Puma Spotlight 2021-22
May 2022
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 after the meet was delayed a day due to the late-May snowstorm, which resulted in her jumping at almost 11 pm in 38 degrees. Kourtney was also the state champion in the long jump (18’5”), finished 2nd in the 100m hurdles, and improved her personal best in the triple jump (37’3.25”) to finish 3rd. Her performance led the Pumas to an overall 9th place team finish. Way to go, Puma!
"Yosha’s “The Face of Courage” will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, alongside artwork from contest winners across the country. Additional pieces of artwork that won second and third place will be placed in the Congressman’s regional offices in Boulder and Fort Collins."
Asher Gannett-Mathews (10th grade) finished 21st in the country at the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics National Finals. Asher competes at Level 10, which is the highest level in the program and consists of 16 and 17 year old athletes. In addition to this overall placement, Asher also finished 11th on the parallel bars.
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.
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. They spent ten hours in rehearsals, saw live performances from the three different University of Northern Colorado bands, and performed in their own concert as a part of the celebration.
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. Click here to see the US News rankings.
The Jay Mathews Challenge Index ranks Peak to Peak at #100 of the top high schools in the nation. Click here to see the Jay Mathews Challenge Index rankings.
Niche recognizes Peak to Peak as #2 in Colorado at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Click here to see the Niche rankings.
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. Click here to watch the showcase video. Click here to see Ranye's video.
April 2022
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.
Ranye Ezenekwe (9th grade) won 2nd place in the International World of 7 Billion Population Video Contest in the Agriculture category. The contest receives on average 2000 entries across three categories from all over the world. All 9th graders participate in this contest as part of the Population unit in Human Geography. Click here to watch the video.
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. The following artists were featured:
Ms. Heather Bertarelli (High School Art Teacher)
Citatly Arraiga (11th grade)
Chessie Bolt (11th grade)
Tate Browder (11th grade)
Chloe Eisen (11th grade)
Sophie Hodgson (12th grade)
Kayla Kerrane (10th grade)
Nicole Kerschner (12th grade)
Alisha Kumari (12th grade)
Riley Labansat-Nava (12th grade)
Leah Legeer (11th grade)
Tenzin Lhanze (11th grade)
Stanley Li (12th grade)
Olivia Perez (11th grade)
Max Salvati (11th grade)
Finn Stevens (11th grade)
Ashley Trathen-Sorensen (12th grade)
Jackson Whipple (11th grade)
Jessica Wilcox (11th grade)
Kai Beer (10th grade) represented Peak to Peak as a Panel Facilitator for the Colorado Youth Career Fair’s (https://youthcareerfair.org) Management & Administration career panel. The organization fosters access to virtually all careers and gives young people information about the many careers they can pursue, hearing directly from professionals in those careers.
The panel featured Mr. David Eddy, Boeing Site Director with Boeing Satellite Systems, Sergeant First Class Hadasa Hall, Intelligence Analyst for the United States Army, Ms. Charlyn Moss, Analyst for Redstone Strategy Group, and Mr. Joe Rice, Director of Government Relations for Lockheed Martin.
Ella Cabibbo (6th grade) and Evelyn Kraft (6th grade) received an honorable mention finish in the American Association of Teachers of French media contest! Their efforts earned a cash prize which the students have planned to donate.
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.
After winning the Junior division of his local oratorical festival, Dimitri Zaronias (8th grade) went to Oklahoma City to present at the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
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."
Gabriella Drozdzewicz placed first for all-around and beam and second for bars at the State Gymnastics Championship, level 8.
March 2022
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. Two videos won the Video Challenge Award, one won a Changemaker award and all three winning student videos can be seen via the link provided.
Ranye Ezenekwe wants to combat desertification and stop the prevalence of forest fires by using a fertilizer made out of weeds.
Lauren Laird proposes to reduce carbon-based emissions from food with a Eat Conscious Day initiative.
Emma Casini and Kailey Hughes want to improve education and hope to start an "Adopt a Library" program for businesses.
These students will now all be part of Teen Dreams hubs - think tanks for teens to help them achieve change - and will receive financial support to develop their projects. Emma is already the leader of the international Education Hub! Way to go, changemakers!
