Student Spotlight: Nicole Fox, 16, a senior at Monarch High School in Louisville

Camera staff
Sunday, March 30, 2008

Nicole Fox, 16, a senior at Monarch High School in Louisville

Accomplishment: Nicole is an accomplished young artist. She is so passionate about oil painting that she turned the kitchen at her house into a temporary studio. Earlier this year, she entered her work in the Colorado Scholastic Art Awards and won two Gold Keys for an ink drawing and an oil painting. She is graduating a year early, and the University of Denver has offered her a scholarship after reviewing her eight-piece portfolio.

Q: What brought you into art?

A: Hmmm, that's a great question. When I was little, I really worshipped my older sister (and still do). She was always drawing little cartoon characters, so I began to copy her. It didn't take long for me to figure out that art is really something I love. My sister is pursuing an acting career now, but I'm still sketching away! And hey, it helps that my dad is part genius, part photographer; my mom part awesome, part painter; and my little sister part art critic, part undefined and to be continued!

Q: What characteristics does one need in order to be a good artist?

A: Well, just taking a look at art history here, I'd say that craziness is a must. ... But seriously, to be a good artist I think a person needs to be passionate and very focused. An artist's motivation must be personal satisfaction -- there are too many critics out there for anybody to be successful painting pictures solely for the acceptance of an anonymous audience. Do that, and the value, meaning and success of your art all hinges on their reaction. If the picture is poorly received, it's a failure. Paint for yourself, and every painting you create will have value.

Q: What do you like most about high school?

A: Graduating ... ha, ha ... Seriously, I have enjoyed seeing how other people think and perceive their lives.

Q: If you could change one thing about high school, what would it be?

A: I wish that classes at my high school were less textbook-based and more, errr, life-based? Don't get me wrong here, structure and stability is important, but sometimes I just sit back and wonder why I'm in a class. What possible application do the facts have to my real life? I think it's a common misconception that we teenagers just want to slack and told to obey. The thought that it's all just a big waste of time is enough to tempt anyone to ditch, and many of us do! (Though just for the record I'm not one of them.)

Q: What makes a good teacher?

A: Passion for what you teach, creativity in how you teach and care for who you teach.

Q: What's your favorite movie?

A: "Cool Hand Luke"... or maybe "The World's Fastest Indian," depending on the day. And oh, man, could I have "The Triplets of Belleville" for favorite animated film, please?

Q: What do you like to do for fun?

A: Well, I love to mountain bike and snowboard with my family, and I am a big fan of Moto GP and Formula One racing as well. My family and I go out to watch motorcycle racing every year, and are hoping to catch an F1 race sometime soon!

Q: What's your dream job?

A: My dream job ... That would have to be part artist, part racer for Ferrari and Ducati. Oh, and did I mention race director on the side?

Student spotlight: Connor King

Connor King, eighth-grader at Eldorado K-8 in Superior

Accomplishment: Connor is a football player with the Eldorado Eagles, and he wrestles for the Broomfield Junior Eagles and trains with Excel Wrestling.

In 2007, Connor won state wrestling titles in folkstyle and freestyle. He also won several prestigious national tournaments including the Rocky Mountain Nationals, the Bighorn Nationals, the Liberty Nationals, and the Carolina Classic.

Last summer, Connor toured Germany with an all-star American team, competing against German athletes. He is traveling to Iowa this weekend to compete for the Ultimate Dominator title, a prestigious national wrestling award.

Q: How did you become interested in wrestling?

A: When I was about 4 years old, my dad started taking me to some wrestling practices.

Q: Why did you stick with wrestling?

A: I stuck with it because I really liked it. I like the physical challenge of it.

Q: How do you prepare for a competition?

A: I visualize the match and get physically warmed up by jumping rope and working my stance.

Q: What do you like about middle school?

A: Some of the teachers are cool. I also like seeing my friends.

Q: If you could change one thing about middle school, what would it be?

A: We would have more freedom.

Q: What makes a good teacher?

A: A good teacher is one who can relate to kids.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: I like to hang out with friends.

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: "The Giver," by Lois Lowry.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: There are a lot of things I've thought about, but I'm not sure yet.

