) & Ayush Garg (11th grade) - Public Forum Debate
• Linh Tran (9th grade): Original Oratory
• Paige Burns (11th grade): Humor Interp
• Akriti Poudel (12th grade): Original Oratory
• Will Alexander (12th grade): Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Chloe Hodgson (12th grade): Original Oratory
• Gianna Guido (9th grade): International Extemporaneous Speaking
• Palpasha Karki (9th grade): International Extemporaneous Speaking
• Nivedita Prabhu (9th grade): National Extemporaneous Speaking
• Kritin Basrur (10th grade): National Extemporaneous Speaking
• Alvina Zhang (9th grade): Original Oratory

National Merit Scholarship Finalists: Six Peak to Peak seniors were selected as National Merit Scholarship Finalists. They are among only 15,000 students across the nation to receive this recognition:

• Naomi Burns
• Capri Huffman
• Isabella Sicker
• William Stahoviak
• Isaac Van Tol
• Brian Wee

7th Annual Poetry Out Loud: Congratulations to the winners of Peak to Peak's 7th Annual Poetry Out Loud event:

•  First Place: Nick Entin (12th grade)
• Second Place: Kailey Zaronias (12th grade)
• Third Place: Izzy Hettmansperger (12th grade)

The International Public Policy Forum: Peak to Peak debaters Brandon Guo (11th grade), Ayush Garg (11th grade), and Leonard Shearer (11th grade) are now one of the final eight teams left in the International Public Policy Debate competition! As one of the top eight teams in the world, they have won an all-expense-paid trip to New York City where they will debate in-person at the Council on Foreign Relations on April 27th for a chance to win $10,000!

Click here to read a press release announcing the Elite Eight.

Conrad Challenge: Peak to Peak has FOUR teams (more than from any school in the nation) invited to compete at Cape Canaveral April 23-26, 2019 in the NASA-sponsored world finals for the Conrad Challenge, and two other teams selected as alternates. These students innovated a global solution in a collaboration between our Innovation and Global Issues classes. Their initial entries were funded by Peak to Peak's Innovation Grant. Between now and April, students will be refining prototypes and pitches as well as raising funds for their travel to the Kennedy Space Center. 

Winning teams:

• ConvergenSeat: Paige McSavaney (11th grade), Coby Mandell (12th grade), and Walker Richard (12th grade)
•  Alternate Industry India: Jessica Kalloor (10th grade), Zachary Carncross (10th grade), and Bailey Patterson (10th grade)
• Spicearettes: Tenzin Nangsal (10th grade), Paris Kiehl (10th grade), and Mana Setayesh (10th grade)
• Malawi Hurt 2 Health: Isabella Brakhage (10th grade), Vikas Muralidharan (10th grade), Jeffrey Chen (10th grade), and Ander De Onaindia (10th grade)

Alternates:

• Caltab Solutions: Luc Almony (12th grade), Anya Berchtold (12th grade), and Clara Tracy (11th grade)
• Bidi 2 Bracelet: Paige Mowery (12th grade) and John Douthit (12th grade)

Corden Pharma Regional Science Fair: Peak to Peak sent an impressive line up to the Corden Pharma Regional Science Fair. The following students received awards:

Middle School: 

• Andrew Mehalko (8th grade): 2nd place, Transportation and Energy
• Alexandra Flint (8th grade): 1st place, Environmental Science
• Aurora West (8th grade): 2nd place, Microbiology (tied)
• Isabelle Entin (8th grade): 2nd place, Microbiology (tied)
• Anne Nevadomski (8th grade): 2nd place, Plant Science
• Darryk Hall (8th grade): 2nd place, Physics
• Katelyn Remund (8th grade): 1st place, Physics

High School: 

• Nicholas Entin (12th grade): 2nd place, Earth and Space Science
• Ayush Garg (11th grade), Brandon Guo (11th grade), and Leonard Shearer (11th grade): Team 2nd place, Math and Computer Science
• Chloe Hodgson (12th grade) and Sudeepti Nareddy (12th grade): Team 1st place, Microbiology
• Special Awards:
• Alexandra Flint (8th grade): Broadcom Masters award
• Katelyn Remund (8th grade): Broadcom Masters award
• Connor Cahoon (12th grade) and Logan Hsia (12th grade): Team Mu Alpha Theta award

Read the article in the Daily Camera:

http://www.dailycamera.com/…/boulder-county-students-presen…

History Day: The following students received awards at Peak to Peak's History Day and will now move on to the district level competition:

Documentaries

Individual Documentary

• Neeharika Hancock - Terror to Triumph: Surviving the Rwandan Genocide
• Faith Peddycord - George Balanchine: Moving West for the Better

Group Documentary

• ViVi Ember, Alena Carpenter - Titanic

Performances

Group Performance

• Hannah-Nicole D'Epagnier, Mia Reta, Maya Schweiger - The Life of Audrey Hepburn

Individual Performances

• Lea Cook - NAWSA: Triumph or Tragedy
• Sydney Perincheril - Beethoven

Websites

Group Websites

• Owyn Wyatt, Athena Hiesterman - Animation Brought to Life  
• Jack Brandstetter, Michael Hambach - The Huey Helicopter in the Vietnam War  
• Chloe Eisen, Emily Cain - The Triumph and Tragedy of Elvis Presley  

Individual Websites

• Dominik Gendreau - Lou Gherig  
• Natalie Sievers -  Child Labor: Triumph over Tragedy  

Exhibits

Group Exhibits

• Morgan Brasier, Madison Shults, Riley Lackey - The Stonewall Riot - LGBTQ+ Rights  
• Joey Hoffman, Marcus Matsuda - The Barbary Wars  
• Ella Hey, Makenna Bolton - The Hamilton-Burr Duel  
• Haley Buck, Emily Kirkfield - Women Airforce Service Pilots: Triumph and Tragedy  

Individual Exhibits

• Julian Zerwekh Reardon - Triumph and Tragedy: The Miracle on Ice  
• Molly Anderson - The Montgomery Church Bombing and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  
• Ryan Taylor - Operation Paperclip: Did the Triumph Outweigh the Tragedy?  
• Maya Schweiger - Facial Reconstruction

Papers

Individual

• Caleb Frank - The Triumph and Tragedy of The Battle of the Bulge  
• Jadyn Ries - The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Modern Olympics  
• Vasilisa Malenkiy - The Great Affair of the Enlightenment- Triumph or Tragedy?  
• Nathan Salem - The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hollywood Traitors   

National Speech & Debate Tournament: Ninth graders Tannvi Banerjee and Bronwyn Busby qualified for this year's National Speech & Debate Tournament in Public Forum debate. This team took on seasoned veteran teams from all over the front range to place 3rd overall at the qualifying tournament.

2019 Boettcher Scholars: Peak to Peak has two 2019 Boettcher Scholars, Nick Entin and Kailey Zaronias. Only 42 students across the state are selected for this highly competitive scholarship which provides a full ride to any Colorado college or university.

Calculus Bowl: Madison Lin (10th grade), Suchit Sharma (11th grade), and Chase Parker (12th grade brought home "a lot of hardware" -- a quote from Mr. Howard -- from Gateway High School's Calculus Bowl. Mr. Lehr and Mr. Howard also received a trophy for being such rockstar Calculus teachers.

Cooper Hewitt design competition: Five Peak to Peak students were recognized in the national Cooper Hewitt design competition for innovative nature-based solutions to global problems. These students had their designs displayed in the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum! Honored students are Jack Begley (10th grade), Paris Kiehl (10th grade), Sophie Kiehl (10th grade), Heather Holtgreive (12th grade), and Payton Shattuck (12th grade).

  Click here to view the projects.

AdCap Challenge: Our rising 11th-grade team (Allison F., Nolan H., Mattie P., and Sam C.) had a video conference last night in preparation for the AdCap Challenge, a 3-day intensive where they will innovate solutions to a variety of instant challenges and then compete in a Shark Tank pitch for important business leaders including executives from Dominos, Land O'Lakes and SAP. They've already won an expense-paid trip to the finals, professional mentoring and some seed money for their concept - a scavenger hunt app they will develop next year to get teenagers involved in their community. They are competing for additional seed money and scholarships, and the competition will be posted to AdCap and GenYouth's social media with the hashtag #AdcapChallenge.

World Series of Innovation: 

Jacob Dong (12th grade) is a national winner in the World Series of Innovation with his idea to bring safe reliable internet to Eritrea and Ethiopia! He has made the top three.

At a minimum, Jacob has won several hundred dollars and national runner up, but he vies with two other teams for the national grand prize, which will be determined using judges scores and votes.

In addition, Matthew Willetto (12th grade) made the top ten for his project on Reliable Internet Media Enrichment Centers as well. His project is not up for voting, but it has received a national commendation.

Our student team Female Business Initiative (Sam C. and Isha B.) won this round of the World Series of Innovation for their concept of a ride-sharing service for women in South Africa. Scott M. and Peter N won a runner-up prize for their sustainable development concept called EHVAC. Our winners and the other great concepts can be found HERE. 

Model UN: The Peak to Peak Model UN club attended its first conference of the season on Saturday. Seventeen P2P students participated in the all-day event. Our beginners debated the difficult topics of Climate Change and the alleged genocide against the Rohingya people of Myanmar. Three of our beginner teams (Noah Douglass (9th) & Sartaj Singh (9th), Ali Kerschner (9th) & Rishi Hancock (9th), and Tanusree Banerjee (9th) & Bronwyn Busby (9th)) took home ‘Best Delegation’ awards in their individual councils. Our three Intermediate teams worked on the complex issues of Drug Trafficking and Human Trafficking from the perspective of countries in the Organization of American States. Leonard Shearer (11th) took home the award of ‘Outstanding Delegate’ for his work.

Lexus Eco Challenge: Congratulations to this team of sophomores who rocked a $10,000 win in the Lexus Eco Challenge! The students created an educational campaign to increase awareness around the protection of endangered animals. The project included social media, electronic games, and presentations to younger students. They will go on to now compete for the grand prize of $30,000. What an outstanding representation of creative and innovative thinking!

Congratulations to:

• Ella Brakhage
• Ben Rosen
• Madison Rippetoe
• Luke Wolsko
• Mana Setayesh
• Jessica Kalloor

Read the full article in the Daily Camera.

See the news coverage on CBS.

Another team of Peak to Peak sophomores has won $10,000 in the Lexus Eco Challenge! Congratulations to the following team members who will go on to compete for the grand prize:

• Allison Flaherty
• Jack Begley
• Ander De Onaindia
• Tenzin Nangsal
• Mattie Pape
• Dannica Sims

Click here to read more about the Lexus Eco Challenge.

Arts Recognitions

BVSD Art Show:  Six high school artists' works were selected to hang at the Dairy Art Center in the BVSD Art Show. Matthew Willetto (12th grade), Aspen Bradley (12th grade), Izzy Hettmansperger (12th grade), Sophie Graham (10th grade), Ainsley Smith (11th grade), and Julia Crook (11th grade) created works in multiple mediums that will hang until May 5th.

2019 All-State Bands:  Out of nearly 1,000 students statewide who auditioned, six Peak to Peak band students were accepted into this year's two 110 piece 2019 All-State Bands. Cathy Li (12th grade), Madison Lin (10th grade), Scott McCall (12th grade), Ben McCloskey (11th grade), Prash Satish (11th grade), and Arden Xu (12th grade).

During Spring Break, students spent two long days in rehearsals with two outstanding collegiate directors from Perdue and Indiana Universities. Students rehearsed a variety of difficult music that would challenge even the best college bands. Students watched live performances from a variety of music groups put on by UNC's music department as well as listened to an Over the Hill Band made up of current band directors. Lastly, the students put on a two-hour public concert that was outstanding, impressive, and inspiring.

All-State Orchestras: Senior Ashley Tang (viola) and Junior Ben McCloskey (trumpet) played in the All-State Orchestras festival in Fort Collins.

National Scholastic Art Silver Medal: Izzy Hettsmansperger (12th grade) has received a National Scholastic Art Silver Medal for her exceptional, digitally hand-drawn piece called "Fear." This piece also won a Regional Gold Key Award, but the latest recognition is at the national level.

2019 Scholastic Art Awards:

 Portfolio Art Awards:

1. Isabelle Hettmansperger: Mirror Dream, Gold Key, grade 12, drawing & illustration
2. Emily Hogan: Bug's Eye View: Life and Death, Gold Key, grade 12, photography

Individual Art Awards:

1. Paige Burns: Gold Key, grade 11, photography
2. Isabelle Hettmansperger: Gold Key, grade 12, digital art
3. Isabelle Hettmansperger: Gold Key, grade 12, digital art
4. Isabelle Hettmansperger: Gold Key, grade 12, digital art
5. Emily Hogan: Gold Key, grade 12, photography
6. Micaela Kerrane: Honorable Mention, grade 7, ceramics & glass
7. Max Morton: Gold Key, grade 12, photography
8. Julia O’Brien: Gold Key, grade 12, digital art
9. Arinna Tang: Silver Key, grade 12, drawing and illustration

Click here to view the artwork.

Denver MOP Teen Show: Photographers from the AP Studio Art: 2D Design course dominated the Denver MOP Teen Show! Students took home seven wins - more than any other school in Colorado. Photographs will on display at Pirate Contemporary Art Gallery starting April 7th with an opening on April 12th. 

 Click here to see a slide show of the winning entries.

National Scholastic Art Silver Medal: Izzy Hettsmansperger (12th grade) has received a National Scholastic Art Silver Medal for her exceptional, digitally hand-drawn piece called "Fear." This piece also won a Regional Gold Key Award, but the latest recognition is at the national level. 

Scholastic and New York Life Awards:  Brian Wee (12th grade) not only won a national Gold Medal from Scholastic for his memoir "Hug Coupons and Shoe Boxes," but he also won the 2019 New York Life Award for writing about personal loss and grief. Brian will receive a thousand-dollar scholarship award and will be honored at Carnegie Hall this June.

Athletic Recognitions

Peak to Peak is proud to have five athletes in the 2019 graduating class who are signing with Division 1 colleges and one headed to a Division 3 school. 

Tiana Bradfield 

• Northern Arizona University 
• Cross Country/Track

Ashley Buck

• Boston University
• Soccer

Quinn McConnell

• Furman University
• Cross Country/Track

Nathan Poretz

• Christopher Newport
• Baseball (Catcher)

Makinzie Short

• Nebraska 
• Soccer

Anna Shults 

• CU Boulder
• Cross Country/Track

Click here to read the full article.

BoCo Preps Athlete of the Week:  Nathan Poretz (12th grade) was the BoCo Preps Athlete of the Week, and he was also featured on the 9News Prep Rally Saturday morning (minute 2:50). Nathan hit four home runs and drove in seven runs during a recent game against Kent Denver. 

Click to see the 9News Prep Rally

Click to see the BoCoPreps mention

BoCo Preps Athlete of the Week:  Baseballer Garrett Shriver (11th grade) was named as BoCo Preps athlete of the week.

Click here to read more.

Buddy Werner League State Ski Team: Jack Brandstatter (8th grade) and Chase Brandstatter (5th grade) qualified for the Buddy Werner League State Ski Team. These students raced in the Western Slope Championships and each placed top five in their age groups.

The Buddy Werner League is "a recreational race program that strengthens young skiers grades 2nd - 8th."

Golf:  Davis Long (11th grade) finished third in the Class 3A boys golf state championships! "While many of the golfers who opened the day ahead of him struggled, Long's steady second round was enough for him to creep up the leaderboard and into the top three."

Click here to read the full article.

Davis Long, 11th grade, was named BoCoPreps golfer of the year.

Click here to read the full article.

Men’s gymnastics:  Logan Hsia (12th grade) & Sam Brende (11th grade) competed in the state championships for men’s gymnastics. Their local Lafayette team, Xtreme, competes at the highest level (Level 10) and placed 2nd in the state.

Peak to Peak men’s gymnastics students won 5th place at the opening meet of the season and a trophy for Peak to Peak. Congratulations to Logan Hsia (12th grade), Trevor O’Dowd (10th grade), and Sam Brende (11th grade).

The following athletes received recognition for winter season sports:

•  Vince Cornella: Wrestling (Monarch), Front Range League Academic & All-Conference 1st Team, 5A 113lb State Champion
• Jonah Eaves: Basketball, Metro Honorable Mention
• Max Higdon: Basketball, Metro 2nd Team All-Conference
• Corinna Kelly: Swimming (Monarch) Front Range League Academic & All-Conference 1st Team
• Ryan Kuykendall: Wrestling (Monarch), Front Range League Academic & All-Conference 1st Team
• Ian McDonald: Football (Erie), 1st Team All-Conference
• Aiyana Rockwell: Basketball, Metro Honorable Mention 
• Rachel Willette: Basketball, Metro 2nd Team All-Conference

Girls Tennis: The Peak To Peak Girls Tennis team was recognized at the USTA Colorado Annual Hall of Fame Gala on February 9 for their 2018 3A State Championship.

On Saturday, February 9th, Peak to Peak Tennis players Trini, Trisha, Madison, Tiffany and Paige volunteered to help USTA (United States Tennis Association) National Coaches demonstrate techniques and drills for high school players at the Annual Professional Tennis Association conference in Centennial, Colorado. 

Middle School Girls Basketball: The Middle School Girls Basketball A team swept the final tournament, beating out Cornerstone Christian and Jefferson Academy to take first place in the league.

Wrestling: Vince Cornella (10th grade) won the 5A State Championship wrestling title. This is Vince's second state championship win. Vince attends Peak to Peak, but wrestles on the Monarch team.

Vince Cornella, Peak to Peak sophomore who wrestles for Monarch's team, took the title at the Top of the Rockies tournament and is poised for a successful run at the state title. 

World Mountain Running Championships: Anna Shults (12th grade) and Quinn McConnell (12th grade) represented Team USA at the World Mountain Running Championships in Andorra last weekend. Their team finished in 6th place overall!

"At the finish, Shults crossed the line with a solid 14th place. Blair followed just over a minute back in 18th place. McConnell was the third scoring U.S. junior team member in 25th place while Gaylord nursed a hurt foot to the finish in 45th."

Middle School Boys Soccer: The Middle School Boys Soccer team and new coach Erik Torguson won the end-of-season tournament!

Middle School Boys Basketball: The Middle School Boys B Team had a 12-0 season and won the championship against Jefferson Academy 37-28.

Cross Country: The Peak to Peak Cross Country boys and girls varsity teams placed first at the 3A Metro League race held at Anthem Park on October 4th. Individually, the girls' race was won by Quinn McConnell (12th grade), while the boys' race was won by William Ledden (11th grade).

The High School Girls and Boys Cross Country teams both won the 3A Regional Championship titles this weekend! For the girl's team, the top three individuals slots were a lock for seniors Quinn McConnell, Anna Shults, and Tiana Bradfield. For the boy's, William Ledden (11th grade) took 2nd place and Ethan Monarski (12th grade) finished 3rd in the individuals. Four other Pumas also earned top ten finishes: Jenna Howard (12th), Ryan Kuykendall (10th), Justin Hager (12th), and Cole Beasley (12th). 

The Girls Cross Country Team finished with an impressive 2nd place in the 3A championship with Anna Shults claiming 2nd and Quinn McConnell 3rd individually.

The High School Boys Cross Country team landed the state title at the 3A meet over the weekend! William Ledden (11th grade) finished 3rd in the individual race, but it was the team score that drove them to the top.

The Peak to Peak cross country runners had a successful showing at the recent NXR Southwest Regional Championships. The boys team placed 3rd in the small school division. Ethan Monarski (12th grade) was among the top finishers with an impressive time of 16:02.9!

The girls team finished 6th in the championship race, with Quinn McConnell (12th grade) leading the team with a time of 17:15.8! Her 5th place finish has qualified Quinn to compete in the national race on Saturday, December 1st in Portland.

Quinn McConnell (12th grade) was named the Gatorade Colorado Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year!

The Gatorade Player of the Year program is proud to recognize the nation’s most elite high school athletes for not only athletic excellence, but also for high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character. Roughly 5.7 million kids play the Gatorade Player of the Year sports – only 607 are named Gatorade State Player of the Year! 

Madison Shults, 8th grade, ran her personal best in the middle school cross country championship race which landed her a 5th place finish.

The following students received recognition for Spring Sports at Peak to Peak:

 Track

 2nd Team All Conference

• Allison Beasley Girls 1600
• Corte Peterson Boys Pole Vault
• Annabel Stewart/Calla Winner/Olivia Simpson-Klein & Sydney Adams Girls 4x400 Relay

 Honorable Mention

• Makenna Turner Girls Long Jump
• Annabel Stewart/Makenna Turner/Olivia Simpson-Klein & Sydney Adams  Girls 4x200 Relay
• Zachary Smith/Thomas Liu/divedro Valdez & Corte Peterson  Boys 4x400 Relay

 4x800 Relay Champions:

• Quinn McConnell
• Anna Shults
• Tiana Bradfield
• Jenna Howard

Baseball

1st Team All Conference

• Garrett Shriver Pitcher
• Nathan Poretz Catcher
• Haydon Wilcox IF
• Isaac Van Tol IF/Utility
• Max Higdon OF

Honorable Mention

• Riley Feddema OF

Coach of the Year: Matthew Castilleja

Tennis

1st Team All Conference

• Trini Somasundaram #1 Singles
• Paige Burns & Millie Keogh #4 Doubles

2nd Team All Conference

• Trisha Somasundaram #1 Singles
• Tiffany Tran #3 Singles
• Renesa Khanna & Kendyl Fanger #2 Doubles
• Seniors of the year: Trisha & Trini Somasundaram

#1 Singles 3A Champion: Trisha Somasundaram

#2 Singles 3A Champion: Trini Somasundaram

3A Team Champions

Girls Soccer

1st Team All Conference

• Iris Zhang

2nd Team All Conference

• Daneca Nelsen

Honorable Mention

• Rachel Willette
• Jules Walther
• Taryn McGinnis

Fall, 2018 Sports Awards: 

Boys Golf

• Brett Hogan
• Davis Long - 1st Team , 1st Team All State, Boco Player of the Year
• Aditya Malhotra - Honorable Mention
• Suchit Sharma - Honorable Mention

 Boys Soccer

• Reid Dimond - 1st Team
• Garrett Jackson - Honorable Mention
• Jonathon Gruener - 2nd Team
• Michael Chewning - Honorable Mention
• Omar Lemus - Honorable Mention

SOCCER COACH OF THE YEAR - Coach McConnell

Cross Country

• Benjamin Cunningham - 2nd Team, 3A State Champion
• Ethan Monarsky - 1st Team, 3A State Champion
• Allison Beasley - 1st Team, 3A State Runner up
• Cole Beasley - 1st Team, 3A State Champion
• Quinn McConnell - 1st Team/Senior of the Year, 3A State Runner up, Metro Senior of the Year
• Sydney Adams - Honorable Mention, 3A State Runner up
• Justin Hager - 1st Team/Senior of the Year, 3S State Champion, Metro Senior of the Year
• Jenna Howard - 2nd Team, 3A State Runner up
• Tiana Bradfield - 1st Team, 3A State Runner up
• Ryan Kuykendall - 1st Team, 3A State Champion
• William Joseph Ledden - 1st Team, 3A State Champion
• William Alexander - 2nd Team, 3A State Champion
• Luke Doescher - 3A State Champion
• Anna Shults - 1st Team, 3A State Runner up
• Ellie Triem - 3A State Runner up
• Jennifer Portillo - 2nd Team, 3A State Runner up

Softball

• Julia Coates - 1st Team Utility
• Jamie Rader - 1st Team Pitcher
• Heather Holtgreive - 2nd Team Infielder
• Alyssa Alvarez - 1st Team Infielder

Volleyball

• Arianna Greenspan - Honorable Mention
• Calla Winner - 1st Team 

Ultimate Frisbee Club: The Lafayette Jazz Ultimate Frisbee Club celebrated a finals victory in the Fun Division of the Monarch High School Invitational Tournament. The team, featuring players from Peak to Peak and Centaurus, defeated opponents from Lakewood, Boulder, Monarch, and Horizon.

Character & Community Service Recognitions

2019 Broomfield Youth Recognition Award (BYRA):  Sophie Steven (9th grade) was recognized by the City and County of Broomfield with a 2019 Broomfield Youth Recognition Award (BYRA)! The BYRA program allows the greater Broomfield community to honor and acknowledge those youth who, despite adversity, achieved positive change in their lives. Sophie, who has Type 1 Diabetes, was recognized for the many years of legislative advocacy and fundraising efforts she has been passionately pursuing on behalf of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

YES! Ambassador: Bethany Bell (8th grade) participated in her first presentation as a YES! Ambassador. YES! stands for Youth Example of Self-Advocacy. The Ambassadors act as mentors the other members and help teach them how to advocate for themselves and how to talk to other about dyslexia. They also work to raise awareness of dyslexia by giving presentations at hospitals, school board meetings, and other events. The topic for this presentation was assistive technology (AT). Bethany had the opportunity to share her dyslexia story and talk about the AT that she uses. After the presentation, the ambassadors took time to give demonstrations of the AT to the attendees.

Daniel's Scholarship recipients: Seniors Sam Goertzen and Akriti Poudel have been named as 2019 Daniel's Scholarship recipients. "The Daniels Scholarship Program provides a four-year annually-renewable college scholarship for graduating high school seniors in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming who demonstrate exceptional character, leadership, and a commitment to serving their communities." Sam and Akriti are among the 218 students were awarded the scholarship this year.

We recognize that many of our senior students are receiving recognition for their outstanding achievements in a variety of realms including academic, athletic, artistic, service, leadership, etc.. Some are attaining goals they once thought impossible. During the spring semester, our inboxes are bulging with good news about the accomplishments that carry significance to each one of our graduating seniors. Scholarships, such as the Daniels Scholarship, carry a particular national significance and are celebrated broadly not only because the students have earned it, but also as a reflection of our K-12 program's success. 

Faculty & Staff Recognitions

Ms. Monika Bunting publishes article through the Association for Middle Level Education:  Ms. Monika Bunting, 7th grade English teacher at Peak to Peak, published an article titled "Why I Teach: Building a safe space for students—and you, as teacher—to grow and learn" through the Association for Middle Level Education.

In her own words: "At the core of who I am as a teacher is love and creating a safe space where the affirmation of self and others can flourish and grow. I believe with the foundation of this safe space, students can be challenged to learn with a deeper sense of who they are. Yet this transformation must come first from the teacher, and this means entering the classroom with an open and accepting heart."

Click here to read the full article.

University of Colorado Boulder’s Outstanding Colorado High School Educator Award:  High school math teacher Ms. Liz Tarbutton has been recognized with the University of Colorado Boulder’s Outstanding Colorado High School Educator Award, "which recognizes the top high school teachers, faculty and staff in the state of Colorado who go above and beyond to support students as they pursue their higher education dreams."

National Speech and Debate Association Honor Society: Kurt Schaefer, Chemistry teacher, received a coveted “one diamond” degree of membership in the National Speech and Debate Association Honor Society. Mr. Schaefer was honored at the 2019 Speech and Debate Tourney in Dallas, TX.