The 2021-2022 Peak to Peak Mock Trial Team had a great showing at the Boulder County Regional Tournament. Pictured from left to right: Emily McDonald (12th grade), Kate Uzzle (10th grade), JP Kerrane (10th grade), Steph Keil (10th grade), Atticus Phillips (10th grade), Ashlyn Kerrane (10th grade), Hailey Weintraub (10th grade), Claire McLaughlan (10th grade), Cami Sarros (12th grade), Sena Kavi (12th grade), Lea Cook (11th grade), Faith Peddycord (11th grade), Kendrick Chen (12th grade), Stella Bishop (12th grade), Yashaswi Bista (11th grade), Leah Legeer (11th grade), Suntali Donahue (11th grade), and Kayla Kerrane (10th grade).
Several individuals on the team were recognized by the judges for their accomplishments at the tournament:
Top 10 Attorneys:
JP Kerrane
Kayla Kerrane
Top 10 Witnesses:
Kendric Chen
Hailey Weintraub
Best Cross-Examination:
Stephanie Keil
Top 3 Direct Examination:
JP Kerrane
Top 3 Dakota Weirs:
Hailey Weintraub
Top 3 Dr. Casey Rogers:
Atticus Phillips
Top 3 Skyler Weirs:
Hailey Weintraub
Kendric Chen
Jada Abdalati (10th grade), received an honorable mention recognition and $250 for her entry in the 2022 C-SPAN national StudentCam competition. Jada created a documentary titled "to A Better Tomorrow" about carbon tax.
Peak to Peak's 2022 Science Fair award winners:
Senior Division:
Jack Good (12th grade) - 3rd Place - Chemistry
Amrita Saini (10th grade) - 2nd Place - Environmental Sciences - CSEF State Science Fair Qualifier
Sofia Du (12th grade)- 3rd Place - Physics
Junior Division:
Ram Shreyas Mangu (8th grade) - 3rd Place - Chemistry
Saatwik Das (8th grade) - 1st Place - Energy and Transportation - CSEF State Science Fair Qualifier
Chayton Feaux (8th grade) - 1st Place - Engineering - CSEF State Science Fair Qualifier
Satendraa Elangovan Jayalakshmi (8th grade) - Tied for 3rd Place - Physics
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. Congratulations to the following students:
Quinn Burns (10th grade) - Affiliate Winner
Shriya Biddala (11th grade) - Affiliate Winner
Sophia Steven (12th grade) - Affiliate Winner
Aveena Rawal (12th grade) - Affiliate Honorable Mention
Amrita Saini (10th grade) - Affiliate Honorable Mention
Nicole Kerschner (12th grade) - Affiliate Winner
Imaani Razzak (10th grade) - Affiliate Winner
Anjana Radha (10th grade) - Affiliate Honorable Mention
Avanti Gautam (10th grade) - Affiliate Winner
Ellen Lu (10th grade) - Affiliate Rising Star
Sophia Pych (10th grade) - Affiliate Winner
Reema Patadia (10th grade) - Affiliate Honorable Mention
Adithi Ramaswamy (10th grade) - Affiliate Rising Star
Yosha Gautam (10th grade) - Affiliate Winner
"NCWIT is a non-profit community that convenes, equips, and unites change leader organizations to increase the meaningful participation of all women — at the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, and disability status — in the influential field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development.
NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) changes what’s possible for women in technology from K-12 through career by offering the kind of encouragement that combats isolation, enables long-term persistence, opens doors, and changes lives. AiC uses program elements that spark interest in computing (AspireIT); recognizes and celebrates women’s technical aspirations and abilities, as well as the educators who support them (AiC Award Recognitions); and, provides an expansive, supportive network (AiC Community). "
Congratulations to the students who attended the three-hour long UNC math competition last weekend with 158 other students: Lilly Zhao (10th grade), Ellen Lu (10th grade), Daniel Schultheiss (11th grade), Amanda Zou (8th grade), Smrithi Ganesh (7th grade), Joaquin Hoffer (7th grade), and Warren Chen (10th grade) who scored an 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.
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.
"Based on the sheer number of nominations that this beloved #CharterSchool leader has received, we could not find a more deserving winner for this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Kelly Reeser has given more than 20 years of service to the charter school sector. A founder of Peak to Peak Charter School, she co-chaired the first grant writing committee, co-authoring grant applications that brought in more than $1 million worth of start-up funding.
