One thing this article fails to mention is that Ignite Steamboat is helping establish Steamboat as THE high-tech mountain town in Colorado. Jay, Jens and Noreen's hard work has made this happen. When we tell people in the startup world in Boulder and Denver about Ignite Steamboat and that we have over 200 members, it changes their perception of our town and makes them think that high-tech companies and entrepreneurs CAN work and live from here, not that it is just a place to retire to. I just presented to 850 people at Ignite Boulder and I was accepted as a presenter because I was able to show them the video of the Ignite Steamboat presentation that I did. As a high-tech startup in Steamboat, we can't thank Jay, Jens and Noreen enough for the hard work they have put into Ignite Steamboat and we are thrilled to see how the front range is starting to look at Steamboat as the tech center of the mountains.
We have been working location neutral for the 11 years that we have lived in Steamboat, starting with a dial up connection, which was quite a shock coming from the tech world of the SF Bay Area. The improvements in that time have been great and have allowed us to continue to work location neutral and even allowed me to pursue my graduate degree through Penn State online, something I could not have done from here a decade ago. However, Steamboat and especially the rest of Routt County still have reliability and robustness issues that put us at a disadvantage. One thing to keep in mind is not just that better infrastructure will attract more location neutral workers (people working for companies outside of Steamboat), but that better infrastructure will allow for people living in Steamboat/Routt County to start companies that are location neutral - basing their businesses here and hiring anywhere in the world.
It is my understanding that the terms for entering the art contest are very unfavorable to the artist and therefore most Steamboat artists do not want to enter. Just for entering, artists must give up all rights, ownership and copyright to the work. $500 plus a VIP pass is not sufficient compensation for real artists to enter this contest. It is too bad because we have some amazing artists here in Steamboat and i am sure we could have an awesome poster.
I am surprised not to see any internal candidates on this list. The board had said they were not going to do a formal search with a search firm and were only offering a 1 year position to allow the new board to pick a good long term superintendent. Without this due diligence, I worry about the quality of the applicants and the completeness of the background checks. Can the board please tell us why there are no local Steamboat people on the finalist list?
"...standing up to parents and other advocates when it comes time to cut programs we no longer have the luxury to afford" would make more sense if the fifth grade band and elementary Spanish cuts were being proposed in order to save money, but they were not. They were being cut in order to shift their funds to different programs (an additional instructional support specialist and more technology) and to have the students in the classroom more hours per day. As with any budget, there is never enough to afford everything you want (unless maybe if you are Oprah), but this was not a matter of just cutting back, it was a matter of shifting funds, not cutting funds. There are many educators and parents who believe in the instructional value of music in the form of the fifth grade band program and that keeping the funds there provides a better educational value to more students than shifting them to another instructional aid. That is why there was so much lobbying not to shift the funds. This belief comes not just from gut feel or personal experience but from a large body of research that proves the academic and brain development benefits of music education, especially in elementary. It is fine to argue for fiscal prudence, but that is not what was happening in this case and therefore I find your editorial misleading.
I have only heard that Spanish was possibly in the mix and have been surprised that there seems to be no one rallying around Spanish. I believe the band program is excellent and provides a lot of worth to a lot of kids for a small amount. Only one semester at each school would be a big loss. My children's education in 5th grade did not suffer while they were at band; the music education supported their academic education. As an after school activity, it is not available to kids who have to take the bus home and that puts it in direct competition with all the other after school activities including SSWSC. There are very few opportunities for music education in our community. I certainly do understand that there is only so much budget and so much time in the school day and not everyone is going to agree on how this should be spent. We think band should stay in the mix and wanted to alert the community so people can make their opinions heard as you just have. Thanks for joining the conversation.
We all have contacted the school board, superintendent and principals. This is a community issue and we felt the community should know about it in case others wanted to express their opinions as well.
This article captures the district Montessori program well except for one thing that is somewhat misleading. The flat enrollment numbers represent supply, not demand. The enrollment numbers are flat becuase they are capped at one LowerEl (1st-3rd) and one UpperEl (3rd-5th) classroom and each classroom is capped at 24 - 25 students. The program has typically been oversubscribed with more students who wish to enroll (primarily in the LowerEl classroom) than there are spaces for. Becuase of the multiage classroom, there are only about 8 openings each year in the first grade and a smattering of openings at upper grades from the few students who either move out of the area or choose to leave the program. It is a great option that has served many families well.
This would be a big loss to the community. Superintendent Cunningham is very smart with a lot of great experience and she cares about the student's education.
