Blue Garcia-Paine

What’s this? A student perspective? You got that right!

This is a continuation of the Senior Perspective: A student exclusive column describing why we love Nederland Middle-Senior High School (NMSHS), and why you should too! We’re Aya Pelkum Donahue, Amelie Bodnar, and Blue Garcia-Paine, taking over from NMSHS graduates Skylar Abookire and Ande Hammers.

This report will bring you news about what awesome things are going on in our school. Whether it’s AP classes, sports, choir, theater, school events, or any other cool thing going on, we will be here to report on it. We are excited to be able to share with so many people in the community and beyond about the school we love through The Mountain-Ear.

Aya Pelkum Donahue

We’ve decided to start off with updates on the theater program, run by the wonderful Elizabeth Evans! The four fall plays have just begun rehearsing, preparing to perform in the first week of October. We are excited to bond with new cast members and make those connections that are unique to such a small school.

This year is especially promising, with a fresh group of talented sixth graders who put on an amazing performance of Willy Wonka last year at Nederland Elementary School. This fall’s program will include Reverse Hamlet by George Freek, Triple Threat by Wiley Russell, Teen Court by William Gleason, and a one-act version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night by Jon Jory. More information will be published by The Mountain-Ear as performances draw near, but audiences can be sure to have a fun time, complete with alternate realities, comedic court trials, false identities, sword fights, and Shakespearean comedy!

Amelie Bodnar

Another exciting aspect of NMSHS are the sports teams! Fall sports include middle level/high school mountain biking, middle level girls’ volleyball, junior varsity and varsity high school girls’ volleyball, middle level/ high school co-ed cross country, and high school boys’ soccer. Each team has gained a few meets and games under their belts.

I am on the varsity volleyball team, and playing with Ned has given me the opportunity to take on a leadership role that has and continues to push me outside of my comfort zone. This sport has conditioned my body as well as my mind, and has shown me the importance of strengthening my mental game as well. Playing volleyball at NMSHS has also led me to strengthening friendships and forming unexpected ones. I’m so grateful that I can lean on my teammates for support while also knowing we can have fun competing in a sport that we’re all passionate about.

Other updates - Recently, the middle school cross country team ran at Centennial Middle School, and it was a close race, concluding with a few of our runners placing in the top 10! Last Saturday, September 9, our middle level and high school cross country teams competed in the Ned*Ned Marathon, a local 5K tradition that starts with the sound of a buzzer and ends with warm breakfast burritos prepared by local businesses.

Nederland is lucky to be surrounded by beautiful biking terrain and trails, and these trails have helped our high school mountain bike team prepare for their races in Steamboat Springs and Leadville.

Before we wrap up, we’d like to mention a fairly recent addition to NMSHS activities: the Colorado Fourteeners class! At NMSHS, high schoolers have the opportunity to hike the terrain around the school weekly, with workouts in between to prepare for the fourteen-thousand-foot mountain they will hike with Ms. Redmon. A special shout-out goes to this semester’s class for hiking their first fourteener, Mount Bierstadt! Go Panthers!