A co-chair or member of the Hiring & Organizational Development Team since the first year of operation, she served as an elected member of its board prior to becoming Executive Director of Education. In addition to her work at Peak to Peak, she has served as a consultant with the CDE’s Schools of Choice unit, working with charter schools across the state conducting trainings, grant writing workshops, and school evaluations. "
A co-chair or member of the Hiring & Organizational Development Team since the first year of operation, she served as an elected member of its board prior to becoming Executive Director of Education. In addition to her work at Peak to Peak, she has served as a consultant with the CDE’s Schools of Choice unit, working with charter schools across the state conducting trainings, grant writing workshops, and school evaluations. "
Thirteen members of Peak to Peak's Speech and Debate team competed at the CHSAA State Qualifiers Tournament. Seven of our students have advanced to the state tournament that will happen in mid-March. Join us in wishing the following students good luck as they head to the state tournament:
Kendric Chen (12th grade; Poetry Interpretation)
Gianna Guido (12th grade; US Extemporaneous Speaking)
Palpasha Karki (12th grade; International Extemporaneous Speaking)
Bryce Li (12th grade; International Extemporaneous Speaking)
Anjana Radha (10th grade; Original Oratory)
Lauren Wagner (12th grade; US Extemporaneous Speaking)
Alvina Zhang (12th grade; Informative Speaking)
Tanush Shekhar (8th grade) qualified to attend the MATHCOUNTS State competition in Denver. This is his 2nd year in a row to make it to this level of competition.
"MATHCOUNTS is a national math enrichment, coaching & competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state & territory."
Jack Good (12th grade), Sophia Du (12th grade), and Amrita Saini (10th grade) received awards at this year's Science Fair. Jack won 3rd place in Chemistry, Sophia won 3rd place in Physics, and Amrita won 2nd place in Environmental Science. Amrita's project was also granted a Special Award by the Soil and Water Conservation Society and will be advancing to the State competition in April.
Ethan Brende, Brady Vogel, and Riley Watson for winning the 7th grade Earth Science Wind Turbine Contest with 17.4 volts produced.
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.
Students attended the three-hour long UNC math competition with 158 other students: Lilly Zhao (10th grade), Ellen Lu (10th grade), Daniel Schultheiss (11th grade), and Warren Chen (10th grade) who scored an honorable mention. https://uncmathcontest.wordpress.com/
February 2022
Three Peak to Peak Innovation teams won a finalist spot at the international Conrad Challenge for 2022. With thousands of entries from around the world competing to make the world a better place, these teams won thousands in scholarships and a chance for the top awards by developing a concept, researching cutting edge technologies, writing a complete business plan, drawing prototypes, and creating a pitch video. In April, our teams competed at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston or chose to compete virtually, pitching their ideas to engineers, industry experts, and astronauts.
Josie Karr (9th grade), Isa Brady (9th grade), and Dagny West (9th grade) are working to end "period poverty" with their Bio-Periods project.
Sydney Lewis (9th grade), Emma Casini (9th grade), and Alden Sanders (9th grade) are solving for world hunger with their Project: Fraction-1
Ziba Ahamad (10th grade) and Shreya Senthilkumar (10th grade) are working to ensure clean water for all with their Xylo-Filter.
Front row: Ashlyn Kerrane (10th grade), Bryce Li (12th grade), Ziba Ahamad (10th grade), Sanjita Balaji (10th grade), and Warren Chen (10th grade)
Back row: Karen Amidon (coach), Tej Mathur (10th grade), Anjana Radha (10th grade), Neeharika Hancock (10th grade), Diya Narasimhan (10th grade), Ava Sommer (10th grade), and Sidd Nareddy (10th grade)
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.
This spring, the Gilder Lehrman Institute will fly Alex to NYC for a performance of Hamilton and a chance to ask the cast questions. He will also have the opportunity to view the rare primary source documents on display in the Gilder Lehrman Collection.
Jocelyn Fiegland (6th grade) and Luke Fiegland (4th grade) have each earned their 1st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo! To accomplish this difficult task took over four years of discipline and dedication. Their final test included breaking boards, an essay about leadership, and several physical feats.
Sydney Biggs (12th grade) is in her fourth season on the BVSD Alpine racing team. She specializes in the Giant Slalom and Slalom events. Although she started competitive racing more recently, Sydney began skiing when she was 2 years old.
January 2022
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:
Portfolio Awards:
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"
Individual Awards:
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
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
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."
Click here to read "Read, Write, Talk, Listen, Move"
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."
“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I hope my app influences Gen Z to help reduce our impact on the planet!”, said Aditya, the first place winner in this year’s challenge, whose app focuses on interactively tackling climate change."Congratulations to Aditya Nandyal (10th grade) for being awarded 1st place in the 2021 Congressional App Challenge! "The Congressional App Challenge is an annual competition hosted by Members of Congress, and is the most prestigious prize in student computer science."
