For its exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that serve to improve the school and community, the Durango High School student council has been recognized as a 2020 National Gold Council of Excellence by National Association of Student Councils (NatStuCo).
“Receiving a National Gold Council of Excellence Award reflects the highest dedication on the part of the school to providing a strong, well-rounded student council program,” said Nara Lee, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Director of Student Leadership. “NatStuCo applauds the work of the National Gold Councils of Excellence and challenges them to continue their leadership and service to their schools and communities.”
The 2020 Gold Council of Excellence was earned by 261 high schools nationwide and 16 high schools in Colorado. More importantly, Durango was also 1 of 13 schools in the country to be recognized for a Decade of Excellence award. This honor is bestowed on councils who have received a NatStuCo Council of Excellence award for at least 10 years.
“It’s a huge honor receiving this award and means so much more hitting 10 years of recognition,” said Miles Bronson, Durango’s co-student body president.
Added Kaylan Wait, Durango’s DHS co-student body president: “This award helps recognize all of the countless hours spent by student council members in their efforts to promote the welcoming environment of our school, and we are incredibly proud to be a recipient!”
Wait also thanked the StuCo parents and Durango community for their ongoing and continual support of DHS Student Council.
“We would also like to thank our parents and community members for their constant support and encouragement of our program,” Wait said.
Durango student body secretary treasurer Laura Clark expressed how this award has helped her grow as a leader.
“I can’t express the extent to which this program has influenced my growth and success in high school,” Clark said. “By following the guidelines for recognition of this award, our student council class and myself personally have become better leaders and hopefully impacted many lives throughout our school and larger community. Leaving DHS, I could not be more proud to say that I am an alum of both Durango High School and the student council program.”
Finally, Durango student body vice president Lilah Hwang offered thoughts on how receiving this award motivates her.
“Receiving this award makes me all the more proud to be a part of this council and family,” Hwang said. “To be able to show the community and other councils around the state all of our hard work is not only an amazing accomplishment but a motivation to continue to strive to be better than the year before.”
To meet the requirements for the National Council of Excellence Award, a student council must meet a variety of criteria. In addition to basic requirements such as a written constitution, regular meetings, a democratic election process, the councils have demonstrated successful sponsorship and participation in activities such as leadership development and service to the school and community.
Councils awarded the gold level of the award have successfully demonstrated the highest levels of leadership.
For more information on the Durango HS Student Leadership program, contact DHS Leadership advisor Dale Garland (dgarland@durangoschools.org) or the Durango High School Athletics/Activities office.
The Student Leadership committee selected the fourteen 2020-21 CHSAA State Reps on Friday from a competitive list of over fifty applicants.
The final selections, which include a diverse group of students from every corner of Colorado, each offer unique backgrounds and perspectives that stood out among their peers.
“I was impressed with the resumes of each applicant,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Justin Saylor, who oversees student leadership. “Each student had proven leadership qualities, which made narrowing the list down extremely difficult. I commend the committee for their hard work and look forward to working with this group of State Reps over the course of next school year.”
The State Reps will have a daunting task ahead, trying to navigate the obstacles put forth by the COVID-19 pandemic that has currently shifted all activities and learning to virtual platforms.
Led by State Rep Advisor Trey Downey (Grand Junction Central), the group will go to work right away, planning for all Student Leadership programming for the upcoming school year.
State Reps will have a myriad of responsibilities, some of which include sitting on various CHSAA committees, assisting in the coordination of Student Leadership Summer and Fall Conferences, and being a voice for the CHSAA student body as a whole.
The final list includes six returning State Reps and eight new members, comprising of twelve seniors and two juniors.
Stadiums across Colorado lit up on Monday night as schools and districts sought to offer a beacon of hope to their students.
From Bennett to Steamboat Springs, local stadiums turned on their lights as they responded to an idea from CHSAA assistant commissioner Adam Bright to show students we are thinking of them, even as schools remained closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“High schools are so often the centerpiece of a community,” Bright said. “Shining the lights lets our communities and students know we miss them and look forward to being back. When this is over, these lights will be on and the stadiums will fill as we resume life as normal and celebrate our communities through high school athletics and activities.”