High School Counselor, Mary Campbell, was featured in the Daily Camera's regular education related spotlight

BVSD Innovation grant: Two Peak to Peak teachers received a BVSD Innovation grant to do some exciting cross-curricular work together with the students in their respective classes. The grant will combine Lauren Sessions' Anatomy class and Kristie Letter's Innovation and Design Thinking class to help create medical devices via 3D printing. The grant purchases a 3D printer so that our students can innovate medical prosthetics for our community. Using available open source material, students can design and produce medical designs and devices which would cost a fraction of what they normally would. Matthew Willeto (12th grade) is taking the student lead on the project. The students are especially interested in designing for children because they outgrow things so quickly cost can become prohibitive. The teachers were inspired to pursue this grant by a story of a man who made a hand for his son for only $10 using open source material and the school’s 3D printer. 

LearnStorm Keep Going, Keep Growing award: Middle School Math Teacher, Kim Struck, has been given recognition as a finalist in the LearnStorm Keep Going, Keep Growing award!

"LearnStorm is Khan Academy's free, back-to-school program that gives teachers a powerful way to jump start the school year. By combining growth–mindset activities and lesson-aligned practice, LearnStorm drives mastery of core academic skills, motivates classrooms, and builds students' confidence."

Click here to learn more.

Academic Recognitions

ART RECOGNITIONS

Scholastic Art & Writing Award: Izzy Hettmansperger (11th grade) earned a National Silver Medal in the Scholastic Art & Writing Award competition. Izzy's project, titled "Dissimuler," was entered in the Comic Art category. She is one of the 48 Colorado writers and artists who won awards this year. 

2018 Scholastic Art Awards:

Lafayette Annual Window Painting Contest: Several Peak to Peak students were winners of the Lafayette Annual Window Painting Contest which is a part of the city's fall festival. Congratulations to the following students:

Audrey Good (Kindergarten) - 1st place for Grade Level K-1

Molly Sessions (1st grade) - 2nd place for Grade Level K-1

Abbey Brende (6th grade) - 1st place for Grade Level 5-6

Elizabeth Coyle (5th grade) - 3rd place for Grade Level 5-6

Owyn Wyatt (7th grade) - 1st place for Grade Level 7-10

Roxy Poppick (10th grade) - 3rd place for Grade Level 7-10

Athletic Recognitions

Athletic Collegiate Signings: Three Class of 2018 athletes signed with a college or university to play their respective sports as follows:

Ian Thorpe: Men's golf, Iona College

Haley Frederking: Volleyball, Fort Hays State University

Miriam Grady: Fencing, University of Notre Dame

Middle School Boys Basketball: The 7th Grade Boys Basketball Team are champions! They took 1st place this weekend in the Metro League end-of-season tournament. They defeated Jefferson Academy in a semi-final game and defeated Faith Christian in a come from behind victory to win the championship. Way to go, Pumas!

Cheer: The high school cheerleaders took 10th place at the state competition. This was the first year that the Pumas had entered the competition in several years. They had a perfect routine with zero deductions.

Cross Country: The Girls Cross Country team won the 3A state championship meet. In the individual race, Peak to Peak runners finished 1st - Quinn McConnell (11th grade), 2nd - Anna Shults (11th grade), and 3rd - Tiana Bradfield (11th grade).

The Boys Cross Country team finished in third place at the 3A state championship meet. This was a huge upset given the teams 15th place season finish.

Dance: There are nine Peak to Peak students performing in The Colorado Conservatory of Dance's 25th anniversary production of The Nutcracker. Students range from 4th to 12th grade and have been rehearsing for this holiday classic since August. Well done, Pumas!

Natalie Sievers (7th grade), Anne Nevadomski (7th grade), Kailey Zaronias (11th grade), Lina Davis (10th grade), Callista Zaronias (12th grade) Hope Peddycord (4th grade), Faith Peddycord (7th grade), Amelia Scott (8th), Grant Peddycord (7th grade)

Golf: The Boys High School Golf team won the 3A Championship title. Congratulations to Ethan Tartaglia (12th grade), Ian Thorpe (12th grade), Nishant Datta (12th grade) and Davis Long (10th grade) who was also the top individual winner.

The Boys High School Golf team set the all time single meet metro league scoring record last week with a score of 281 (-7). They topped a record that had been held for 17 years!

Football: Six Peak to Peak students were part of the Erie High football squad's successful 11-2 season and played against Palmer Ridge (13-0) for the 3A State Championships 

Peak to Peak players include:
Alejandro Antillon, 10th grade
Brian Graylin, 11th grade
Dylan Hall, 10th grade
Gus Fonseca-Walker, 9th grade
Ian McDonald, 11th grade
and Sam Baker, 10th grade

Softball: The High School Softball team who won the 2017 Sheridan Tournament.

Swimming:  Peak to Peak swimmers found success at this year's 3A State Championship.

Erika Schunk (12th grade) placed fourth in the breaststroke and sixth in the 100 free, and contributed to the team's success in all three relays.

Isabella Brakhage (9th grade) placed 14th in the 200 IM and 9th in the 100 breaststroke.

Grace Spakes (10th grade) and Jackie Boian (12th grade) helped the team earn a 10th place slot in the 200 meter relay.

There are seven Peak to Peak students who swam for the Centaurus Girls Swim team this year. The team placed 5th at the state championship meet this year, up from 11th last year.

Tennis: The High School Girls Tennis team won the 3A state team title, and the Somasundaram twins made history with the #1 and #2 singles titles.

The Peak to Peak Boys Tennis Team finished second at the regional tournament. The Pumas qualified four players for the state championship tournament: Brett Finan (11th grade) #1 singles, Teo Cariov (11th grade) #2 singles, Ishan Kumar (12th grade) #3 singles, and Alexander Preston (11th grade) and Daniel Rui (10th grade) #4 doubles.

Track: The High School Girls' 4 x 800 meter relay team won the state title! This year's all 11th grade relay group of Tiana Bradfield, Jenna Howard, Quinn McConnell and Anna Shults convincingly won the race with a time of 9:20.84. It was the fifth straight 3,200-meter relay state title for the Pumas. Click here to read the article. Overall, on the strength of 5 scoring athletes, our P2P girls took 3rd as a team at the state track championships. A valiant effort on the part of those 5 competing in multiple events for the sake of their teammates!

Ultimate Frisbee: The Lafayette Jazz Ultimate Frisbee team took 3rd place at the State Ultimate Tournament.

Jazz is a co-ed team combining Peak to Peak students and Centaurus students. Members from Peak to Peak include: Sam Goertzen, Connor Cahoon, Scott Mccall, Ben Blankenship, Heider Iacometti, Presh Satish, Gabe Fromme, Gibson Friedman, and Ben McCloskey. The team is coached by Middle school English teacher, Mr. Rozinsky and Peak to Peak alumnus, Josh Goertzen.

Character & Service Recognitions

Musical Performance for those with dementia: Tri-M is Peak to Peak's national honor society for student musicians. In addition to recognizing students who have gone above and beyond musically and academically, this group provides students with opportunities to perform, lead, and grow through community service. Seven students (violin, piano, voice, flute, guitar, etc) performed for people in the Lafayette community who have dementia. In preparation for this event, they met with a specialist who provided them with information and guidance about performing for people with dementia.

Faculty & Staff Recognitions

CenturyLink Grant: Our fabulous teachers Michelle Eckstein (technology), Megan Hensen (4th grade), Marti Oliva (3rd grade), and Sheena Kelly (teacher-librarian) won a $5,000 grant from CenturyLink to support Virtual Reality technology for our students.

Girls' High School Coach of the Year: Peak to Peak's own Kim McConnell has been selected by the U. S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as the Girls' High School Coach of the Year for the state of Colorado for the 2017 Cross Country season. "This honor is based upon the performance of the Peak to Peak High School team throughout the 2017 season and is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the student athletes, the coaching staff, and the administration of the school."

2018 Impact on Education Award: Renay Ulibarri, Peak to Peak Charter School’s lead custodian, won a 2018 Impact on Education Award!

"When fighting the good fight on the educational battlefield, there is a certain kind of comrade you want at your side. Loyal, strong, dedicated to the mission, high performer under pressure, trustworthy, resilient – these are the primary qualities of our Impact on Education winner this year. However, Renay brings so much more to our school community than the admirable qualities of a tried-and-true soldier. Her daily vibrancy and genuine smile are infectious. In her fourteen years at our school, she has inspired positivity and gratitude in our students, staff, and parent/guardian community. If the buildings and campus she diligently cleans each day could speak, they would also join this ever-growing list of grateful Peak to Peak Pumas! Whether she’s guiding students in the proper separation of recycled goods versus trash, cleaning up a water spill outside a classroom, or giving compassionate but constructive feedback to a colleague on her custodial staff, Renay epitomizes partnership and dedication on our school campus each day. She is exactly the kind of person we treasure; she is the epitome of good character shining through."

"Excellence in Food Safety": Peak to Peak's Food Services program has received recognition for "Excellence in Food Safety" from The Partners for Food Safety Program (PFSP). PFSP is a voluntary program that recognizes restaurants and facilities in Boulder County who go above and beyond to keep visitors free from foodborne illness.

University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award winner: Señor Matthews was selected as a University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award winner! He was nominated by Peak to Peak alumna, Rebecca Thompson, who is currently studying at the university, where entering students may nominate an influential high school educator who challenged them intellectually, opened new realms of discovery, or channeled their interested for intellectual growth.

"Crystal Apple Award": Ms. Tarbutton, high school math teacher, was recognized with a "Crystal Apple Award" presented by WAY-FM. The award nomination came from one of our Peak to Peak families. The Baxter family nominated Ms. Tarbutton for her commitment to their student's success at Peak to Peak and beyond.

Academic Recognitions

National Spanish Examinations: Several Middle School Spanish students from attained national recognition for excellent performance on the 2017 National Spanish Examinations. Students from our middle school earned 9 silver and 11 bronze medals along with 27 honorable mentions. “Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with over 157,000 students participating in 2017.” Students from Peak to Peak have a long history of high achievement on these exams and were taught by Spanish teachers, Sra. Meiler and Srita Leach. The National Spanish Examinations are administered each year in grades 6 through 12, and are sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

Scholastic Writing Awards: The following students received 2017 Scholastic Writing Award. These awards are for the West Writing Region and cover a seven state area.

• Noorain Baig - Silver Key for Critical Essay
• Morgan Brantmeyer - Honorable Mention for Critical Essay
• Anjali Gill - Honorable Mention for Writing Portfolio
• Kelsey Gilliam - Honorable Mention for Flash Fiction
• Navami Manangi- Honorable Mention for Critical Essay
• Mayank Mishra - Honorable Mention for Writing Portfolio
• Kiera O'Neill- Silver Key for Poetry
• Kassen Qian - Gold Key for Critical Essay
• Rachel Thomas - Silver Key for Critical Essay
• Chandra Xu - Gold Key for Writing Portfolio
• Sai Kaushik Yeturu - Honorable Mention for Humor
• Callista Zaronias - Gold Key for Critical Essay

"The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Last year, students submitted nearly 320,000 works of visual art and writing to the Scholastic Awards; more than 85,000 works were recognized at the regional level and celebrated in local exhibitions and ceremonies."

Science Bowl:The Peak to Peak Science Bowl Team had a strong performance at the Regional Science Bowl Competition, held at  Dakota Ridge HS in Littleton Colorado. Team #1 made it to the semifinals while Team #2 was just one win away from qualifying for the elimination round.

Yearbook: Jostens, the leading producer of yearbooks and student-created content, announced that Peak to Peak’s yearbook program was named a 2017 Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence.Nationally, only 344 schools were given this honor. The high school AND middle school yearbooks are being recognized with this award. The National Yearbook Program of Excellence recognizes engaging yearbooks that reflect a broad representation of the student body while helping students develop 21st century skills such as communication, collaboration, and information and communication technologies (ICT) literacy.

2017 State Science Fair Results 

The following students received awards at the 2017 Colorado Science and Engineering Fair: 

• Alexandra Dalton (8th grade):
  • Junior Division - Animal Sciences, First Place
  • Broadcom - Nomination to enter the 2017 Broadcom MASTERS competition for MS students 
• Weston Metzler (11th grade):
  • United States Navy & Marine Corps - Office of Naval Research Award, $75
  • Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, High Plains Section - IEEE Award, $150
  • Intel Corporation - Intel Excellence in Computer Science Award, $200 
• Kaushik Yeturu (12th grade):
  • Senior Division - Physics, Third Place
  • United States Navy & Marine Corps - Office of Naval Research Award, $75

37 new NHS Students: National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society Induction 2016. Thirty-seven new students, grades 10-12, were inducted into NHS.

5th Grade Destination Imagination Team is Headed to State: Our 5th Grade Destination Imagination team took 2nd place and advanced to the State Tournament. The team includes the following students:

• Ava Sommer
• Mia Ritchie
• Anjana Radha 
• Brandon Hughes
• Connor Precourt
• John Reeder
• Siddarth Nareddy

First US Presidential Scholar: Peak to Peak has our first ever U.S. Presidential Scholar. Mayank Mishra (12th grade) was one of only 160 students selected for this prestigious award and one of only two in Colorado. The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by Executive Order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our Nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the Program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields. Each year, up to 161 students are named U.S. Presidential Scholars, one of the Nation's highest honors for high school students. The Scholars represent excellence in education and the promise of greatness in young people. In honoring the U.S. Presidential Scholars, the President of the United States symbolically honors all graduating high school seniors of high potential.

Four Boettcher Semi-finalists: Four Peak to Peak seniors were named as semi-finalists for the Boettcher Scholarship: Sara Branham, Divyam Mishra, Mayank Mishra, and Kaushik Yeturu. "These merit-based scholarships for Colorado high school seniors provide what is essentially a full-ride to any four-year institution in Colorado." Click to Read more.

Four National Merit Finalists: Four seniors were named as National Merit Scholarship Program finalists: Alex Bradfield, Nimish Garg, Mayank Mishra, and Sam Taylor. "The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test."  Read more about the program.

IPPF Elite 8: Fabian Dauzvardis (12th grade), Kassen Qian (11th grade), and William Alexander (10th grade) have advanced to "The Elite 8" in the International Public Policy Forum debate. After months of written debate competition, the team has been selected for an all expense paid trip to New York City to compete for a $10,000 prize in the final rounds of live debate in the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) debate competition. "Founded in 2001, the IPPF is the first and only competition that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. This international contest is open to all schools - public and private - for free. It welcomes students from around the world and across the spectrum of debate and forensic events. High school teams compete for awards and scholarships.

Battle of the Books: Peak to Peak's Battle of the Books teams had a very successful showing at the district competition. Peak to Peak had six teams compete, with four of them placing. The 3rd, 7th, and 8th grade teams each took first place and the 6th grade team took second place.

Three Beottcher Scholarship Finalists: Each year the Beottcher Scholarship is awarded to Colorado's top high school seniors. These merit-based scholarships provide what is essentially a full-ride to any four-year institution in Colorado, with the aim of keeping Colorado's best minds here in Colorado. This year, Peak to Peak has three students who have been named as finalists for this prestigious award. Out of over 1400 applications, the field is narrowed to 300 semifinalists, and then 100 finalists. In 2017, Divyam Mishra, Mayank Mishra, and Kaushik Yeturu were are among the final 100. Click here to read more about the program.

Three Presidential Scholars: Three Peak to Peak seniors have been nominated for the 2017 United States Presidential Scholars Program by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the United States Department of Education: Alex Bradfield, Mayank Mishra, and Ben Peeples. "The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students."Click here to read more about the program.

Literature and Poetry Contest Sweep: Colorado Humanities is an organization formed to "inspire the people of Colorado to explore ideas and to appreciate our diverse cultural heritage." Each year, this state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), sponsors two writing competitions. The following Peak to Peak students received awards, sweeping the "River of Words" poetry contest, and dominating in the "Letters about Literature" contest.

State Winners for River of Words Poetry Contest:

• 1st Place: Ben Peeples, 12th grade, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette
• 2nd Place: Alexis Leutenegger, 12th grade, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette
• 3rd Place: Brianna Doerfler, 12th grade, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette
• Hon. Mention: Corinna Martin, 12th grade, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette

State Winners for Letters about Literature:

• 2nd Place: Mary Grace Carroll, 12th grade, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette
• 3rd Place: Molly Higdon, 12th grade, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette
• Hon. Mention: Alex Bradfield, 12th grade, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette

River of Words is "a poetry and art competition for students on the theme of watersheds and the environment designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live, and to express what they discover in poetry and visual art. Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book, in affiliation with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, implements River of Words statewide judging and coordinates the Student Literary Awards in the spring."

Letters about Literature is "a writing competition where students each write a personal letter to an author, poet or playwright, living or dead, from any genre, explaining how their ways of thinking about the world or themselves have changed as a result of reading the author's work."

Math Counts Winners: The following Middle School students won the school-level Math Counts competition and are advancing to the local competition in February:

• Declan Hiller
• Madison Lin
• Vikas Muralidharan
• Sophia Du
• Sophie Kiehl
• Michael Liao
• Mason Rein
• Jeffrey Chen
• Paris Kiehl
• Jenna Plute

Ten middle schoolers entered the local Boulder chapter MathCounts competition. Michael Liao, Jenna Plute, Vikas Muralidharan, Sophia Du, Mason Rein, Declan Hiller, Jeffrey Chen, Madison Lin, Paris Kiehl and Sophie Kiehl stepped up to represent Peak to Peak in sprint, target, and team rounds. The competition was so tough that judges asked Sophie Kiehl and another student to participate in a deciding head-to-head competition with additional questions. Sophie won not only the head-to-head, but also came in first out of the 130 students in the room. 

Peak to Peak also had four students participate in a "top 10" buzzer round: Michael Liao, Jeffrey Chen, Madison Lin and Sophie Kiehl. While they were unable to grab any individual awards during this round, the team placed first and will go on to the state-level competition. Peak to Peak students performed so well that four additional students were also invited to continue on to state: Jenna Plute, Vikas Muralidharan, Sophia Du, and Declan Hiller.

Model UN Goes to Harvard: Ten students from the Peak to Peak Model UN Club attended the prestigious Harvard Model UN Conference in Boston in January. Over 3000 students from 34 countries discussed, debated and tried to find solutions to real world problems facing the United Nations today. Our team was proud to be the only school from Colorado to be included in this world class event.

Team members: Akriti Poudel, Sudeepti Nareddy, Chandra Xu, Numair Baig, Zach Feigelson, Mayank Mishra, Navami Manangi, Callista Zaronias, Kassen Qian, and Nick Hughes

Mayank Mishra received a “Verbal Commendation” for his work on the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. Kassen Qian was a finalist in the optional charity essay contest “Right and Responsibility”.

National History Day Winners: The eighth grade students' National History Day entries and results:

• Patrick Grady (Exhibit- The July 20th Assassination Attempt on Adolf Hitler's Life)
• Vikas Muralidharan & Fiona Spitzley (Documentary- The Proxy War: How Charlie Wilson Took a Stand for Arming the Afghan Mujaheddin)
• Jenna Plute & Hilary Jaime (Documentary- Charlie Chaplin: Taking a Stand for the Working Class)
• Aydia Kaplan, Julietta Rozin & Cameryn Sarros (Performance- Federalism: How Alexander Hamilton took a Stand for the United States Constitution)

The Charlie Wilson documentary went to the final round at District and the Hamilton performance is the alternate for State.

From Mr. Paul: "The kids did great work (as usual) and are already thinking about topics for next year!"

Peak to Peak Students Sweep Essay Contest: Peak to Peak students took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the Anti-Defamation League's 10th-12th grade division of the 2017 Student Essay Contest, "A Tribute to Moral Courage: Standing Up Against Injustice." The students, along with their families, were invited guests at the 36th Annual Governor's Holocaust Remembrance Program on April 25th, where they were presented with their monetary awards. Huge thanks to Mr. Benson for his support of his AP Lang and Comp students through this process. Congratulations to Kate Berg (11th grade), 1st place; Adam Kiehl (11th grade), 2nd place; and Melissa Schirmer (11th grade), 3rd place.

Robotics Team Champions: The Peak to Peak Robotics team were the overall Finalist Champions and also winners of the Innovate Award at the FIRST Tech Challenge East-Metro Qualifier Competition. The team moved on to compete at the state level. "FIRST Tech Challenge teams (10+ members, grades 7-12) are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format. Participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have!” Guided by adult Coaches and Mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles (like keeping an engineering notebook), while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and sharing ideas." Read more about the program.

State Speech and Debate Results: Peak to Peak's Speech & Debate took 3rd place at the National Qualifier Sweepstakes.

The list of students below includes the national qualifiers and the alternates.

In Lincoln-Douglas Debate:

• 2nd Qualifier: Kaushik Yeturu
• 2nd Alternate: Kassen Qian
• 4th Alternate: Ben Peeples
• 5th Alternate: Fabian Dauzvardis

In National Extemporaneous Speaking:

• 1st Qualifier: Mayank Mishra
• 2nd Alternate: Kaushik Yeturu
• 4th Alternate: Bella Sicker

In Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking:

• 2nd Alternate: Ben Peeples

In Original Oratory:

• 2nd Alternate: Navami Manangi
• 5th Alternate: Vyas Muralidharan
• 7th Alternate: Akriti Poudel

And the overall Sweepstakes results for our team were as follows:

• Debate - 3rd Place
• Speech - 6th Place
• District - 3rd Place

Student Awards at 2017 Science Fair: The following students received awards in the 2017 Regional Science Fair competition:

Junior Level Winners

• Alexandra Dalton (8th grade), First Place: Animal Science
• Tara Amidon (8th grade), Third Place: Chemistry
• Fareed Ahamad (8th grade), Second Place: Microbiology
• Ander de Onaindia (8th grade), Third Place: Microbiology
• Vince Cornella (8th grade), Second Place: Physics

Senior Level Winners

• Weston Metzler (11th grade), Second Place: Engineering
• Kaushik Yeturu (12th grade), First Place: Physics

ISEF Special Award Winners

• Lena Morton (12th grade), American Meterological Society
• Noah Putnam (12th grade), Intel Excellence in Computer Science
• Alexandra Dalton (8th grade), Broadcom Masters
• Lena Morton (12th grade), NASA EARTH System Science Award
• Kaushik Yeturu (12th grade), Office of Naval Research ? U.S. Navy/Marine Corps
• Ryan Kuykendall (11th grade), Office of Naval Research ? U.S. Navy/Marine Corps
• William McCloskey (12th grade), United States Air Force
• Diego Olaya (11th grade), United States Air Force

JR CSEF Qualifiers

• Alexandra Dalton (8th grade)

SR CSEF Qualifiers

• Weston Metzler (11th grade)
• Kaushik Yeturu (12th grade)

Thirteen Advance to State Debate Finals: The students listed below have advanced to the 2017 State Finals in Speech & Debate. 

• Will Alexander, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking
• Chloe Hodgson, Original Oratory
• Akriti Poudel, Original Oratory
• Bella Sicker, National Extemporaneous
• Mayank Mishra, National Extemporaneous
• Logan Hsia, National Extemporaneous
• Kassen Qian, Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Ben Peeples, Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Kaushik Yeturu, Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Leonard Shearer, Program Oral Interpretation
• Brandon Guo and Ayush Garg, Public Forum Debate
• Paige Burns, Humorous Interpretation
• Gaia Malin and Delaney Cohn, Duo Interpretation

Arts Recognitions

School Resource Officer Vehicle:Caden Klinger (10th grade) and Ayush Chitrakar (11th grade) were recognized for the award-winning artwork which was selected for the Lafayette Police Department's car-wrap art contest.  Their artwork showcasing the state and local community is displayed on the department's 2016-17 School Resource Officer vehicle.

All State Band: The following Peak to Peak Band Students were accepted into this year's Colorado All State Band. These students were selected by an audition process and competed against 900 other students in the State of Colorado for this prestigious opportunity. Only the best of best were chosen and we are very fortunate and proud to announce that: Nicholas Dimond, Arden Xu, and Cathy Li made this year’s All State Band and Scott McCall is a 1st alternate. 

Scholastic Art Awards: The following students received 2017 Scholastic Art Awards.

• Anya Salmen earned a Gold Key for her work "Time is Money." The work is from a body of work about Feminism and its connection to her own life.
• Rachel Fitzsimmons earned an Honorable Mention for her work, "Greed." The work is from a body of work that uses anthropomorphization to illustrate the nine circles of hell.
• Julie O'Brien earned a Silver Key for her work, "Ooh, Spicy." This work is completed from observational drawings of various peppers and communicates her love of spice.

In addition, two students received Art Portfolio awards. Art portfolios must include eight different artworks. The works can come from one category or any combination of multiple categories. A Gold Key award represents the very best works submitted to local programs. Gold Key works are automatically considered for national–level recognition. The Silver Key is awarded to stand-out works submitted to local programs that demonstrate exceptional ability.

• Samantha Pursley (grade 12) received a Gold Key portfolio award for a series of images of horses.
• Cambria Pilger (grade 12) received a Silver Key portfolio award for her works titled, "Meltdown."

Pilger on All State Choir: Senior Cambria Pilger was selected to the 2016-17 All-State Choir. Cambria will represented Peak to Peak at the All-State Choir Festival in Denver on February 2nd - 4th, 2017. 

Orchestra: Peak to Peak 10th grade student Kelly Song was selected to play with the Symphony Orchestra at the Western States Honor Orchestra Festival held at the University of Northern Colorado on November 3rd-5th, 20. 

• Tang and Ma - All State Orchestra
• Sophomore Ashley Tang and senior Vincent Ma made the Colorado 2017 All State Philharmonic Orchestra

Team Qualifies for National Conference: Based on their performance at Thescon, the following students qualified for the national thespian conference and competition in June. For their group acting scene from The Diviners, by Jim Leonard Jr.:

• Ash Hartnett
• Micheal Johnson
• Gaia Malin
• Claire Hankla
• Cambria Pilger
• Emily Struck

For her solo musical piece: Climbing Uphill from the musical The Last Five Years:

• Emma Anderson

Thirteen Win Top Honors in Photography Show: Thirteen high school photography students in Mrs. Bertarelli's AP Studio Art: 2D Design course won top honors in Denver's Month of Photography Teen Show. Their works will hang at Globeville Riverfront Art Center. 

Athletic Recognitions

Spring Sports Recognitions: The following student athletes received recognition for their performance on spring athletic teams:

METRO LEAGUE AWARDS 

Girls Soccer:

• Joe Swanson- Coach of the Year
• Jordan Deger - 1st Team
• Ashley Buck- 1st Team
• Kenna Hazzard- 2nd Team
• Emily Dee- Honorable Mention
• Emma Shepherd- Honorable Mention
• Kinzie Short- Honorable Mention
• Rachel Willette- Honorable Mention

Baseball:

• Matt Bagnato- 1st Team
• Tommy Shriver- 1st Team
• Zach Feigelson- 1st Team
• Baylor Weyer- 2nd Team
• Brayden Weyer- 2nd Team
• Alex Bradfield- 2nd Team
• Max Higdon- Honorable Mention

Track & Field:

• Quinn McConnell- 1st Team & 2nd Team
• Julia O'Brien- 1st Team, 2nd Team & Honorable Mention
• Makenna Turner- 1st Team & Honorable Mention
• Savannah Spakes- 1st Team & Honorable Mention 
• Tiana Bradfield- 1st Team & 2nd Team
• Rachel Metzler- 2nd Team
• Anna Shults- 2nd Team & Honorable Mention
• Elle Treim- 2nd Team
• Ethan Monarski- 2nd Team
• William Ledden- 2nd Team
• Joshua Johnston- 2nd Team
• Justin Hager- 2nd Team
• Robin Peterson- Honorable Mention

Girls Tennis:

• Trisha Somasundaram- 2nd Team 

All Region Golf Team: Nishant Datta was named to the BocoPreps 2016 All-Region golf team. Ethan Tartaglia, Sam Taylor, and Ian Thorpe received honorable mention. Read more

Boys High School Golf: The Boys High School Golf team finished 2nd at the 3A state tournament! Ethan Tartaglia placed 3rd in the individual competition; Nishant Datta and Ian Thorpe tied for 6th. Read more here, here, and here (watch the amazing putt at minute 3:10).