The press release from Congressman Neguse, linked here, includes a link to a video Aditya created to demonstrate the winning app.
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."
December 2021
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.
Peak to Peak HS Art winners:
- Evelyn Gibson (12th grade) for Bottled Up
- Annaka Rudolph (10th grade) for Drifting
- Finn Stevens (11th grade) for Zero Days
- Leah Legeer (11th grade)for 79 New cases
- Sophie Hodgson (12th grade) for Loading...
- Micaela Kerrane (10th grade) for Shadows Behind Me
- Mandy Lieng (12th grade) for Delusional Friend
- Maximilian Salvati (11th grade) for Space
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/
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.
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
November 2021
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.
Julia Lee (8th grade) auditioned against 7th and 8th graders from across the state to be selected to this year's Middle School All State Choir! Julia was chosen to participate in the Colorado Middle School All State Choir Festival in Denver on March 10th & 11th.
Twenty-four girls in the 3rd through 5th grades participated in the Girls On The Run after-school program and recently ran a 5K with Girls on the Run Rockies at City Park in Denver. This amazing group of girls showed confidence, resiliency and the ability to work together when training for a race, as well as when working to impact their community. This season, the girls chose to make dog beds for the Humane Society. We are so proud of all their hard work!
Scarlett Aakre
Misha Amin
Anika Anglese
Grace Baumgarten
Emaline Butler
Kerrigan Campbell
Giada (Gigi) Ciaralli
Eden Clark
Peyton Day
Simone Donohoe
Aura Duryea
Audrey Good
Arushi Gunari
Birdie Harrison
Ella Korch
Sofia Mansour
Evie McChesney
Syona Shah
CeCe Simpson-Klein
Chloe Six
Penny VandeRiet
Natalie Wand
Jack Widmar
Coco Widmar
In addition, five Peak to Peak High School Cross Country students come out to help volunteer. Special thanks to: Carmela Disciullo, Kiele Maunakea, Annaka Rudolph, Riley Cooper, and Ali Kerschner.
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.
Bryce Li (12th grade) is a 2022 Coca-Cola Scholar semi-finalist.
From the scholarship website: "These 1,617 students were selected from over 68,000 applicants from across the country to continue through our selection process based on their academic excellence, leadership, and service demonstrated in school and community activities."
Click here to read more.
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. Click here to read the article.
After a tough battle with hundreds of students throughout Colorado, the following students have made the 2nd round of the UNC Math competition held in January:
Ava Sommer (10th grade)
Andrew Plute (11th grade)
Lily Zhao (10th grade)
Daniel Schultheiss (11th grade)
Ellen Lu (10th grade)
Siddharth Nareddy (10th grade)
Warren Chen (10th grade)
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.
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.
October 2021Peak to Peak athletes competed on the undefeated Broomfield High School Gymnastics team this year. The team represents all of the Boulder Valley School District and recently took first place at the Regional Championship Tournament. Student athletes from Peak to Peak include Sophie Hodgson (12th grade), Isabel Pych (12th grade), Charlotte Gentry (12th grade), Mia Ritchie (10th grade), and Sophia Pych (10th grade). The team moves on to the State Championship Tournament this Thursday at Thornton High School.
Alden Bradley (7th grade) and Matilda Howkins (6th grade) both placed top 10 in their middle school open races at the end-of-year meet in Lyons. They both won pumpkins for their efforts! Cole Boonstra (8th grade) placed 17th in the Northern Colorado Middle School Cross Country Championship Race, and Carter Ausmus (6th grade) posted the 2nd fasted time among 6th graders. Great job to all the middle schoolers who ran and helped the team finish 7th out of 16 schools.
Gabriella Drozdzewicz (9th grade) won 1st place in this year's Lafayette Window Painting Contest.
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.
Annaka Rudolph (10th grade) finished 11th at 3A Regional Cross Country Meet, helping the girls' team qualify for the State Cross Country Meet on October 30th. Jack Cerullo (9th grade) finished 2nd with a stellar time of 17:16 leading the boys' team to also qualify for State.
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.” Read the full blog article by clicking here.
Use the following link to watch the video which includes Ms. Weil on the Regan Institute's "The State Of Civics: Colorado" virtual conversation to highlight the exemplary civic education initiatives of Colorado: Click here to watch the video.
Brian Rozinsky (Middle School Literacy Interventionist), Jesse Fassler (Middle School PE Teacher and High School Varsity Cross Country Coach), and Erin Manzanares (Elementary School PE Teacher) participated in the Colfax Marathon as a relay team. They put up a time of 3:15:50 which was good for 4th place out of 120 mixed government relay teams, including other schools.
