Puma Spotlight 2016-17
| May, 2017 |
Freshman AyushGarg won a $500 scholarship from NJHS for his outstanding student achievements.
Daniel Rui (9th grade) placed first honorable mention in the Colorado Mathematical Olympiad.
The 34th Annual Colorado Mathematical Olympiad (CMO) was held April 28 and included 212 students from across Colorado. The Olympians were presented with five math problems and given four hours to develop solutions. Students then presented complete "essay-type" solutions.
The following student athletes received recognition for their performance on spring athletic teams:
METRO LEAGUE AWARDS
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
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.
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.
Charlotte Gentry (7th grade) was the only Peak to Peak representative to be published in the 2017 BVSD literary magazine.
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.
Fourth grader, Emma Casini, has been competing in Irish step dancing for two years. On May 7, she earned the title of Preliminary Champion at the Centennial Feis in Loveland, Colorado.
Taylor Gallo (9th grade) and Karinne Walther (8th grade) made it to the finals of The Summit World Championship for Cheer-leading. Out of over 70 teams, they placed 9th!
The High School Girls Tennis team competed in the 3A Regional Tennis Tournament with great results. Trisha Somasundaram (10th grade) was the Champion at the #1 Singles position. Trini Somasundaram (10th grade) was the Runner Up at the #2 Singles position. Both Trisha and Trini will compete in their respective positions at the 3A State Tournament this week in Greeley. Anjali Gill (12th grade) placed 3rd at #3 Singles. Samie Staudenmayer and Claire Franz placed 3rd at #4 Doubles.
Two Peak to Peak National Honor Society seniors have received scholarships:
Divyam Mishra National Honor Society National Semi-finalist - $2,325
Mayank Mishra National Honor Society National Semi-finalist - $2,325
Mayank Mishra named High School Technology teacher, Bob Hettmansperger, as a teacher who had a great impact on him. Mr. Hettmansperger thus received recognition as a Distinguished Teacher by both the US Presidential Scholar program and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.
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.
Parth Kansara (11th grade), member of the IMA Competition Team from Louisville, recently returned from Las Vegas, Nevada after competing in the 2017 Karate Junior International Cup and the 2017 Karate US Open. Thousands of karate competitors from all over the world were in Las Vegas from April 14 – 16 to participate in two of the most prestigious karate competitions in North America.
Parth won the Silver medal for Boys 16-17 Intermediate Kata! This was his first international level competition. His current rank is Junior Black Belt, and he will be testing for his full Black Belt in June, 2017.
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.
Click here to see the winners of the 2017 Art Show
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.
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.
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.
| April, 2017 |
On April 22, Will Scott (11th grade) successfully completed a 3-day assessment in sparring, curriculum, and fitness to earn his First Degree Black Belt in Muay Thai Kickboxing.
In March, Will successfully completed a multi-stage Muay Thai Instructor's assessment in curriculum, fitness, and class instruction. Will is now an Instructor in the TRAN’S S.T.O.R.M. (Special Team of Role Models) program, where he strives to instill confidence, self-discipline, and fitness in his students (ages 6-14).
In March, Will successfully completed a multi-stage Muay Thai Instructor's assessment in curriculum, fitness, and class instruction. Will is now an Instructor in the TRAN’S S.T.O.R.M. (Special Team of Role Models) program, where he strives to instill confidence, self-discipline, and fitness in his students (ages 6-14).
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.
Anthony Colgate received an award for the Career and Technical Education Job Interview competition held in his CTE Computer Science/Multimedia Design Program.
Mayank Mishra was Peak to Peak's first student semifinalist in the final round of the U.S. Presidential Scholars competition sponsored by the US Department of Education. The application for this award is incredibly extensive, and Mayank was chosen from 5,100 candidates in the program as one of 723 semifinalists based on his achievement and application details.
Mayank Mishra was Peak to Peak's first student semifinalist in the final round of the U.S. Presidential Scholars competition sponsored by the US Department of Education. The application for this award is incredibly extensive, and Mayank was chosen from 5,100 candidates in the program as one of 723 semifinalists based on his achievement and application details.
Anna Shults (10th), Tiana Bradfield (10th), Rachael Metzler (12th), and Quinn McConnell (10th) set a new 3A all time best mark in the 800 meter relay. They ran 9:15 to beat the old record of 9:17 which had stood since 2009.
Senior Atiba Obika was awarded the Monte Sutak Memorial Scholarship last Saturday during the Boulder County Track and Field Championships.
