NMSHS Panther Post

Nederland Middle-Senior HS Community,

Earlier this month we received some big news from the Society for Science and Regeneron, an organization that has a yearly academic talent search. It is the nations most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Each year, 300 Regeneron student scholars from around the U.S. and their schools are recognized. Nederland student scholar, Keahi Pelkum Donahue has been named one of the student scientists in the 84th Regeneron Science Talent Search. There were only three students from Colorado selected this year. Keahi’s project of study was: Forecasting Solar Flares With Transformer Networks. Keahi has also been accepted at Princeton University.

While Keahi is a very talented scientist and an overall excellent student (a National Merit Scholarship Finalist), he is a decorated orchestra musician and is involved in our select choir here at Ned. Additionally, he is very involved in the theater program as well. For me, it shows that students from a tiny mountain school can be taught at a high level, be involved in many things, and excel to the point that they are recognized nationally. We may not be a big school, but there are many Keahi Pelkum Donahue type students that have come through Nederland schools and made us very proud over the years. Way to go Keahi!

Have a great weekend,

Gavan

he/him/his

It’s been a busy week for Panther Athletics. Some of the highlights included:

• Middle School Girls’ Basketball won last night against Platt Middle School 16-6. Nora Shurr was the high scorer (10 points) and Shayna Siegel Gane was the rebound leader (15 rebounds). The team played really well last night.

• High School Girls’ Basketball beat Loveland Classical 18-14 on Wednesday night in a competitive home game. They are playing some great basketball. Thank you to everyone who came out to support.

• High School Nordic raced Classic here at Eldora on Wednesday. Thank you to our coaches and volunteers for putting on a great race! Both Ben Weber and Amika Begin finished in the top quartile! Ben has actually scored in the top quartile of every race thus far. The team is looking good and coming together nicely.

• Middle School Alpine competed in Slalom at Copper Mountain yesterday. There were several individual top 15 finishes: Felix Miller scored 6th & 7th, Caiden Stackpole scored 8th & 9th, Evan Troy scored 2nd & 15th, Tyler Begin scored 12th & 17th. Nice job, Panthers!

Next Wednesday night is Senior Night! We need you to come on out to support your Panthers! The recognition will take place around 6:15 pm or so, following the girls’ game but before the boys’ game. Thank you to all of our Ned seniors involved in winter sports:

• Girls’ Basketball - Payton Kutscher, Autumn Pattridge, Lauren Schrader & Kendall Zotti

• Boys’ Basketball - Robert Akerley, Colton Burlingame, Cedar Shupe & Jesse Siegal Gane

• Alpine - Keahi Pelkum Donahue, Cedar Shupe & Grayson Shurr

• Nordic - Lukey Mahorski-Bodley

Next Week’s Home Events include:

• Wed. 2/5 @ 5 pm Middle School Girls’ Basketball vs. Summit

• Wed. 2/5 @ 5 pm High School Girls’ Basketball SENIOR NIGHT vs. Ascent

• Wed. 2/5 @ 6:30 High School Boys’ Basketball SENIOR NIGHT vs. Ascent

• Fri. 2/7 @ 10 am High School Alpine Eldora Slalom Race

See you next week!

Scholarships: The Shelby Allen Scholarship is now open to Seniors from Nederland High or Gilpin High, and who have participated in Women's Athletics. The application site is below and contains the details to apply, including recommenders, essay and documentation requirements. Please notice that applicants will need to supply two persons who will submit a recommendation for you, through the Shelby Allen link. See this site for details and be sure to send the names of your recommenders to the scholarship well before the application deadline of April 4, 2025

Our local scholarship list contains opportunities that are advertised to Nederland High students. The list is updated as we receive them. See the list here. These are also shared with eligible grade levels, through the Nederland High google classroom.

Boulder Tec application is open. The priority dates are January 23 - February 20th. Ms. Jill encourages anyone interested to apply EARLY, spots will fill up quickly. To apply visit the Boulder Tec website. Use your IC student username (without the @bvsd.org) and IC password. tec.bvsd.org

Seal of Climate Literacy. Do you have a passion for the environment, weather, sustainability, energy or social change relating to our climate? If so you may be a perfect candidate for the Seal of Climate Literacy. This credit appears on your high school transcript and earns you an additional honor at your graduation. A celebration event is held at the district, for students who are achieving the Seal.