The OASIS GSA Network for LGBTQIA+ youth and allies in the St. Vrain Valley and Boulder Valley School Districts highlights adults in the community who represent a variety of LGBTQ+ and intersecting identities and are engaged in the community in different ways. In this month's newsletter, Peak to Peak Spanish teacher, Joseph Barbour ("Señior B") received their first community nomination.
From the newsletter:
"This month, we received our first LGBTQ+ in the Community nomination: Joseph Barbour (he/him/his)! I was excited to hear about the positive impact that Joseph has had, and for the chance to get to know him a little bit and share that with you!
From the young person who nominated Joseph: "His willingness to learn from us as well as teach us about his experience impacted my life in ways I cannot begin to describe, and I attribute a lot of my development into the queer adult I now am to him...Joseph was among the first happy and successful lgbtq+ adults I was aware of, and he helped me to know that was a future I could have. He is the lgbtq+ adult I wish I’d had in my life sooner, and whom I will appreciate forever."
What do you do, and what is your favorite thing about it?
I'm a high school Spanish teacher and honestly can't imagine a better job. I'm a total language nerd who loves sharing that passion with others.
What do you love about being part of the LGBTQ+ community?
I love that even though we're such a diverse community, we are still family and rally to help each other when in need. Now that I'm a teacher, I also love the butterflies I get when I meet another out and proud educator.
What are your top self-care strategies?
I try to set aside some "me time" every day so I get to do something like read a good book or play some Zelda on my Switch. If time is short, any of Trixie and Katya's videos on YouTube will usually brighten up my day!
Thank you for everything you do to support LGBTQ+ youth in our community, Joseph!"
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 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 |
HS Honor Roll 2020-21 2nd semester list
Bryce Li (12th grade) and Alvian Zhang (12th grade) have both earned the National Speech and Debate Association's Academic All-American Award! This coveted prize recognizes academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success, and personal excellence.
Teagan Trasky (8th grade) placed 3rd in the Middle School Cross Country Charter League Championships.
At the High School Cross Country level, the girls team took 7th place and the boys ended in 5th place at the 3A Metro League Regional meet. Lorenzo Harrison Anguiano (12th grade) finished 21st and Shriya Biddala finished 16th earning both runners third team Honorable Mention recognition from the Metro League. In addition, Annaka Rudolph (10th grade) finished in 14th place and received second team All League Honors.
Siddharth Nareddy (10th grade), JP Kerrane (10th grade), and Nivedita Prabhu (12th grade) worked with a number of other Boulder County high school students who were recognized by Boulder County Public Health with the Healthy Community Award. These students developed a public awareness social media campaign to promote healthy drinks. Their work exposes the negative and disproportionate impact that targeted advertising of sugary drinks can have on disadvantaged groups. The campaign resulted in over 820,000 impressions and is still growing.
Click here to read the press release.
Click here to watch a video of the award ceremony.
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.
Click here to read the article.
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.
September 2021
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.
Naima Ponti (6th grade) took 1st place in uneven bars, 1st in the vault, 2nd in floor exercises, 3rd in beam, and 1st overall in her age category, at the X-League Gymnastics Mee held at Xtreme Altitude in Lafayette.
Students from Peak to Peak participated on the the U18 Girls 2021 Colorado President’s Cup Champions for the Broomfield Soccer Club! Sophie Steven (12th grade), Eliana Nelson (11th grade, former student), Natalie Farhar (11th grade), and Mark Schieffer (Peak to Peak Girls Varsity Soccer Coach) are all moving on to regional play in Phoenix, AZ.
August 2021
Cara Elliott (10th grade) competed in the American Quarter Horse Association's (AQHA) Youth World Champion show in Oklahoma City in August, where she competed (with her horse Slurpee) in the speed events of pole bending, barrel racing, and stakes race. Cara was the bronze champion in Level 1 pole bending (Click Here for video), and won multiple placements in the the top 15 of the Level 2 and 3 classes. (barrel racing Click Here for video).
Jesse Fassler, Peak to Peak's Middle School PE Teacher and High School Head Cross Country Coach and Track Coach, ran a blistering 5:02 to win his age group in the Pearl Street Mile.
Kourtney Rathke (10th grade) took first place in the 15-16 age group at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships! Kourtney pole vaulted to a height of 12' 3" to earn the title of national champion.
Summer 2021
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.