(Steve Oathout)

The start of football season in Colorado is just two short weeks away. With some players having graduated and moved on from every team, a new set of standout student-athletes will be in the spotlight in 2019.

But there are plenty of players coming back this season and with them come numbers that were impressive even a year ago.

Looking at the offensive side of the ball, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the start of football season in 2019.

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Passing:

When it comes to passing stats, Fairview quarterback Aidan Atkinson led the way for all quarterbacks in 2018. The senior to be threw for a staggering 3,952 yards last year. It was a record-setting year all the way around for him and the Knights.

For comparison, Highlands Ranch quarterback Jake Rubley threw for 1,951 yards and comes into the season No. 2 behind Atkinson in returning passing yards.

The top-three passers in 4A all return in 2019 making the prospect of an aerial battle late in the season very intriguing.

(Kevin Prickett/prickettpix.com)

Skyline’s Chase Silva threw for 2,829 yards as he helped the Falcons reach the 4A championship game. Centaurus’ Nick Faraca threw for 2,436 yards with Grand Junction Central’s Max Marsh threw for 2,296. The combination of Marsh and LSU football commit Kole Taylor is going to be a major attraction on the Western Slope this fall.

The top five passers from 3A all graduated a year ago making George Washington’s Jaydon Green the top returning passer in the class as he threw for 1,722. Pueblo South’s Logan Petit (1,581 yards) and Durango’s Jordan Woolverton (1,560 yards) are other 3A names to keep an eye on.

Aspen’s Tyler Ward led 2A with 2,202 yards last year and will be back as a junior in 2019 as will Meeker’s Ryan Phelan who topped all 1A passers with 1,869 in 2018.

Front Range Christian’s Luke Hiltman led all 8-man passers with 2,079 yards and will be back this fall. Briggsdale senior Tyler Blickem returns with 2,368 passing yards from last year which topped all of 6-man.

Granada sophomore Dominic Coleman got the attention of the class by throwing for 1,609 yards as a freshman.

In terms of touchdowns, Atkinson set the standard state-wide with 55. Blickem threw for 36 and Silva connected on 30 touchdown passes.

Rushing:

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

The ground attack throughout the state lost a lot of spild performers from last year. Smoky Hill’s Obasanjo Sanni returns as the top returning rusher as he cleared the 2,000-yard mark last year and averaged 181 yards per game.

Legacy’s Dakota Key (1,799) and Fountain-Fort Carson’s Q. Jones (1,406) round out 5A’s top three returning rushers.

There were standout runners from 3A that are also making their way back this year. Palisade’s Cam Tucker ran for 1,662 and Thomas Jefferson’s Daveon Hunter ran for 1,410 yards in nine games.

In 4A, the top two returners both come out of Academy District 20 as Pine Creek’s David Moore III returns with 1,494 yards from last year. Down the road at Rampart, Chris Yoo totaled 1,317 yards and both backs will be seniors this fall.

The biggest loss of production on the ground comes in 2A where 10 of the top 12 rushers from last year were seniors. Coming into this season, just Brush’s Nick Wellen (1,250) and Bishop Machebeuf’s Darius Richards (1,012) return with over 1,000 rushing yards from last year.

That’s a big difference in 1A where the top two rushers from 2018 will be back as seniors this fall. Colorado Springs Christian senior Peyton Brones led all of 1A with 1,724 yards last year while Monte Vista’s Kaidon Wenta sat right behind him on the leaderboard with 1,475.

Dove Creek’s Chorbin Cressler broke into the top five of all 8-man rushers as just a freshman last year with 1,243 yards and will look to build on that momentum this season. Pikes Peak Christian’s Hudson Grant is 8-man’s No. 2 returning rusher with 1,188 yards in 2018.

Tucker returns with the most rushing touchdowns from last year with 28. Stratton/Liberty’s Jaret Lichty ran for 27 and Brones punched the ball in 24 times.

Receiving

Losing Kain Medrano was always going to be a big deal for Pueblo East. But if there is a silver lining, it’s that Marvon London, Jr. appears ready to fill the void.

The senior receiver for the Eagles amassed more receiving yards than any other player returning in 2019. His 1,083 yards were seventh in the state last fall and with Medrano gone, the number has a chance of increasing this season.

Palmer Ridge’s Deuce Roberson (937) and Harrison’s Seth Fuller (928) are the other top 3A receivers coming back.

Fairview’s Henry Blackburn hauled 890 receiving yards to lead all 5A returners and should thrive again with Atkinson still tossing passes for the Knights.

