Sara Sandstrom-Kobi, Nederland. The more I interview and write about Nederland’s Class of 2020 the more I see commonalities with the young adults who are about to graduate from high school. They are excited and ready to take that next step that leads to more independence. They are also apprehensive to take that step and have some fear of the unknown. They are going to miss friends, family and the security a high school provides. I see that they all have the courage to let the excitement and anticipation overcome the fears.  

Do you realize that these young people were born when we were mourning and trying to understand the tragedies of September 11, 2001? And now they step into adulthood as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads around the world. The milestones of birth and what we usually identify as the end of one’s youth is marked with tragedy. I am a firm believer that through tragedy can come enormous growth, hope and clarity, if one is willing to see it and learn from it. Let’s encourage the Class of 2020 to use their lives to bring clarity and hope to the world, despite hate and disaster. The earth is a place of great beauty and love.

Helen Cross

With all that Helen has achieved during her years in high school she could be rather arrogant. However, there is not an air of exaggerated importance in her. She is humble. She credits others for helping her get to where she is, while downplaying her own talents.

Helen has been attending Nederland schools since kindergarten. She remembers enjoying Ms. Marcy reading the Mercy Watson books and she always looked forward to the Circus unit with Ms. Mary in gym class. 

When Helen entered high school, she really found her stride. Literally. Helen is a runner and skier. She has been on the cross country and track teams all four years and on the Nordic ski team for three years. Nederland has excellent running and ski teams and Helen is a huge part of that. 

Helen was State Champion in cross county during her sophomore year. In cross country the athletes run a 5k race. In track Helen runs the one mile, two mile and 4x800 relay races. In Nordic skiing the race is also a 5k course. She says that the unpredictability of winter weather makes Nordic skiing an adventure every day. All these races take a lot of core strength, leg power and grit. Helen loves that in these races there is an element of independence and she decides how much she puts into it. She also loves being with her teammates. The camaraderie with the teams is something she will truly miss when she leaves Nederland. She is thankful for the older students that were role models for her. And I hear that she has become a great role model for the younger students. 

Helen has been to the State competition in all three sports in all her high school years. Sometimes they are individual wins and sometimes team wins, either way she is often on the podium at the end of the race. 

Helen has also been recognized for her academic achievements through the National Honor Society and has been honored for her academic and athletic accomplishments throughout her years in high school. 

At Nederland High School Helen says, “I have enjoyed having the opportunity to challenge myself and proving to myself what I am capable of achieving.”

Helen has challenged herself by taking several AP classes as well as college level math classes for college credit through the University of Colorado, Denver and Front Range Community College at Nederland High School. She says, “The committed teachers provide an unparalleled learning environment of support and interesting classwork.”

Helen has given back to the local community by being part of the Nederland Communities that Care Coalition. She has been doing this for three years. Currently Helen is working on gathering information about volunteer work and vocational training in the area and putting it on a website that is accessible to the youth of the community. 

When I asked Helen about mentors in her life she put it so eloquently I will let you read her own words. “I am incredibly grateful for the unwavering support of my parents, Scott and Allison Cross. They have always displayed a humorous and constructively positive outlook on life that I try my best to emulate and will see me through the challenges that lay ahead. I am also grateful for the mentorship and support of Coach Jen Lavely, and all of my teachers in Nederland, most notably Mr. Real and Ms. Yakubov.”

Helen had some tough choices to make when it came to colleges. She wanted a small college where she can major in something to do with science, although she has not decided on what area yet. She was accepted into a few schools with over $300,000 worth of scholarships. When she visited the schools, Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, felt like the best fit. She said the people were so nice and she hopes to contribute to their women’s cross country team. 

So, in the fall Helen will be off to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I think with her high altitude training she will be a force to reckon with on the mostly flat trails of Minnesota. 

Chris Francis

Chris is another Nederland graduate who has been in Nederland schools since kindergarten. He has brought his humor and relaxed style to 13 years in Nederland schools. 

At about the same time he was learning letters and starting to read in kindergarten he was also learning to play hockey. At six years of age Chris became a part of the Nederland Youth Hockey Association. He has been playing hockey ever since. He loves the thrill and action of the sport. He played with the Boulder Hockey Club for a couple years and was on a traveling league. He and his parents were dedicated to the sport, so much so that they would drive to Superior, Colorado, for 5 a.m. practices. Chris loved the adventure of traveling to different cities in the United States while on the traveling hockey team. 

He has played for the Lafayette Locomotives and now with Centaurus High School, which is part of the High Plains Hockey League. Chris plays forward. Forwards have to be quick and have great stick handling skills. He is part of that three-person line that is responsible for the majority of the goals. 

Despite all the time Chris has put into his love of hockey he has found time to participate in other activities in high school. He was on the Panther’s football team during his freshman and sophomore years. And was also on the track team as a freshman. As a senior he was on Nederland’s soccer team. He has been a High Trails counselor. During his junior and senior years, he has been part of the theater department working on the tech crew for the musicals. Chris is also on the Honor Roll. 

