Youth Directions Blog
Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 21, 2013
The Arvada Press shared the story of a remarkable young man from Pomona High School who is an exceptional student and athlete.
Dominic Martinez has taken several honors and advanced placement courses, plays football and runs track. He seems like a typical high school kid planning for college. He has goals to help others.
It’s fitting that a young man of Martinez’s caliber won the Jefferson Foundation’s “My Student, My Hero” award, which was presented to him during a ceremony on March 16.
What’s truly remarkable about Martinez is his perseverance to overcome heartbreaking situations in his life. “Martinez’s mother…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 20, 2013
Groups from schools throughout Douglas County that participated in the 2011-2012 school year Kids For Wish Kids program raised $200,ooo for Make-A-Wish, Colorado, according to a post on YourHub.com.
The money will support about 30 wishes fulfilled for Colorado youth with life-threatening illnesses. Last year was a great year, but 2012-2013 year is shaping up to be a fantastic year. Forty school groups have finished their fundraising campaigns matching last year’s total of $200,000 already…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 19, 2013
The Arapahoe/Douglas Works! work center will host three summer job workshops in the coming weeks as part of its Job Locker program, according to an article on YourHub.com.
Youth ages 14-21 may register for the workshops at no cost. “The series covers job search skills, such as completing a job application, writing a résumé and interviewing, along with work values and how to present oneself in a professional setting. Participants will each take a personality assessment and participate in mock interviews. Each will receive a USB drive loaded with their master application, résumé and tips for their job search.”
The workshops will be held…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 15, 2013
The Colorado Academy of Family Physicians awarded the 2013 F. William Barrows Award for Outstanding Family Medicine Resident to Dr. Patrick Smith, a third-year resident at Swedish Family Medicine in Littleton, CO, according to a post on YourHub.com.
A graduate of Heritage High School, Dr. Smith found purpose in being a doctor who works with underserved populations. “He knew he wanted to be a doctor from the time he was 6 years old,” but the it took a little resilience to get into medical school. Dr. Smith was rejected entrance into medical school twice before being accepted on his third application. That kind of rejection would drive most people to seek other options. Not Dr. Smith, though, since…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 14, 2013
The Denver Post shared the story of a Colorado Springs student whose passion for biochemistry drove her to study algae biofuel for several years. Sara Volz “has literally slept the research, in a loft bed just above her home lab lined with flasks of experimental cultures. That self-driven dedication helped earn 17-year-old Volz, a senior at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, the top honors in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search, a national competition that features a $100,000 award.”
Volz studied a low-cost method to create algae populations that produce high amounts of oil which would make the biofuel more economically feasible. “Volz used a process called ‘artificial selection’ in which she introduced an herbicide that forces cells to adapt, by producing cells that contain more oil, or…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 13, 2013
Denver’s “Department of Safety’s Safe City Office will host the 19th Annual Safe City Youth Summit on April 12, 2013 at the Denver Convention Center from 8 a.m. -1:30 p.m.,” according to a post on YourHub.com.
The summit will give youth between the ages of 13-18 chances to participate in discussions and workshops on “the latest youth topics identified by the Safe City Youth Leadership Team and its partners.” The Safe City Youth Leadership Team is comprised entirely of youth. It has coordinated the summit each year of its 19-year run. Youth attending the event will be able to connect with employers hiring for summer positions, listen to remarks by Mayor Hancock and…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 12, 2013
Students from Palmer High School won the Colorado title and will move on to the National Mock Trial Championship, according to a post by Nicole Ajad on The Denver Post’s Colorado Classroom blog. The Palmer High School team beat 24 other teams to win the Colorado Bar Association Mock Trial Tournament.
“Since September these students have been preparing for the state tournament after placing in the final 24 last February out of total 104 teams in eight regional tournaments across the state….Students trained to compete in the mock trial competition by studying a fictitious criminal murder case with the help of teachers and…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 11, 2013
Kevin Simpson of the Denver Post blogged on Colorado Classroom about the Littleton High School students who are visiting areas of Japan recovering from the 2011 tsunami.
The students are visiting as part of the Kizuna Project, which provides opportunities for American youth see the ongoing recovery efforts in Japan and build long-lasting bonds of friendship Japanese youth.
“Only eight schools nationwide were selected to take part in the project, funded by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Littleton’s representatives include students taking Japanese language classes as well as some from the instrumental music program and the editor of the school paper. They’re scheduled to return March 16,” wrote Simpson. Japanese students will…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 8, 2013
YourHub.com posted the story of a Castle View High School student who was honored as the February student of the month by Rotary Club of Castle Rock. Morgan Neher, a senior in the school, accepted the award earlier this week.
Neher maintains a 3.9 grade point average while participating in cross country and track for the Castle View High School. The article notes that “Neher has been studying in the Biotech academy at CVHS and been an intern where she worked with an anesthesiologist…Neher’s biology teacher said she was an excellent student because she was able to connect her studies to real world ideas and then share them with younger students. Neher also was cited for…
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Written by Brian Anderson
Published on March 7, 2013
9 News shared the story of a Kent Denver students who invented a self -cleaning underwater camera.
“Nate Newman, a senior at Kent Denver School, has developed a self-cleaning, underwater webcam. With the help of fellow students and teacher Trevor Mendelow, the idea came from the need for a better camera during ocean exploration.”
There’s plenty more to the story. Click on “Continue reading” then follow the link to watch the video.
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