Right now, students need to fill out the Seal of Climate Literacy @BVSD Interest Form link below to get started; which notifies BVSD and gets you connected to the program. You can begin to build your portfolio of your climate experiences, and there are 2 video workshops being held, which can help you along your way. The dates are:

• Optional Video Meeting/Help Session #5: Thursday, February 13. 6:00 – 7:00pm Link access.

• Optional Video Meeting/Help Session #6: Tuesday, February 20. 6:00 - 7:00pm Link access.

Internship Opportunity: The Renée Crown Wellness Institute is a research office at CU Boulder. The Institute is offering an internship for BVSD students aged 14-18 to get involved in critical Title IX evaluation work. This is pronounced as “Title Nine”. Title IX relates to the federal law that prohibits gender based discrimination and harassment in public education. Interns will collaborate with researchers to refine focus group questions related to Title IX experiences within Boulder Valley Schools and help develop ways to share findings with the BVSD community. Participants will receive a $200 stipend payment. Find the application QR code and information on their flyer.

College Scholarships! See the local scholarship list for the latest scholarships advertised to us for our students, including: Nederland Lyons Club, Boulder Community Hospital Foundation, and Elevations Credit Union of Boulder.

Is your student participating in the college credit option in Mr. Geels’ Precalculus or Calculus AB course? Are finances a constraint in choosing the credit option? If so BVSD is encouraging families to apply for assistance with that fee. See the tuition assistance application here.

Boulder JCC is providing an exhibition The Bias Inside Us, which is an exhibit visiting the Boulder JCC from the Smithsonian Institute from February 22, 2025 - March 23, 2025. The exhibit explores the science of internal bias and its effect on our daily lives. There is no fee to visit this exhibit. The Boulder JCC is located at 6007 Oreg Avenue Boulder, (303) 998-1900

Bias Inside Us.pdf

Need a Boulder-based summer camp or child care for a week or more? Check out BVSD’s Summer Camp option on their site. Options are available for full day or half day, aimed at ages 5 -16.

New Teens Inc Nederland program for opening for 7th-9th graders. See this flyer for QR code and information. This program is designed to foster confidence, belonging, and leadership among 7th-9th graders. Through carefully structured activities spanning 22 days over a six month period, participants engage in outdoor recreation and skill-building that challenges them to take healthy risks, learn from peers, and develop problem-solving skills. Youth will receive gift cards for participation.

• Orientation weekend (overnight in cabins) - March 8th-9th OR March 15th-16th

• Service day with City of Denver Parks and Recreation (day trip) - April 12th OR April 13th

• Rock climbing day (day trip) - May 17th OR May 18th

• Wilderness First Aid course (day trip - no overnights) - June 4th-6th (both cohorts together)

• 5 day front country camping trip, possible activities include rafting, climbing, hiking (maybe mtn biking) - activities will depend on youth interest and input (overnight in tents) - June 9th-13th OR June 23rd-27th

• 8 day front country and backcountry camping trip, possible activities include backpacking, paddle boarding - activities will depend on youth interest and input (overnight in tents) - July 7th-14th OR July 21st-28th

• Closing weekend and celebration at Lincoln Hills - youth will create a collaborative capstone presentation about experience/learning and share with families at celebration (overnight in cabins) - August 2nd-3rd OR August 9th-10th

Please submit an application only if you are confident you want to participate in the program and can attend 80% of the in-person events.

2025 Spring College Fair in Denver is on Sunday, March 09.

1:00 - 4:00pm. See details, including a list of participating colleges, here.

Visit with admissions representatives and find out about the latest majors, campus life, scholarships and more.

Seniors: BVSD hosts drop in FAFSA help, see BVSD FAFSA help page, or connect with Ms. Jill for assistance.

Feeling stress? Need information? See the 2024-2025 BVSD Mental Health Referral Provider List for a list of local psychologists and clinics serving in a variety of specializations, including educational consult services, family consultations, eating issues, substance use and others.