Spreading art around town

Lafayette to hang students' work from lamp posts

By Yu Miao, For the Camera
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Forty-six young artists, mainly from Lafayette K-12 schools, have been chosen to decorate the city with their creative art designs.

For the first time, the city of Lafayette decided to make youth art into banners, which will hang from lamp posts along Public Road from late May until the end of the summer.

The 46 art pieces were selected by three judges from hundreds of submissions for the Youth Art Show held at the Lafayette Oatmeal Festival in January. The Lafayette Cultural Arts Commission initiated and sponsored the project.

"We are really trying to think of ways to promote the city of Lafayette, and let the community and visitors know about the art that is going on in the city," said Ashley Mask Harris, chair of the commission. "We felt that this was a really nice way to marry both concepts."

Students from Lafayette Elementary, Peak to Peak Charter, Angevine Middle and Douglass Elementary, as well as Project Yes students from New Vista High School, participated in the event.

Patty Jones, an art teacher at Angevine, said she was excited about this project.

"It's a great way to showcase what our kids can do," she said.

Having taught for 11 years, Jones has seen many talented students. Her student Cassie Nagel, one of the artwork banner winners, recently won first place in the National Achievement Awards in the ArtStamps contest. She was chosen from thousands of entries from all over the country, and received a $500 prize.

Peak to Peak Charter School has 12 participants in the artwork banner project. Heather Mitchell, a new digital and visual art teacher at the school, said she is "thrilled and honored" knowing her students' artwork will be hanging just moments from the campus.

Students in Mitchell's class submitted paintings on the theme of symbolic self-portrait.

Eighth-grader Kayla Stuckey is excited about her painting being included in the artwork banner project because it made her feel "unique and original."

Rebekah Johnson, a 12th-grader winner of the banner project, said she enjoys creating art, and is glad to see her work will soon be part of a bigger art project.

"Art is always full of surprise. That's my favorite aspect of being an artist," she said.

Another winner, Krishna Kennedy, also a 12th-grader, said this project allows her to define who she is today and what she wants to become tomorrow.

"As a senior, it will be great to have my art showcased in Lafayette -- a community I have come to enjoy since moving here from Nepal in 2003," she said.photo: Rebekah Johnson, left, Kayla Stuckey and Krishna Kennedy are Peak to Peak Charter School winners of Lafayette's banner-art contest.

Hazel Barnes brought French existentialism to CU, U.S.

By Yu Miao, For the Camera
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Hazel Barnes, one of America's best-known philosophers, died Tuesday night in her Boulder home. She was 92.

Barnes, who taught at the University of Colorado from 1953 to 1986, was best known for introducing French existential philosophy to the United States in the early 1960s. She translated Jean-Paul Sartre's "Being and Nothingness" and "Search for a Method" into English.

She came to Boulder after acquiring her doctoral degree in classics from Yale University and teaching in various places, including Greece. She originally taught in the classics department at CU, then moved to humanities. She was chairwoman of both departments, and she completed her career in the philosophy department.

In 1991, CU established the Hazel Barnes Prize to recognize "the enriching interrelationship between teaching and research." The $20,000 prize is the largest and most prestigious faculty award funded by the university.

"Hazel was perhaps the best and most loved teacher this department ever had," said Wesley Morriston, former chairman of the philosophy department. He said students flocked to her classes because her skillful delivery of lectures made even the most difficult material easy to understand.

Morriston said Barnes was an "unpretentious person who always made other people comfortable," and "one of the kindest people I have encountered in academia."

Marcus Edward, a banker from New York, took a class with Barnes as an undergraduate in the 1970s. He remembered that one day, she came to class to give a lecture about Sartre and was annoyed at herself because she couldn't find her notes. She gave the lecture anyway.

"It was a perfect example of as precise, lucid and ideal a lecture you could have had -- with no notes," Edward said.

Jeff Larson, a graduate student in CU's history department, interviewed Barnes for his dissertation last spring and videotaped 15 to 20 hours of conversation with her.

"She would recall things that she had translated from Greek in the 1940s with perfect accuracy," Larson said. "It seemed to me that all the things she read, studied and thought were still right at her fingertips."