This scholarship was established in 2009 and is given to one senior boy and one senior girl as nominated by coaches who plan to attend college or an institution of higher learning. Monte Sutak was a teacher, coach and athletic director in the Boulder Valley School District, and also served as a member of the Boulder County Track and Field Championship Board of Directors from 1986 to 2005.
The following students will be receiving recognition in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program in the fall:
Numair Baig
John Bass
Kate Berg
Jacqueline Boian
Ashwin Datta
Capri Huffman
Emma Jensen
Jay Kang
Navami Manangi
Chris Mather
Weston Metzler
Diego Olaya
Bailey Perczak
Kassen Qian
Melissa Schirmer
Will Scott
Anna Swarts
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
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!"
Meredith Rupe (9th grade) placed 3rd in the 9th grade classical division at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Colorado-Wyoming Chapter competition.
Trisha Somasundaram took first place in the #1 singles and Trini Somasondaram took first place in the #2 singles at the Longmont Invite.
"Learning how to harness your emotions when things start to go awry on the tennis court can either make you or break you.
Peak to Peak twins Trisha and Trini Somasundaram each faced adversity on Saturday afternoon in their respective championship matches at the Longmont Invitational, but the way each responded made you wonder if they were, in fact, related." - BoCo Preps
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.
| March, 2017 |
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.
Brook Mueller-Scott (4th grade) won the gold medal in fencing during the Scholastic Fencing League Tournament on March 18, 2017. The tournament was held at the Denver Fencing Academy. She competed in the Y10 Mixed 2007 Saber group.
Daniel Rui (9th grade) qualified for the 2017 Colorado ARML (American Regions Math League) Team! He will be one of the students who will represent Colorado at the 2017 ARML Competition. The national contest will take place June 2-4, 2017, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
"The American Regions Mathematics League's annual competition brings together the nation's finest students. They meet, compete against, and socialize with one another, forming friendships and sharpening their mathematical skills."
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."
Maia Drugmand (10th grade) placed second and received a Silver Medal at the Denver Invitational Figure Skating Competition.
5th grader Asher Gannett-Mathews who won the boys' overall state championship in Level 5 Division 1 Gymnastics for the 11 and older age group. Asher received four of six individual first place medals in the disciplines. His team, The Xtreme Altitude team, took second place at the meet.
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.
Senior Jennifer D'Epagnier will be the 2017 Adams County Fair Queen. The Fair Queen presides over the activities at the fair and is honored with a coronation. She was selected as a model citizen in the community, recognizing her many accomplishments that qualify her for this role as an ambassador at the event.
Senior Kaushik Yeturu was crowned Colorado's top debater by placing first in Lincoln-Douglas Debate at the Speech & Debate State Tournament. Leonard Shearer and Bella Sicker were semifinalists in Program Oral Interpretation and Extemporaneous Speaking, respectively, and Ben Peeples finished in the top 16 in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.
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
Peak to Peak senior Brady Conant plays on the Monarch High School's state championship hockey team.
Read more about the championship game.
The following student athletes received recognition during the winter sports season:
Rachel Thomas- Girls Basketball 1st Team All League
Jack Baker - Boys Basketball 2nd Team All League
Jessica Shuler(11th grade) competed as a member of the United States Archery Team in two National events, winning 1st in USA Archery’s 2017 JOAD National Indoor Championships and 2nd in the U.S. National Indoor Championships in her division.
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
Click on the links below to see a list of students who made Peak to Peak's honor roll for the Fall Semester, 2016.
|
Student Honor |
Requirements |
|
MS Honor Roll MS High Honor Roll MS Dean’s List HS Honor Roll HS High Honor Roll HS Dean’s List |
3.0 – 3.499 GPA 3.5 – 3.899 GPA 3.9 – 4.0 GPA 3.3 – 3.699 GPA 3.7 – 3.899 GPA 3.9 – 5.0 GPA |
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)
Lena Morton
Haley Graham (10th Grade) and her horseback riding team, Fall River Farm, participated in the Zone 8 Finals in Colorado Springs. The team will move on to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) National Finals in Virginia at the end of April.
Jeffrey Li (9th grade) won 3rd place in the 40th Annual Broomfield Piano Festival. He competed in division IV, consisting of ninth and tenth graders.
Congratulations to senior Mayank Mishra who is one of only seven students from Colorado to receive a 2017 Coke Scholar award!
"These 150 Coca-Cola Scholars will each receive a $20,000 college scholarship and join a family of alumni who are leading positive change in their communities and around the world."