Fall Sports Recognitions:

Girl's Cross Country State Champs: The High School Girl's Cross Country team brought home the 3A State Championship title.

Girl's MS Volleyball: Peak to Peak's 8th grade girl's volleyball team finished their season will an impressive record of 10 wins and 1 loss. They went undefeated during regular season play. 

Girls High School Cross Country Ranked #1 in Nation: The Girls High School Cross Country team was nationally ranked for Division II small schools with total enrollment less than 600 students. The week of October 3rd, the team was ranked #1 in the nation! Rankings can be found at xcnation.com Division II winning teams are awarded National Championship recognition following the State Championships.

Peak to Peak's boys golf team Featured: Peak to Peak's boys golf team was featured in an article appearing on the BoCO Prep website for their philanthropic approach to the 2016 season. "The Peak to Peak boys golf team aren't just concerned with repeating as Class 3A state champions in 2016. The Pumas are also focused on doing some good while they're at it. To that end, the Pumas have adopted the slogan "Birdies for Harambe" this season in honor of the gorilla that was euthanized after a 3-year-old child fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens in May." Read the full article.

Character & Community Service Recognition

Ethics Bowl: On Saturday, February 4, the Peak to Peak high school ethics bowl team took first and second place in the first ever Colorado High School Ethics Bowl held at CU Boulder. The team qualified to compete in a virtual playoff with the winner of the Houston regional to win a spot in the National High School Ethics Bowl in Chapel Hill, NC this April.  

Learning Garden Grant Award: Peak to Peak was awarded a $2000 grant to help expand the K-12 Learning Garden.  The grant was awarded from Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Program, which was created in partnership with FoodCorps to help schools and organizations grow kids’ relationships with food through gardening. Whole Kids generously donated lots of seed packets for the garden, kids’ gardening gloves and a binder full of lesson plans ideas for all ages. At Peak to Peak, the funds will be used to continue construction of the garden, enhance the garden with art projects and plant pumpkins, squash and pollinator-friendly plants.

Manangi Awarded Young Women in Public Afairs (YWPA) 2017: Senior Navami Manangi was named as a Young Women in Public Afairs (YWPA) 2017 Award winner! "The Award recognizes young women, ages 16-19, who demonstrate superior leadership skills and a commitment to public service and civic causes, and encourages them to continue their participation in public and political life." Read more about the program.

Faculty & Staff Recognitions

Technology Grants: Elementary Technology teacher Michelle Eckstein and K-12 ALPS Coordinator Tracy Cloninger, who were each awarded $5,000 grants from Century Link for robotics equipment, Chromebooks and video recording equipment.

Counselor of the Year: Mary Campbell, one of Peak to Peak's High School College Counselors, was a finalist for the 2016 Colorado School Counselor of the Year. Ms. Campbell was one of five individuals named by the Colorado School Counselor Association as a finalist for the award. Individuals are recognized as the best professionals in the field. The organization acknowledges each nominee for the quality of service he/she provides students, families, schools and districts in which he/she works.

Coach of the Year: The Boys Golf Coach, John Thornbury, was recognized by the National Federation of State High School Associations as the 2016 State Coach of the year. He was recognized during a legislative meeting at CHSAA.

Impact On Education Classroom Innovation Grant: Third grade teacher, Marti Oliva, and Elementary Technology teacher, Michelle Eckstein, showcased student work at the Impact on Education Showcase.  They received a $1200 grant from Impact On Education Classroom Innovation Grant Program.  The funds were used to purchase 54 headsets with microphones for use in the elementary school.  The headphones are used for student reading fluency practice. They also enable students to utilize voice to text recording features with Chromebooks.  Students have enjoyed projects such as creating narrated ebooks, book trailers, and practicing oral reading fluency.

World Language Teachers Recognized: The Departments of Modern Languages, Hispanic Studies, and American Sign Language at the University of Northern Colorado recognizedtwo teachers with awards. Elizabeth Leach received the Spanish Award for Outstanding Teacher of World Languages in 2017, and Michele Sachs received the French Award for Outstanding Teacher of World Languages in 2017.

With this award, the University of Northern Colorado recognizes the teachers who are providing an exceptional foreign culture in a variety of dimensions. These individuals are dedicated to the important job of sensitizing people to cultural diversity and intercultural understanding. One award is given for outstanding teaching in each of French, German, Spanish, and a less commonly taught language. In addition to an award plaque, a monetary prize is also presented to each recipient. Awards are presented at the UNC World Language Day teacher luncheon in Greeley.

Rauscher Receives National Recognition: Brian Rauscher, our Post Grad Coordinator, was chosen by the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) membership and Board of Directors as one of the 2017 Counselors That Change Lives. This honor is given in recognition of his dedication to the college counseling profession as it reflects the mission of the CTCL organization: to promote and support a student-centered college search process.

Academic Recognitions

Arts Recognitions

Athletic Recognitions

Character & Community Service Recogntions

Faculty Recognitions

• $1,000 discretionary award 
• $1,000 honoree-directed school grant 
• A tablet of her choice
• A Glass Apple JPF Teacher Recognition 2016 Engraved Award

Academic Recogntion

159 Peak to Peak Students Earned AP Scholar Designations

In the 2014-15 school year, 159 Peak to Peak students earned scholar designations as follows:

AP Scholars = 67 students

AP Scholars with Honors = 26 students

AP Scholars with Distinction = 66 students

Eleven of these students also earned the National AP Scholar award in 2014, and one earned the AP International Diploma.

2014-15 National Honor Society:  Thirty-one new members were inducted into the National Honor Society during the 2014-15 school year.

2015 ACT Scores: Peak to Peak is #1 in BVSD, #4 in Colorado
Below are the most recent ACT scores as reported by the Colorado Department of Education. The ACT test is administered nationally and taken by 11th graders across the state of Colorado each year in the spring. The ACT measures college readiness in English, math, reading, and science. The maximum composite score is 36. Peak to Peak's current seniors scored top in the district and fourth in the state on last spring's test.
School Name Number of students Composite Score
LIBERTY COMMON CHARTER SCHOOL 64 27.1
THOMAS MACLAREN STATE CHARTER SCHOOL 19 27.1
D'EVELYN JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL 152 26.5
PEAK TO PEAK CHARTER SCHOOL 135 26.3
FAIRVIEW HIGH SCHOOL 520 26.0
THE VANGUARD SCHOOL (HIGH) 55 25.8
TCA COLLEGE PATHWAYS 90 25.3
CHERRY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL 832 25.3
EVERGREEN HIGH SCHOOL 229 25.1
COLORADO EARLY COLLEGES DOUGLAS COUNTY 71 24.7
RIDGEVIEW CLASSICAL CHARTER SCHOOLS 38 24.6
FOSSIL RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL 498 24.5
CAPROCK ACADEMY 19 24.4
PALMER RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL 250 24.3
DSST: STAPLETON HIGH SCHOOL 124 24.1
THE CLASSICAL ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL 151 24.1
ROCK CANYON HIGH SCHOOL 433 24.1
DENVER SCHOOL OF THE ARTS 152 24.1
DISTRICT RESULTS 369 24.0
JEFFERSON CHARTER ACADEMY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL 95 23.9

Peak to Peak Celebrates a 2015 Boettcher Scholar: Congratulations to Peak to Peak senior, Michael Voecks, who has received a 2015 Boettcher Scholarship! 

Since 1952, the Boettcher Foundation has awarded more than $65 million in undergraduate scholarships to many of Colorado’s best and brightest students.  Our merit-based awards provide what is essentially a full-ride to any 4-year institution in Colorado, and the prestigious program is the oldest in the state.

Read more about the Boettcher Foundation.

Peak to Peak Featured in National Alliance of Public Charter Schools Report: OECD PISA test results place Peak to Peak students at the top of national and international achievement metrics.

Peak to Peak Ranked #94 on the Washington Post's Most Challenging High Schools: Peak to Peak is ranked 94th on the Washington Post's Most Challenging High Schools Index for 2015.

The formula and rational for this ranking is based on the number of AP exams taken by students divided by the number of seniors graduating in a given year. Please see the links below.

America's Most Challenging High Schools

How the America's Most Challenging High School list works.

Peak to Peak Ranks #28 in the Nation According to The Daily Beast: The Daily Beast has listed Peak to Peak at #28 on their list of America's Top High Schools. The Daily Beast uses six indicators to compare public high schools in the U.S., with graduation rates and college acceptance rates weighted most heavily. Other criteria include: college-level courses and exams, percentage of students with free or reduced lunch, as well as SAT and ACT scores - another mark of how well a school prepares students for college. The full results are listed on the following website: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/27/america-s-top-high-schools.html

Peak to Peak Receives $1 Million Gift to Fund Scholarships for College: Peak to Peak Charter School is the recipient of a $1 million gift to our newly established Friends of Peak to Peak Endowment! 

Unlike other endowments that routinely support operations, the Friends of Peak to Peak Endowment is designed to provide four-year scholarships for those graduates in financial need. The Donor, who wishes to remain anonymous stated, “The Friends of Peak to Peak Endowment is the difference maker”. 

Why does Peak to Peak need this endowment? As a school, we have made it our mission to get every single student into a college of their choice. We crafted this mission fifteen years ago; today, we face the problem of students being accepted into a college but not being able to afford it. Paying for college is difficult for most of us, but the students we aim to help are experiencing a level of loss and poverty that has shown us an increased level of need.

Peak to Peak will benefit from the first distribution of the endowment in December of 2015, enabling the school to begin awarding scholarships to 2016 seniors. However, 2015 seniors will not be left out because the Donor has committed an additional $50,000 in scholarships if Peak to Peak can raise $50,000 for the endowment by the end of May 2015.

With your help we can meet this challenge and continue to increase the number of scholarships we are able to award, ensuring that no student is denied the opportunity to receive a college education.

For more information and to make a gift to the Friends of Peak to Peak Endowment, contact  303-453-4604 or visitwww.give.peaktopeak.org.

A link to a January 30, 2015 article in U.S. News & World report featuring Peak to Peak's Endowment is available here:  http://t.usnews.com/Z6bv9d.

A link to a January 24, 2015 Daily Camera article about the Endowment is below:
http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-schools/ci_27386066/peak-peak-charter-school-1m-endowment-pay-college

Peak to Peak Receives John Irwin School of Excellence: Peak to Peak’s elementary, middle, and high schools are consistently ranked in the highest state accreditation category. In the past, all three schools have received “John Irwin School of Excellence” awards, which are presented to the top eight percent of Colorado schools. 

Peak to Peak Will Award $50,000 in College Scholarships: Peak to Peak received a $50,000 Challenge Gift to provide college scholarships to our 2015 graduates in need.

In December 2014, Peak to Peak Charter School was the recipient of a $1 million gift to our newly established Friends of Peak to Peak Endowment.   Beginning with the Senior Class of 2016, the Endowment will be able to award 2 to 3 4-year scholarships each year.  However, 2015 graduates will not be left out because the Donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, also presented a challenge to the community.  If the school raised $50,000 for the endowment by April 1, 2015, the donor would give $50,000 to be awarded to 2015 graduates in financial need.

Our community rose to the challenge raising $50,995.60! Even our students got involved to help raise the funds needed for this year’s seniors.  Peak to Peak 8th graders Julianna Walther and Anna Richard asked friends to donate to the Endowment instead of giving them birthday presents.  The girls raised $1,350.00 at their joint birthday party showing that our youth care and can give back too.  A big thank you to Julianna, Anna, and their birthday guests!  Also, thank you to all of our Peak to Peak community who gave a gift to the endowment so that we could meet the challenge!

As a school, we have made it our mission to get every single student into a college of their choice. However, the rising cost of education presents a significant barrier to continuing education for many of our students.  Despite exceptional education and preparation, some graduates simply can’t afford to go to college.  This is heartbreaking for the students and their families, and disappointing for the staff who worked so hard to help these students achieve their dream of a college education.

The Friends of Peak to Peak endowment will bridge the gap between college acceptance and college attendance for those students who would not otherwise be able to afford a college education.

Every year we have 6 to 12 graduates who live at a level of poverty that doesn’t allow them to go to college.  With your help we can continue to increase the number of scholarships we are able to award, ensuring that no student is denied the opportunity to receive a college education.  For more information and to make a gift to the Friends of Peak to Peak Endowment, contact 303-453-4604 or visit www.give.peaktopeak.org.

Peak to Peak wins two $5,000 technology grants from CenturyLink: Congratulations to Peak to Peak teachers Michelle Eckstein, Karen Amidon and library media specialist Sheena Thomas for winning two $5,000 grants from Century Link for instructional technology! The grants will be used to create a "Makerspace" with green room and 3D printer in the Peak to Peak library.

CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) recently presented $150,000 in grants to Colorado schools as part of the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation’s Teachers and Technology grant program. The program, which has been offered since 2008 and has awarded more than $1 million to recipients across the state, recognizes teachers who have developed specific plans to innovatively implement technology in their classrooms to advance student achievement.

Our school was selected from 253 applications enabling our teachers to bring new learning tools and techniques into our classrooms, and introduce students to more educational technology in their daily school lives. Congratulations to Sheena Thomas, Karen Amidon and Michelle Eckstein for submitting applications that were selected as one of this year’s grant recipients.

Peak to Peak's World Language Program Wins a 2014-15 CLEAR 3-Star Award: The Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers has awarded Peak to Peak the highest of the new Colorado Language Excellence & Achievement Recognition (CLEAR) Awards for outstanding high school programs. Peak to Peak's world language program has been awarded a 2014-15 3-Star Award.

The CLEAR Awards are meant to identify and recognize exemplary Colorado high school world language programs, and to encourage Colorado school officials, board members, and parents to use CLEAR programs as examples of programs that enable students to demonstrate proficiency of world language standards.

Summary of College Acceptance Data for the Graduating Class of 2015 

Statistics:

148 out of 148 students graduated (100% graduation rate)
100% of students applied to college and were accepted
100% of students are either matriculating at a college, entering the military or participating in a Gap year with plans thereafter

• 4-year college: 93.9% (139)
• Public In-state:  41.2% (61); CU Boulder (24 students); CSU (21)
• Private In-State: 4.7% (7)
• Public Out-of-State: 12.1% (18)
• Private Out-of-State: 31% (46)
• Non U.S. College: 2% (3)
• Gap Year and Deferred to a 4-year:  2% (4)
• 2-year college:  1.3% (2)
• Military:   1.3% (2)
• Undecided (Gap Year, but no college decision by graduation) 3.3% (5) 

Number of applications submitted in 2015: 1034  (2014=1002); (2013=868)
Average Applications per student: 6.9
Acceptance rate: 76.2%

Scholarships Offered:  $27,496,869.00

Scholarship Dollars Used:  $6,905,078.00  (2014=$8,801,531)

Previous Scholarship Money Offered:

• 2014:  $32,028,726
• 2013: $21,646,334
• 2012:  $16,353,550
• 2011: $14,928,126

US News and World Report Ranks Peak to Peak #3 in Colorado, #131 in the Nation

Art Recogntion

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: Scholastic Art and Writing Awards were presented to eleven students in 2015.

Faculty Recogntion

Twenty Teachers and Counselors Qualify for the Peak Option:  Launched in the 2014-15 school year, the Peak Option Program provides an opportunity for teachers at Peak to Peak to be recognized for their accomplishments and receive compensation that reflects their level of expertise. These master teachers and counselors exemplify all that is excellent about our wonderful teaching staff, and we were so proud to celebrate with them on their incredible accomplishments. This year, 20 teachers qualified for the program! These 20 teachers and counselors will enjoy a 10% salary increase starting with the 2015-16 school year as a result of their successful applications for the Peak Option.

Academic Recognitions

Peak to Peak High School Ranked a Newsweek Top 100 School: Peak to Peak High School is ranked 49th out of more than 2,500 public high schools that were assessed by Newsweek and The Daily Beast in 2013.

Peak to Peak was also ranked 10th best in the western states portion of the rankings and #1 in Colorado. 

Peak to Peak High School #1 in Colorado, #66 Nationally by U.S. News & World

Peak to Peak's High School Ranked #1 in Colorado: Peak to Peak High School is ranked 66th out of more than 19,400 public high schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The high school is, once again, ranked #1 in Colorado.  In addition, of over 3,000 charter high schools in the nation, Peak to Peak's high school is ranked #18. Congratulations to the entire Peak to Peak community!

Read the full article:
US News and World Report - Best High School National Rankings

Read the article in the Denver Post.

Read the article in the Daily Camera.

Peak to Peak Charter School Earns the 2013 John Irwin School of Excellence Award: The John Irwin awards are given to schools that demonstrate excellent academic achievement.  On the school performance framework used by the state of Colorado to evaluate schools, these schools “exceed” expectations on the indicator for academic achievement over three years.  For Peak to Peak to receive this award, the expectation must be met at each level of the school, elementary, middle, and high school.  

Eight Peak to Peak Students Recognized as National Merit Scholar Semi-finalists: Peak to Peak Charter School is pleased to announce that eight seniors have been recognized as semifinalists in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship competition. These students are:

• Cassidy Clark
• Dominik Frick
• Liam Healy
• Rohan Jennings
• Wesley Ma
• Jaeyeon (Jenny) Seo
• David Vandermeer
• Alec Wild

This recognition is based on PSAT scores from Oct 2012. These students are now eligible to become National Merit Finalists and will compete for scholarships. Peak to Peak congratulates these fine students for their tremendous achievement!

5280 Magazine Names Peak to Peak One of the Best Front Range High Schools: In the September 2013 issue of Denver's 5280, Peak to Peak's High School is listed as one of 20 schools on the magazine's Front Range Dean's List.  

176 High School students qualified for AP Scholar Awards: One hundred and seventy-six Peak to Peak High School students qualified for AP Scholar Awards based on their performance on 2014 Advanced Placement (AP) exams.

2014 National Honor Society: Thirty-one students were inducted into the National Honor Society in 2014

One hundred percent of graduating seniors matriculate: One hundred percent of 2014 graduating seniors were accepted into a college or university of their choice.

Over $31 million in scholarships: 2014 graduating seniors were awarded over $31 million in scholarships.

Peak to Peak had a Boettcher Scholar in 2011, 2012, and 2014:  This is one of the most prestigious scholarship opportunities available to Colorado students.

Peak to Peak student ACT scores averaged 26.1 in 2014:  Peak to Peak student ACT scores averaged 26.1 in 2014, compared to a 23.5 average in Boulder Valley School District and 20.6 statewide

Faculty Recognitions

HS Principal Kyle Mathews Wins 2014 Impact on Education Award: A huge congratulations to High School Principal Kyle Mathews for winning the Impact on Education award for 2014! Mr. Mathews was surprised by the Impact on Education camera crew and staff on January 17, who presented this prestigious award to him amidst thunderous applause from high school staff and students throughout the north building.  

The Impact on Education Foundation is a highly esteemed program that recognizes people in the Boulder Valley School District who “make an extraordinary impact on student learning through exceptional teaching skills, job dedication, volunteering and/or leadership.” Mr. Mathews is one of five award recipients this year who were chosen from a group of extraordinarily talented nominees throughout the district. Many thanks to English teacher Clara Quinlan for her thoughtful and well-written nomination letter, and to the Impact on Education staff, who read many letters and conducted challenging interviews to select their winners.  

Peak to Peak has the distinct honor of having several Impact Award winners on staff, including Kurt Schaefer, Clara Quinlan, Mary Campbell and Kristie Letter. Mr. Mathews’ award marks the fifth time that Peak to Peak has been honored with this distinctive award. Mathews will be recognized at an award ceremony on March 19, 2014 at the Boulder Theater.  CONGRATULATIONS, MR. MATHEWS!

Please visit this website to learn more about the Impact on Education Foundation and their programs:  www.impactoneducation.org.

Sam Todd Receives 2014 Charter Friend Award: Sam Todd, Peak to Peak's Executive Director of Operations, was awarded a 2014 Charter Friend Award for Operational Excellence.  This award, presented by the Colorado League of Charter Schools, recognizes a charter school business/operations manager or CFO.  Nominees demonstrate exceptional leadership in and commitment to charter school operational excellence in areas such as finance, human resources, accounting, facilities, etc.  The awardees demonstrate a passion for charter school excellence and growth at large, and are engaged in the Colorado charter school operations management community.

Academic Recogntion

Top National Rankings:  Peak to Peak High School was again ranked a Gold Metal High School by US News & World Report ranking #58 out of 22,000 high school nationwide and #1 in Colorado.

Peak to Peak High School is a Newsweek Top 100 High School, ranking #49 out of 2,500 shooles, #10 in the West and #1 in Colorado.  Each year, Newsweek picks the best high schols in the county based on how hard school staff works to challende students with advanced placement college-level courses and exams.

Excellent State Ratings:  Based on CSAP performance and other factors, Peak to Peak's elementary, middle and high schools are consistently ranked in the highest accreditation category in the state.  In 2012/2013 Peak to Peak received the "John Irwin School of Excellence" award, which are presented to the top 8 percent of Colorado schools.

Competitive ACT Scores:  Peak to Peak's ACT scores averaged 25.5 in 2012, compared to a 22.9 average in Boulder Valley School District and 19.6 statewide.

Peak to Peak earns an "A" from Colorado School Grades!  Peak to Peak is amoung the top performers in Colorado!  Only ten percent of school in the sate receive this grade.  Colorado School Grades is a statewide coalition of community and media organizations working to ensure that all children have access to a high performing school.  The coalition also includes business leaders and employers who appreciate high performing school's role in preparing students for the workforce of tomorrow.

National Merit Finalists:  Five Peak to Peak seniors were named National Merit Finalists; Daniel Gu, Amelia Hankla, Monica Mishra, Thomas Peeples and Andrew Ross.  National Achievement Semifinalist was Isaiah Martin.  Commended Scholars:  Samantha Chin, Cameron Healy, Collin Kroll, Casey Martin, Isaiah Martin, Andrew Otey, Glaen Roda and Sam Smith.

NCA Accreditation: The North Central Association (NCA) has accredited Peak to Peak as one of its K-12 schools. Accreditation through NCA provides an external mark of quality and highlights the school’s devotion to continuous improvement. Peak to Peak was evaluated against rigorous national standards for vision and purpose; governance and leadership;teaching and learning; documenting and using results; resources and support systems; stakeholder communications and relationships; and commitment to continuous improvement.

100% College Acceptance Rate: For graduating seniors, 100% of all of students were accepted into a college or university of their choice or participating in a “Gap Year”. 94% of students accepted entrance into a 4-year college and 2% will attend a 2-year college.

2013 Graduate Scholarships: Graduating seniors in 2013 were offered over $21 million in scholarships.

AP Scholar Achievements: National AP Scholar is granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. Peak to Peak students included: Jimmy Chen, Harnek Gulati, Amelia Hankla, Ian Hunter, Alaina Lapanse, Allen Magnusson, Monica Mishra. Five (5) students were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and are were eligible to apply to become National Merit Finalists and compete for scholarships. Forty three (43) students were granted AP scholar with distinction which is for students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Seventeen students were granted AP scholars with honor which is for students who receive an average of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

National Honor Society: On October 22, 2012, fifty (50) Peak to Peak high school students were inducted into National Honor Society. A mix of sophomores to seniors, this wide range of inductees nearly doubled current membership up to a total of 109 members. National Honor Society provides tutoring and leadership to the entire K-12 community.

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: Of all the awards given in the state, 16% went to Peak to Peak students! They only recognized 14 writing portfolios, and 8 of them were from Peak to Peak's senior class. This is 57% of the top awards in the state. Peak to Peak won a total of FIFTY writing awards. Three portfolios are going on to nationals, along with many individual pieces. The gold key portfolios are: Bryn Grunwald, Katherine Lin and Austin Lawrence. Many famous writers had gold key portfolios! Peak to Peak artists won a variety of top notch Scholastic Art Awards at the regional level. All artists received an award certificate and had their artwork hang at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. The works hang for one month and some selected pieces were then hung at the Denver Art Museum. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are the largest national student art awards in the country. Peak to Peak senior Riley Rodenburg had his course portfolio selected as a "National Silver Key Portfolio" by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. His work was featured in a small selective national student gallery show in June in New York City. He was selected with only a handful of other Colorado artists and writers to make it to this highest level of success. He is Peak to Peak’s first portfolio national winner. P2P student National winner, Ursula Grunwald also won a national portfolio writing award.

Senior Finalist is Coca Cola Scholar: Peak to Peak senior Monica Mishra was a finalist for the Coca-Cola Scholar Award. Out of 170,000 applicants, she was chosen as one of 2,500 semifinalists. She then had to fill out a much more detailed application, write essays, submit letters of recommendation and was then chosen as one of only 250 students to become a finalist and was awarded $10,000.

Senior joins prestigious Inaugural class: Peak to Peak senior Natalie Todd was accepted into NYU Shanghai's inaugural class. This is a huge accomplishment and a very competitive process.

School Spelling Bee: The winners of the Peak to Peak Spelling Bee were Talia Jennings (5th grade) and Chelsea Pearson (8th grade). Zachary Fiegelson (8th grade) was the winner of the School National Geography Bee

Lego League: The first Lego League rookie team won 1st place in the Core Values and Robot Performance Core Awards for their first ever participation. They went on to the championship state tournament and won a trophy for second place for Gracious Professionalism.

DAR Essay Contest:Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest included Morgan Brantmeyer (7th grade) who placed first and Jordyn Hall (6th grade) who placed second.

CCIRA Essay Contest: In the Colorado Council International Reading Association Essay contest Erin Byrne won 1st place for the 5th-6th grade short story writing category in all of Colorado with "Dancing Butterfly".

Freshman earns Science Fair Award: Ilse Meiler (9th grade) was named as a semifinalist in the Broadcom MASTERS contest for middle level science fair projects. Ilse was nominated at the BVSD Cordon Pharma regional fair and submitted an application (including the written work she did for her project). Over 6,000 students were nominated and Ilse was one of only 300 semi-finalists. As a result, her teacher received $250 in school supplies and a Careers in Science book set.

“CPRANYTIME” Training: Peak to Peak’s state school liaison for the American Heart Association (AHA) has chosen Peak to Peak as one of only two front range schools to receive free resources and training to certify all 7th graders in "CPR Anytime" (a $5000 value). Studies have shown that 13 year old youth are more often than any other age group to be in a situation where they could administer CPR to save a life. Our continued positive relationship with the AHA via our annual Jump Rope for Heart events prompted Peak to Peak’s selection.