Phyllis Kenevan was one of Barnes' closest friends in the philosophy department.

"We had a lot of parties together, and she was a lot of fun to be with," Kenevan said. "I can't imagine Boulder without Hazel."

Barnes gave lectures around the world. In her 80s, she received an unexpected letter from the Minister of Culture of Iran, inviting her to give a lecture at the World Congress in Tehran. Always open to new intellectual and cultural experiences, she leaped at the opportunity.

Barnes published a dozen books, including "The Meddling Gods," "An Existentialist Ethics," "Sartre," "Sartre and Flaubert," and her autobiography, "The Story I Tell Myself." She also appeared on public television in the 1960s explaining existentialism to the American audience.

Student Spotlight: Maria Montzka, senior at Boulder High School

Maria Montzka, senior at Boulder High School

Accomplishment: Maria is a talented artist. Her artwork was recently chosen from submissions of students from around the school district to be the brochure cover of the "Impact on Education" awards celebration.

Q: What got you into art?

A: I have been into art for as long as I can remember. I really started to produce finished pieces in eighth and ninth grade. I think the idea of being able to produce something that created a reaction in people, and that they enjoyed looking at, was encouraging for me. It wasn't until high school that I started feeling like I was accomplishing what I wanted, though.

Q: What's cool about creating art?

A: Creating the art, in the first place, is fun. I like painting, especially when I am really into the piece, and I just want to paint and paint until it's done. It's cool to be able to look at something and rework it in such a way that it appeals to the eye. I also enjoy seeing people's reactions to my art.

Q: What's the best part about being a teenager?

A: The best part about being a teenager is that there are a lot of new opportunities that come your way. I have enjoyed my later teen years more than the earlier ones because I am now starting to shape my life and starting to try to figure out what I want to make of it. It is exciting to think about what will come next.

Q: What's the worst part?

A: The worst part, well. ... There are some rough patches, but you just get through them.

Q: What makes a good teacher?

A: A good teacher is someone who listens to what you have to say and truly considers it, someone who is enthusiastic and wants you personally to learn. They are prepared for class, make lectures interesting and encourage their students to work hard. A good teacher makes you laugh, and gets you excited about the topic so much that you are excited to go home and read the text book. A good teacher teaches the material well and prepares you for anything that comes your way.

Q: If you could change one thing about high school, what would it be?

A: I would take out all of the teachers who do not actually teach their students, and replace them with teachers like the one described above. I find that it is much easier to learn when your teacher teaches, and they are excited about teaching.

Q: What was the last song you downloaded to your iPod?

A: "The Way I Am," by Ingrid Michaelson.

Q: What was the last book you read?

A: "The Color Purple," by Alice Walker.

Q: What do you like to do for fun?

A: I enjoy listening to music, playing the harp, painting, hanging out with my friends, drawing, playing soccer, going camping, sledding, making cookies, traveling and chocolate.

Q: What do you want to do after high school?

A: After high school, I plan on attending a four-year college and figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life.

'Cow & History' art contest Moooove over, Matisse

Boulder High student competing for more than milk money

By Yu Miao For the Camera
Saturday, March 15, 2008

Virginia Schick, a Boulder High School art teacher, received a phone call at home in February.

"I have a cow for you," said the person on the other end of the line.

"I'll meet you right at the parking lot," she said, then hung up the phone, jumped into her car and drove to school.

She had been waiting for the cow since December, ever since she was notified that her student Sophia Sweeney was one of 30 finalists in a Lucerne "The Art of Dairy" contest.

The delivery person wheeled the cow off a huge truck -- a beautiful white cow sculpture made of fiberglass, standing 8 feet long, 5 feet tall and weighing about 125 pounds.

Safeway Inc., the maker of Lucerne dairy products, has sponsored the art contest for three years.

Students ranging in age from 12 to 19 from all over the country submitted designs based on the theme "Cow & History." All designs were painted using an outline of a cow as the canvas. The contest attracted nearly 6,000 entries from 22 states.

The 30 finalists receive a life-size cow sculpture, on which they replicate their designs and compete for a $30,000 grand prize. Two-thirds of the award money goes to the school's art department.