Jessica Shuler (11th grade) participated in the U.S. National Indoor Archery Championships as a member of the Junior Olympic Archery Team in Salt Lake and Cincinnati.
| February, 2017 |
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.
Jenna Plute (8th grade) won second place at the Regional Spelling Bee. Jenna studied over 1500 words to prepare for this event.
Seventh grader Emily Post received a second place award in a writing contest sponsored by the Colorado Council of the International Reading Association (CCIRA). Emily was recognized at the Authors' Festival luncheon on February 4th. She wrote a piece called "No Turning Back" and received the Young Authors' Award for her fiction piece of writing.
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
Eliana Secunda (11th grade) and her partner finished as Pewter Medalists in Novice Pairs last month in Kansas City at the 2017 US Figure Skating Championships.
Bella Sicker (10th grade) took part in the annual Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented Legislative Day, where she was selected to shadow a Colorado legislator through his day at the capitol. Bella shadowed Representative Mike Foote of District 12. In addition to discussing issues such as education funding and sustainable energy with Rep. Foote, she attended the House session for the day, as well as two committee hearings.
Jessica Kirkpatrick (12th grade) won 1st place overall in the Magical Classic Gymnastics Meet in Florida.
Miriam Grady (11th grade) earned a bronze medal at the Junior Olympics fencing tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.
Anna Shults (10th grade) participated in 8 qualifying races throughout the winter, to take the 4th qualifying spot on the Rocky Mountain Nordic Junior National Team and punched her ticket to Lake Placid, NY to race against the best girls in the nation at the 2017 XC Junior National Championships. Anna finished 9th out of 65 of the top girls in the nation a 5K individual start skate race, and was the first one from her team to finish (on man-made snow). She also took 10th place in the 1K sprint classic race.
Mayank Mishra was named as one of 250 Coca-Cola Scholar Regional Finalist for 2017.
"Reaching this level distinguishes these students as extraordinary leaders in their school and community. Nearly 86,000 applicants and more than 1,900 Semifinalists participated in our program - to be selected as a Regional Finalist is an outstanding accomplishment."
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."
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."
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.
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.
Vincent Ma (cello) and Ashley Tang (co-concertmaster) were selected to the Colorado All State Philharmonic Orchestra.
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.
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.
Left to right:
Cathy Li, Arden Xu, Nicholas Dimond, and Scott McCall
The following students received 2017 Scholastic Art Awards.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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."
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."
| January, 2017 |
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”.
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.
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."
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
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."
Fabian Dauzvardis (12th), Kassen Qian (11th), and William Alexander (10th) comprised a team that advanced to the "Final 32" teams in the 2017 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. The top eight teams win all-expense-paid trips to the IPPF Finals in New York City, where the IPPF World Champion is awarded a $10,000 grand prize!"
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.
After completing two interviews, sophomores Maia Drugmand and Sudeepti Nareddy were selected to be on the Make-A-Wish Colorado Youth Leadership Council (YLC). The YLC was formed to help promote philanthropy, teamwork, and leadership within the community of students in grades 7-12. The YLC gives its members the opportunity to volunteer with a world renowned organization, to help give back to children with life-threatening medical conditions, and to network with local business professionals while learning skills to use in life and in their professional careers.
Fourth grader Brook Mueller-Scott won the silver medal in fencing during winter break. The Scholastic Fencing League Tournament was held at the Denver Fencing Academy on December 17, 2016. She competed in the Y10 Mixed 2007 Saber group.
| December, 2016 |
Sophomore Ashley Tang and senior Vincent Ma made the Colorado 2017 All State Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sixth grade student Sydney Perincheril and her hockey team qualified to compete in an international hockey tournament in Ontario Canada inJanuary. Sydney's team won a regional hockey tournament over the Thanksgiving break which qualified them for advancement.
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
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."
Sophomore Quinn McConnell qualified for the Nike Cross Country Nationals held in Portland. She qualified by placing in the top 5 at the Nike Southwest Regional meet on Nov 19th. Qualification for Nike Nationals represents the culmination of years of hard work for qualifying athletes and is an incredible achievement. Quinn finished 18th overall and 3rd among sophomores across the nation.