Heritage junior Terrance Ferguson totaled 972 receiving yards making him the top returning 4A receiver this season.

Two of last season’s top three receivers will be back in 2A. Aspen’s Max Ufkes led the class with 920 receiving yards and Englewood’s Nate Gravagno ranked third with 824.

As much as 1A had coming back in terms of rushing production, that is not the case with receiving. Estes Park sophomore Calum Torrey had 442 receiving yards last year which is the most for anyone who was not a senior.

Sangre de Cristo’s Mario Enriquez leds all 8-man returners with 594 yards while Deer Trail’s Dayne Woodis comes back with 730 yards which was second in 6-man last year.

Blackburn returns with the most receiving touchdowns form last year with 17. Woodis and Roberson each hauled in 11 touchdown catches last year.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — More than 300 athletic directors gathered at the annual All-School Summit got a small introduction to esports on Tuesday.

Students from Gateway put on a demonstration with League of Legends matches in the lobby of the Denver Marriott Tech Center. Esports is set to begin a pilot season this fall, and this demonstration allowed the athletic directors to see what a match might look like in their schools.

It was the second esports demonstration within a week — the Gateway team also scrimmaged at the CHSCA clinic last Friday.

The demo was in conjunction with a presentation about esports to the gathered attendees, one of many topics the All-School Summit touched on this week.

The esports pilot will be run by PlayVS this season.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

(Tom Hoganson)

If teams are to be judged by playoff seeding, Glenwood Springs far exceeded its expectations in 2018.

But it didn’t necessarily start that way. Through the first four games of the season, the Demons were sitting on a 1-3 record. They had surrendered 10 goals in their three losses and for a brief moment, the waters of the upcoming season appeared rough.

Coach Wayne Smith did his best to preach patience to his guys and stress that three early losses are by no means a death sentence for the rest of the season.

“On the Western Slope there are a few really competitive teams,” coach Wayne Smith said. “We’ve always been fighting to get into that (successful) category. Once the momentum started rolling, we felt like a team that should be right there.”

A 10-0 win over Grand Junction Central proved to be just what Glenwood needed. The Demons went on a run, winning nine of their final 11 games of the year. The only blemishes were a 2-2 tie at Battle Mountain and a 2-0 loss, also against Battle Mountain.

The loss to the Huskies ended the regular season, but Glenwood was playoff bound. And it had the weapons to make a run. Then-junior German Alvarado had scored 14 goals to that point. His three in the playoffs pushed him to a team-high 17 on the year, three better than senior Leo Mireles.

Alvarado won’t have to look far for support as Justin Garces (11 goals) and Alan Videla (eight) will also be back on the field for the Demons.

“It’s probably the strong senior class that I’ve ever had,” Smith said. “(Alvarado, Garces and Videla) are the three main guys. We have a couple of other strong seniors as well. I told German he had to score at least 20 goals this year.”

Defensively, Smith is excited to have Mitchell Burt returning as the center-back. He credits Burt as one of the biggest reasons that the Demons found success in tight games.

“We had a defensive mentality that propelled us through the playoffs,” Smith said. 

The net will also be guarded be a veteran. Carlos Guardado recorded 1,515 minutes in net last year and was crucial to Glenwood’s success, specifically in the Class 4A state tournament.

The Demons went in as the No. 20 seed and edged No. 13 Discovery Canyon 1-0 to advance. Next up was the Durango team that had handed Glenwood a 3-1 loss to open the year. Garces scored the game’s lone goal and Guardado recorded 10 saves to get the shutout.

A 5-4 win over Kennedy put the Demons into the semifinals. That had been unfamiliar territory for the team considering it hadn’t even made the playoffs since 2009.

“We were a 19 seed at the start of the playoffs based on our record and RPI,” Smith said. “We got in the playoffs and just made a really remarkable run. Everything was firing for us and we could see the momentum building.”

The run came to an end after a 3-1 loss to Air Academy, the eventual 4A champion. But the experience along with the returning players from last year’s roster are indicators that 2018 will hopefully be anything but a fluke.

“We have our season opener against Durango who is a program that has been one of the best on the Western Slope,” Smith said. “If we get a good result against them in the season opener, that will be a good start.”

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

The two-day All-School Summit, which marks the start of the 2019-20 school year, kicked off on Monday in Denver.

The event, held at the Marriott Denver Tech Center, spans Monday and Tuesday, and offers athletic directors wide-ranging information as they get set to begin their year.