Three of the 30 cows landed in Colorado.

Sophia, a junior at Boulder High, was surprised by the size of the cow. And now she's devoting a lot of time in the art room to paint it.

She has until April 1 to finish transferring her design onto "Ella Belle," the name she gave her new friend.

The theme of her design is based on the story of the Abilene Trail, a cattle trail leading from Texas to Abilene, Kan., developed in the 1860s. Sophia learned about the trail in her history class and romanticized it with her paintbrush.

In her design, a family of three cows strolls across the trail surrounded by Swiss-cheese bluffs and white-chocolate mountains with hot chocolate fudge dripping down. Above them, ice-cream clouds melt into a whipped-cream river.

Sophia has a lot of support from her classmates. Her best friend, Natalie Fredlander, stopped by the art room to visit Tuesday and brought her a cup of Boba tea.

"I'm definitely not surprised that she won 'cause she is really good," Natalie said.

Although Sophia is working hard to paint her cow, she said she still feels a little weird about it being a competition.

"I think (art) should be a way for somebody to express something they want to say, not to enter a contest or something," she said. "You don't have to be an amazing artist to be able to do that. If you get your point across, that's the reason for doing it."

The finished cows will be displayed at a Safeway or Safeway-owned store near the finalists' schools during the final judging phase.

A panel of judges will review the entries and pick a grand-prize winner at the end of April.

Student Spotlight: Alden Burr, fourth-grader at Columbine Elementary

Alden Burr, fourth-grader at Columbine Elementary

Accomplishment: Alden's poster "I can make a difference" won first place in the local PTA Reflections contest.

Reflections is an art program sponsored by the national PTA. It encourages students to express their thoughts through art forms such as literature, musical, composition, photography and visual arts. The program was started in 1969 by then-Colorado PTA President Mary Lou Anderson.

Q: Why do you enjoy creating art?

A: Because it's fun.

Q: What do you want to express through your poster?

A: If we all do our part, it will make a difference.

Q: What is your favorite thing about elementary school?

A: We get a mix of subjects.

Q: If you could change one thing about elementary school, what would it be?

A: No homework!

Q: What makes a good teacher?

A: Strict but nice.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: I draw.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: "The Italian Job."

Q: What was the last book you read?

A: "The Fire Within" by Chris D'Lacey.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: A traveling chef so I can collect recipes from around the world.

Lending a library: Creekside students collect books to send to Kenyan orphans

By Yu Miao, For the Camera
Sunday, March 9, 2008

Karina Rodriguez's backpack is heavy.

As a fifth-grader at Creekside Elementary, she came to school Thursday morning with not only her own textbooks, but also with books that will travel all the way to an orphanage in Kenya.

The school is working with Boulder's Global Education Fund to collect books for children who might otherwise never have a chance to own books.

New and gently used books are being collected at the IZZE book trailer Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through March 20. The green trailer came to the school's parking lot at the beginning of this month. Within a week or so, half of the trailer has been filled up.

Karina donated three books that she read often: "Felicity's New Sister," "Fame School: Reach for the Stars" and "The Cat in the Hat."

Third-grader Quinn Davis brought in 19 books Thursday morning. They were so heavy that her mother had to help her carry them.

"I really like reading, and I just think it's fair for them to have the same privilege being able to read the same books," Bruce Kreutzer, a fifth-grader, said of the Kenyan students.

Books collected at Creekside Elementary will be shipped to Shangilia Orphanage in Vihiga, western Kenya.

The book drive is part of a school partnership program established by the nonprofit Global Education Fund a year ago. Twenty schools and businesses in Boulder County and the Denver area have signed up for the program.

The IZZE book trailer stops at each location for around a month, then drives the books to Denver, where they are sorted, selected and shipped to different countries.

So far, around 100,000 books have been collected.

Boulder resident Eliza Woloson founded Global Education Fund in 1998. She said she had a friend who was working in an orphanage in Nicaragua at the time. One day, he contacted her and said they didn't have a single book for the children to read in the orphanage. Having been in the book business for years, Woloson immediately called up some publishing companies and distributors for donations.