Leadership Institute Participation: A Peak to Peak student attended GSLI in Houston, TX—a leadership institute “bringing together 1,200 girls from across the country who are recognized as leaders in their councils to connect and take action on matters that touch the future for girls.”

Box Tops Challenge: Congratulations to third grade who won the challenge with 4800 box tops collected! Thank you to ALL of the elementary families who participated and collected box tops!

Instructional Leadership & Teacher Job Fair: Peak to Peak faculty presented at the statewide charter school conference as leaders and pioneers in instructional leadership for K-12 education. Peak to Peak’s Charter School Fob Fair, held in March hosted more than 50 schools and 400 teacher candidates this year.

Charter School Support Initiative (CSSI) and NCA Accreditation: CSSI, part of the schools of choice unit at the Colorado Department of Education, enlisted several Peak to Peak faculty members to assist with a North Central Association site visit.

Art Recognition

Theater Accomplishment: The Peak to Peak High School Theater program was nominated by colleges and accepted to perform at The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland next summer. This is the largest performing arts festival in the world. Congratulations to the Peak to Peak Theater Program!

Athletic Recognition

Girls Athletics: Peak to Peak Women’s Basketball senior Ivy DeVries was named 1st Team All-Boulder County by the Daily Camera and was also selected to play in the Colorado Girls Coaches Association All-State game. Annette Warner, a Peak to Peak junior, was named Honorable Mention All-Boulder County.

The Girls Soccer team made it to the “State Finals” and one member of the Women Track and Cross Country team made it to State Competition.

At the conclusion of a very exciting season, the girls soccer team became State Champs!

Peak to Peak student Jessica Riley was State Champion in Girls Gymnastics at Broomfield High School.

Athletic Scholarships: Peak to Peak senior Amy Haberthier with her parents at her Volleyball signing event to Graceland University in Iowa.

Boys Athletics: Boys cross country was ranked #1 in the state for 3A schools and HS boys cross country got first place at the Liberty Bell Invitational. The cross country team placed 2nd at State. Junior Behrod Keshtavar received athlete of the week in the Denver Post for golf. Behrod Keshtavar, Max Clark and Jack Cavanagh for qualifying for the state golf tournament.

2013 was Peak to Peak’s boy’s tennis inaugural year: Adam Fitzsimmons/Amar Gill took 4th in #3 double at the Regional tournament Michael Maginot and Eli Dunninger took 4th as well as the #4 doubles team.

Eight Peak to Peak athletes were named First Team All Conference. Four athletes were named Second Team and six were named Honorable Mention for fall sports.

In Peak to Peak baseball, Isaac Friesen first team all-state pitcher and Ty Pinkerman received honorable mention for all-state at catcher.

Max Clark was first team all state in basketball, Isaac Friesen was first team all state in baseball, Belle Morel and Galen Roda were listed to the first team all state in soccer.

Boys cross country was ranked #1 in the state for 3A schools and HS boys cross country got first place at the Liberty Bell Invitational. The cross country team placed 2nd at State.

Junior Behrod Keshtavar receved athlete of the week in the Denver Post for golf. Behrod Keshtavar, Max Clark and Jack Cavanagh qualified for the state golf tournament.

Students Compete in Sports Outside of School: A number of Peak to Peak students competed at the local and national levels in a wide variety of sports, including wrestling, football, swimming, lacrosse, gymnastics, cheerleading, and others.

Character & Community Service Recogntion

“PUMA-PALOOZA” Creates school spirit! Peak to Peak’s first Puma Palooza Picnic took place on August 18, 2012 and was a big success and fun day of community building. This was an all volunteer organized event and will be a new tradition for Peak to Peak back to school.

2013 OXFAM Hunger Banquet: The Peak to Peak community joined the fight against hunger, poverty, and social injustice. The key note speaker for the evening was Brendan Schwartz, the director of the Cameroon Development Fund. Funds raised went towards Oxfam, as well as for 2 students in Cameroon to attend college for a year!

Turtles4Tots: Peak to Peak sixth grader Maia Drugmond was honored by the Young Americans Celebrating Young entrepreneurs for her fundraising efforts through her Turtles4Tots business. The event took place at the Center for Performing Arts in Denver on September 6 and was sponsored by the Young American Center for Finance Education. Maia took first place and was awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a mentorship with a business executive. Maia donated $ 500.00 of her cash prize back to the Make a Wish Foundation, the organization that Turtles4Tots supports. So far Turtles4Tots has raised over $7,500 and granted one wish.

Sister Carmen Center
Peak to Peak families supported Sister Carmen with a very successful food drive. The K-12 total for cans/food was 6,293. Elementary school provided 3,760 cans/food, middle school with 945, and high school donated 1,587 cans/food. Sister Carmen expressed an enormous “Thank You” to the entire Peak to Peak community for the continued support of local families.

Faculty & Staff Recogntion

Mr. Kurt Schaefer, Receives BVSD Impact Award: Mr. Kurt Schaefer, secondary science department chair, advanced placement chemistry teacher and speech and debate coach received an IMPACT on Education Award. Kurt is one of five recipients of the 2012/2013 IMPACT award in Boulder Valley, which is a lifetime achievement teaching and achievement recognition in the district. Kurt received a new iPad, a $500 cash award and a $1,000 check to advance science instruction at Peak to Peak. The annals of teaching history now mark four incredible educators in our school over the past four years to be recognized with an Impact award. We are honored to have you all as teachers, peers and friends at Peak to Peak.

Mary Campbell, Finalist for School Counselor of the year! Mary Campbell, Peak to Peak High School Counselor was recognized as a 2012 School Counselor of the Year Finalist at the Professional Recognitions Dinner at the Annual CSCA Conference. Mary was chosen by the committee for the great work she is doing in school counseling.

2012 Alum is 9Who Care November winner! Peak to Peak alumni Paige Jones has established a reputation for her dedication to projects in the community and the world. Taken from 9news: “While at Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette, she cofounded a chapter of Invisible Children to raise awareness about human rights violations in central Africa. "My philosophy is that when presented with an issue - like global health and equality - we have a responsibility to do something about it," "I think I am super passionate about global health and equality and the fact that we can do something about it because people are dying of things that we can prevent," she said.” Paige attends University of Denver.

Fundraising Accomplishments: The Peak to Peak Advancement Office along with volunteers organized the annual Gifts from the Heart Auction & Dinner Gala, “A Night at the Oscars” which grossed over $175,000—with $103,000 coming in for Gifts from the Heart specifically for IPADs in the classrooms. We also received numerous other valuable donations for instructional needs as well.

The 10th annual Run for the Peak, “The Puma Challenge” was a great day celebrating teamwork and fitness throughout the school and raising more than $28,000. Thanks to the support of the Peak to Peak family of parents, faculty and our extended Peak to Peak community from all over the country!

The Annual Gift Campaign, “Impacting Children’s Lives … One Gift at a Time” grossed more than $182,000 with a record amount of families choosing to give over time to the campaign.

Grant and Foundation Awards to Peak to Peak: Peak to Peak was the recipient of several grants this year from a number of excellent grant making organizations including; Impact on Education Classroom Innovation, Opportunity Fund and Impact Award Grants, Intermec Foundations, Community Foundation, Jared Polis Foundation, John Duncan-Eye to Eye, Bright Communications, The City of Lafayette and the Broomfield Community Foundation. These grants made a number of programs possible from support for a safe after prom place for students, to at student mentoring program and for additional technology in the classroom and more! Peak to Peak is very grateful to these generous organizations.

ACADEMIC RECOGNITIONS

Top National Rankings: Peak to Peak High School is a Newsweek Top 100 High School, ranking #43 out of 2,300 schools, #12 in the West. This is the FIFTH year in a row that Peak to Peak has ranked in the Top 100! Each year, Newsweek picks the best high schools in the country based on how hard school staff works to challenge students with advanced placement college-level courses and tests. Peak to Peak High School was again ranked a Gold Medal High School by US News & World Report ranked number #102 out of 22,000 nationwide and came in number 2 in Colorado. Also ranked as 19th best Charter High School by U.S. News and World Report and ranked 55th best for Math and Science Methodology. Methodology: Find the schools that serve all students and deliver measurable academic outcomes for students. Four key indicators: 1) College Readiness Index based on AP participation and pass rate; 2) Math proficiency rate on CSAP/TCAP testing in state; 3) Reading proficiency rate on CSAP/TCAP testing in state; 4) Student to teacher ratio.

Excellent State Ratings: Based on CSAP performance and other factors, Peak to Peak’s elementary, middle, and high schools are consistently ranked in the highest accreditation category in the state. In the past, all three schools have received “John Irwin School of Excellence” awards, which are presented to the top 8 percent of Colorado schools.

Competitive ACT Scores: Peak to Peak’s ACT scores averaged 25 in 2011, compared to a 23 average in Boulder Valley School District and 19.9 statewide. In 2011, Peak to Peak had three national merit scholarship finalists and three commended students.

NCA Accreditation: The North Central Association (NCA) has accredited Peak to Peak as one of its K-12 schools. Accreditation through NCA provides an external mark of quality and highlights the school’s devotion to continuous improvement. Peak to Peak was evaluated against rigorous national standards for vision and purpose; governance and leadership; teaching and learning; documenting and using results; resources and support systems; stakeholder communications and relationships; and commitment to continuous improvement.

NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS AND SEMIFINALISTS AND COMMENDED STUDENTS: Three students were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and three students were recognized as Commended Students.

100% COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE RATE: For all graduating seniors, 100% of all of students were accepted into a college or university of their choice.

2012 GRADUATES GRANTED SCHOLARSHIP MONEY: Graduating seniors in 2012 were offered over $16 million in scholarships! This is a record for our school.

AP SCHOLAR ACHIEVEMENTS: One hundred and six (106) Peak to Peak High School students qualified for AP Scholar distinctions based on their performance on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Fourteen students were granted National AP Scholars — an honor given to students in the US who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP exams taken and scores of 4 or higher on 8 or more of these exams. Thirty-seven students qualified as AP Scholars with Distinction. Sixteen students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and grades of three or higher on four or more of these exams. Fifty two students received the AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of three or higher on three or more AP exams.

BOETTCHER SCHOLAR: For the second year in a row, Peak to Peak had a Boettcher Scholar in the senior class. This is one of the most prestigious scholarship opportunities available to Colorado students (four-year, full
ride scholarship with stipend to a Colorado college or university).

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION: Forty-one students were inducted into the National Honor Society.

2012 NCTE Achievement Award in Writing: A Peak to Peak junior was honored with a NCTE Achievement Award in Writing and was selected as one of 274 outstanding writers.

PEAK TO PEAK MIDDLE SCHOOL BRAIN BOWL: The middle school participants in the 2012 Optimist Regional Brain Bowl competed against 92 schools from Colorado and Wyoming.

WRITING RECOGNITIONS FOR PEAK TO PEAK STUDENTS: A Peak to Peak student won honorable mention in the Claudia Ann-Seaman Award for Young Writers in this national contest and her piece was published in the National Polyphony H.S. literary journal. A High School student won a finalist prize for creative non-fiction in the Sierra Nevada College high school writing contest which is a national award.

A 5th grader won 1st place, a 6th grader won 1st place and a 8th grader won 2nd place in their grades in the Daughters of the American Revolution American History Essay Contest.

A student’s entry in the 212 Letters about Literature letter to Toni Morrison regarding Beloved was named the First Place winner in level three and was included in the Student Literary Award anthology. Colorado League of Charter School Essay Contest Winners included two Peak to Peak students who were honored at the Colorado Schools Rally at the State Capitol.

In the national River of Words poetry contest two Peak to Peak students were finalists and in the statewide River of Words poetry contest, four students placed first through honorable mention. In the statewide Letters about Literature contest, one student one first place with another winning third place. Two students received honorable mention in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

DECA: A Peak to Peak student won the DECA "Businesswoman of the Year" award for 2012 and three student DECA teams won honorable mentions in the regional DECA competition this fall.

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS INVITED TO CAPITOL: Two middle school students were invited to Washington DC to be pages for the National Convention of the Children of the American Revolution.

2012 SPEECH AND DEBATE: The Peak to Peak speech and debate team advanced through the International Public Policy Forum debate competition. One Peak to Peak Junior competed at the semifinals at the Speech and Debate Tournament in Fort Collins, placing 3rd in Lincoln Douglas Debate. A Freshman student served as the 2nd alternate for the Rocky Mountain North region of Colorado at the National Qualifying Tournament. Several Peak to Peak students had the distinct honor of traveling to New York City for the 12th Annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF)- the only contest that gives high school students across the globe the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. The Forum was sponsored by The Bickel & Brewer Foundation and New York University.

MOCK TRIAL AT STATE TOURNAMENT: Peak to Peak has earned a spot at the State Tournament 3 of the last 4 years.

MATH CLUB: The Peak to Peak High School Math Club had an excellent performance at the Gateway Calculus Bowl. Competing against 53 other teams, and after eight grueling rounds of ciphering, Peak to Peak won the semifinal round and scored second place in the competition.

COLORADO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR: Four Peak to Peak students competed in the Colorado Science and  engineering Fair held at CSU on April 5 winning multiple awards and financial scholarships.

ARTS RECOGNITIONS

SCHOLASTIC ART WINNERS: Seven students received Scholastic Art Awards in 2012. Two Gold Key Award winners had their art showcased at the Denver Museum of Art. All artwork was hung at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver.

STAMP ART: One Peak to Peak student won honorable mention in the statewide Junior Duck Stamp art competition.

CONN-SELMER DESIGNATION: Peak to Peak was designated as a Conn-Selmer All-American School. This program recognizes outstanding instrumental programs in American schools with a special relationship that assists the school in owning new, quality instruments to improve the music-making experience.

ALL STATE ORCHESTRA STUDENTS: Five Peak to Peak orchestra students were accepted into both All State and Western States Orchestra Festivals.

BALLET NOUVEAU COLORADO: After a rigorous audition process, several Peak to Peak students were selected to perform roles in Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s annual professional production of "The Nutcracker."

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ART PORTFOLIOS: Fifty high school students successfully completed AP Art and submitted portfolios to the College Board. Peak to Peak artists also held their annual AP Art Show at Cannon Mine Coffee promoting art in the city of Lafayette along with a student organized art show at The Cup in Boulder.

ATHLETIC RECOGNITIONS

GIRLS ATHLETICS
Tennis: Two Peak to Peak girls tennis players made it to State competition in the first year of the program. The girls tennis team won 2nd place at the George Washington Tournament.

Girls Basketball: The Girls Basketball team made it to the "Sweet 16".

Soccer: The Girls Soccer team made it to the State Finals and one member of the Women Track and Cross Country team made it to State Competition.

Macy’s Day Parade Honor: A High School Senior was nominated by the UCA Cheer Camp to participate in the Spirit of America Productions in the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade. This was the first cheerleader from Peak to Peak asked to attend this prestigious event. This student athlete was also nominated as a "All American" to attend the Universal Cheerleaders
Association special event in London, England.

Gymnastics Honor: A Peak to Peak freshman helped lead the Broomfield Gymnastics Team to finish 4th place at the State competition.

Sports Woman of Colorado Honor: A Peak to Peak female athlete was nominated for Sports Woman of Colorado for both the "Spirit" and "Courage" nominations.

Cheer Team Competes at State: The 2011/2012 Peak to Peak Cheer Team participated at the State Cheerleading competition for the first time in school history.

Peak to Peak Athlete Scholarship: A female student athlete received an academic and athletic scholarship to William Jewell College to play Division II soccer.

BOYS ATHLETICS
Golf: One Peak to Peak golfer went to state and finished 10th and girl’s golf made it to State competition (individually). The Boys Varsity soccer team made it to the Quarter Finals.

Basketball: Student Participates in "The Show" One Peak to Peak male athlete was chosen to participate in "The Show", hosted by the Denver Nuggets and Gold Crown Foundation. This Colorado Prep basketball all-star game was on April 9th at Pepsi Center. Only forty-one players are chosen.

Athletic Scholarships: One High School male soccer player received a athletic and soccer scholarship to play at Regis University. Another student received an academic scholarship and signed to play soccer at Juniata College. A lacrosse athlete signed to play a Augustana College while on a academic scholarship.

Students Compete in Sports Outside of School: A number of Peak to Peak students competed at the local and national levels in a wide variety of sports, including wrestling, football, swimming, lacrosse, gymnastics, cheerleading, and others.

Operation Christmas Child: Operation Christmas Child sends thanks to the Puma baseball players who spent time  volunteering in their Denver warehouse to help prepare shoe-boxes full of gifts to be distributed to underprivileged children throughout the world. The players were a part of a large volunteer force who processed 700,000 gift boxes.

CHARACTER & COMMUNITY SERVICE RECOGNITIONS
Generation Wow Girl Scout: A Peak to Peak 6th grader was chosen as a "Generation Wow Girl Scout" which is for "outstanding girls whose individual achievements in the community set them apart as leaders."

Leadership Institute Participation: A Peak to Peak student attended GSLI in Houston, TX—a leadership institute "bringing together 1,200 girls from across the country who are recognized as leaders in their councils to connect and take action on matters that touch the future for girls."

SISTER CARMEN CENTER: Thank you to the Peak to Peak community for very successful food drive. Here is a portion of the note Peak to Peak received from Sister Carmen Center: “Your support will help us to provide financial assistance, food and support services to over 1,480 unduplicated households in need in east Boulder County for 2011. Thank you for helping your neighbors in need!”

SPANISH HONOR SOCIETY: Peak to Peak inducted 12 students in the Spanish Honor Society. These students joined 18 other students to provide vital tutoring services to the school as well as complete other meaningful outreach to the school and community. They worked with Share-a-Gift distribution in Boulder during the holidays and also offered "Taco Tarde" an afternoon of fun for Peak to Peak elementary students.

FACULTY & STAFF RECOGNITIONS
Boettcher Teacher Recognition Award: A Peak to Peak senior who was Peak to Peak’s first Boettcher Scholar, nominated High School English teacher Clara Quinlan for the Boettcher Teacher Recognition Award. This student credited Ms. Quinlan as a teacher who made a significant contribution to her growth and education and impact on her life. Ms. Quinlan was one of five teachers who was nominated, interviewed and selected from Boulder Valley School District as a "Top Recognized Teacher" and someone who has made a difference in the lives of the students and community.

Fellowship Opportunity: Kristie Letter won a fellowship from The National Endowment for the Humanities to study Landmarks of American History in Kansas City summer 2012.

Peak to Peak Instructor Certified Personal Coach: Instructor Leeanne Sanders completed the Educational Coaching Accreditation as a personal coach specializing in Educational Coaching through the International Federation of Coaching (IFC).

Peak to Peak Teacher on National TV: Peak to Peak’s Megan Freeman appeared on NBC’s Education Nation—a periodic Teacher Town Hall in cities across the country. The audience was made up of teachers across the state and Ms. Freeman was part of the Teacher Evaluation and Support Panel.

Grant Updates: Peak to Peak received many significant grants in the 2011/2012 school year. A $2,000 grant from Intermec Foundation for Mobile computing lab as well as $1,000 from QUALCOMM for Robotics. Peak to Peak received $2,500 from the Community Foundation and $4,000 from Morgridge Foundation for Middle School Literacy – Reading Plus Software. Ipads for the Senior Class were received from a $15,000 grant from Discover. Through Impact on Education, Peak to Peak received $3,200. Bobby Letter won a $5000 grant from Great-West for iPads to use in an innovative personal finance project. Kristie and Bobby Letter won a $15,000.00 grant from Discover for a cross-curricular for "Real World Initiative: Personal and Financial  literacy"

Fundraising Events Benefit Peak to Peak! The Peak to Peak Advancement Office organized the annual "Gifts from the Heart" Dinner and Auction in March, 9th annual "Run for the Peak" in April-which was a great afternoon celebrating teamwork and fitness throughout the school. Our Annual Golf Outing was held in October and had over 80 golfer this year!

The Grandparent and Special Friends Social was another wonderful day for Elementary Students and his or her Grandparent or other special friend to enjoy a craft, patriot concert, and valuable time together.

INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: Peak to Peak faculty presented at the statewide charter school conference as leaders and pioneers in instructional leadership for K-12.

CHARTER SCHOOL SUPPORT INITIATIVE (CSSI) AND NCA ACCREDITATION: CSSI, part of the schools of choice unit at the Colorado Department of Education, enlisted several Peak to Peak faculty members to assist with a North Central Association site visit.

Academic Recognition

Top National Rankings: Peak to Peak High School is a Newsweek Top 100 High School, ranking as the 29th best high school in the nation out of 16,000 public high schools that made the list in 2011. Each year, Newsweek picks the best high schools in the country based on how hard school staff works to challenge students with advanced placement college-level courses and tests. Peak to Peak remains the only Colorado school to rank in the top 100.

The Washington Post High School Challenge Index ranked Peak to Peak 50th out of more than 1,900 public high schools. Washington area public high schools were ranked using the Challenge Index for a number of years. In 2011, the Post expanded its research to high schools across the United States. The Challenge Index divides the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2010 by the number of graduating seniors. This ranking can reveal the  level of a high school‟s commitment to preparing average students for college. At Peak to Peak all students are encouraged to take at least one AP class and many take several as part of the schools strong college preparatory mission.

Excellent State Ratings: Based on CSAP performance and other factors, Peak to Peak‟s elementary, middle, and high schools are consistently ranked in the highest accreditation category in the state. In the past, all three schools have received “John Irwin School of Excellence” awards, which are presented to the top 8 percent of Colorado schools.

Competitive ACT Scores: Peak to Peak‟s ACT scores averaged 25 in 2011, compared to a 23 average in Boulder Valley School District and 19.9 statewide.

Voted Best Public School: Peak to Peak K-8 won a 2011 Best of Boulder Award. Peak to Peak was voted best public school, K-8 by those who took the Best of Boulder survey. A heartfelt thank you to all of the voters and to Boulder Weekly!

National Merit Finalists and Semi-Finalists: Eight Peak to Peak seniors were named National Merit Scholarship Semi- Finalists and nine students were recognized as commended. Seven students from the class of 2010 qualified as National Merit Scholar Finalists. Nationwide, only 15,000 finalists and 34,000 commended students are named among the 1.5 million students who take the PSAT as juniors.

NCA Accreditation: The North Central Association (NCA) has accredited Peak to Peak as one of its K-12 schools. Accreditation through NCA provides an external mark of quality and highlights the school‟s devotion to continuous mprovement. Peak to Peak was evaluated against rigorous national standards for vision and purpose; governance and leadership; teaching and learning; documenting and using results; resources and support systems; stakeholder communications and relationships; and commitment to continuous improvement.

Graduates Granted Scholarship Money: Graduating seniors in 2011 were awarded nearly $15 million in scholarship offers averaging $118,000 per student.

100% College Acceptance Rate: Graduation rate for the class of 2011 was 100% and all of these students were accepted into a college or university of their choice. Selective College Acceptances Of the colleges that the class of 2010 plans to attend, 23 percent chose to enroll in the nation's "Most Competitive" colleges and universities.

High Number of Advanced Placement Tests: In 2011, a record 401 Peak to Peak students took 808 Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 19 different content areas. These college-level AP (college-level) courses taken during high school are accepted for college credit by thousands of universities nationwide.

AP Scholar Achievements: One hundred Peak to Peak High School students qualified for AP Scholar distinctions based on their performance on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Thirty six students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP exams and earning scores of three or higher on a five point scale. Ten students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and grades of three or higher on four or more of these exams. Fifty three students received the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of three or higher on five or more of these exams. Additional fourteen students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of four or higher on all AP exams taken. Peak to Peak students took nineteen of the thirty-seven different AP exams offered. About eighteen percent of the 1.6 million students worldwide who took AP exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award. Most of the nation‟s colleges and universities award credit, advanced placement, or both based on successful performance on the AP exams. More than 1,400 institutions award a full year‟s credit (sophomore standing) to students presenting a sufficient number of qualifying grades.

PEAK TO PEAK SENIOR WINS PRESTIGIOUS BOETTCHER SCHOLARSHIP: Peak to Peak Charter School was proud to have its first Boettcher Scholarship student. Senior Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan had been awarded the prestigious Boettcher scholarship. Just 40 Colorado seniors receive this scholarship per year and only the top 5% of all high school seniors qualify. The Scholarship covers tuition as well as laboratory and other required fees at an accredited, four-year Colorado undergraduate institution selected by the Scholarship recipient. It also includes a living stipend, book allowance and International Education Grant Opportunities to study abroad. The Foundation also offers Boettcher Scholars the opportunity to apply for Educational Enrichment Grants and provides funding to the universities and colleges that Boettcher Scholars attend for Community Enrichment Programming. The value of a Boettcher Scholarship to each student ranges from $50,000 to $160,000. 

Peak Scholar Diplomas: Forty-two Peak to Peak seniors received Peak Scholar diplomas. The Peak Scholar program indicates to selective colleges that students who achieve this honor have excelled in AP exams, grade point average (GPA), leadership and community service. Sixteen 2011 graduates received the school‟s highest award, being recognized as Peak Scholars with Distinction (an average of 3.5 or higher on at least five AP exams, at least a 3.9 weighted GPA, and 150 hours of community service). Seven students received Peak Scholar with Honors (an average score of 3.25 or higher on at least four AP exams, at least a 3.7 weighted GPA, and 125 hours of community service); and nineteen students received Peak Scholar (an average score of 3 or higher on at least three AP exams, at least a 3.3 weighted GPA, and 100 hours of community service).

Math Counts: A Peak to Peak middle school student earned third place in the American Math Competition and went to the Governors Mansion to be honored with Ms. Chakrabborty—Spotts where students were recognized for excellence in math. This students along with two 7th graders also qualified for State MATHCOUNTS.

National Ocean Sciences Bowl Competition: Five high school students earned second place in the Rocky Mountain Region Ocean Bowl competition.

Regional Science Fair Achievements: One Peak to Peak student placed 3rd in the Roche Colorado Regional Science Fair.

Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarship: One Peak to Peak senior won the prestigious Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarships, which are undergraduate merit awards to attend Duke University. The awards cover full tuition, room and board, and mandatory fees for four years, as well as a six-week summer study program at the University of Oxford in England.

NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing: One Peak to Peak student was selected as a winner of the 2010-2011 Colorado Affiliate competition of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing Award.

FTC Tournament: The Peak to Peak FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team was a finalist at the regional FTC Tournament March 5th, 2011.Teams of up to 10 students are responsible for designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other teams. The team was selected by the regional judges to receive the "Innovate" award for their unique robot design.

Mock Trial: The High School JV Mock Trial competed at the state competition and had a great showing.

Ladimer Writing Contest: Three Peak to Peak students advanced to the second round of the Ladimer Writing contest. Only 25 high school students in the country are invited to do so. Top prize is a $3000 scholarship, and Peak to Peak was the only high school to have more than one student.

Optimist Brain Bowl: Five Peak to Peak middle school students competed in the 2011 North Region Optimist Brain Bowl tournament and four students earned second place. They competed against schools from northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.

National Geography Bee Winners: An 8th grade student won the National Geography Bee.