“Seeing empty stadiums with lights on in other parts of the country on social media, I thought it would be a great way to engage our Colorado high school communities,” Bright added. “I wanted to see our social media feeds filled with Colorado stadiums being the light for Colorado so I consulted with a couple of schools across the state to create a ‘Be The Light’ challenge for our schools to compete in.”
Steamboat Springs athletic director Luke DeWolfe sent the following message to his school community: “Last night the lights at Gardner Field were turned as a beacon of solidarity that signifies our commitment to kids, and our community. The lights burned for 11 minutes (one minute for each day we have been out of school). Together we will continue to shine.”
Said District 11 district athletic director Chris Noll: “The school is the hub of a community and kids love being at school. They might not always love class, but most of them love being at school and being around their peers and friends and staff members. Colorado Springs D11 is excited to participate in #BeTheLightCO as a way for us to tell our kids that we miss them and we are thinking of them! Even though we might not be together, we are still there for not only them, but the families of D11. ”
Taking part on Monday night included:
Durango, which wrote that “our stadium misses you, our halls miss you, our classrooms miss you!”
DHS Students – Our stadium misses you, our halls miss you, our classrooms miss you! We light the lights for you tonight students. We miss you and know you’re going to get through this dark chapter. There will be light once again in our stadium! #bethelightCO @AdamCHSAA @CHSAApic.twitter.com/K6JqS8uqmi
— 9R Durango Athletics & Activities (@9RDurangoAD) March 31, 2020
“Bennett Tiger Family we are leaving the lights on for you! Let this be a light of hope and assurance that you are on our hearts and in our minds. We will run the lights every weekday night from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Paul Reed Field”. #bethelightCOpic.twitter.com/BQUDeI34pA
Now the hope is that other schools and school districts jump in and take part.
“More and more lights across Colorado will shine bright over the coming days as a symbol of hope and assurance that our communities are in our thoughts,” Bright said. “I’m proud of the sense of camaraderie our Colorado high schools share and will enjoy this challenge lighting up stadiums in solidarity of great days ahead across the state.”
LAKEWOOD — There is a reason why basketball coaches insist players work on free throws before, during and after practice.
Green Mountain sophomore Courtney Hank is a perfect example.
“I’ve been working on them a lot since freshman year,” Hank said of her free-throw shooting. “It has been a little struggle. Something finally clicked.”
Green Mountain junior Courtney Hank, middle, battled inside for a game high 23-point — including 15-for-18 from the free-throw line — Tuesday night against Durango. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Making shots from the charity stripe are magnified even more during the playoffs and the spotlight Tuesday night was clearly on Hank. She stepped up to the free-throw line 18 times in the Class 4A girls basketball Sweet 16 game against No. 14 seed Durango.
“Courtney has been in the gym doing the extra work shooting on her own. It directly paid off to help win this game,” Green Mountain coach Darren Pitzner said after Hank’s 15-for-18 performance from the charity stripe helped lift the 4A Jeffco League champs and No. 3-seeded Rams to a 58-45 home win.
Hank finished with a game-high 23 points in a game that was close until the Rams (23-2 record) pulled away midway through the fourth quarter. Green Mountain went on a 12-2 run for nearly four minutes in the final quarter to grab its first double-digit lead of the game.
It was a struggled in the first half for the Rams. Durango held Green Mountain without a field goal in the second quarter to tie the game at 20-20 heading into halftime.
“I’m very proud of the girls. Much better composure in the second half,” Pitzner said. “We were really tested. Major credit to Durango. They had awesome fans here. They are extremely well-coached.”
The final fourth-quarter push by Green Mountain had plenty of players in key roles. Senior Riley Shoemaker hit a 3-pointer with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter to push the Rams’ lead to 41-37. Sophomore Shea Murphy scored in an inside bucket 20 seconds later.
“The balance was really good,” Pitzner said of the final stretch with seven different players scoring in the second half for the Rams. “The girls did a good job slowing the game down. We did a good job pounding the ball inside in the second half.”