Within several months, donated books filled up a whole shed in her backyard. With help from families and friends, Woloson shipped the books to the orphanage.

Shortly after that, she went on a trip to visit the orphanage in Nicaragua. She saw how primitive the conditions were, and how thrilled the children felt to have their own books.

When she came back to the United States, she received e-mails from different organizations in Latin America that had heard about what she had done, and wondered if she could help them, too.

In the past 10 years, the organization has built more than 60 libraries in some 20-plus countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. It purchases textbooks, furnishes classrooms, and trains teachers. It has also set up a scholarship program in Kenya to help needy children, primarily young women with excellent academic performance, to attend high schools.

"Over the years, a lot of kids told me the significance books have on them," Woloson said.

Liz Berry, program director of Global Education Fund, visited Kenya last summer. She saw the extreme needs in the country, and was touched by the desire Kenyan children have for education. When she placed books in the children's hands, she said they "lit up and came alive."

The organization is primarily collecting books for children ranging from age 7 to 17. Reference books, natural science and non-fiction books are particularly needed.

Creekside Elementary fifth-grader Renee Mieese's father has also worked orphanages in Kenya, and told her children there are really eager to read.

"I think our little school is making a difference for them, and other schools should follow our examples," she said.

Richelle Streater looks on as Bruce Kreutzer tries to entice passers-by to drop off books at Creekside Elementary School on Friday afternoon. Both fifth-graders are involved in working to get books donated for Kenyan children.

CU dedicates apartment to former president

Weber Hall replaces 'Building A' at Bear Creek

By Yu Miao For the Camera
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

The University of Colorado on Tuesday dedicated an apartment building to Arnold Weber, a former CU president.

Weber, who served as CU's president from 1980 to 1985, attended the naming ceremony at the newly named Weber Hall -- previously known as "Building A" -- at the Bear Creek Apartments at Williams Village.

Weber also was president of Northwestern University from 1985 to 1994.

"After coming back (to CU) after 23 years, it is very rewarding to see the strides and progress that the university has made," he said Tuesday.

CU Chancellor Bud Peterson said Weber envisioned a campus living environment while he was at CU that would include apartments and complexes beyond student dorms.

The Bear Creek Apartments, constructed by the CU Foundation, opened in fall 2003. The university recently purchased the two buildings, located at 3275 Apache Road.

The apartments provide 960 beds, which are mainly occupied by non-freshmen, graduate students, faculty members, staff members and visiting scholars.

CU junior Charles Gilford, a resident at Bear Creek, said he prefers "Weber Hall" rather than "Building A" because the new name adds character.

He looked out the window at the other apartment building and said, "I'm curious to see what they are going to name 'Building B' next."

CU has named other buildings across the campus -- including the Norlin Library, Sewell Hall, Baker Hall and the Stearns and Darley dorms -- after former presidents.

Student Spotlight:Brittany Nyo, fifth-grader at Douglass Elementary

Camera staff
Sunday, March 2, 2008

Brittany Nyo, fifth-grader at Douglass Elementary

Accomplishment: Brittany is a dedicated writer. She wrote a play about the lengths children will sometimes go to gain status and popularity. Her play captured the interest of a small group of students. Under Brittany's direction, they spent lunch recess times practicing and perfecting the play. It was eventually performed before the entire school.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration to write the play?

A: I got the inspiration to write this play from my dad. I told him that I wanted to write something but didn't know what, so he gave the idea that I should write something that my friends and I could actually act out.

Q: What kind of reactions did you get from the audience?

A: Everyone in school loved it. They laughed at almost every part of the play and I got lots of compliments afterward. Now all my friends want me to write another play so they can be in it.

Q: What do you like most about elementary school?

A: I really like hanging out with my friends and I like to learn from my teachers.

Q: If you could change one thing about elementary school, what would it be?

A: I wouldn't change anything at Douglass. It's perfect the way it is.

Q: What makes a good teacher?

A: Someone who is nice, has a sense of humor and respects you for who you are.

Q: What's your favorite book?

A: I love "A Series of Unfortunate Events." I must have read the whole series for about 10 times by now.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: I like to draw, read, write and sing.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: An author.