Arts Recognition

Four Senior artists and their artworks were chosen to hang at the Denver Art Museum and the students were honored on Feb. 24 at a luncheon. These are the first Boulder area high school artists to be featured at the Denver Art Museum. Gold Key Scholastic Art Award Winner Four high school artists won Scholastic Gold Key Portfolio Awards for their fine art and photography portfolios.

Scholastic Art Winners: Three Peak to Peak high school students received Honorable Mention, in fine art, mixed media and photography, respectively. Seven high school artists won Scholastic Art Awards for their fine and digital artworks. One fine artist was featured in the Boulder Valley Thrive Magazine in fall 2010. Several artists were featured in the BVSD spring art show at the Boulder library. Several students were chosen to have their work in the Lafayette Youth Arts Show at the Lafayette Library.

Colorado Thespian Conference: Three students were recognized at the Colorado Thespian Conference for their performance of Words, Words, Words, by David Ives. These students were recommended to present this play at the International Thespian Conference play marathon in the summer of 2011.

ALL State Orchestra Students: Five Peak to Peak orchestra students were accepted into both All State and Western States Orchestra Festivals.

Ballet Nouveau Colorado: After a rigorous audition process, several Peak to Peak students were selected to perform roles in Ballet Nouveau Colorado's annual professional production of “The Nutcracker.” One Peak to Peak dancer was accepted into Joffrey Ballet‟s Summer International intensive.

Children’s Chorale Prep Choir: A Peak to Peak 4th grader made the Colorado Children‟s Chorale Prep Choir for the 2010-2011 season.

Advanced Placement Art Portfolios: Thirty-two high school students successfully completed AP Art and submitted portfolios to the College Board. Each student created 29 artworks and artist statements.

Peak to Peak Student Cast in Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music: The nationally acclaimed and award-winning Northglenn Youth Theatre (NYT) is proud to announce that a Peak to Peak Charter School student has been cast in Rodgers‟ and Hammerstein‟s The Sound of Music. A Peak to Peak high school student will perform the role of Sister Margaretta.

Athletic Recognition

All-State Athletes: Four Peak to Peak athletes earned all-state recognition honors in soccer. Peak to Peak had 69 athletes compete at the state level in a variety of sports.

All-Conference Athletes: Fifty-one Peak to Peak athletes were named to All-Conference athletic teams in 2010-2011. Sports with All-Conference winners include golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, cross country, basketball, track, and baseball.

Girls’ and Boys Golf: The Peak to Peak girls‟ golf team won the Metro League 3A Championship for the first time in the school‟s history. One athlete competed at the state girls‟ golf tournament and was the only girl to qualify for state. A Peak to Peak Junior placed 10th at the boys state tournament.

Varsity Swimming: A Peak to Peak senior won the 100 m Backstroke at the Front Range League Swim Championships last Saturday and placed second in the 50 free style which earned him a berth at the state meet in both events. Another Peak to Peak swimmer qualified for state in the 100 and 200 freestyle.

Varsity Basketball: Girls basketball made it to the sweet 16 tournament for the first time in the school‟s history.

Varsity Soccer: Congratulations to the girls‟ and the boys‟ soccer teams which finished second in league play and competed in the state finals and semifinals, respectively. One Peak to Peak swimmer finished her high school swimming career with Monarch High School at the 5A state swimming championship where she finished 5th in the 50 freestyle and 2nd in the 100 backstroke. Her time in the backstroke earned her an automatic All-American status. Her time also qualified her to compete at USA swimming's long course junior national championships this summer at Stanford University.

Students Compete in Sports Outside of School: A number of Peak to Peak students competed at the local and national levels in a wide variety of sports, including wrestling, football, tennis, swimming, lacrosse, gymnastics, cheerleading, and others.

Peak to Peak Girls Tennis: Program Debuts Two Peak to Peak tennis players made it to the state competition (#3 doubles team) in Peak to Peak's first year of the program. For the first year of this program over 35 girls came out for the program-enough to fill a varsity, junior varsity and C-team.

Peak to Peak Gymnast: One Peak to Peak sophomore won two bronze medals (Floor and High bar) at the US Men's Gymnastics Region 9 Championships and was selected to the Region 9 Team (top six gymnasts from Colorado, Wyoming. New Mexico and Utah), and will represent the Region at the US Mens' Junior Olympic Championships in Long Beach, CA in May.

Elementary Students Run Bolder Boulder for First Time: Twenty-five elementary students participated in the 2nd annual BB Racers Club this spring that involved 9 weeks of after-school training with Mrs. Chandler. Several parents ran as well. Not only did students prepare for the rigors of the Bolder Boulder, but they embarked on a fitness journey that with perseverance can last a lifetime!

Character & Community Service Recognition

Sister Carmen Food Drive: Peak to Peak sophomores continued a proud tradition and organized a canned food drive for Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette, generating thousands of pounds of food and a cash donation as well. A total of 3872 cans were collected for Sister Carmen Center October food drive and 45 Feed-a-Family food boxes which provide meals for one week.

Spanish Honor Society’s “Socks of Love”: The Peak to Peak Spanish Honors Society's latest project consisted of "Calcetines de amor", or "Socks of Love". Socks were purchased and decorated by society members as well as various little things to fill the socks such as bracelets, lotion, chapstick, etc. The socks were sent to a safehouse in Mexico City, Mexico for girls who have been rescued out of the rampant sex trafficking industry. The society hopes to brighten the girls' days, show a little love for our friends in Mexico, and potentially establish a relationship between Peak to Peak and the safehouse.

Peak to Peak Supports Community Members affected by 4-Mile Canyon Fire: Students, parents, faculty Peak to Peak community, K-12 came together to provide donations an financial support the victims of the four mile canyon fire.

Service Groups Help Children in Uganda: Students in the Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society and Invisible Children teamed up for a K-12 book drive that collected thousands of books to be donated to needy schoolchildren in Uganda. Funds were also raised to provide more than one hundred books for the Share-A-Gift distribution in Boulder.

Spanish students help make Share-A-Gift a big success: On Saturday, December 18th, instead of sleeping in or going skiing, over 30 Peak to Peak Spanish students volunteered for Share-A-Gift Boulder, helping the less fortunate receive gifts during this holiday season. Spanish teacher and Spanish Honor Society sponsor Andy Matthews says “I was very proud to see how well they represented our school in their use of two languages, but even more so in their light-hearted, energetic, and compassionate attitudes. Students worked between four and eight hours, and truly were a valuable resource for the organizers of this event. It was also rewarding to see that as a direct result of our book drive last spring, each family could take home at least one book per child in English and Spanish.”

Elementary Students Committed to Service, Learning and Character: On December 14, our Character Education Leaders-Jeri Chandler and Amy Moran arranged for our elementary students to give back to the community. They, along with Sharon and Deb from our lunchroom, provided the opportunity for our students to make healthy sack lunches and in order to serve the Boulder Community. As a result, 200 needy people received lunches. Our students learned firsthand how a simple action can make a big difference. Thank you, Mrs. Chandler and Mrs. Moran for putting our Character Education.

Faculty & Staff Recognition

Computer Grants: The school awarded more than $10,000 in grants, mostly for technology needs including $5,000 for iPADs, $2,000 from Intermec Foundation for a mobile computing lab among others.

Impact on Education Award for Peak to Peak Counselor: High school Counselor Mary Campbell was a 2010 Impact on Education Award winner. Only five winners are selected within the 28,000- student Boulder Valley School District. Impact on Education recognizes those who exhibit dedication to teaching and learning, building strong relationships with students, and who have an inspiring influence on students and the school community. Mary was nominated by a student and through a very competitive process won an Impact on Education Award and was honored with several other Boulder Valley School District employees in CU-Boulder. Mary was also Colorado Counselor of the Month for November 2010.

Instructional Leadership: Peak to Peak faculty presented at the statewide charter school conference as leaders and pioneers in instructional leadership for K-12.

Boettcher Teacher Recognition Award: A Peak to Peak senior, Peak to Peak's first Boettcher Scholar, chose Clara Quinlan for the Boettcher Teacher Recognition Award.

Charter School Support Initiative (CSSI) and NCA Accreditation: CSSI, part of the schools of choice unit at the Colorado Department of Education, enlisted several Peak to Peak faculty members to assist with a North Central Association site visit.

Peak to Peak Center for Professional Development: In it‟s second year, the Peak to Peak Center for Professional Development client list is growing! The Center for Professional Development recognizes that charter schools often experience challenges in establishing, developing, and operating a school of choice. In a partnering effort with other charter schools in Colorado, the Center offers the following opportunities for collaboration and professional development: Induction Partnerships, Customized Professional Development, Wednesday Workshops, and Classroom Observations.

Professional Development: Bolstering their commitment to quality education for all students, Peak to Peak faculty and staff offered more than 60 professional development seminars to fellow staff and surrounding schools and universities. Additionally, Peak to Peak hosted 185 guest educators from K-12 schools and universities its on campus observing over 640 classrooms, and partnered with several schools on the successful Peak to Peak Induction Program.

COMMUNITY RECOGNITIONS

Peak to Peak Celebrates 10 years! On September 3, 2010 hundreds of staff, students and community members came together to celebrate Peak to Peak‟s 10 year anniversary! Special appreciation goes to Rep Jared Polis, Commissioner Jones, Ronda Kelley (Peak to Peak‟s first board president), Teri Andony and Christie Go (Peak to Peak alums) and all of our wonderful speakers. Peak to Peak was born of the dream of parents who envisioned a school dedicated to outstanding scholarship that would challenge students to achieve their full academic potential. Peak to Peak proposal is turned in to BVSD on May 26, 1998. That summer, founders and board members gain public support by holding public meetings, inviting subscribers, working on curriculum, writing grants, searching for a facility and negotiating with BVSD. In August 1998, Peak to Peak's proposal is approved by BVSD!

Business Expo: Peak to Peak partnered with the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce to host this 3nd annual event on April 27, 2011. More than 60 businesses participated in the event, which attracted hundreds of community members.

Elementary Character Education: In December of 2010 elementary students prepared more than 200 sack lunches for needy families in Boulder County as part of the character education program.

Charter School Teacher Job Fair: Peak to Peak hosted a Charter School Teacher Job Fair in March of 2011. This event—the third of its kind in Colorado—was designed to assist charter schools with hiring and give teaching candidates an opportunity to explore charter school opportunities while interviewing with several schools in one day. The event attracted more than 600 teacher candidates and 43 charter schools.

SCFD Alliance Project Award Peak to Peak was the only school in Boulder County selected to participate in the 2009-2010 Alliance Project, an educational outreach program that partners teachers with the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). A team effort by Peak to Peak teachers and administration has secured the grant‟s renewal for 2010-11 Peak to Peak Charter School has participated in the Alliance Project grant to support teachers with in-class workshops, assemblies, field trips and support from over 20 major cultural organizations in the metro-Denver area. The grant has paid for professional artists, speakers, writers, scientists and others to work with teachers in developing interactive programs and performances to support curriculum. Only one school in each of the 7-metro counties is awarded this grant. Sample programs include: Field trips to the Arvada Center and Museum of Contemporary Art, In-school cultural exhibits, the Mobile Art Gallery, from the Cherry Creek Arts Festival and Mizel Museum, Professional musicians and choir directors from CO Symphony and CO Children‟s Chorale, Writers and speakers from the City of Aurora Cultural Services, Science workshops on animals and insects from The Wildlife Experience and the Butterfly Pavilion, Participating teachers included: Heather Andony, Pam Force, Krista Hollis, Jennifer Jouzdani, Brian Rozinsky, Jill Ryerson, Grant Safranek, Adam Spicer, Michelle Tucker. 

Alliance Project Statistics Aug. 2009- May 2011: Students total 7858, Adults total 595, Number of organizations 27, Number of program and planning hours 419, Number of workshops, assemblies, field trips, exhibits 48, Buses 6, Subs 12.5, Library materials $423.74, Staff from SCC cultural organizations involved 244, Amount spent $16,177.50.

Academic Recognitions

Top National Ranking: Peak to Peak High School is a Newsweek Top 100 High School, ranking as the 35th best high school in the nation out of 16,000 public high schools that made the list in 2010. Each year, Newsweek picks the best high schools in the country based on how hard school staff works to challenge students with advanced placement college-level courses and tests. Peak to Peak remains the only Colorado school to rank in the Top 100.

For the third year in a row, Peak to Peak High School is a Gold Medal High School, ranking as the 76th best high school in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report in 2009. Of 18,743 public high schools, Peak to Peak is the only Colorado high school to rank in the Top 100 and one of only 16 charter schools from across the nation to be included in the Top 100 list. Forty-eight of the Top 100 schools had selective admissions criteria. Peak to Peak High School is open to all students who wish to attend through the open enrollment process. The Gold Medal Top 100 designation is based on the school’s College Readiness Index.

Excellent State Ratings: Peak to Peak elementary, middle and high schools were once again all ranked “Excellent,” the top rating based on statewide CSAP testing by the State of Colorado.

Competitive ACT Scores: Peak to Peak’s junior class of 2009 achieved a composite ACT score of 24.5. The State ACT average is 19.6 and the average ACT score for Boulder Valley High Schools is 22.2. 

Voted Best Public School: Peak to Peak was voted Best Public School by critics and readers for the Yellow Scene’s Best of the West issue. The magazine received hundreds of votes, and the accolade is a testament “to the great things you are doing at Peak to Peak Charter School,” according to the editors.

National Merit Finalists and Semi-Finalists: Two Peak to Peak seniors were named National Merit Scholarship Finalists. Seven students were recognized as commended. Three students from the class of 2010 qualified as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists. Nationwide, only 15,000 finalists and 34,000 commended students are named among the 1.5 million students who take the PSAT as juniors.

NCA Accreditation Peak to Peak was officially accredited by the North Central Association (NCA) for the next five years, following an April 2010 visit by the NCA quality assurance team. Peak to Peak was evaluated against rigorous national standards for vision and purpose; governance and leadership; teaching and learning; documenting and using results; resources and support systems; stakeholder communications and relationships; and commitment to continuous improvement.

Graduates Granted Scholarship Money: The 2010 class of graduating seniors was awarded $9.8 million in scholarship money, a school record. With 124 graduates, this averages nearly $80,000 in scholarship offers per student.

100% College Acceptance Rate: All of the students in Peak to Peak’s class of 2010 were accepted to a college, with nine students choosing to take a gap year. “Gap year” students were accepted into a college of their choice but chose to defer going to college for one year. The class of 2010 averaged nearly four college acceptances per student.

Selective College Acceptances: Of the colleges that the class of 2010 plans to attend, 24 percent chose to enroll in the nation’s “Most Competitive” colleges and universities.

High Number of Advanced Placement Tests: In 2010, a record 319 Peak to Peak students took 707 Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 19 different content areas. These college-level AP courses taken during high school are accepted for college credit by thousands of universities nationwide.

AP Scholar Achievements: Eighty-six Peak to Peak high school students qualified for AP Scholar distinctions based on their performance on Advanced Placement (AP) exams.

Twenty-eight students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP exams and earning scores of three or higher on a five-point scale. (Of these students, eight earned an average score of four or higher on all AP exams taken.)

Sixteen students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and grades of three or higher on four or more of these exams.

Forty-two students received the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of three or higher on five or more of these exams.

Peak to Peak students took nineteen of the thirty-seven different AP exams offered. About eighteen percent of the 1.6 million students worldwide who took AP exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

Most of the nation’s colleges and universities award credit, advanced placement, or both based on successful performance on the AP exams. More than 1,400 institutions award a full year’s credit (sophomore standing) to students presenting a sufficient number of qualifying grades.

Peak Scholar Diplomas: Forty-four Peak to Peak seniors received Peak Scholar diplomas. The Peak Scholar program indicates to selective colleges that students who achieve this honor have excelled in AP exams, grade point average (GPA), leadership, and community service. Twenty-four 2010 graduates received the school’s highest award, being recognized as Peak Scholars with Distinction (achieving an average of 3.5 or higher on at least five AP exams, earning at least a 3.9 weighted GPA, and completing 150 hours of community service); eight students received Peak Scholar with Honors (average 3.25 or higher on at least four AP exams, 3.7 weighted GPA, 125 community service hours); and 12 students received Peak Scholar designation (average 3 or higher on at least three AP exams, 3.3 weighted GPA,100 community service hours).

Science Olympiad Winners: The Peak to Peak Science Olympiad team placed second out of 25 teams at the Northern Regional Science Olympiad in Ft. Collins. The team advanced to the state competition at the Colorado School of Mines and placed fourth.

Regional Science Bowl Winners: Peak to Peak took first place out of forty teams at the Colorado Regional Science Bowl. Five high school students competed at the National Science Bowl Competition in Washington, D.C., where they had an impressive showing.

National Ocean Sciences Bowl Competition: Five high school students earned second place in the state at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.

Regional Science Fair Achievements/ Elementary Science Fair Achievements: Twenty Peak to Peak middle school students competed in the Regional Science Fair, with many winning awards. An eighth grader placed second and was invited to attend the Colorado State Science Fair. Ten elementary students earned honorable mention at the Elementary Science Fair.

Scholastic Gold Key Winner: A high school senior won a Scholastic Gold Key for fiction writing.

Students Selected for Mentoring Program with First Lady Michelle Obama: Ten Peak to Peak high school students were among the eighty girls from 10 high schools across Colorado who attended a Leadership Mentoring Initiative Luncheon led by First Lady Michelle Obama.

State & National Speech & Debate Qualifiers: Three Peak to Peak high school students qualified for the state tournament for speech and debate. One student qualified at the national level in extemporaneous speaking.

DECA State Qualifiers and Medalists: In its first year as a chapter at Peak to Peak, DECA, a higher education marketing and business management association, sent six students to the state DECA competition. Four students earned state medals.

Chinese Speech Contest Winners: Peak to Peak Chinese Speech Team members, comprised of students from seventh through twelfth grade, won first and third places at the 3rd Annual Colorado Chinese Speech Contest.

Mock Trial Winners: The high school Mock Trial team took first place in the local competition and went on to have a commendable showing at state.

Stock Market Game Success: Fifth-graders won second place in the Metro Region during the annual Stock Market Game. To compete in the game, students work together to create and manage a virtual investment portfolio of real-world stocks and mutual funds.

Writing Award Winner: A Peak to Peak senior was selected as one of the winners in the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards in Writing competition. The student was selected from among 1,783 students and was one of only four Colorado winners.

Special ACT Achievement: A Peak to Peak high school freshman who took the ACT in Colorado for gifted programs, practice, and beyond, placed in the top ten percent of test-takers and received the highest score on the reading section.

Banned Book Essay Contest Winner: A Peak to Peak high school student won first place in the state in the Tattered Cover Eighth Annual Banned Book Week Essay contest. Another student won third place in the state. The first-place winner received a grant for the school's Library Media Center.

Optimist Brain Bowl: Nine Peak to Peak middle school students competed in the 2010 North Region Optimist Brain Bowl tournament, and four students earned second place. They competed against schools from northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.

National Geography Bee Winners: An eighth-grade student won the National Geography Bee. Another Peak to Peak middle school student earned the first-runner-up title.

PawPrint High School Student Newspaper: This year, additional issues were published and weekly news updates could be found online all year for the first time.

Arts Recognitions

Gold Key Scholastic Art Award Winner: A high school student won the Gold Key Scholastic Art Award and had artwork judged at the national level.

Congressional Art Competitors: Two high school students were selected for the 2nd Congressional District Art Competition sponsored by Jared Polis.

Orchestra All State Winners: Six high school orchestra students were accepted into the 2010 Colorado All-State Orchestra.

A junior was selected for the 2010 All-State Choir and 2010 All-State Orchestra and was the recipient of the 2010 University of Colorado Outstanding Junior in Music Award.

Middle School Art Show Participants: Middle school students displayed their sculptures in a public Art Show at the Lafayette Public Library.

Boulder Ballet/Boulder Philharmonic: Two Peak to Peak students, one high school and one middle school, were selected by audition to dance in the Boulder Ballet/Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2009 production of “The Nutcracker.”

Ballet Nouveau Colorado: After a rigorous audition process, several Peak to Peak students were selected to perform roles in Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s annual professional production of “The Nutcracker.”

Middle School Student Actor: A seventh-grader was selected by audition to perform as the Turkey Boy/Ensemble/ understudy in “A Christmas Carol” with the Denver Center for Performing Arts. The student also auditioned in New York with the Disney Channel.

Thespians Produce Smash Hit: The Peak to Peak Thespian Troupe completed the play “Once Upon A Mattress,” which was a 100-percent-student-produced effort. The high school students directed, produced, acted, and served as stage managers.

Advanced Placement Art Portfolios: Thirty-two high school students successfully completed AP Art and submitted portfolios to The College Board. Each student created 29 artworks and artist statements.

Athletic Recogntions

All-State Athletes: Eleven Peak to Peak athletes earned 12 all-state recognition honors in the following sports: soccer, boys’ basketball, girls’ golf, track and field, and girls’ softball. The students were selected for 3A state honors by The Denver Post. Peak to Peak had 55 athletes compete at the state level in a variety of sports.

State Champions: Two high school students, one boy and one girl, won state championship titles in track and field.

All-Conference Athletes: Thirty-four Peak to Peak athletes were named to All-Conference athletic teams in 2009-2010. Sports with All-Conference winners include golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, cross country, basketball, ice hockey, track, and baseball.

Prep Athlete of the Week: A senior Peak to Peak baseball player was named Prep Athlete of the Week by the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper.

Metro League Coaches of the Year: Two Peak to Peak coaches were named Metro League coaches of the year; one in boys’ golf and one in boys’ soccer.

Girls’ Golf: The Peak to Peak girls’ golf team won the Metro League 3A Championship for the first time in the school’s history. Two athletes competed at the state girls’ golf tournament.

Varsity Basketball: The Peak to Peak boys’ varsity basketball team took fourth place in the Metro League and, for the first time, competed in the Elite Eight tournament in Fort Collins. The Peak to Peak girls’ varsity basketball team won second place in the Metro League.

Varsity Soccer: The Peak to Peak girls’ and boys’ soccer teams finished second in league play and competed in the state quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.

Students Compete in Sports Outside of School: A number of Peak to Peak students competed at the local and national levels in a wide variety of sports, including wrestling, football, tennis, swimming, lacrosse, gymnastics, cheerleading, and others.

Middle School Student is Junior Olympic Skier: A seventh-grade student competed in the Junior Olympics for ski racing.

Varsity Swimming: A junior finished third in the state in the 200 freestyle and fifth in the state in the 100 freestyle at the 5A state girls’ swimming championships and is in consideration for All-American status.

Nationally Ranked Gymnast: A senior competed at the Men’s National Junior Olympic Gymnastics Championships and finished in the top 20 on parallel bars and the top 30 on high bar.

Elementary Students Run Bolder Boulder: For the first time, elementary students trained after school twice a week to prepare for the Bolder Boulder road race.

Peak to Peak Students Excel in Rugby: Two Peak to Peak students were runners-up at the rugby state finals and earned several other honors, including the Leadership Award and Coach’s Award.

Character & Community Service Recognitions

Sister Carmen Food Drive: Peak to Peak sophomores continued a proud tradition and organized a canned food drive for Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette, generating thousands of pounds of food and a monetary donation.

Key Club Partners with Habitat for Humanity: High school students from Peak to Peak’s Key Club joined Habitat for Humanity’s efforts to build homes for those still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

Panama Spanish Service Trip: Nine high school students traveled to Panama on a language, culture, service, and adventure trip. Service projects included painting walls in a school, helping install a roof, and serving as substitute teachers.

Brownie Girl Scouts Give to Teen Shelter: The third-grade Peak to Peak Brownies Troop 2231 donated Girl Scout cookies to Attention Homes, a teen shelter in Boulder.

Peru Service Learning Excursion: High school students traveled to Urubamba, Peru to help rural, indigenous communities. In two weeks, the students installed 26 cleaner burning stoves, dug approximately 1/2 mile of irrigation ditches, and collected more than 50 bags of garbage from the shores of a river. The students also fully immersed themselves in the culture and made the trek to Machu Picchu.

Pen Pals: Spanish students were pen pals with Mayan high school students in Guatemala who were also perfecting their Spanish.

Haiti Relief Efforts: Peak to Peak Charter School launched a K-12 fundraising event to support on-the-ground earthquake disaster relief operations in Port au Prince, Haiti. Donors gave up their extra expenses for the day and donated that money to the relief effort coordinated by Project Concern International.

Additionally, the Peak to Peak Tri-M Music Honor Society hosted the first annual “A Night at the Grammys” recital to benefit the Haiti relief effort. The high school music students represented some of the most talented leaders from the band, orchestra and choir programs.

Spanish Honor Society: Helps the Hungry Students from Peak to Peak's Spanish Honor Society held an Oxfam Hunger Banquet, raising awareness of global food issues as well as more than $1,000 for the Oxfam organization.

Service Groups Help Children in Uganda: Students in the Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society and Invisible Children teamed up for a K-12 book drive that collected thousands of books to be donated to needy schoolchildren in Uganda. Funds were also raised to provide more than 100 books for Share-A-Gift distribution in Boulder.

Sixth-Graders Raise Money for Celiac Disease: Participating in the Celebrate Lafayette Festival, two Peak to Peak sixth-graders raised money for celiac disease by performing yoyo tricks from their booth at the festival. The students raised $300 for the Celiac Disease Foundation.

Elementary Students Committed to Service, Learning and Character: Elementary students participated in several service-learning initiatives to promote thankfulness, compassion and valuing others. The Blanket Round-Up resulted in more than 200 blankets and sleeping bags for Boulder County's homeless and the Soles 4 Souls project collected many shoes for the people of Haiti.

Faculty & Staff Recognitions

Jared Polis Teacher Recognition Award: Mary Campbell, high school counselor, was recognized for her commitment to students, innovative teaching, and collaboration skills when she earned the Jared Polis award. In addition to a personal award, she won a $1,000 teacherdirected operating grant for Peak to Peak. Additionally, Campbell was named Next Step magazine’s “Super Counselor.” As winner in the bi-monthly contest, Campbell was featured on the magazine’s website and in its printed newsletter that is distributed to 20,500 high school guidance counselors nationwide.

Computer Grants: Peak to Peak was awarded grants culminating in 69 computers and other technologies. Grants include: Intermec K-12 education grant ($2,000, six laptop computers); Northrop Grumman donation ($9,500 value, 13 desktop computers, six laptop computers); Jared Polis Foundation grant ($22,000 value, 44 desktop computers, LCD and CRT).

Impact on Education Award: High school English teacher Kristie Letter was a 2009 Impact on Education Award winner. Only five winners are selected within the 28,000- student Boulder Valley School District. Impact on Education recognizes those who exhibit dedication to teaching and learning, building strong relationships with students, and who have an inspiring influence on students and the school community.

Top Math Coach: Anita Chakraborty-Spots was named one of the top math coaches in Colorado. She instructed and mentored a Peak to Peak student who earned an honorable mention as having one of the best scores for eighth grade in the American Math Competition.

Physical Education Professional Development: Physical Education teacher Jeri Chandler presented several workshops and conference sessions titled “Active Bodies, Active Brains — Engaging Students through Movement.”