I asked Chris what kept him in Nederland schools considering all the traveling he and his parents do for hockey. He said very matter-of-factly that he lives up here and likes it up here. He likes the teachers at Nederland High School and the classes he has taken. He said that AP Psychology was one of his favorite classes. He also found Mr. Real’s and Mr. Geel’s classes very engaging and interesting. Chris thinks all students should make an effort to get to know the teachers. The teachers in Nederland are friendly and they are there to help. 

In the summers, Chris works with his dad at the family business, KMB Stone Masonry. Knowing how skilled stonemasons are, I asked Chris if it was a fun job. He hesitated just a bit and said it is really hard work, but he certainly enjoys making some money. If working as a stonemason is in his future or not, I can guarantee you that Chris has acquired lessons in hard work and knowledge in a vocation with such a specific skill set. 

Chris is going to miss his friends in Nederland, but as they go their separate ways, he is excited to graduate and go to college. He will be attending Western State in Gunnison, Colorado, in the fall. He is not sure what he will major in yet. He is excited about being close to some great ski resorts while in Gunnison. He grew up skiing on the slopes of Eldora and loves it but being able to ski in the Crested Butte area feeds into his great desire for adventure. 

I asked each of the seniors who in their life has been a mentor and who they look up to. Chris did not hesitate when saying his parents, Lauren Long and David Francis. He also spoke about hockey coach and director of hockey operations at the Boulder Hockey Club, Chris Lockrem.  He met Coach Lockrem at the young and highly impressionable age of 13. Chris is grateful to Coach Lockrem for sharing his love of hockey, being a great coach and a positive influence in his life. 

Hadley Zotti

Hadley and her family moved to the Nederland area when she was almost a teenager. She started attending Nederland Middle Senior High School (NMSHS) as a sixth grader. This can be a really tough time to start going to a new school where you do not know anyone. Hadley says she was welcomed by the students and staff and has loved attending NMSHS. 

Hadley is very much involved and committed to the theater and music programs at NMSHS. She has been a part of the theater program since eighth grade. Even more impressive is the fact that Hadley has been directing plays since her sophomore year. She loves putting all the pieces together that create a great production. She says that directing the play Personal Effects was a favorite. She enjoys being on the stage acting as well as being behind the scenes making it all come together. 

Singing is also something Hadley excels at. She has been a part of the a cappella choir, the  Loquations, all four years in high school. She loves being part of a small group of singers and learning the challenging material they practice and present to an audience. 

Hadley has been a peer counselor, a High Trails counselor and consistently on the Honor Roll.  

As a freshman and sophomore, Hadley took part in a program called the Big Little Program. She would go to Nederland Elementary to help and encourage kids while in their special education class. She really enjoyed this time assisting in a classroom. 

In her freshman year Hadley helped teach and write curriculum for one of Ms. Kinczel’s social studies classes. Any guesses on the career Hadley will be pursuing? 

You got it! Hadley wants to be a teacher. She is passionate about helping people and will fulfill her desire to help others through teaching. Hadley will be attending the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley with a major in Educational Theater and a minor in American Sign Language. She is excited for the new experiences that college will present and ready to pursue her career. UNC has awarded Hadley $5,000 a year for four years. 

Moving to Greeley means having to say good-bye to her close-knit Class of 2020. Over and over again I have heard how well the senior class gets along. Hadley says that they have always blended well and really like each other. 

Hadley has enjoyed the classes at NMSHS, especially AP Psychology and Loquations. One of the more unique classes that Hadley took was American Sign Language (ALS). She took the first class with Ms. Foster as a freshman. Then as a sophomore she took the next levels online with an ASL teacher at Fairview High School. I applaud anyone who takes the time to learn a new language. And learning ALS only helps bring people together. I imagine it is difficult for the hearing impaired to always feel like a valued part of society and feel connected to others. Hadley is working to break down some of those barriers and discriminations in our culture.

 The teachers at NMSHS help make the school the special place that it is. Hadley says, “The teachers are personable, they know the students’ names and they take time to build a relationship with them.” Hadley is especially grateful to Nederland theater and music teacher Ms. Evans. Ms. Evans has been a mentor to Hadley and guided her toward teaching theater.  

Hadley has great appreciation for her parents, Anthony and Nicole Zotti. She says, “They have been my mentors and put me on the right track when I needed it.” It is clear when you see Hadley with her parents there is a strong connection of love and respect between them. 

To earn some money for college and for a car Hadley has been employed at the Wondervu Café as a hostess and server and at Eldora as a rental attendant. She will use the car to come home and visit her family and she will use her education to share her love of theater with the next generation. 

Schedule your senior interview with Sara by emailing ssandstrom59@gmail.com.

(Originally published in the April 2, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)