| November, 2016 |
The following student athletes received recognition during the fall sports season:
| Beasley | Cole | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro 2nd Team All Conference |
| Bradfield | Tatiana (Tiana) | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro 1st Team All Conference, 3A State Girls Champions |
| Brantmeyer | Morgan | High School Girls Softball | All Conference Catcher, 2nd Team All State |
| Datta | Nishant | High School Boys Golf | Metro 1st Team, 3A State 2nd Place Team |
| Dimond | Reid | High School Boys Soccer | Metro 2nd Team |
| Finan | Brett | High School Boys Tennis | 4A State First Team, 4A State 2nd Place Singles |
| Frederking | Haley | High School Girls Volleyball | Metro Honorable Mention |
| Howard | Jenna | High School Coed Cross Country | 3A State Girls Champions |
| Ledden | William | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro Honorable Mention |
| Lefkowicz | Brendan | High School Boys Soccer | Metro 1st Team |
| Long | Davis | High School Boys Golf | Metro 2nd Team |
| McConnell | Kim | Coach- Cross Country | Coach of the Year |
| McConnell | Quinn | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro 1st Team All Conference, 3A State Girls Champions |
| Metzler | Rachael | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro 2nd Team All Conference, 3A State Girls Champions |
| Monarski | Ethan | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro Honorable Mention |
| Pezzuti | Robert | High School Boys Soccer | Metro 2nd Team |
| Ries | Jillian | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro 2nd Team All Conference, 3A State Girls Champions |
| Ruble | Isabelle | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro Honorable Mention, 3A State Girls Champions |
| Stout | Rachel | High School Girls Volleyball | Metro 2nd Team |
| Tartaglia | Ethan | High School Boys Golf | Metro Honorable Mention, 3A State 2nd Place Team, INDIVIDUAL 3rd All State |
| Taylor | Samuel | High School Boys Golf | Metro Senior of year, Metro 2nd Team, 3A State 2nd Place Team |
| Thornbury | John | Coach- Golf | Metro League Coach of the year |
| Thorpe | Ian | High School Boys Golf | Metro 2nd Team, 3A State 2nd Place Team |
| Triem | Elle | High School Coed Cross Country | Metro 2nd Team All Conference, 3A State Girls Champions |
| Walther | Juliana | High School Girls Softball | All Conference Infielder |
| Yano | Kailee | High School Girls Volleyball | Metro 1st Team, Metro Senior of the Year, Colorado Coaches Top Senior Setter of the League |
| Zheng | Allen | High School Boys Soccer | Metro Honorable Mention |
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 Coloraodo 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.
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.
Peak to Peak sophomore, Brett Finan, for being named BocoPrep's Player of the Year for tennis.
The Brewer Foundation and New York University announced the “Top 64” teams for the 16th annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) - the only contest that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.
William Alexander (10th grade), Kassen Qian (11th grade), and Fabian Dauzvardis (12th grade) advanced to the next round of international competition.
The “Top 64” teams will now compete in a single-elimination, written debate tournament. Teams will continue to debate the topic, “Resolved: The obligation to provide safe haven for refugees should outweigh a government’s right to control its borders.” Essays will be volleyed back and forth via e-mail and judges will select the advancing teams. This format continues until the final eight teams emerge. Those teams earn an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to compete in the IPPF Finals, where the IPPF Champion takes home a $10,000 grand prize!
Two of Peak to Peak's seniors athelets graduating in 2017 signed college contracts. Brayden Weyer will play baseball at Seattle University, and Jessica Kirkpatrick will be on the gymnastics team at the Air Force Academy.
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.
| October, 2016 |
The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth honored Daniel Rui, current Peak to Peak 9th grader, as one of the brightest middle school students in the world. The Center honored Daniel for his exceptional performance on a college-readiness assessment taken as a part of the organizations 2015-16 Talent Search. The Center for Talented Youth uses above-grad-level testing to identify advanced students from around the world and provide a clear picture of the students' true academic abilities. More than 27,000 students in second through eighth grades participated representing all 50 states and more than 60 countries.
The High School Girl's Cross Country team brought home the 3A State Championship title.
Peak to Peak junior Jessica Shuler was named as a member of the 2017 US Archery Team.
Peak to Peak senior Divyam Mishra has published an article titled "Voices of Tomorrow: From Reactive to Proactive" in the Radio Club of America's Yearly Proceedings Academic Journal.
"Divyam Mishra is a senior at Peak to Peak Charter School and has a passion for technology and entrepreneurship. He has an Extra Class amateur radio license and has been doing research at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a computer science professor on the Internet of Things (IoT). He also has been interning at high-tech companies so that he can make use of skills to develop his own IoT business in the future. In addition, he is starting an amateur radio club at his high school next year, where he will be encouraging kids to get their ham licenses and realize the potential in future technologies. He is passionate about serving others and is trying to harness the power and potential of technology to make the lives of people better."