Teacher Earns Advanced Degree and Principal’s License: Keri Dunphy, Spanish teacher and World Languages curriculum leader, graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. She also earned a principal’s license.

National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship: High School English teacher Kristie Letter received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study at the Molly Brown House during summer 2010. Instructional Leadership Peak to Peak faculty presented at the statewide charter school conference as leaders and pioneers in instructional leadership for K-12 schools.

Aspen Writers’ Workshop Scholarship: High School English Teacher Heather Cyr was awarded the Candida Lawrence Memoir Scholarship from the Aspen Writers' Foundation. This scholarship to attend the Memoir Workshop is given to one outstanding applicant who has excelled in creative work that is not fictional and that observes or describes, in excellence of craft, the author’s personal experience.

Charter School Support Initiative (CSSI) and NCA Accreditation (NCA): CSSI, part of the schools of choice unit at the Colorado Department of Education, enlisted several Peak to Peak faculty members to assist with important site visits. The NCA also enlisted Peak to Peak faculty to assist with accreditation site visits.

Peak to Peak Launches Center for Professional Development: The Center for Professional Development recognizes that charter schools often experience challenges in establishing, developing, and operating a school of choice. In a partnering effort with other charter schools in Colorado, the Center offers the following opportunities for collaboration and professional development: Induction Partnerships, Customized Professional Development, Wednesday Workshops, and Classroom Observations.

Professional Development: Bolstering their commitment to quality education for all students, Peak to Peak faculty and staff offered more than 60 professional development seminars to fellow staff and surrounding schools and universities. Peak to Peak hosted more than 200 guest educators from K-12 schools and universities who made 500 classroom observations/visits at Peak to Peak. Additionally, Peak to Peak partnered with several schools on the highly successful Peak to Peak Induction Program.

National Council of Teachers of English Commendation: The English department was commended by the National Council of Teachers of English for excellence in its instructional program.

COMMUNITY RECOGNITIONS

Profile in Character: Award Peak to Peak was again recognized for its commitment to educating for character, earning a “Profile in Character Award” from the Character Education Partnership (CEP) National Schools of Character Awards Program. The award is given to exemplary schools which have uniquely demonstrated one or more of CEP's Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education. Only 18 schools in the nation received this award.

State School of Character Award: The Foundation for Character Development named Peak to Peak the Colorado State School of Character in 2009 and 2010. The State Schools of Character awards program provides recognition to schools and districts in Colorado that demonstrate an outstanding character education initiative that has yielded improvements in student behavior, school culture, and academic achievement.

Business Expo: Peak to Peak partnered with the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce to host this 2nd annual event on April 29, 2010. More than 60 businesses participated in the event, which attracted hundreds of community members.

SCFD Alliance Project Award: Peak to Peak was the only school in Boulder County selected to participate in the 2009-2010 Alliance Project, an educational outreach program that partners teachers with the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).

Along with teachers, SCFD science and cultural organizations create curriculum applications and learning opportunities for students. Specifically, the Alliance Project Grant enabled Peak to Peak students in fifth through eighth grades to participate in field trips to museums; music concerts and master classes; dramatic performances; art and artifact installations on campus; as well as many classroom lectures and presentations.

Peak to Peak enjoyed nearly 300 hours of programming valued at more than $8,400. Twenty cultural organizations partnered with Peak to Peak, including the Arvada Center, Butterfly Pavilion, Central City Opera, Colorado Ballet, Colorado Mountain Club, Colorado Symphony, Denver Center for Performing Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Opera Colorado, The Wildlife Experience, and many more. A team effort by Peak to Peak teachers and administrators has secured the grant’s renewal for 2010-2011.

Charter School Teacher Job Fair: Peak to Peak hosted a Charter School Teacher Job Fair on March 13, 2010. This event—the second of its kind in Colorado—was designed to assist charter schools with hiring and give teaching candidates a chance to explore charter school opportunities while interviewing with several schools in one day. The event attracted more than 650 teacher candidates and 47 charter schools.

GO Boulder’s 2010 Commuter of the Year Award Winner: A Peak to Peak family was chosen as the 2010 Commuters of the Year by GO Boulder/City of Boulder. They were recognized for their dedication to finding, using and encouraging others to use Boulder’s transportation options. The winners inspire others to choose biking, walking and pubic transit for their daily trips instead of personal vehicles.

ACADEMIC RECOGNITIONS

Top National Ranking: Peak to Peak High School was again named a 2009 Gold Medal School by U.S. News & World Report, ranking 69th in the country. For the second year in a row, Peak to Peak High School was also named a Top 100 School by Newsweek magazine. In 2009, the school ranked 61st out of approximately 27,000 public high schools in the nation and was the only Top 100 school in Colorado.

Among Top Schools in the Denver Region: Peak to Peak High School was named the number one school in the Denver metropolitan area by 5280 magazine in 2007. In 2008, 5280 magazine discontinued their school rankings but instead evaluated elementary, middle and high schools based on 14 criteria. The entire Peak to Peak school, K-12, was recognized for academic excellence, community service, community engagement, multi-grade engagement, diverse academic programs, and character and cultural literacy of students.

John Irwin School of Excellence: Peak to Peak’s elementary and middle schools have each been recipients of five “John Irwin School of Excellence” Awards, and the high school has received a John Irwin Award each of the six years it has been eligible. The awards are presented to the top eight percent of Colorado schools.

“Excellent” State Ratings: Peak to Peak elementary, middle and high schools were once again all ranked “Excellent,” the top rating based on statewide CSAP testing by the State of Colorado.

ACT Scores Highest in District, Second in State: Peak to Peak’s junior class of 2008 achieved a new school record, receiving an average composite score of 25.4 on the ACT test. This was the highest score in the Boulder Valley School District and second highest in the state.

National Merit Finalists: Five Peak to Peak seniors were named National

Merit Scholarship Finalists, and nine additional students were recognized as commended. While our seniors made up 4.5% of the school district’s graduating class, 13% of the district’s National Merit Finalists were from Peak to Peak. Nationwide, just 15,000 finalists and 34,000 commended students are named among the 1.5 million juniors who take the PSAT.

College Preparatory Accreditation: Peak to Peak is the only public school in Boulder County and one of only two schools in Colorado to achieve College Preparatory Accreditation from the North Central Association (NCA). The NCA has awarded college prep accreditation to 232 private schools in its region, while only 31 public schools have received this designation.

Graduates Granted Scholarship Money: The 2009 class of graduating seniors was awarded $7.8 million in scholarship money. With 95 graduates, this averages $82,420 in scholarship offers per student.

College Choices: Peak to Peak seniors had their choice of colleges, with an average of more than four college acceptances per student.

Selective College Acceptances: Of the 416 college acceptances achieved by the 2009 seniors, eight percent were into the nation's 'Most Competitive' schools and 65 percent of acceptances were into 'Highly Competitive' or 'Most Competitive' colleges or universities.

High Number of Advanced Placement Tests: In 2009, a record 242 Peak to Peak students took 542 Advanced Placement (AP) tests in 19 different content areas. These college-level courses are accepted for credit by thousands of universities nationwide.

AP Scholar Achievements: Eighty-two Peak to Peak High School students qualified for AP Scholar distinctions based on the Spring 2008 AP (Advanced Placement) exams taken. Ten students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a 5 point scale on all AP exams taken and a grade of 4 or high on eight or more of these exams. Thirty students earned the AP Scholar with Distinction award (average grades of at least 3.5 on all AP exams and grades of 3 or higher on five or more exams). Twelve students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor award, (grades of at least 3.25 on all AP exams and grades of 4 or higher on four or more exams). Thirty students qualified for the AP Scholar Award (Three or more AP exams with grades of 3 or higher). Only 18% of the 1.6 million students worldwide who took AP exams performed at sufficiently high levels to earn an AP Scholar award or higher.

National Hispanic Scholars: Two Peak to Peak seniors were recognized as National Hispanic Program Scholars, based on outstanding PSAT scores and GPAs. Only 5,000 of 200,000 eligible students received this award.

Peak Scholar Diplomas: Thirty-five Peak to Peak seniors received Peak Scholar diplomas. The Peak Scholar program indicates to selective colleges that students who achieve this honor have excelled in AP exams, GPA, leadership and community service. Twenty- five 2009 graduates received the school’s highest award, being recognized as Peak Scholars with Distinction (an average of 3.5 or higher on at least five AP exams, at least a 3.9 weighted GPA, and 150 hours of community service); six students received Peak Scholar with Honors (an average score of 3.25 or higher on at least four AP exams, at least a 3.7 weighted GPA, and 125 hours of community service); and four students received Peak Scholar (an average score of 3 or higher on at least three AP exams, at least a 3.3 weighted GPA, and 100 hours of community service).

Science Olympiad Winners: Peak to Peak’s Science Olympiad team placed fourth out of 24 teams at the Northern Regional Science Olympiad Tournament. The team advanced to the state-level competition at the School of Mines and placed 4^th in the state.

Speech & Debate Championships: The Peak to Peak Forensics program has again proven to be a competitive success. For the second year in a row, the team took home a state championship title. Out of 22 schools from around the state and hundreds of competitors, Peak to Peak claimed 27 awards. A sophomore earned 1st pace in the category of Original Oratory and will go on to compete at the National Forensics Tournament. A team of seniors took 2nd in the state in the Duet Drama category. A junior took 2nd place in Value Debate. Overall, ten students made the finals and placed in the top six spots of their events at state. Nine students also made it to the semi- finals. Eight students were recognized with excellence awards for an outstanding performance. In all, 32 Peak to Peak students competed at the state level.

National Ocean Sciences Bowl Competition: The high school Ocean Sciences Bowl team earned a 3rd place trophy at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) Competition for the Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and South Dakota region, which was held at CU-Boulder in February 2009.

Mock Trial: The 2008/09 High School Mock Trial team competed in the Regional Mock Trial Competition on February 20-21 and placed 3rd in the region.

Essay Contest Winner: A senior won the Colorado League of Charter Schools/CollegeInvest Essay Contest. The essay topic was: “How is your charter school preparing you for college and/or making your dreams come true?” More than 900 essays were submitted. As the 1st place winner in the state’s high school competition, she received a scholarship award presented by the Lt. Governor and read her essay at the State Capitol.

Regional Science Fair Achievements: Fifteen Peak to Peak students competed in the regional science fair competition. Numerous awards were presented to students in individual science categories. At the elementary school level, one student placed 1st, one placed 2nd and four achieved 3rd place honors.

Lincoln Scholastic Contest Winners: Seventeen Peak to Peak students were named state-wide finalists in the 2009 Colorado Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Contest. The object of the contest was to encourage youth to discover the importance of great leaders like Abraham Lincoln. The high school students wrote essays on “Acting like Lincoln” in which they described how their local community or the State of Colorado does or could reflect the ideal of a community “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” The gold, silver and bronze medal winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on June 20, 2009.

Banned Book Essay Contest Winners: Three Peak to Peak students from Kristie Letter’s British Literature class won awards in the Tattered Cover Eighth Annual Banned Book Week Essay contest. In the 9th/10th grade category, Peak to Peak students took the first, second and third place titles. The first place winner received a grant for the school's Library Media Center.

Academic State Champions: The 2008/2009 Peak to Peak Speech and Debate Team won the Academic State Championship title with a cumulative GPA of 3.76. The Peak to Peak High School Cheer team won the CHSAA Academic State Championship with a cumulative GPA of 3.8.

Destination Imagination: A Peak to Peak Middle School team took 2nd place at the Regional tournament and went to state for the 4th year in a row.

Storytelling Award: A 4th grade student took first place in the Colorado Language Arts Society’s annual storytelling contest in the 3rd and 4th grade category.

Optimist Brain Bowl: Five Peak to Peak middle school teams competed in the 2009 N. Region Optimist Brain Bowl tournament. All five teams were finalists in the elimination rounds. They competed against schools from the entire northern Colorado and southern Wyoming region.

National Junior Academic Championships: Two Peak to Peak Middle School teams competed at the National Junior Academic Championships based on their performances in the regional Optimist Brain Bowl. The teams traveled to Marymount University in Arlington, VA, June 4-7, 2009 to compete.

Rocky Mountain Talent Search: Four eighth grade students finished among the top 10% of participants in the Rocky Mountain Academic Talent Search and were awarded "Highest Honors" certificates. Two 8th graders, a 5th grader, and a 4th grader finished among the top 25% of participants and were awarded

"Highest Honors" certificates.

MathCounts: In March 2009, an eighth grade student who placed 10th in the region went on to represent Peak to Peak at the state MathCounts finals. He was awarded an honorable mention for being in the top 15 middle school math students in Colorado. This is the fifth year in a row Peak to Peak has had a team or individual advance to the state level of competition. The Peak to Peak middle school team of four students took 3rd in the regional championship.

ESPN X Games Student Reporter: A Peak to Peak sophomore won a trip to Aspen to cover the ESPN Winter X Games as a reporter. After writing about high school sports for ESPN Rise Magazine for a year, she submitted an essay about her desire to report at the Winter X Games and won 1st place in the contest. At the X Games, she interviewed athletes, wrote articles, took photos and posted a blog on the ESPN Rise website.

IBM High School Hero:  A Peak to Peak senior was selected as the IBM High School Hero of the week for her outstanding leadership contributions to her school and community. This program recognizes those who excel in both activities (athletics, music, speech and leadership) and in the classroom.

Peer Tutoring: A student-run Think Tank was established in 2008/2009, offering tutoring services for both middle and high school students.

ARTS RECOGNITIONS

Scholastic Art Award Winners: Three Peak to Peak high school students won Gold Key awards and five won Silver Key awards in the 2009 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition. One of the Gold Key winners, a Peak to Peak 10th grade student, went on to win a national-level silver medal for his photography. He will be recognized with the other national winners at Carnegie Hall in June 2009. In the competition, 140,000 works were submitted and only 1,000 students received national medals.

All-State Music Selections: Nine Peak to Peak High School music students were selected to the 2009 Colorado All-State Choir, All- State Band, and All-State Orchestra. They were selected from thousands of students from across Colorado who auditioned for these high-profile honor ensembles.

Young Artists Festival: Several Peak to Peak students performed at the TASHCO Young Artist’s Festival in April 2009. A 6th grader placed 1st in the Intermediate Strings competition and a 7th grade girl placed 2nd in the Junior Ballet competition.

Film Festival Winner: A Peak to Peak junior was one of four winners in the second annual Spirit of the Outdoors Film Festival sponsored by REI and Boulder Digital Arts. His film, "The making of an Adventure," was about a ski trip to Keystone with friends. The contest showcases novice filmmakers' love for the outdoors and determination to make a difference in the world.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival Actor: A Peak to Peak 6th grader performed in a leading role in Macbeth with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and auditioned in New York for the Broadway Show Mary Poppins.

Doodle 4 Google Art Winners: Six middle school artists designed a creative doodle logo that won an award in a national contest sponsored by Google. The contest to reinvent Google's homepage logo asked participants to creatively doodle around the theme “What I would wish for the world.”

Local Art Show Showcases Peak to Peak Artists: Several high school artists had their work displayed at the second annual Peak to Peak Art Show at Cannon Mine Coffee.

Performing Arts Award: A sophomore received a full merit-based scholarship for the highly competitive, internationally recognized Perry Mansfield School of Performing Arts summer arts program. Alumni of the program include Jessica Biel, Julie Harris and Dustin Hoffman.

Ballet Nouveau Colorado: Several students were awarded roles in Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s annual production of The Nutcracker, the only full-length professional Nutcracker performed in the Denver metro area. A seventh grader performed the lead role of Clara.

Vocal Competition Winner: A 6th grade boy won 1st place in the 19th annual 2009 Vocal Competition for Jesters in the Middle SchoolNon-Classical division.

Youth Symphony Members: Six Peak to Peak students performed with the Boulder Youth Symphony and four students performed with the High Plains Youth Symphony.

Fine Arts Festival Winner: A Peak to Peak 6th grade choir student won first place at the Broomfield Fine Arts Festival.

Honors Orchestra Participant: A 10th grade student participated in the Western States Honor Orchestra Festival in November 2008 at UNC in Greeley.

Advanced Placement Art Portfolios: Five Peak to Peak seniors successfully completed the AP Art portfolio in fine and digital arts in 2009.

ATHLETIC RECOGNITIONS

All-State Athletes: Five Peak to Peak athletes (two in girls soccer, one in boys soccer, one in girls basketball and one in girls softball) were selected for 3A All- State honors by the Denver Post.

All-Conference Athletes: 48 Peak to Peak athletes were named to All- Conference athletic teams in 2008/2009. This is a more than 3-fold increase from the previous year. Sports with All-Conference winners include golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, cross country, basketball, ice hockey, track, and baseball.

Metro League Athlete of the Year: A Peak to Peak senior was selected as the female, senior track athlete of the year for the Denver Metro League. She placed 1st in both the league and the region in the 1600 and 3200 meter events.

Metro League Coaches of the Year: Three Peak to Peak coaches were named Metro League coaches of the year (two in basketball and one in cross country, for the 2nd year in a row).

Cross Country Team 1st in League, 3rd in State: Peak to Peak girls again took first out of seven teams at the Metro League XC Championships. Three girls were 1st team all conference winners and two girls were 2nd team all conference winners. The girls went on to finish 2nd at the regional cross country finals and finished 3rd at the state championship in Fort Collins. The boys team finished 6th at the Regional Championship and one senior went on to compete at the State Championships.

Middle School Cross Country: Peak to Peak’s middle school runners scored medals at every meet this year, winning four first, three second, and two third place team trophies. They also saw many individual successes.

Varsity Golf Team at State: The boys varsity golf team tied for third place among the Metro League teams and tied for 6th place in the state. Individual students placed 13th and 25^th in the state.

Girls Golf Team Wins City Cup: In its first year, Peak to Peak’s girls golf team tied for first place in the Denver Public Schools League City Cup Tournament.

Varsity Swimming: A sophomore qualified for Junior Nationals and Senior Nationals in both the 100 and 200 freestyle events. At the state 5A swim championships, she placed 2nd in the 100 freestyle and 3rd in the 200 freestyle, earning All American times. Her medley relay team also earned All American status. In June 2009, she will compete in the Speedo Grand Prix event. A senior participated in the N. Zone Syncro Championships and her trio took 1st. This is the first time a Colorado team has ever won. They swam at the US National meet at Stanford against the top seven teams in the nation and two US National teams.

Track & Field State Championships: 16 athletes competed at the 3A State Track and Field Championships in 2009. Peak to Peak took 4th in the 4x100 boys relay, 4th in the boys 100 meter, 5th in the girls 100 meter, 5th and 7th in the boys 110 meter hurdles, 7th in the girls 4x800 relay, and 8th in the girls 3200.

Varsity Soccer: The girls varsity soccer team finished 4th in the Metro League and advanced to the quarter finals in the state championship tournament. Two players were awarded All-State honorable mention.

Cheer Team International Recognition: A team of one 10th, one 8th and two 7th grade girls from Peak to Peak competed at a national cheer competition and won first place in the All Levels competition. An international panel scored their video against other national champions and crowned them International All-Levels Grand Champions.

Colorado Cycling Championship: A junior won the boys 16-17 year-old Colorado State Cycling Hill Climb Championship held at Mt. Evans. He placed second in the Colorado State Road Race Championship.

Golf Hole in One: A freshman girl shot a hole in one at Indian Peaks Golf Course in Lafayette, CO.

Bolder Boulder Middle School Challenge: Peak to Peak’s team placed 1st as the fastest middle school team to compete in Division II of the 2009 Bolder Boulder 10K Middle School Challenge.

CHARACTER & COMMUNITY SERVICE RECOGNITIONS

President’s Volunteer Service Award: A Peak to Peak 11th grade student was presented the 2008 President’s Volunteer Service Award. Presented by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, she was recognized for her commitment to strengthening our nation and for making a difference through her volunteer service. The Silver award recognized her dedication to volunteer service and signified that she has served in her community with distinction. Through her effort, she has demonstrated values that make our nation strong and is helping to build a culture of citizenship, service and responsibility.

Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award: A Peak to Peak junior was honored by the City of Boulder’s Youth Opportunities Advisory Board (YOAB), which recognizes outstanding youth who are making a difference in the Boulder community through volunteer work. This student spent many hours working with the Share-a-Gift program and the Boulder Theater for Kids.

Sister Carmen Food Drive: Peak to Peak sophomores organized a canned food drive for Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette, generating 5,965 pounds of food and $2,500 in cash.

Lafayette Oatmeal Festival: More than 50 National Honor Society students volunteered to host the annual Lafayette Quaker Oatmeal Festival in January 2009. They served more than 290 gallons of oatmeal, 140 toppings and hundreds of pancakes and muffins to more than 3,200 visitors.

Key Club Awards: At the Rocky Mountain Key Club District convention, a Peak to Peak senior won “Most Distinguished Board Member” and the Linda Canaday Memorial Scholarship. A freshman team won the talent show competition.

Key Club Builds Vietnamese School: As part of the Rocky Mountain District, Peak to Peak’s Key Club raised $56,000 to build a two-story school serving 1,200 students and community members in Doan Hung, Viet Nam. The club is now raising money to build a school for children of indigenous minorities in Sa Pa, Viet Nam. Peak to Peak’s Key Club donates hundreds of volunteer hours to organization such as the YMCA, Habitat for Humanity and Children of Peace International.

Volunteer Recognition: A Peak to Peak junior was recognized by the Boulder Daily Camera for her volunteer work with the Boulder Country Respite and Companion Volunteer Program. She worked with an elderly Vietnamese immigrant to help him learn English and study for his citizenship exam.

Coat Drive: Peak to Peak students again sponsored a successful coat drive. The coats were donated to the annual Rotary Club coat drive.

Share-A-Gift Donations: English teacher Jennifer Jouzdani’s 6th grade Access class collected toys for Share-A-Gift and went over after school was dismissed on the last day before Winter Break to help sort toys for the families who were to begin shopping the next day. Ms. Jouzdani was impressed with the willingness of these students to give up their time outside of school hours to help those less fortunate.

Community Clean Up: A group of Peak to Peak National Honor Society students conducted a volunteer clean-up/yard work effort in Arbordale Acres, a neighborhood near Peak to Peak.

Pen Pals: Ms. Witkiewicz’ 5th graders enjoyed a pen pal relationship with a Peace Corp volunteer in Uganda who teaches Science (and some computers and PE) to pre-service teachers. He and the students corresponded throughout the school year.

FACULTY & STAFF RECOGNITIONS

Jared Polis Teacher Recognition Award: Peak to Peak English teacher Kristie Letter was a winner in the Jared Polis Foundation Teacher Recognition Awards. More than 130 teachers were nominated for this award. On May 8, 2009, she and 14 other honorees in the Denver Metro Area were recognized for their commitment to students, innovative teaching styles and collaborative skills. In addition to a personal award, she won a $1,000 teacher-directed operating grant for Peak to Peak.

University of Colorado Outstanding Graduate: The faculty members of the Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies program at the University of Colorado Denver selected high school principal Kyle Mathews as the 2009 outstanding graduate. Mr. Mathews graduated with an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Administrative Leadership and Policy in May 2009.

Key Club Outstanding Advisor: Faculty advisor for the Peak to Peak Key Club Catherine Schyling won the Outstanding Faculty Advisor award for the Rocky Mountain Region.

Poetry Published: English teacher Megan Freeman’s poetry was published in IMPROV 2008, an anthology of Colorado poets. Additionally, her piece “Music’s Music” was selected by renowned American composer Steven Sametz as the text for a commission for the Los Angeles Master Chorale and was performed in Disney Hall in Los Angeles in February 2009.

Art Show: Peak to Peak High School Counselor Sara Zessar opened a local art show exhibiting her photography in June 2009.

COMMUNITY RECOGNITIONS

State School of Character and National School of Character Finalist: The Foundation for Character Development named Peak to Peak the Colorado State School of Character and honored the school at the State Capitol on June 15, 2009. The State Schools of Character (SSOC) competition is a way for schools and districts in many states to receive recognition at the state level for exemplary character education programs. Through a highly competitive application process, Peak to Peak was also named one of 25 national finalists in the Character Education Partnership (CEP) National Schools of Character (NCOS) awards program. As the nation¹s leading advocate for quality character education, CEP chose the 25 National Finalists from a record 185 school applicants nationwide.

SCFD Alliance Project Award: Peal to Peak was the only school in Boulder County selected to participate in the 2009-2010 Alliance Project. This is an educational outreach program that partners the SCFD (Scientific and Cultural Facilities District) science and cultural organizations with teachers to create curriculum applications and learning opportunities for students. Utilizing tax dollars of the SCFD, the Alliance Project will provide workshops, classes, performances, field trips and other resources for the teachers and students of Peak to Peak. Twenty cultural organizations will partner with our school including: the Arvada Center, Butterfly Pavilion, Central City Opera, Colorado Ballet, Colorado Mountain Club, Colorado Symphony, Denver Center for Performing Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Opera Colorado, The Wildlife Experience and many more.

Climate and Policy Summit: On October 6, 2008, Peak to Peak’s STEM department conducted a K-12 Climate and Policy Summit. The all-day, whole-school event included 30 guest speakers who engaged students in panel discussions on energy, policy, the science behind climate change, ecosystems, transportation, and action. Dr. Jim White, Director of the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research in Boulder, delivered the keynote address. Elementary students also enjoyed field trips to the Denver Zoo and Downtown Aquarium.

Business Expo and Resource Fair: Peak to Peak partnered with the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce to host this 1st annual event on May 14, 2009. More than 60 businesses participated in the event which attracted hundreds of community members.

Charter School Teacher Job Fair: Peak to Peak hosted a Charter School Teacher Job Fair on March 14, 2009. This event—the first of its kind in Colorado—was designed to assist charter schools with their hiring efforts and give teaching candidates an opportunity to explore charter school opportunities and interview with several schools in one day. The event attracted more than 350 teacher candidates and 30 charter schools.

Key Club Grant: Peak to Peak’s Key Club, an international student- led volunteer organization, won a $2,000 Youth Opportunities Fund grant. The money was used to finance a trip to build homes in New Orleans.

Science Grant Awarded: Peak to Peak was awarded a Seagate Grant to support elementary science instruction. This grant will strengthen the Core Knowledge units of study in grade 4 and 5. Seagate engineers will teach students about the process of science and the importance of creativity and experimental design in everyday engineering.

Jared Polis Grant Award: Peak to Peak won a Jared Polis Community Computer Program award in 2009. The award will provide the school with 60 new computers, which will be donated in 2009/2010.

Math Grant Award: The math department was awarded a $1,500 grant from CCTM (Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics) for professional development work during the 2009/2010 school year.

Enrollment Communities: In 2009, Peak to Peak welcomed students from 23 different Colorado communities.

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION

Top National Honor: Peak to Peak High School was named the 40th best public high school in the nation by Newsweek magazine.  With 27,000 U.S. high schools, Peak to Peak is one of the top 0.2% nationally and the only Colorado school to rank in the top 100.  

Another Top National Ranking:  Ranked 47th in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Peak to Peak High School was named a 2008 Gold Medal School.

Number One in the Denver Region: Named the number one high school in the seven-county Denver metropolitan area by 5280 magazine.  The publication analyzed multiple criteria to review both public and private metro high schools.