Monday consists of the new athletic directors meeting, in partnership with the Colorado Athletic Directors Association, which seeks to give the more than 60 new ADs helpful tips to navigate their first year

The annual CHSAA Golf Tournament is also Monday. It benefits the Foundation for Colorado High School Student Activities, CHSAANow.com, and other outreach programs.

On Monday evening, there is a reception for all attendees.

On Tuesday, every athletic director from schools around the state will gather for meetings which include presentations from the CHSAA staff, their peers and various experts.

More information about the All-School Summit is available on this page.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

As the summer days begin to fade away, it’s nearly time to start looking to the fall. The official start of practice is just weeks away and once the ball gets rolling, the 2019-20 athletic season will consume coaches, athletes and fans for the better part of nine months.

Over the last few weeks, CHSAANow.com has featured returning stat leaders from various sports (football leaders will come next week), but the real question that lingers is who is everyone excited to see?

So we asked.

We shot emails to various outlets throughout the state and asked them who they’re excited to see once competition starts next month while adding a few names of our own.

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The Pueblo Chieftain’s Marcus Hill and Austin White

Athlete: Marvin London Jr.
Year: Senior
School: Pueblo East
Sport: Football

Why to watch: Marvin London Jr. had a team-high 73 receptions for the Eagles last season. He also had 1,083 yards and seven touchdowns — both second to only Kain Medrano.

Athlete: Samantha Meehan
Year: Senior
School: Pueblo County
Sport: Volleyball

Why to watch: The Hornets senior ran rampant through the South-Central League last season and helped Pueblo County go 10-0 in league play. She led the Hornets with 284 kills, 24 aces. Meehan along with the core of Hornets hope to repeat as S-CL champs this season.

CHSAANow.com’s Dan Mohrmann

Athlete: Trey Jones
Year: Senior
School: Palmer Ridge
Sport: Boys golf

Why to watch: Jones has a little bit of work cut out for him this fall, but in terms of the Colorado Springs area, he’s one of the top returning golfers. He finished tied for 18th at the Class 4A state tournament and this summer tied for 14th in the JGAC Junior PGA Championship on the difficult Blue Course at the Air Force Academy.

9News’ Taylor Temby

Athlete: Katie Fankhouser
Year: Senior
School: Lyons
Sport: Girls Cross Country

Why to watch: Katie is a phenomenal multi-sport athlete. This fall, the 2018 runner of the year will look to defend her 2A cross-country individual state title, one that helped the Lions claim just their second ever team championship. A side note – she is also the third ranked female junior freestyle kayaker in the WORLD. To say she is competitive would be a huge understatement.

Athlete: Gavin Sawchuk
Year: Sophomore
School: Valor Christian
Sport: Football

Why to watch: Expect Gavin to carry the same energy and momentum from his freshman season into his sophomore campaign. He put up 13 touchdowns for the Eagles in 2018 – in large part due to his speed. Sawchuk posted the fastest 100m dash time in the Colorado during the spring track and field season, and he already boasts several D1 football offers.

Athlete: Alexisius “Q” Jones
Year: Junior
School: Fountain-Fort Carson
Sport: Football

Why to watch: Q. Jones had anything but a good ending to his season. In his first year in a Trojan varsity uniform, he amassed 1,738 all-purpose yards. But his season was cut short due to a leg injury. FFC coach Jake Novotny told us this summer that Jones will be ready to go. He’s reportedly getting looks from the University of Colorado and Wyoming and the list is expected to grow upon his return to the field.

The Coloradoan’s Kevin Lytle

Athlete: Nikki McGaffin
Year: Sophomore
School: Fossil Ridge
Sport: Softball

Why to watch: McGaffin starred in the pitching circle as a freshman in 2018 to help the SaberCats win 21 games. She went 14-1 with a 1.78 ERA (second in 5A), striking out 122 in 90.1 innings pitched.

Athlete: Tate Satterfield
Year: Senior
School: Poudre
Sport: Football

Why to watch: Satterfield was eighth in 5A in 2018 with 1,238 rush yards, scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground. He’ll be a key part of an experience Poudre team that could challenge for the Front Range League title.

The Durango Herald’s John Livingston

Athlete: Madeleine Burns
Year: Senior
School: Durango High School
Sport: Girls Cross Country

Why to watch: A year after Burns finished 13th in the 4A girls cross country state race, she is back as a senior looking for a podium finish for the Demons. Last spring, she won the girls 3,200 meter run at the 4A state track and field meet and backed it up with a third-place finish in the 1,600. She broke the school record in the 5K last year the Liberty Bell Invitational and is primed for a big senior season after a summer of competing around the country.