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.
National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society Induction 2016. Thirty-seven new students, grades 10-12, were inducted into NHS.
Peak to Peak sophomore, Coby Mandell, participated in eTown’s 5th Annual Handmade Songs Series. Coby was one of the five finalists selected at the October 20th competition in Boulder. His original song was recorded at the eTown studio.
"eTown's Handmade Songs Series is a songwriting program for high school students to exhibit and expand their creativity, and to learn about music production in a professional setting. Each year, twenty students are selected from audio submissions to perform at eTown Hall. Of those twenty, five finalists receive the opportunity to record their original composition in the eTown studio!"
Nishant Datta was named to the BocoPreps 2016 All-Region golf team. Ethan TartNaglia, Sam Taylor, and Ian Thorpe received honorable mention.
The Peak to Peak Tennis Team placed second at the regional tournament. Four players represented Peak to Peak at the 4A state tournament.
Brett Finan, advanced to the Number One Singles 4A state final. Finan ended with second place in the state!
Volunteer Spotlight:
Thank you to Peak to Peak parent Theresa Bell for her years of commitment to volunteering at Peak to Peak. Not only has Theresa served as K-12 volunteer coordinator but she also assists with Pumapalooza, Elementary talent show, Vision & Hearing screenings, classroom, Golf outing, Peak Gala and Golf team transportation.
Theresa says working with such great parents, other family members, staff and students is her favorite part of volunteering at Peak to Peak and says she has made some great friends through volunteering at the school.
When we asked Theresa why volunteering is important to her she says she thinks “it’s important to know what happening at my kids’ school. Volunteering is a great way to stay up to date with everything. It’s also a great way for me to show my appreciation to the teachers and staff that work so hard to make sure that the students have an engaging, fun and caring environment to learn in. I’d like to say to other Peak to Peak parents: Don’t underestimate how valuable your time and talents are. There is a place for you and we are glad to have your help whether it’s once on a while or every week. You may even discover skills/talents that you didn’t know you had, I know I did.”
Thank you, Theresa Bell, for being a Pawesome Puma Parent!
Día de Muertos nichos made by the following students from Peak to Peak's Latino Student Union were displayed at the Denver Botanic Gardens:
Darcy Rodriguez
Stephanie Colin & Erick Colin
Ziranda Dominguez
Yulissa Segura
Gaby Colin-Amaro
Anya Salmen
Danae Rodriguez
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.
| September, 2016 |
The Boys High School Golf team finished 2nd at the 3A state tournament! Ethan Tartaglia placed 3rd in the individual competiotion; Nishant Datta and Ian Thorpe tied for 6th.
Photo Credit: Daily Camera, Lewis Geyer
Read more here,
here,
and here (watch the amazing putt at minute 3:10).
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 September 19th, the team was ranked #2 in the 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 September 19th, the team was ranked #2 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 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."
Peak to Peak was proud to host guest speaker, Rosalind Wiseman, who is a nationally known and recognized educator, writer, and founder of Cultures of Dignity. Ms. Wiseman spoke to a crowd of about 350 Peak to Peak high school parents about the the social/emotional health of high school students. Highlights of the presentation included ideas for speaking to students about the social challenges they face, social media strategies, and understanding the differences between bullying, teasing, and drama.
In addition, the evening included presentations about college readiness and the college application process. Guest speakers, parent panels, and industry consultants provided parents with tools and resources for a healthy, realistic, and practical approach to applying for college.
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.
| August, 2016 |
Peak to Peak hosted its first annual Back-to-School Night conducted entirely in Spanish. Kudos to the teachers, staff and students in the Latino Student Union for their vision, leadership and organizational skills to put this new K-12 tradition in place.
Founded by sophomore Maia Drugmand and with sophomore team member Sudeepte Nareddy, Turtles4tots.org raised $1,297.00 at the Lafayette Peach Festival on August 20, 2016. Turtles4tots.org was started in 2012 as a nonprofit organization to raise money to sponsor wishes for Make-A-Wish Colorado. To date, the organization has raised over $22,000.00 and has sponsored four wishes and is well on its way to sponsoring a fifth!
Senior, Miguel Arriaga, made a camio appearance in the Latino Chamber's flier advertising the upcoming Colorado Latino Business Conference 2016. The article spotlights the Young Rebels Competition, something that Miguel and a number of other Peak to Peak students participated in last year.
3-D Ceramics Project - 2017
Art Show 2017
HS Student Photography 2017