John Irwin School of Excellence:  Peak to Peak's elementary and middle schools have each been the recipient of four John Irwin School of Excellence Awards, and the high school has received a John Irwin Award each of the five years it has been eligible.  The awards are presented to the top eight percent of Colorado schools.

"Excellent" Colorado State Ratings: Elementary, middle, and high schools were once again ranked "Excellent," which is the top rating based on Colorado statewide CSAP testing.

ACT Scores Top of District and Third in State: Peak to Peak's junior class of 2007 received an average composite score of 24.9 on the ACT test.  This was again the highest score in the district and the third highest in Colorado.

National Merit Finalists/Achievement Finalist: Ten Peak to Peak seniors were named National Merit Semi-Finalists, and eight additional students were recognized as commended.  All of Peak to Peak's Semi-Finalists qualified as National Merit Finalists.  While Peak to Peak made up 4.5% of the school district's graduating class, it represented 22% of the district's National Merit Finalists.

College Preparatory Accreditation: Peak to Peak is the only public school in Boulder County and the second in Colorado to achieve College Preparatory Accreditation from the North Central Association (NCA).  The NCA has awarded the college prep accreditation to 237 private schools in its region, while only 23 public schools have received this designation.

Graduates Granted Scholarship Money: The 2008 class of graduating seniors was awarded nearly $6.5 million in scholarship money, averaging $68,654 per student.  

Ivy League Universities:  With only 94 graduating seniors, Peak to Peak students were accepted into five of the Ivy League Universities.

Selective College Acceptances:  Sixteen percent of Peak to Peak's students were accepted into the nation's most selective schools; 70% were accepted into the most and more selective schools; and 87% percent were admitted to more or most selective colleges.

College Choices:  Peak to Peak seniors had their choice of colleges, with nearly three and one-half college acceptances per student.

High Number of Advanced Placement Tests:  With 94 seniors, 423 Advanced Placement (AP) tests were taken during the 2007-2008 school year.

Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair:  Peak to Peak students earned nine first place awards, eight second place awards, and eight additional students received third place awards in the Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair competition.  At the regional fair, two high school projects and one middle school project were able to progress to the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair and, additionally, one of the high school projects was nominated to go to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and the eighth grade student was nominated to go as a representative observer to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair from the school district (expenses paid for by the district).

Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF):  A junior from Peak to Peak High School won first place, best individual project, senior division, first place in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Category, three special awards, and an all-expense paid trip to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for her project, "Analyzing Arctic Solar Flux and Ice Extent Loss Projections."  Another project by a team from Peak to Peak High School won two special awards and was a team nomination from their category of Physics.  The middle school project won second place, junior division, in the Computer Sciences Category and a special award.

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF): A junior from Peak to Peak won fourth place in her category of Earth and Planetary Sciences and five other awards totaling $15,000.  ISEF is the world's premier international pre-college science and engineering competition where students from 47 countries (1,600 projects) other than the United States compete.

National Geographic Bee Competitor:  After winning the Peak to Peak Geography Bee, a seventh grade student finished fifth at the 2007 Colorado Geographic Bee, competing against 99 other semi-finalists.

Peak Scholars Awards:  Twenty-seven Peak to Peak seniors were recognized as Peak Scholars; 19 of these seniors received the school's highest award as Peak Scholars with Distinction (an average of three or higher on at least five AP exams, at least a 3.0 non-weighted GPA, and 150 hours of community service); two students received Peak Scholar with Honors (an average score of three or higher on at least four AP exams, at least a 3.7 non-weighted GPA, and 125 hours of community service); and six students received Peak Scholar (an average score of three or higher on at least three AP exams, at least a 3.5 non-weighted GPA, and 100 hours of community service).

Destination Imagination:  Two elementary teams competing in the regional Destination Imagination competition won awards for their entries in the "DI've Got a Secret!"  and "Hit or Myth" categories.

Chess State Championship:  The Peak to Peak Elementary School chess team won second place in the eastern division, qualifying them to compete in the league finals where they placed fourth.

Elementary Student Reports for the Denver Post:  A fifth grade Peak to Peak student was chosen as a Youth News Reporter for the Denver Post.

UNC Mathematics Contest Success:  With 1,884 students from 61 schools around Colorado, seven of Peak to Peak's Math Club students who competed in the 2007 UNC Mathematics Contest advanced to the next round.  

Speech and Debate Championships:  The Peak to Peak high school forensics program has risen to incredible competitive success, culminating in four state championship titles at this year's festival tournament.  Out of 22 schools from around the state of Colorado and hundreds of competitors, Peak to Peak claimed 25 awards, with 16 out of 25 students making the final rounds of their events and taking the top award in four of the nine events entered.  A senior from Peak to Peak will compete for the second year in a row at the National Forensics Tournament in June.  In addition, the Peak to Peak team won the Rocky Mountain North National Forensic League's Small School Sweepstakes award and trophy.  This award is given to the school with the most rounds of competition out of its top 15 competitors.

National Ocean Science Bowl Competition:  The Peak to Peak High School science bowl team earned a third place trophy at the National Ocean Science Bowl Competition for the Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska region held at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Mock Trial:  The Peak to Peak mock trial team completed a top ten finish at the Colorado competition in March after winning the district competition.

Optimist Brain Bowl: Peak to Peak's sixth grade optimist brain bowl team won the 2008 North Region Optimist Regional Brain Bowl tournament at Fairview High School.  They competed against schools from all over northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.  Five Peak to Peak Middle School teams competed, with three "A" teams making the top seeds for the afternoon elimination rounds.

Rocky Mountain Talent Search: Two Peak to Peak ninth grade students finished among the top ten percent of participants in the Rocky Mountain Academic Talent Search and were awarded "Highest Honors" certificates.  A seventh grader also participated and was awarded a "Highest Honors" certificate.  He also was the top scorer in Colorado among seventh graders in ACT math, ACT reading, SAT critical reading, and SAT combined (reading and math).  In addition, a ninth grader and a sixth grader were both awarded "Honors" certificates from the Rocky Mountain Talent Search.

MathCounts: A seventh grade student represented Peak to Peak at the Colorado statewide MathCounts competition.  He finished 18th out of 178 middle-school participants.  This is the fourth year in a row that Peak to Peak has had a team or individual advance to the state level competition.


ARTS RECOGNITION

Artwork Chosen for City Displays: Thirteen Peak to Peak artists had work chosen by the city of Lafayette for citywide art displays.

All-State Music Selections:  Seven Peak to Peak High School music students were selected to be in the 2008 Colorado All-State Choir, All-State Band, and All-State Orchestra.  They were selected from thousands of students from across Colorado who auditioned for these high-profile honor ensembles.

Studio B Cast Selections:  A Peak to Peak High School sophomore and three middle school students auditioned and were selected for the Studio B cast as two hosts and two reporters.

Shape Shifters Art Show:  Twelve Peak to Peak art students were chosen for the "Shape Shifters, Investigations of Climate Change:  Recent Evidence and Future Visions."

Lafayette Oatmeal Festival: Fifteen elementary students' art work was selected to display at the Lafayette Oatmeal Festival.

Ballet Nouveau Colorado: Several students were awarded roles in Ballet Nouveau Colorado's annual professional production of The Nutcracker, the only full-length professional Nutcracker performed in the Denver metropolitan area.  A sixth grade student performed the lead role of Clara.


ATHLETICS RECOGNITION

All-Conference Teams:  Fifteen Peak to Peak athletes were named to all-conference athletic teams, including golf, soccer, volleyball, cross country, and softball.

Varsity Soccer: The girls' varsity soccer team finished second in the Metro League and advanced to the semifinals in the Colorado State Championship Tournament.

Rocky Mountain News All-State Soccer Selections:  Three Peak to Peak girls' varsity soccer players were selected to 3A All-State honors by the Rocky Mountain News, one as First Team and two as Honorable Mentions.

NSCAA All-State Soccer Selection:  Once girls' varsity soccer player was selected 3A All-State First Team and one was selected as 3A All-State Second Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Golf Regional Title:  The boys' varsity golf team won it's first ever regional golf title during the 4A Metro-East competition and qualified for state competition.

Cross Country Championships:  Both the boys and girls' cross country teams won their first Metro League titles, and the girls' went on to finish first at the Regional Cross Country Meet and the boys finished second.  The girls continued on to win second place at the state championship.  Coach Flamer was named the Metro League Coach of the Year.

Varsity Swim Team: The girls' varsity freestyle and medley relay teams finished in the top six at the 4A district competition.  A high school freshman also finished second in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events the the Colorado State Championships and competed in the Western U.S. Sectionals.

Division I Letter of Intent: A Peak to Peak senior signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at DePaul University, a Division I school and a member of the Big East Conference.

CHSAA Academic Team Championship Nominations: The following Peak to Peak High School fall athletic teams qualified to be nominated as CHSAA Academic Team Champions:  Cross Country/Boys (3.39), Cross Country/Girls (3.83), Golf/Boys (3.50), Softball (3.53), and Volleyball (3.57).  Teams must have a minimum 3.20 cumulative GPA to qualify for the nominations.

U.S. Academic All-American Lacrosse: A senior from Peak to Peak High School was named to the U.S. Academic All-American 2007 Lacrosse Team.

National Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Induction: A Peak to Peak seventh grade student was inducted into the National Youth Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.


CHARACTER AND COMMUNITY SERVICE RECOGNITION

St. Vrain Community Service Award:  A senior from Peak to Peak High School was selected as a 2008 recipient of the St. Vrain Community Service Award.

Change Maker Award:  A senior from Peak to Peak High School received the Lafayette Youth Recognition "Change Maker Award" from Project YES and the Lafayette News.  She was the most nominated teen, primarily for her work in leading the Peak to Peak food drive for the Sister Carmen Family Assistance Center.

Sister Carmen Penny Drive: A senior from Peak to Peak High School organized a penny drive and raised $1,478 for the Sister Carmen Family Assistance Center in Lafayette.

Culture of Giving Art Contest: Twenty-seven middle school and high school students competed in the fifth annual Culture of Giving Art Contest.  This year's theme focused on specific Boulder County non-profits' work in our community.

Share-A-Gift Donations: The Peak to Peak National Junior Honor Society sponsored a Share-A-Gift toy collection.  It was truly amazing to watch the scores of Peak to Peak students who ventured to a cold warehouse in Boulder during December to help those less fortunate.  The students' tremendous Spanish skills, hard work, and leadership put holiday smiles on hundreds of people.

Donations to Comfort HIV/AIDS Infected Children: Art students knitted teddy bears and sent them to the Mother Bear Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children, primarily those affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations.

Coat Drive: Peak to Peak students sponsored a successful coat drive and the coats were donated to the Rotary Club coat drive.


FACULTY AND STAFF RECOGNITION

Charter Friend Award:  Peak to Peak Charter School's Executive Principal, Tony Fontana, was honored with the Charter Friend Award for School Leadership at the 14th Annual Colorado League of Charter Schools Conference.  Mr. Fontana was chosen in part for his work leading Peak to Peak on the road toward excellence and a Top 100 School, his connection with the students and staff, and his interest in positively impacting education across Colorado.

Spanish Teacher Award:  Andy Matthews, Chair of the World Languages Department, was selected as the 2008 Colorado Outstanding Spanish Language Teacher by the University of Northern Colorado.

Pen Pals:  Peak to Peak second graders enjoyed a pen-pal relationship with soldiers in Iraq.  A U.S. Marine home from his third tour of duty in Iraq stopped by to visit his friends at Peak to Peak.

Wellness Day:  The Wellness Committee at Peak to Peak Charter School conducted Wellness Day on October 25, 2007.  Wellness Day was an all-school, all-day event that introduced our students to a variety of health and wellness topics including presentations from REI, Leave No Trace, the Boulder Recycling Center, Lafayette Recreational Center, and many more with a keynote presentation from Karl Mecklenburg.

Enrollment Communities:  Peak to Peak welcomed students from 22 different Colorado communities.

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION  

John Irwin School of Excellence:Peak to Peak is the elementary, middle, and high school recipient of the “John Irwin School of Excellence” Awards, which are presented to the top eight percent of Colorado schools.  

“Excellent” State Ratings:  Elementary, middle, and high schools were ranked “Excellent,” which is the top rating based on Colorado’s statewide CSAP testing.  

ACT Scores Top of District and Third in State: Peak to Peak’s junior class of 2006 received an average composite score of 24.0 on the ACT test. This score was tied with Fairview High School for the highest in the district and third highest in Colorado.  

College Preparatory Accreditation:Peak to Peak is the only public school in Boulder Valley and the second in Colorado to receive College Preparatory Accreditation from the North Central Association (NCA). The NCA has awarded the college prep accreditation to 240 schools in the region, with only 20 public schools receiving this designation.  

Graduates Granted Scholarship Money:  The 2007 class of graduating seniors was awarded over $4 million in scholarship money through 130 scholarships.  

College Acceptance:  Ninety-six percent of our graduating seniors have been accepted to and will attend college. The 81 seniors in the class of 2007 submitted 267 college applications and received 264 acceptances.  

High Number of Advanced Placement (AP) Tests:  More than 368 AP tests were taken in 2007, a year with 81 seniors in the high school’s third graduating class.  

Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair:  Numerous awards were won by both participating Peak to Peak high school and middle school students.  Some of these awards were Water Quality and Environmental Services, ASM Materials Education Foundation Award, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge Award, The International Society of Optical Engineering Award, the U.S. Army Award, and the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps Award.  In addition, there were several category awards.  Two projects, a high school student and a middle school student, progressed to the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair.  

Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF):   Two Peak to Peak students competed at the state level.  A sophomore received first place in the Senior Division, Earth and Space Sciences Category for her project "Mitigating Global Warming by Using Albedo Geoengineering" along with three additional awards.  A seventh grade student received a first place for his project in the Junior Division, Math and Computer Sciences as well as the Discovery Young Scientists Challenge 2007.  

State Science Olympiad Winners: Following a third place finish in the Northern Colorado Regional Competition, the high school team earned a fourth place finish and a coach’s plaque in the Colorado State Science Olympiad Competition. In addition, four students won first place individual event medals in the ecology and forensics events. The team also won fourth place in the Ocean Science Bowl and fifth place in the Science Bowl.  

Colorado State University Math Day Competition:  A senior and junior both scored in the top ten percent on the PROBE test at the 2006 Colorado State Math Day competition at Colorado State University.  

National Geographic Bee Competitor: A seventh grade student who won the school geography bee finished fifth at the 2007 Colorado Geographic Bee, competing against 99 other semifinalists.  

Regional Spelling Bee Participants:  In addition to the Peak to Peak Middle School student who won theDaily Camera Regional Spelling Bee securing her place at nationals, a Peak to Peak fourth grader who won the Peak to Peak Elementary Spelling Bee also competed in the Daily Camera Regional Spelling Bee and advanced to the fifth round of competition. 

Scripps National Spelling Bee Participant:A Peak to Peak Middle School student won the Daily CameraRegional Spelling Bee, securing her place at nationals. For the fourth year in a row, this student traveled to Washington, D.C. and competed with 286 other top spellers in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The student progressed to the fifth round of the competition.  

Speech and Debate Championships:  In only the third year of competition, two high school juniors competed at the National Forensics Tournament after first and second place finishes in Original Oratory at Colorado’s National Qualifying Tournament. One of the students was also the first alternate in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate category. Four other Peak to Peak students also qualified to compete at Colorado’s National Qualifying Tournament. Prior to that competition, Peak to Peak students won 18 awards at the Colorado State Speech and Debate Festival.  

Peak Scholar Awards:  Seventeen Peak to Peak seniors were recognized as Peak Scholars; nine of these seniors received the school’s highest award as Peak Scholars with Distinction (an average of three or higher on at least five AP tests, at least a 3.9 non-weighted GPA, and 150 hours of community service); five students received Peak Scholar with Honors (an average of three or higher on at least four AP tests, at least a 3.7 non-weighted GPA, and 125 hours of community service); and three students received Peak Scholar (an average of three or higher on at least three AP tests, at least a 3.5 non-weighted GPA, and 100 hours of community service).  

Destination Imagination Winners:  Two teams competing in the regional Destination Imagination competition won first and second place and progressed to the Colorado State Destination Imagination Challenge.  

Brain Bowl Winners:  The seventh grade Brain Bowl team finished first in the Colorado and Wyoming Brain Bowl competition.  

Rocky Mountain Talent Search: A Peak to Peak fifth grade student received a perfect score (100 percent) on the math section of the Explore test given through the Rocky Mountain Talent Search. Of the 193 fifth graders who took this test, only six scored in the 20-25 percent range in math; this student scored in the top 25 percent overall for the entire test in the seven-state region on this eighth grade assessment.  

Chess State Champion:  The Peak to Peak Middle School chess team won first place in the Boulder Valley Chess League, Middle School Division, with an undefeated record.  

Readers and Leaders Program:Sponsored by the State Farm Foundation, Peak to Peak’s fourth grade students have authored ABC books for the incoming kindergartners. The program called “Readers and Leaders” proved to be a great learning experience for both the fourth graders and incoming kindergartners.  

International Global Leadership Program:  A Peak to Peak junior was chosen to attend the International Global Leadership Program in Vienna, Prague, and Budapest during the summer of 2007.   

ARTS RECOGNITION

Earth Day Celebration:  Earth Day posters made by elementary, middle, and high school art students were exhibited at NCAR for the Earth Day Celebration.  

Yourhub.com:  Numerous digital art and photography students’ work was published through the year on a community website and newspaper called Yourhub.com.  

Lafayette Oatmeal Festival:  Numerous elementary students’ artwork was selected to display at the Lafayette Oatmeal Festival.  

Anime Contest Winner:  A Peak to Peak sophomore was awarded first place in an anime art contest at the Broomfield Library.  

Destination Imagination Design Contest Winner:  A Peak to Peak senior won first place for a design he created for the Destination Imagination contest t-shirts. All Destination Imagination participants wore t-shirts with his design, and he was honored with a $100 savings bond.  

Artwork in the Daily Camera:  The self-portrait of a Peak to Peak senior was featured on the front page of the education section in the Daily Camera. The artwork of numerous other Peak to Peak artists was also selected for publication in the Daily Camera throughout the school year.   

U.S. Wildlife Design Contest:  Two Peak to Peak fifth grade students placed second and third in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Colorado Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program contest supporting conservation education.  

Elitch Garden Music Festival: The Phoenix Fire Choir, Concert Orchestra, Concert Band, and Wind Symphony were each awarded a gold medal at the 2007 Elitch Garden Music Festival. Three students received outstanding soloist awards.  

Colorado Core Knowledge All-State Music Festival:Twenty-five band, orchestra, and choir members were accepted from hundreds of applicants to participate in the Colorado Core Knowledge All-State Music Festival.  

Puma Pride Choir Performs at Carnegie Hall:Forty members of the Puma Pride Choir performed at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. They joined members of Broomfield’s Colorado Repertory Singers, Broomfield Civic Chorus, South Suburban Christian Church Chancel Choir, and New York’s Warwick Valley Chorale. Colorado Repertory Singers’ director, Ronald Williams, led the group in a performance of Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem.”

Regional Classical Singers Competition:A senior vocalist finished in first place at the Regional Classical Singers Competition at Colorado State University. This qualified him to compete in San Francisco in the semifinals of the third annual Classical High School Singer Competition.

Peak to Peak’s Young Choreographers:  Two Peak to Peak students qualified to participate in Ballet Nouveau’s highly regarded Young Choreographers’ Showcase. After a year of study, each participant choreographs an original work and performs in pieces choreographed by other students.  

MetroBeat TV Broadcast: Two high school students participated in Student Voices on Comcast’s MetroBeat TV.  

Best Supporting Actor in a Professional Children’s Theater:  A fourth grade student was awarded the Best Supporting Actor of 2006-2007 by the Peanut Butter Players Lunch Bunch Professional Children’s’ Theater.  

Colorado Community Theater Festival Participation:  Six Peak to Peak High School students participated in the Colorado Community Theater Festival in Idaho Springs.

Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team Qualifies for State: The Peak to Peak girls’ varsity soccer team made it to the Sweet 16 in the Colorado State 3A Soccer Championship Tournament.  

Soccer Athlete Selected for Second Team All-Conference Squad:  A Peak to Peak High School junior girl was selected for the second string All-Conference Boulder County Soccer Team.  

Colorado State Track Champions: The Peak to Peak High School track and field team sent seven competitors to the Colorado State Track Meet. A Peak to Peak junior girl was the state champion in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles. A Peak to Peak girls’ relay team was the 4x400-meter relay champions. Another Peak to Peak High School athlete finished third in the boys’ 400-meter dash. Another girls’ relay team finished fourth in the 4x400-meter relay and a junior girl finished fifth in the 800-meter and 1600-meter runs.  

Boulder County Track Champion:  A Peak to Peak High School junior girl set a new record in the 300-meter hurdles at the Boulder County Track and Field Championships, breaking the record set in 1981 and received the Outstanding Performance by a Female Athlete Award.  

Senior Athlete Signs National Letter of Intent:A Peak to Peak High School senior athlete signed a national letter of intent to play men’s’ soccer for the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. This student was a right defender on the school’s 2005 3A Colorado State Championship soccer team, a team captain on the 2006 varsity team, Class 3A All-State Soccer in 2005 and 2006, and a Dean’s List scholar.

Peak to Peak Swimmer Qualifies for Colorado State Competition:  A senior boy qualified for state swimming with the Monarch High School swim team in the 100-yard butterfly, the 100-yard backstroke, men’s’ 400-yard IM relay, and men’s’ 400-yard freestyle relay.  

Peak to Peak Swimmer Competes at Nationals:A sophomore girl competed with her Rocky Mountain Splash synchronized swim team at the National Championship in Ohio and the U.S. Junior Open in Honolulu, Hawaii.  

Cheerleader Wins National Title:A Peak to Peak Middle School student’s competitive cheerleading squad won a national title in Senior Level 3 at the American Grand Championships in Anaheim, California.  

President’s Challenge Awards:  All second through fifth grade students took the President’s Challenge and 22 students earned the Presidential Award by testing in the 85th percentile or above in all events, while 76 students earned the National Award by testing in the 50th-84th percentiles.  

State Gymnastics Competition:  A Peak to Peak sixth grade student and fifth grade student qualified and competed as level fours in the Colorado State Gymnastics’ Championship.  

Blackjack U.S.A. Gymnastics Vault Champ: A Peak to Peak fourth grade student competed in the Blackjack U.S.A. Gymnastics Meet in Las Vegas, Nevada against competitors from all over the United States and tied for first place as a level five on the vault.  

Peak to Peak Junior Bodybuilding Champ:  A junior won first place in the Junior Class Division at the 2007 Mountain States Peak Performance Championship and won first place in the Teen Division at the 2007 NPC Northern Colorado Bodybuilding Championship.  

Peak to Peak Karate Champion:  A freshman represented Colorado at the National Karate Championship in West Virginia in July 2007. She won gold medals in both kata and sparring at the International Championships and at a competition in Lakewood.  

Peak to Peak Basketball Team Undefeated: The fifth grade boys’ basketball team finished the season undefeated in the YMCA basketball league.

Thousands of Items Donated to Local Food Banks:  Peak to Peak High School’s junior class sponsored the school’s annual food drive and collected and donated over 16,000 non-perishable food items to Lafayette’s Sister Carmen food bank.  

Successful Pet Food Drive: To celebrate high school English teacher Megan Freeman’s birthday, middle and high school English class students collected more than 1,800 pounds of pet food to benefit the local Humane Societies.  

Books for Guatemalan Children:  Srta. Molina and Sr. Matthews’ Spanish classes once again created approximately 100 books for children in Guatemala. The books will be used to help young Mayan students who live in isolated rural communities in their effort toward bilingualism in Spanish. Before sending the books to Guatemala, Sr. Matthews’ Spanish 30 and 45 classes went to Pioneer Elementary to read their books to the kindergartners.  

AmeriCorps Service Program:  A Peak to Peak High School senior was accepted to the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps one-year service program based in California. The mission of AmeriCorps is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service.  

Coat Drive:The National Junior Honor Society sponsored a successful coat drive. The coats were donated to Share-A-Gift with the Boulder Police Department.  

Mother Bear Project:  The National Junior Honor Society sponsored advanced high school art classes that knitted bears to send to The Mother Bear Project, which is dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children who are either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations.  

Student Volunteer Impact at Local Hospital:A Peak to Peak High School freshman gave over 200 hours of volunteer service over an eight-month period to a local hospital. She developed many procedures that are used in newborn photography and was considered a critical member of the Mom/Baby team.  

Scouting Achievements: Two Peak to Peak High School students achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, which is the highest achievement in Boy Scouts of America. A middle school student earned a Bronze Award, which is the highest award given in Junior Girl Scouts.  

Boulder County Youth Corps Service Program: A Peak to Peak Middle School student was selected as one of 80 applicants to work for the Boulder County Youth Corps out of over 380 applicants. Peak to Peak’s commitment to core values, character building, and community involvement prepared this student to stand out as an enthusiastic candidate.

Fund for Teachers’ Grant Recipients:English teacher, Kristie Betts Letter and English Department Chair, Megan Freeman won professional development grants from the Fund for Teachers, which supplies grants to teachers to support summer sabbaticals. Ms. Letter and Ms. Freeman’s grants funded their attendance to the Ouray Writers’ Retreat.  

Impact on Education Award Finalists:Megan Freeman, English Department Chair and Pam Force, secondary librarian were both finalists along with Peak to Peak Board of Directors Vice President, Sheryl Shafer for an Impact on Education Award.  

Center for Teaching East Asia Acceptance:  Catherine Schyling, secondary history teacher, was accepted to the very competitive summer seminar “Visualizing Japan: Teaching History Through Art” at the Center for Teaching East Asia at the University of Colorado at Boulder.   

Mikkelson Foundation Scholarship Award:Justin Silcox, secondary science teacher, earned a prestigious Mikkelson Foundation award worth over $2,000 to take part in professional development opportunities. He participated in a Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS) Keys to Science Institute entitled “Scientific Inquiry: Research and Practice” and a one-year online asynchronous professional development course and moderated professional learning community.  

Master’s Degree Awards: Several Peak to Peak teachers who earned a Master’s Degree were:Andy Matthews, secondary World Language Department Chair, graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Master’s Degree in Multicultural and Bilingual Education; April Wilkin, a fourth grade teacher, graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Literacy K-12; and Lisa Gjellum graduated from Regis University with a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis on Professional Leadership.  

Teachers Receive Principal Licensure:Lisa Gjellum, second grade teacher and Brendon Feddema, Dean of Students earned principal licensure through Regis University.  

Soccer Coach of the Year:  The Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado State Soccer Association named soccer coach, Peter Chandler, Coach of the Year.   

Teacher Licensing Program Acceptance:  Secondary librarian, Pam Force, received a statement of eligibility and will participate in the alternative teacher-licensing program in the 2007-2008 school year.

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION

“Excellent” State Ratings: Elementary, middle, and high schools were ranked “Excellent,” which is the top rating based on Colorado’s statewide CSAP testing.

ACT Scores Top of District and Third in State: Peak to Peak’s junior class of 2006 received an average composite score of 25.1 on the ACT test. This score was the highest in the Boulder Valley School District and third highest in Colorado.