Athlete: Millie O’Ketter
Year: Senior
School: Durango High School
Sport: Volleyball

Why to watch: A senior libero and outside hitter, O’Ketter has already verbally committed to Northern Arizona University to play Division I volleyball. This summer, she competed in the Global Challenge International volleyball tournament in Croatia, helping her team to a 5-2 overall record in the udner-18 division with the lone losses coming to first-place Italy and second-place Netherlands. She led her team with 47 of the squad’s 111 digs and also led the team in serve receive accuracy and was second in assists.

Athlete: Leland Heinicke
Year: Senior
School: Durango High
Sport: Boys soccer

Why to watch: As a junior, Heinicke had a team-high 14 goals and added four assists to help lead the Demons to the fourth seed in the 4A state tournament. At 6-foot-4, Heinicke is dangers when he gets his head on the ball in set pieces, and he has the skill to once again lead Durango on a playoff push.

Other athletes to watch:

Laurin Krings (Loveland softball): The returning 5A player of the year is on a mission to bring home a state championship.

Amelia McCarthy (Cherry Creek field hockey): After falling short in the state championship game last year, McCarthy has the talent to take the Bruins to the top of the field hockey mountain.

Kole Taylor (Grand Junction Central football): Taylor hauled in eight touchdown catches in 2018 and recently committed to LSU. He makes the Warriors an instant threat when he’s on the field.

Cruz Culpepper (Niwot boys cross country): Last year’s 4A champ has ambitions of defending his championship this fall.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

With the fall season rapidly approaching, CHSAANow is seeking voters to take part in its weekly polls.

These polls are open to head coaches and select media in field hockey, boys soccer, softball and volleyball, and only head coaches in football.

The voting panel votes once per week during the regular seasons, on Sunday through Monday. We have an online voting system, or voters may also turn in a ballot over email.

If you are interested in signing up, please email rcasey@chsaa.org the following information:

• Sport
• Your name
• Your school (or media outlet)
• The classification you play in

Again, the voting is only open to head coaches and select media members.

This season, these football polls are a factor in the postseason seeding in 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A.

(Chris Fehrm/Chris Fehrm Photography)

INDIANAPOLIS — Allowing players to freely move around the playing field after a whistle is one of 12 changes to high school girls lacrosse rules approved for the 2020 season.

All rules changes recommended by the joint National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and US Lacrosse (USL) Girls Lacrosse Rules Committee at its June 17-19 meeting in Indianapolis were subsequently approved by the NFHS and USL Boards of Directors.

“The committee addressed topics ranging from equipment requirements to the philosophical change to free movement with intention and extraordinary attention to detail,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS director of sports/communications associate and liaison to the Girls Lacrosse Rules Committee. “The commitment of the joint NFHS/USL committee to do what is best for high school girls lacrosse was evident in both the content of their discussion and the outcomes of their hard work.”

The change to free movement impacts several areas of the NFHS/USL Rules Book. Rules 5-1-2 and 5-1-3 have been adjusted to eliminate the requirement for players to stand in place after an official’s whistle.

Free movement allows players to freely move around the playing field, instead of being required to hold their positions on stoppages including possession time-outs (Rule 4-3-3), injury time-outs (Rule 4-2-3), major and minor fouls (Rule 5-3-1), when the ball goes out of bounds (Rule 6-3-1) and free position or alternating-possession restarts (Rule 10-1).

“This will be an exciting rule change for the high school game, one which we believe will enhance the athlete experience on the field and ease the workload on officials to monitor players off the ball,” said Caitlin Kelley, US Lacrosse women’s lacrosse director and the USL liaison to the Girls Lacrosse Rules Committee. “The rules committee prioritizes safety, integrity of the game, pace of place and growth. We want our student-athletes to love the game and attract new players to the sport too.”

Additionally, in Rule 4-3-3, players may now be substituted for during a possession time-out, except for the player being awarded the ball and the offender.

Rule 5-4-4 has been amended to allow self-starts on boundary restarts. On boundary restarts, opponents must give the player in possession of the ball at least two meters — an additional meter from the previous requirement (Rule 6-3-1b).

When a stoppage in play causes the ball to become dead that was in the critical scoring area, Rules 4-3-3, 5-1-3, 5-3-1 and 7-3 PENALTY now indicate play will resume on the closet dot.

“The impact of free movement on the rules is complex,” Atkinson said. “The committee was diligent in addressing each impacted rule to ensure a comprehensive implementation of the concept into the high school game.”

