Noelle Arrington

Noelle Arrington is excited and relieved to have finished her senior year relatively unscathed, after what turned out to be a challenging year at a completely new school. It’s not something she recommends, but she is grateful for the chance to face her fears head-on and overcome them. She would like to thank the teachers and fellow students who helped her to feel included and accepted into this amazing and tight-knit community. 

Noelle will be attending the University of Utah in the Fall (though possibly taking a gap year to explore the world first) and will be studying her lifelong love of Video Game design, with a minor in Animation Studies. Noelle has always been a determined and dedicated student, multi-talented in the areas of music, art, science, and engineering, and we wish her luck and success in her future endeavors. We love you Noelle!!

John Paul DiMauro

Hello everyone!  My name is John Paul DiMauro.  I have kept very busy during my high school years.  I have really enjoyed exploring the arts via the plays our amazing school has put on over the last multiple years.  I have been a behind the scenes assistant and enjoyed enriching my life with all the experiences and person to person interactions this has allowed me.  I have also participated in baseball and football during my 4 years at Gilpin.  The friendships and team bonding are things I will take with me into my future and will never forget.  I started Warren Tech at Red Rocks for autobody work while still in high school and very much appreciate that opportunity provided by our school.  

After high school, I plan to continue with that line of training to eventually obtain a job in the same field.  Gilpin has successfully provided me with the tools I need to become successful as I move forward in life.  Thank you to all my teachers and family for supporting me and pushing me to be my best.

 Jade King

 OH BOY, you made it! It wasn’t easy and there were plenty of ups and downs, but you finally made it. I’m so proud and so excited to watch you take on being an ADULT and to watch you flourish as a person! You have many talents and a fantastic personality that will hopefully help you get going on this adventure to even greater success. It’s not going to be easy to find your place in this world, but I know you can do it! You have the kindest heart that will help you become the person you were meant to be. I’m going to deeply miss waking you up in the morning and seeing your bright smile, I still cannot fathom how far you’ve come and grown as a person, it’s mind boggling. You have impacted so many lives and created so many strong bonds. You’re such a kind minded person and you have such potential to become a very successful person and create a beautiful future for yourself. 

 Jake Marshall

From the time that you were a tiny baby that I could hold in one hand, to the kid that played in the creek, to the young man I see today - I AM SO PROUD TO BE YOUR FATHER!!

I am so happy to see you getting ready to start your own adventures in life and make your way!

My advice:

Life is fast, don’t wait for others!

Follow your dreams now!

Be brave, try new things, go new places.

You can never have too many friends or Jeeps!

Love with all your heart when you find the right person.

Never let negative people drag you down.

Always carry a pocket knife.

Work hard and find a job you love.

And MOST important- 

Make time to hug your parents!!

Dad

Joleen Elizabeth Slack

I moved here when we were about half way through our fourth grade year, everyone was very welcoming. My years here in Gilpin though limited, were full of fun and excitement.

I was fortunate that I was able to cheer our sports teams on for seven of those years. Three of them as co-captain. In my last two years was able to participate with our new competition team and partake at state cheer. Both experiences I will never forget. This year I was blessed to be our Cheerleader of The Year for Frontier League.

I first want to thank my coaches for pushing me to better myself and my team. I also want to thank my team over the years we grew to be another family.

Mrs. Blake, Mr. Campbell, Coach Shoe, Mr. Wuchter, Mr. Raynes, I especially want to thank you for helping me through some rough times and classes, let alone the fun we had in those classes, and theater.

Ms. Henry, as our class sponsor, thank you for all you have done for our class. All the fun in fundraiser was your school spirit and energy! I will never forget our trip to Sam’s Club to buy supplies for the fundraisers.

I am planning on working towards a career in photography.

One last thank you to my parents and grandparents. Times have been tough over the years but you all have been the ones to help pick up and put my puzzle together.

Michael Wenholz

 My name is Mike Wenholz.  I have attended Gilpin County since preschool.  High School has been the fastest four years of my life. I remember the first day of walking into class of my freshman year and thinking four more years and I will be out of high school. Well, that time has come.

One of the largest parts of my high school career has been athletics and being an athlete. I have participated and lettered in four different sports (wrestling 4x, football 2x, baseball 3x, and track 1x). Wrestling being that dominant sport and my main focus for years; wrestling all four years. Wrestling was all I thought about, it consumed me. Wrestling and weight lifting were life. I finished my HS wrestling career with a 62-41 overall record, 15 place/medal finishes, two place finishes in regionals.

Unfortunately, I suffered some significant injuries; a broken femur playing football my sophomore year, and a grade 2 MCL sprain wrestling in my senior year. This seriously hampered my goals of State and achieving a 100-win record. Due to injury, I moved into more of a coaching role in my senior year; taking what I learned for years and helped coach my teammate to State and ultimately paying it forward.

For my life after high school, I’m pursuing a career in the trades, specifically Automotive Technology. I contribute a large part of my passion in automotive technology due to being a student at Warren Tech during my senior year. I feel very fortunate to have been able to participate in the Warren Tech program while in high school and working towards my career goals. I will continue with post-secondary schooling at Red Rocks, where I’m currently enrolled and have plans of finishing my Associates Degree in Applied Science of Automotive Technology, including my ASE certifications as well.

(Originally published in the May 7, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)