National Merit Scholarship Competition: Eight Peak to Peak juniors, or 8.6 percent of the junior class achieved a PSAT score that qualified them to enter the next round of competition for a National Merit Scholarship. This is over twice the national average of four percent.    

National Merit Finalists/Achievement Finalist: Two Peak to Peak seniors were National Merit Finalists, both receiving scholarships for this honor. One Peak to Peak senior was awarded a National Achievement Finalist with a scholarship as well.   

College Preparatory Accreditation:Peak to Peak is the only public school in Boulder Valley and the second in Colorado to receive College Preparatory Accreditation from the North Central Association (NCA). The NCA has awarded the college prep accreditation to 240 schools in the region, with only 20 public schools receiving this designation.  

Talented and Gifted Website:Peak to Peak is the only public school in Boulder County to be listed on www.geniusdenied.com, a website dedicated to the support of gifted students. Peak to Peak received five out of five stars on the site.  

High Rating on Great Schools Website:Peak to Peak was rated excellent on www.greatschools.net. The rating is based on Peak to Peak’s 2004 CSAP scores, how the scores compare to other Colorado schools with similar demographics, and how they compare to the previous year.  

Graduates Granted Scholarship Money:The 2006 class of graduating seniors was awarded over $1,660,532 in scholarship money.  

College Acceptance:  One hundred percent of our graduating seniors have been accepted to and will attend college.  

Numerous Honors Courses Offered: Thirty-six percent of Peak to Peak Middle School’s core academic courses and 55 percent of Peak to Peak High School’s core academic courses are honors courses.  

High Number of Advanced Placement (AP) Tests:  More than 339 AP tests were taken in 2006, a year with 63 seniors in the high school’s second graduating class.  

Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair:Twenty-four projects were sent to the regional fair from the Peak to Peak Secondary Science Fair. Numerous awards were received at the regional fair. One high school team project and two middle school individual projects progressed to the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair.  The team project was nominated for an all-expense paid trip to compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.  

Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF):   The high school team project consisting of a senior and a freshman won second place, Senior, Division, Team Nomination as well as five other awards. In the Junior Division, Physics Category a middle school student won a second place.  

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF):The high school team project won the first place American Meteorological Award and a $20,000 scholarship from the Department of Homeland Security.  

Siemens Foundation: A Peak to Peak High School senior competed in the Siemens Competition: Math, Science, and Technology and was nominated as a semifinalist for his science fair project from his junior year.   

Intel Talent Search: A Peak to Peak High School senior competed in the Intel Talent Search with his science fair project from his junior year and was nominated as a semifinalist and received $1,000.  In addition, Peak to Peak received a $1,000 check from Intel for his semifinalist status.  

Colorado State University Math Day Competition: In a competition with approximately 90 students, three Peak to Peak students placed in the top ten percent of participants in the annual math competition.  

Math Counts: In a competition between approximately 150 students from 23 schools, a team of four Peak to Peak Middle School students took third place at the district level and progressed to the state level.  

National Geographic Bee Competitor:  A sixth grade student won the school geography bee, earning the opportunity to compete in the Colorado State Geographic Bee.   

Scripps National Spelling Bee Participant:  A Peak to Peak Middle School student won the Daily Camera Regional Spelling Bee, securing her place at nationals. For the third year in a row, this student traveled to Washington, D.C. and competed with 272 other top spellers in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The student progressed to the second round of the competition.  

Speech and Debate Championships:  In only the second year of competition, a high school junior was recognized as Boulder County’s top performer when she was placed second overall in poetry interpretation. A Peak to Peak senior finished fifth overall in impromptu speaking. Nine other Peak to Peak students placed in the top 12 of their respective events at the Colorado Speech and Debate State Festival. Five students were selected to compete in the Rocky Mountain North National Qualifying Meet.  

Peak Scholar Awards: Ten Peak to Peak seniors were recognized as Peak Scholars; four of these seniors received the school’s highest award as Peak Scholars with Distinction (an average of three or higher on at least five AP tests, at least a 3.9 non-weighted GPA, and 150 hours of community service); three students received Peak Scholar with Honors (an average of three or higher on at least four AP tests, at least a 3.7 non-weighted GPA, and 125 hours of community service); and three students received Peak Scholar (an average of three or higher on at least three AP tests, at least a 3.5 non-weighted GPA, and 100 hours of community service).  

Destination Imagination Winners: Two teams competing in the regional Destination Imagination competition won first and second place and progressed to the Colorado State Destination Imagination Challenge. One of the teams received the da Vinci Award, the highest award given at the district tournament.   

Brain Bowl Winners:Three middle school teams competed in the Colorado and Wyoming Brain Bowl competition and made it to the elimination rounds. The seventh grade team achieved a second place and the eighth grade team placed fourth overall.  

Rocky Mountain Talent Search:A Peak to Peak eighth grade student was acknowledged by Rocky Mountain Talent Search as “Colorado’s highest female eighth grade ACT composite, reading, and math score.”  

Editorial Writing Awards: Peak to Peak students swept the Longmont Daily Times-Call editorial writing contest. Despite entries from high school students in three counties, our students earned all three top high school prizes. They won publication and cash prizes for their persuasive essays.     

National Council for the Teachers of English Achievement Awards:  A Peak to Peak junior was selected to participate in the National Council for the Teachers of English Achievement Awards in Writing.    

Chess State Champion:  A Peak to Peak second grader took first place in the Colorado State Chess Championship (K-3). He won a series of six matches to take this title. He represented Peak to Peak in the inter-school matches and won 19 of his 20 matches.    

Readers and Leaders Program:  Sponsored by the State Farm Foundation, Peak to Peak’s fourth grade students have authored ABC books for the incoming kindergartners. The program called “Readers and Leaders” proved to be a great learning experience for both the fourth graders and incoming kindergartners.  

BVSD Annual Literary Magazine:Several Peak to Peak students’ work was published in the BVSD annual literary magazine, Facade. 

ARTS RECOGNITION

Earth Day Celebration: Earth Day posters made by elementary, middle, and high school art students were exhibited at NCAR for the Earth Day Celebration.  

Yourhub.com:  Numerous digital art and photography students’ work was published through the year on a community website and newspaper called Yourhub.com. Seven winners of the Flash Fiction contest’s creative writing pieces were published on the front page of the Yourhub.com website.  

Colorado’s Conservation Trust Video Contest:A Peak to Peak senior achieved second place in the Youth Voices for Conservation Video and Essay Contest.  

Elitch Garden Music Festival:  All six Peak to Peak band, orchestra, and choral groups received gold medals at the Elitch Garden Music Festival. Four students received outstanding soloist awards.  

Colorado Core Knowledge All-State Music Festival: Thirty band, orchestra, and choir members were accepted from hundreds of applicants to participate in the Colorado Core Knowledge All-State Music Festival.     

Western State Honors Orchestra Member: A Peak to Peak junior was selected as a member of the Western State Honors Orchestra.

All-State Symphony Orchestra Member:  A Peak to Peak junior was selected as a member of the All-State Symphony Orchestra.  

Stars of Tomorrow Talent Competition: Two Peak to Peak High School student vocalists took first and second place at the Stars of Tomorrow Talent Competition.   

Aspen Music Festival and School:  Peak to Peak will be represented in the highly competitive Aspen Music Festival and School by a senior.

Ballet Nouveau Colorado:  Several Peak to Peak students were awarded roles in Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s annual production of the Nutcracker, the only full-length professional Nutcracker performed in the Denver Metro Area. A Peak to Peak junior performed the starring role of Clara.  

Peak to Peak’s Young Choreographers: A Peak to Peak junior qualified to participate in Ballet Nouveau’s highly regarded Young Choreographers’ Showcase. After a year of study, each participant choreographs an original work and performs in pieces choreographed by other students.   

Rocky Mountain Theater for Kids:  A Peak to Peak sixth grade student starred as one of the leads in the production of “A Cinderella Story” in Boulder. A junior from Peak to Peak had lead roles in productions of “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” which were also held in Boulder.  

ATHLETICS RECOGNITION

Metro League Champions:All-state honors were awarded to five students. One student was nominated for the All Regional Soccer Team. Seven Peak to Peak students received all-conference honors in soccer, volleyball, and golf.  

State Track Champion:  The Peak to Peak High School track and field team sent four competitors to state in 2006. A sophomore took first and third in state for the 300-meter and 100-meter hurdles, respectively.  

Wendy’s High School Heisman Award Program:  A Peak to Peak senior was recognized as one of the 20 state finalists for this program. He was recognized for his athletic achievements, academic excellence, and community service.  

John Lynch Student Athlete Award: A Peak to Peak student has been awarded the John Lynch Student Athlete Award. He was recognized for his athletic achievements, academic excellence, and community service.  

Cheerleaders Honored with Academic Award:The Peak to Peak cheerleading squad achieved the highest combined average GPA of any 3A sport in the state.  

Golf Team Member Qualifies for State:  Peak to Peak’s golf team achieved third place at the 4A East Regional Qualifying Tournament. A Peak to Peak sophomore qualified for state. He achieved sixth place at the state level.  

Junior Olympic Slalom Team:  A Peak to Peak student qualified for the 13-14 year old Junior Olympic Slalom team.     


CHARACTER AND COMMUNITY SERVICE RECOGNITION

Thousands of Items Donated to Local Food Banks:Peak to Peak High School’s junior class sponsored the school’s annual food drive and collected and donated over 15,900 non-perishable food items to Lafayette’s Sister Carmen Food Bank, the Erie Community Food Bank, and Mountain Ridge Community Church.  

Successful Pet Food Drive:To celebrate high school English teacher Megan Freeman’s birthday, middle and high school English class students collected more than 1,800 pounds of pet food to benefit the local Humane Societies.  

Books for Guatemalan Children:  Srta. Molina and Sr. Matthews’ Spanish classes once again created approximately 100 books for children in Guatemala. The books will be used to help young Mayan students who live in isolated rural communities in their effort toward bilingualism in Spanish. Before sending the books to Guatemala, Sr. Matthews’ Spanish 30 and 45 classes went to Pioneer Elementary to read their books to the kindergartners.  

Service Learning Award:The AP Literature class won a Project YES “Service Learning Excellence Award” for its outstanding commitment to promoting service learning in the Lafayette community. This year the class created thoughtful, beautiful murals honoring Dr. Martin Luther King and wonderful “literary” garden at Peak to Peak.  

Coat Drive: The National Junior Honor Society sponsored a successful coat drive. The coats were donated to “Share-A-Gift” with the Boulder Police Department.  

Uwawayaki Learning Center, Tanzania: Many Peak to Peak families participated in raising money and donating supplies for this orphanage in Tanzania. The National Junior Honor Society raised money with a book exchange/sale and by volunteering to clean Folsom Stadium after the Boulder Bolder. Middle school counselor, Andrea Salvo, plans to visit the orphanage during the summer of 2006 to deliver the supplies and money raised.

Boulder County Teacher of the Year:  Monica Bunting, a middle school English teacher, was named the runner-up for the Boulder County Teacher of the Year.  

Impact on Education Award:  Andy Matthews, World Language Department Chair, as well as Kyle Mathews, History Department Chair, were both finalists for an Impact on Education Award.  

Jared Polis Foundation: Andy Matthews, World Language Department Chair, was one of only 15 teachers chosen for the Jared Polis Foundation Award honoring outstanding teachers from the Denver Metro area. Well over 100 teachers were nominated.  

National Board Professional Teacher Certification:  Kristie Betts, secondary English teacher, earned a prestigious National Master Teacher Certification that is valid for ten years in all 50 states.  

Most Inspirational Teachers of the Year: Dan Reynolds, secondary math teacher, was named most inspirational teacher of the year in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the classroom and in the lives of his students. He was nominated by a Peak to Peak student.  

Colorado State University Writing Project:   Heather Cyr, secondary English teacher, was selected to participate in the Colorado State University Writing Project and will be exploring writing and how to teach writing in a one-month long fellowship during the summer of 2006.  

Soccer Coach of the Year:  Soccer coach, Peter Chandler, was named Coach of the Year for soccer by the Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado State Soccer Association.  

Hockey Coach of the Year: The Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado State Hockey Association named Peak to Peak’s hockey coach, Jim Moffett, Coach of the Year for hockey.  

High School (Administrator) Hero of the Week:  Anthony Fontana, Executive Principal, was named “High School Hero of the Week” by the Colorado High School Activities Association and IBM for his outstanding leadership contributions to Peak to Peak and the community.

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION   

John Irwin School of Excellence:  Peak to Peak is the recipient of multiple “John Irwin School of Excellence” Awards, which are presented to the top eight percent of Colorado schools.

“Excellent” State Ratings: Elementary, middle, and high schools have each been ranked “Excellent,” which is the top rating based on Colorado statewide CSAP testing.

ACT Scores Near the Top of District and State: Peak to Peak’s junior class received an average composite score of 25 on the 2005 ACT test.  This compares to a state average of 18.8 and a BVSD average of 21.1 in 2004.  Nearly 20 percent of Peak to Peak students scored a 30 or above on the test.

National Merit Scholarship Competition:  Seven Peak to Peak juniors, or nine percent of the junior class, achieved a PSAT score that qualified them to enter the next round of competition for a National Merit Scholarship. This is over twice the national average of four percent.

College Preparatory Accreditation: Peak to Peak is the only public school in Boulder Valley and the second in Colorado to receive a College Preparatory Accreditation from the North Central Association (NCA).  The NCA has awarded the college prep accreditation to 240 private schools in its region, while only 20 public schools have received this designation.

Listed on Talented and Gifted Website:  Peak to Peak is the only public school in Boulder County to be listed on www.geniusdenied.com, a website dedicated to the support of gifted students.  Peak to Peak received five out of five stars on the website.  

Named “Best Bet”:  The Center for Education Reform recognized Peak to Peak as a “Best Bet,” which was awarded to approximately 100 of the nation’s 2,996 charter schools in recognition of exceptional progress over time.  

High Rating on Great Schools Website:  On www.greatschool.net, Peak to Peak was rated better than average.  The rating is based on Peak to Peak’s 2003 CSAP scores, how the scores compare to other Colorado schools with similar demographics;,and how they compare to the previous year.  
 
Graduates Granted Scholarship Money:  The first class of graduating seniors was awarded an average of more than $6,400 per student in scholarship money.  

Numerous Honors Courses Offered:  Fifty percent of Peak to Peak Middle School’s core academic courses and 57 percent of Peak to Peak High School’s core academic courses are honors courses.

High Number of Advanced Placement Tests (AP):  More than 150 AP tests taken in 2005, a year with only 19 seniors in the high school’s first graduating class.

Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair:  Over 250 science fair projects were submitted to the Peak to Peak Secondary Science Fair.  Twenty-three of those projects were selected to progress to the Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair.  Numerous awards were received at the regional level including: a junior who received first place in the Senior Division, Engineering Category, the University of Colorado's Outstanding Engineering Award, the  “Best of Show” award, and was nominated for an all-expense paid trip to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.  Three projects progressed to compete in the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair.

Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF):  A junior received a first place in the Senior Division, Engineering Category, a third place in the Senior Best Individual Projects, a $2,500/year for four years scholarship from the University of Colorado Engineering and Applied Science College, a laptop computer from the Intel Corporation, and four other awards.  Two middle school students received several awards as well including the Junior Division, Student Choice Award, which is voted by all the students attending the fair.

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF):  For his project titled, "Utilizing Audio Profile Matching Technology for Replicating Body Kinesis," a junior received a fourth place in the Engineering Category, a $108,000 to Drexel University, and an $8,000 scholarship to Oregon State University.

National Geographic Bee Competitor:  An eighth grade student won the Colorado State Geographic Bee, earning the opportunity to compete in the National Geographic Bee held at the headquarters in Washington, D.C.   There, he competed to the tie-breaker round for the finals, with the results putting him at approximately fifteenth in the nation.  These results are out of an estimated original five million participants and 55 competitors at the national event.

Scripps National Spelling Bee Participant:  A Peak to Peak Middle School student won the Daily CameraRegional Spelling Bee, securing her place at nationals.  For a second year in a row, this student traveled to Washington, D.C. and competed with 272 other top spellers in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.  The student made it through the first of two days of competition, making her one of the top 51 spellers in the nation.

Speech and Debate Championships: In only the first year of competition, seven Peak to Peak High School students including six freshmen placed in the top 12 of their respective events at the Colorado Speech and Debate State Festival.

Colorado Language Arts Society Elementary Storytelling Contest:  Four of the eight students who won the Colorado Language Arts Society Elementary Storytelling Contest were from Peak to Peak. The students progressed to and performed in the Colorado State Storytelling Festival.  

Princeton Review Finalist:  A Peak to Peak High School student was one of 20 finalists selected from 16,000 participants in the Princeton Review's Live Grader online essay contest.  The winner of the contest wins a scholarship of up to $10,000 dollars annually for four consecutive years.  

Peak Scholar Awards: Eight Peak to Peak students were awarded AP Scholar Awards. Three juniors received AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their freshman and sophomore AP achievements.  Two seniors also received an AP Scholar Award recognizing three years of AP coursework.  In addition, two juniors were honored with an AP Scholar with Honor Award for the number of AP courses and the grade received on the tests during their freshman and sophomore years.  And, one student received the top AP honor as the recipient of the AP Scholar with Distinction in her junior year.

Destination Imagination Winners:  All four teams competing in the regional Destination Imagination competition won first or second place and progressed to the Colorado State Destination Imagination Challenge.  One of the teams received the da Vinci Award, which is the highest award given at the district tournament, and two Peak to Peak students won individual awards.

Math Counts:  Four of the eight Peak to Peak Middle School students who competed in the Boulder Valley Regional Math Counts competition finished as a top 11 finalist, earning the opportunity to compete in the Colorado State Math Counts competition.  At that competition one student finished sixth and another finished 13th in the state.  One Peak to Peak eighth grade student finished as top in the state for eighth graders who took the tenth-grade test.

Colorado State University Math Competition:  In a competition with approximately 90 students, Peak to Peak High School students earned a fifth place position at Colorado State University’s annual math competition.  One of the Peak to Peak competitors who took the America Math Competition Test moved on to compete regionally and two received honorable mentions.

Editor’s Choice Awards:  Two high school students, and one middle school student who is ability-grouped into a high school class won prizes and a ninth grade student won an “Editor’s Choice” award in the 2005 Editorial Writing contest sponsored by the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

ARTS RECOGNITION

Community Foundation’s “Culture of Giving” Award:  First place was awarded to a Peak to Peak Middle School  student for her art entry in the Community Foundation’s “Culture of Giving” contest.

U.S. Congressional Art Show Winners:  First place in 12th Grade Multimedia was awarded to a Peak to Peak senior, second place in the 10th Grade Drawing Competitions went to a Peak to Peak sophomore, and a $16,000 scholarship was awarded to a Peak to Peak senior at the Congressional Art Show.

Destination Imagination Artwork Winner:  A Peak to Peak Middle School student’s artwork was selected and featured on the t-shirts worn by all regional Destination Imagination contestants.

Polly Addison Exhibit at the Dairy Center for the Arts:  Peak to Peak High School students’ artwork was chosen for display in the Dairy Center for the Arts’ annual show, which featured photography, ceramics, paintings, and drawings.

High Ratings at CHSAA Music Competition:  Peak to Peak’s Wind Symphony earned “Superior” and “Excellent” ratings through the Colorado High School Activities Association.

Colorado Core Knowledge All-State Music Festival:Thirty band, orchestra, and choir members were accepted from hundreds of applicants to participate in the Colorado Core Knowledge All-State Music Festival.

Band and Orchestra Honors:  Individual honors were awarded to Peak to Peak High School students who participated in the Western States Honor Band, the Western States Honor Orchestra, and the Colorado All-State Orchestra, including a sophomore harpist who was awarded the top position in this very competitive statewide orchestra.

Canon City Music Festival:  Nineteen bands competed in the Canon City Music Festival.  Peak to Peak’s band took third place in our division and was the top group from Colorado in that division.

Denver Young Artists Orchestra Member:  A Peak to Peak junior was selected as a member of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra.

Finalist in the Concerto Competition: Denver Young Artists Orchestra selected a Peak to Peak High School student as a finalist in its annual Concerto Competition.

Aspen Music Festival and School:  Peak to Peak will be represented in the highly competitive Aspen Music Festival and School by a Peak to Peak junior.

Ballet Nouveau Colorado:  Four Peak to Peak students were awarded roles in Ballet Nouveau Colorado’sNutcracker, the only full-length professional Nutcracker performed in the Denver area.  A Peak to Peak eighth grade student was featured in the starring role as Clara.

Peak to Peak’s Young Choreographers:Two Peak to Peak students qualified to participate in Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s highly regarded Young Choreographers Showcase.  After a year of study, each student choreographed an original work and performed in pieces choreographed by other students.

ATHLETICS RECOGNITION

Boys' Varsity Soccer Team Reaches the State Quarter Finals: In its third year of competition, Peak to Peak’s boys' varsity soccer team, which consisted mostly of underclassmen reached the quarter finals in state competition and placed second in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s (CHSAA) highly competitive Metro League.

Hockey Team Reaches Final Quarter Status:  Peak to Peak’s High School Ice Hockey team attained final quarter status in its inaugural year.

State Track and Field Finalists: Peak to Peak High School track and field team sent three competitors to state in 2005.  A junior took third in state for the 100-meter and 200-meter runs.

Track Team Honored with Academic Award:  Peak to Peak Track Team was honored with CHSAA’s Academic Team Championship Award.  Qualifying teams must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher based on a 4.0 non-weighted grading scale.  Statewide, 2005 winners had an average G.P.A. of 3.68, while Peak to Peak’s track team had an average of 3.8.

Athletes Recognized for Academics:Twelve Peak to Peak students received “Academic All-State” awards by CHSAA for their combined competitive fall, winter, and spring athletic and academic activities.  One student athlete received an academic award in three different activities: two sports and one music competition.  Another made “First Team” in both basketball and soccer while maintaining a 4.0 non-weighted GPA.

CHARACTER AND COMMUNITY SERVICE RECOGNITION

Tsunami Relief Fundraiser:  Two elementary teachers, Cheri Eymer and Ben Dana, led an all-school “Great Penny Race,” raising nearly $4,000 in five days to rebuild a Sri Lankan day care center that was damaged as a result of the Tsunami.

Thousands of Items Donated to Local Food Banks:  Peak to Peak High School's junior class sponsored the school’s annual food drive, collecting and donating 11,482 non-perishable food items to local food banks at Sister Carmen, the Erie Community Food Bank, and Mountain Ridge Community Church.

Successful Pet Food Drive:  Peak to Peak High School's ninth grade class collected more than 800 pounds of pet food and donated it to the Boulder Valley Humane Society.

Spanish Language Classes Volunteer in the Community:  Students in Spanish 30 volunteered well-over 800 hours with the Spanish speaking community.  Students spent time at Sister Carmen Center, Reach out and Read (at the Salud Family Health Clinic as well as other clinics in Denver), Pioneer Elementary, University Hill Elementary, Head Start, I Have a Dream Foundation, and at several events such as Share-a-Gift and 9 Health Fair.

Books for Guatemalan Children:  Peak to Peak’s Spanish classes created 100 books for children in Guatemala.  The books will be used to help young Mayan students who live in isolated rural communities in their effort toward bilingualism in Spanish.

Three Students Received Project YES Service-Learning Awards:  Two Peak to Peak High School juniors and one senior received Project YES’ “Service-Learning Excellence Award” for their outstanding commitment to promoting service learning in the Lafayette community.

PFLAG Student Activist Award: A Peak to Peak senior won the “PFLAG Student Activist of the Year” award from the Boulder County GSA.

Chamber of Commerce Champion Awarded to Peak to Peak Student:  A Peak to Peak High School freshman accepted the Lafayette Chamber Champion Award in recognition of his volunteer time and efforts he has contributed to the City of Lafayette.

Voices for Children Award:A Peak to Peak seventh grade student received the "Champions for Children" award from Voices for Children, a nonprofit organization that works to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect in Boulder County. The award recognized her excellence and commitment to help abused children.  She and her partner were the first two students to ever receive this award.

FACULTY AND STAFF RECOGNITION

“Exceptional Teacher Award” Goes to Peak to Peak Teacher: Haviland Staggers, middle school social studies teacher, was recognized with the “Exceptional Teacher Award” for the middle school level by the Colorado League of Charter Schools. 

French Teacher Receives “Outstanding Foreign Language Teacher Award”:   Gurpreet Gill, secondary French teacher, was recognized as a 2005 recipient of the “Outstanding Foreign Language Teacher Award” by the University of Northern Colorado.

Fellowship to CSU Writing Project for Peak to Peak English Teacher: Megan Freeman, secondary English teacher, won a competitive, fully-funded “National Writing Project” fellowship to the Colorado State University Writing Project for the summer of 2005.

English Teacher Earns Fellowship at the Globe Theater in England:  Kristie Betts, secondary English teacher, was one of three teachers from the Colorado selected to attend "Teaching Shakespeare through Performance" at the Globe Theater in England in summer 2005.

Soccer Coach Named “Coach of the Year”:  Varsity Soccer Coach Peter Chandler was voted 2004 Soccer Coach of the Year by CHSAA’s Metro League.

Participation in Leadership Fellows Program:  Kanesha Baynard, Secondary Assistant Principal, was the first charter school principal to be accepted and participate in the Leadership Fellows Program, an eight-month professional development opportunity sponsored by the Colorado Principals’ Center.

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION

“Excellent” State Ratings: Peak to Peak's Elementary, Middle, and High School's received the Colorado State Academic Performance Rating of “Excellent,"  which is the top rating based on Colorado CSAP testing.

John Irwin School of Excellence Award: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 eight percent of Coloradoschools.

Advanced Placement (AP) 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 AP course.

University of Colorado's 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 Peak to Peak Middle and High School 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 and 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 sophomores and juniors 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.

Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair:Peak to Peak students earned numerous awards at the  regional fair.  Two students placed 2nd in the Senior Division, Chemistry Category and received a “Best Project” award from the NACE Foundation.  Peak to Peak students also took home a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place award in the Junior Division.  One of those winners went on to represent Peak to Peak at the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair.  

Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF):  A Peak to Peak Middle School student took 3rd place (out of 33 finalists) in the Junior Division, Physics Category 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 Peak to Peak High School 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.

Longmont 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 second place honors, while the Milkshakes received the “Spirit of DI” Award.

ARTS RECOGNITION

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.

U.S. Congressional Art Show: A Peak to Peak High School sophomore student received third place for her artwork that competed in the Congressional Art Show 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 display 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 theDairy 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.  

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 ElitchGarden’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 Nouveau Colorado: 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.

CHARACTER AND COMMUNITY SERVICE RECOGNITION

Community Food Drive:  The junior class sponsored a hugely successful food drive.  Kindergarten through high school students generously donated food, which was given 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's ninth grade World History classes combined research with a community service project by raising money to free slaves in the Sudan, writing editorials, giving presentations, circulating a petition, creating a website, and handing out leaflets.

FACULTY AND STAFF RECOGNITION

Impact on Learning Finalists:  Peak to Peak English teacher, Kristie Betts, and English Department Chair, Megan Freeman ,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.