Green Mountain freshman Jayda Maves (23) jumps into the passing lane as Durango junior Kyle Rowland (12) tries to break the Rams’ full-court press. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Hank had her second 3-point play of the second half the hard way with the layup and foul with 4:18 remaining to make the score 46-37. Sophomore Avery Oaster had a nice inside basket for the Rams and Shoemaker scored on a driving layup to make it a double-digit lead.
“The seniors didn’t want this to be our last game,” Shoemaker said of the halftime talk. “We talked about coming together and stop playing as individuals.”
Hank finished out the game going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Shoemaker finished with 10 points. Senior Maddie Phillips added eight points.
“Of course we have ambitious goals of what we want to accomplish this year, but much more important in the big picture for us is savoring every day together,” Pitzner said. “Continuing to push each other and work together as a family.”
The Rams ride their 9-game winning streak into the 4A state quarterfinals. Green Mountain hosts No. 11 Sierra on Friday, March 6, with a ticket to the Final 4 at the Denver Coliseum next week on the line. Sierra took a 43-40 road win over Thompson Valley on Tuesday night.
“It’s crazy. I never thought we’d get this far,” Hank said. “We are excited and we’ll see where it goes.”
Durango (15-10) closes out its season with the program’s first winning record since advancing to the Sweet 16 during the 2016-17 season. Freshman Mason Rowland scored a team-high 18 points off the bench for the Demons in the season-ending loss.
Durango junior Brenna Wolf (4) gets defensive pressure from Green Mountain sophomore Avery Oaster (24) and Courtney Hank (33) during the third quarter Tuesday night in the Class 4A Sweet 16 game at Green Mountain High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
MINTURN — The sibling duo of Elsie and Anders Weiss, both skiing for Aspen, were each crowned champions during the first day of the state skiing championships.
Elsie, a freshman, cruised to a first-place finish in the classic start, winning her race when she finished in 16:56.5. Anders, a sophomore, won his race about 30 minutes later when he finished with a top time of 14:33.6.
Anders Weiss. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
For each, it was the first high school race they’d won all season. Elsie had finished second twice, and third another time, and Anders had multiple top-10 finishes.
Colorado Rocky Mountain School’s Lola Villafranco (17:15.0) was second, Middle Park’s Sylvia Brower (17:35.6) was third, Vail Mountain’s Izzy Glackin was fourth (17:35.6), and Aspen’s Eva McDonough (17:53.0) placed fifth.
Aspen’s girls team had six finishers among the top 11, and three in the top six.
On the boys side, Taiga Moore of Aspen helped the Skiers finish 1-2 when he finished in 14:47.3. Middle Park had Alex Holinka (14:55.5) place third, and Sebastian Brower (15:06.2) place fourth. Ferguson St. John of Eagle Valley (15:09.5) was fifth.
Middle Park had four of the top nine finishers in the race.
The day started with alpine races in giant slalom, and it was a pair of freshman who won the events.
Samantha Edelman. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
In the girls race, Aspen’s Samantha Edelman edged Battle Mountain’s Berit Frischholz for the title with a two-run time of 2:14.56. Frischholz was just 0.41 back with a time of 2:14.97.
Also placing in the top-5 for the girls was Evergreen teammates Jenna Blatchford (2:16.40) and Kylee Ornstein (2:16.48), as well as Stella Sherlock of Aspen (2:17.14).
Aspen also had skiers finish six and eighth, giving them four of the top eight placers.
In the boys race, Durango’s Toby Scarpella won with a two-run time of 2:10.97, giving the Demons their first individual state championship since the program returned three years ago. The program previously went away in the 1980s.
Vail Mountain’s Cole Pattison (2:12.07) placed second, and was followed by Aspen’s Charlie Olsen (2:13.75), Vail Mountain’s Mackay Pattison (2:14.97), and Battle Mountain’s Jakub Pecinka (2:14.99).
Battle Mountain had three finishers place in the top-10 in the GS, while Aspen and Vail Mountain each had two.
In terms of the team race, Aspen leads both the boys and the girls fields, and Battle Mountain sits in second for both. Their girls have totaled 342 points through two events, ahead of Battle Mountain’s 303.5 points. The boys have a 324-311 lead over Battle Mountain.