Self-starting when self-start is not an option is now considered a major foul in Rule 10-1 under false starts. Additionally, under major fouls, a check to the neck is now included under check to the head with a mandatory card assessed.

Rule 5-2-2 was amended to allow any number, up to 12 players from each team, on the field prior to the start of each draw. Prior to the change, each team was required to have 12 players on the field unless a team could not do so legally.

Changes to Rules 2-2-5 and 2-4-3 amend crosse and stick requirements. A crosse now meets specifications if the ball moves freely in the front of the pocket, removing the requirement for the back of the pocket. Additionally, during stick checks, game officials will ensure that the ball rolls out of the back of the pocket when placed in the upper third of the head at its widest point and the stick and head are tilted 90 degrees.

“The committee felt that it was important to separate the performance requirements of the front and back face of the head during stick checks,” Atkinson said. “This change simply distinguishes the differences in performance and clarifies the stick check process.”

In a change to Rule 2-7-4, equipment cannot be modified from its original manufactured state and it must be worn in the manner the manufacturer intended.

Rule 2-7-2 now requires that all eyewear worn on the playing field bear the SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) mark for certification by January 1, 2025. Eyewear must still be SEI certified for the 2020 season; the requirement for a physical mark on the eyewear does not take effect until 2025. All approved eyewear is listed on the SEI website at www.seinet.org.

“SEI certification and the ASTM standard remain the same and an important part of maintaining safety for our student-athletes,” Kelley said. “The rules committee extended the requirement of the physical markings on the eyewear in order to minimize unnecessary cost to the consumers.”

A change to Rule 6-3-2 clarifies that a player’s body or crosse that is inbounds and nearest to the ball determines possession of the ball when play resumes.

In a tweak to Rule 9-1, the description of the minor foul, covering, is now described as covering a ground ball, instead of guarding. Additionally, preventing an opponent from playing the ball by covering the ball with the body now constitutes a minor foul. Previously, using a foot or crosse to guard a ground ball was a minor field foul.

Rule 2-8-4 now prohibits the use of video replay to review an official’s decision, consistent with other NFHS rules.

The final rules change adjusts Rule 10-1 regarding the free position after a major foul. The free position will now be taken on the 12-meter fan closest to the spot of the foul.

A complete listing of the girls lacrosse rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Lacrosse-Girls.”

According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, there are 96,904 girls participating in lacrosse at 2,781 high schools across the country.

(Kevin Saffer/MaxPreps)

A stigma sometimes exists in high school sports that if an athlete wants to play their sport at a high level in college, they must play at a big high school.

Prairie’s Hannah Kinnison is just another example that talent can be found anywhere. It doesn’t have to be concentrated in the biggest schools of the biggest area.

The actual town that Prairie resides in has two “official” names. Legally it’s known as Raymer. The United States Post Office lists the town as New Raymer.

Regardless of what name it goes by, the town is small. Population as of 2010 was 95 people. That number had estimated to have grown to 105 by 2016.

But as of October, the one thing that was clear was that the town contained Division I volleyball talent.

“It has always been my dream to play D-I,” Kinnison said. “I decided early that I was going to work my butt off and just do it. I started working, playing a lot and getting in the gym.”

Kinnison stood out in a big way in her first two years on the Mustangs’ roster. She totaled 789 kills in 156 sets played.

In her freshman season, Kinnison helped Prairie advance to the semifinals of the Class 1A state tournament before losing to eventual champion Fleming.

Although the Mustangs fell off a bit in 2017 — going 13-12 and not advancing out of districts — Kinnison still shined on the court.

She had better kill numbers (411 to 378) and her hitting percentage remained consistent (about 23 percent both years).

She didn’t log any time of the floor for the Mustangs in 2018 after tearing her ACL. The injury cost her a year of competition which is something that can be difficult for a teenager trying to both enjoy the game she loves and find her way to the collegiate level.

“It was painful and one of the toughest things I’ve ever gone through,” she said. “I think mentally it makes you so strong. It might’ve been better for me in the long run but at the time, it killed me.”

Last October she announced her commitment to the University of San Francisco making her the eighth Division I commit out of Colorado. The other seven come from schools that play at a 4A level or higher.

To someone like Kinnison, however, that means nothing. It’s not about where someone goes to school as much as it is about the work they’re willing to put it. If they invest in themselves, reaching their goals become much easier.

“I really think anybody can do it,” she said. “Of course you have to have talent, but if you don’t work at it you’re not going anywhere.”

Now back to full health and with her college choice made, Kinnison is looking forward to getting back on the court with the Mustangs for her senior season.

She clearly remembers the joys that came with successful seasons and is looking forward to sharing those moments again with her friends.

“I’m looking forward to playing with the girls in my class,” she said. “We have a good senior class and there are some younger kids that are super athletic. I’m just hoping to be a leader for them and be a good role model and hopefully lead them to state.”

(Cindy Betancourt/eStudioWest.com)

A thrilling one-goal game gave Regis Jesuit the 2018 field hockey state championship, but when looking at what’s returning this fall, it might just be Cherry Creek – the team on short end of last year’s title game – who heads into the fall as the favorite to win it all.

And the primary reason is that the Bruins are returning plenty of offense in the upcoming year. Among the three primary offensive stats, it is a Cherry Creek star sitting at or near the top of leaders when it comes to players returning in 2019.

Looking ahead, the 2019 field hockey season is returning enough firepower to build on the excitement that last year’s season season ended with.

[divider]

Points

It might be too early to think about potential players of the year, but the fact is that with Amelia McCarthy returning for Cherry Creek there is certainly someone to watch early in the year.

McCarthy leads all returning players with 46 total points from the 2018 season. Colorado Academy’s Katherine Merrifield follows McCarthy with 41 and will hope to have an even better campaign in her junior season.

Hailey Rhine out of St. Mary’s Academy totaled 33 points while state champ Regis Jesuit returns Lauren Pendergast, who scored 27. It was Pendergast who scored both goals for the Raiders in the 2018 championship game. She may not be the top scorer to return, but potentially the most impactful.

Goals

To go along with total points, McCarthy and Merrifield return as the top two goal scorers from the 2018 season. McCarthy buried 19 shots into the net, barely edging out Merrifield by one.

Rhine comes in third with 14 and Denver East senior Luna Rosenzweig scored 12.

Assists

Denver East’s Lucy McHugh led the state last year with 11 assists. She returns for her senior year looking to once again sit on top of the leaderboard after the 2019. McCarthy and St. Mary’s Academy’s Darian Smith each finished the season with eight making them every bit as dangerous as last year’s overall leaders.

Pendergast is also right there as she dished out seven passes that led directly to goals.

With her ability to find scorers and to bury shots in the net at the right time, Pendergast is one of just many returning talents fixing to make the field hockey season a memorable one.

(Justin Saylor/CHSAANow.com)

More than 400 student leaders and advisers gathered at CSU-Fort Collins for the 55th Annual CHSAA Student Leadership Summer Camp last week.

The camp is four days of leadership training and development that helps student leaders return to their individual campuses prepared to plan activities, work with other groups to promote campus events, and to work with their building staff as they continue to build a positive school climate.

Students arrive at camp by school, but are immediately put into council groups, a random selection of 20-25 student leaders. The councils learn and grow together, sharing best-practices learned from their own school experiences. This provides for a level of learning that give students an up-close look at a variety of school activities and leadership programming offered across Colorado.

This camp also allows for the 70+ schools that were represented to share in what makes their schools so amazing.

Over the four days students are at camp they participate in activities that enrich their learning, but there are also plenty of fun activities for them to participate in, including a large group activity (think “Minute to Win it”-style games), hearing a message from a nationally-known motivational speaker, a dance, and the end-of camp Achievement Night and Candle Lighting Ceremony.

Achievement Night is a great opportunity for Councils to share a culminating camp message.

This year, Councils were asked to create a PSA that brings awareness, shares a message, or shines a light on something all leaders need to know. The responses, by Council, ranged from how to be a friend, to sharing mental health resources, to putting your phone away in order to connect with people outside of social media.

On this night we also recognize the Colorado Student Leadership “Adviser of the Year” with the Warren E. Shull Award and our NatStuCo (natstuco.us) “Council of Excellence” Award recipients.

While the camp is mostly about students, there is also a learning track for advisers.

CSU offers graduate level credits for those advisers who complete the camp course requirements. Alice Stoneback, Student Council adviser from Manitou Springs High School is the facilitator for the Adult Council (known as Council X) and does an amazing job of sharing resources, teaching adviser basics, and engaging the group in conversations that allow them to share “best practices.”

To say that our adults are getting just as much from this camp as our student leaders would be an understatement. This camp is about filling the leadership buckets of all who attend.

As we head into the school year, look forward to more information about Student Leadership events, including the Student Leadership Fall Conference, Adviser University, and next summer’s student leadership event.