Ignite Steamboat sparks entrepreneurial spirit
One thing this article fails to mention is that Ignite Steamboat is helping establish Steamboat as THE high-tech mountain town in Colorado. Jay, Jens and Noreen's hard work has made this happen. When we tell people in the startup world in Boulder and Denver about Ignite Steamboat and that we have over 200 members, it changes their perception of our town and makes them think that high-tech companies and entrepreneurs CAN work and live from here, not that it is just a place to retire to. I just presented to 850 people at Ignite Boulder and I was accepted as a presenter because I was able to show them the video of the Ignite Steamboat presentation that I did.
As a high-tech startup in Steamboat, we can't thank Jay, Jens and Noreen enough for the hard work they have put into Ignite Steamboat and we are thrilled to see how the front range is starting to look at Steamboat as the tech center of the mountains.
May 20, 2012 at 11:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Community rallies to help Crawford family
Donations are also being accepted online at https://www.wepay.com/donations/gkcra...
December 26, 2011 at 8:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Experts: More broadband needed in Steamboat
We have been working location neutral for the 11 years that we have lived in Steamboat, starting with a dial up connection, which was quite a shock coming from the tech world of the SF Bay Area. The improvements in that time have been great and have allowed us to continue to work location neutral and even allowed me to pursue my graduate degree through Penn State online, something I could not have done from here a decade ago.
However, Steamboat and especially the rest of Routt County still have reliability and robustness issues that put us at a disadvantage.
One thing to keep in mind is not just that better infrastructure will attract more location neutral workers (people working for companies outside of Steamboat), but that better infrastructure will allow for people living in Steamboat/Routt County to start companies that are location neutral - basing their businesses here and hiring anywhere in the world.
July 10, 2011 at 6:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
USA Pro Cycling Challenge seeks poster artwork
It is my understanding that the terms for entering the art contest are very unfavorable to the artist and therefore most Steamboat artists do not want to enter. Just for entering, artists must give up all rights, ownership and copyright to the work. $500 plus a VIP pass is not sufficient compensation for real artists to enter this contest. It is too bad because we have some amazing artists here in Steamboat and i am sure we could have an awesome poster.
June 23, 2011 at 7:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steamboat Springs School District picks 4 superintendent finalists
I am surprised not to see any internal candidates on this list. The board had said they were not going to do a formal search with a search firm and were only offering a 1 year position to allow the new board to pick a good long term superintendent. Without this due diligence, I worry about the quality of the applicants and the completeness of the background checks. Can the board please tell us why there are no local Steamboat people on the finalist list?
June 12, 2011 at 11:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Our View: Something’s got to give, School Board
"...standing up to parents and other advocates when it comes time to cut programs we no longer have the luxury to afford" would make more sense if the fifth grade band and elementary Spanish cuts were being proposed in order to save money, but they were not. They were being cut in order to shift their funds to different programs (an additional instructional support specialist and more technology) and to have the students in the classroom more hours per day.
As with any budget, there is never enough to afford everything you want (unless maybe if you are Oprah), but this was not a matter of just cutting back, it was a matter of shifting funds, not cutting funds.
There are many educators and parents who believe in the instructional value of music in the form of the fifth grade band program and that keeping the funds there provides a better educational value to more students than shifting them to another instructional aid. That is why there was so much lobbying not to shift the funds. This belief comes not just from gut feel or personal experience but from a large body of research that proves the academic and brain development benefits of music education, especially in elementary.
It is fine to argue for fiscal prudence, but that is not what was happening in this case and therefore I find your editorial misleading.
May 8, 2011 at 9:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Carrie and Tony Requist: Band is invaluable
I have only heard that Spanish was possibly in the mix and have been surprised that there seems to be no one rallying around Spanish.
I believe the band program is excellent and provides a lot of worth to a lot of kids for a small amount. Only one semester at each school would be a big loss. My children's education in 5th grade did not suffer while they were at band; the music education supported their academic education.
As an after school activity, it is not available to kids who have to take the bus home and that puts it in direct competition with all the other after school activities including SSWSC. There are very few opportunities for music education in our community.
I certainly do understand that there is only so much budget and so much time in the school day and not everyone is going to agree on how this should be spent. We think band should stay in the mix and wanted to alert the community so people can make their opinions heard as you just have. Thanks for joining the conversation.
May 1, 2011 at 6:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Carrie and Tony Requist: Band is invaluable
We all have contacted the school board, superintendent and principals. This is a community issue and we felt the community should know about it in case others wanted to express their opinions as well.
May 1, 2011 at 8:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steamboat's Montessori classrooms offer an alternative method
This article captures the district Montessori program well except for one thing that is somewhat misleading. The flat enrollment numbers represent supply, not demand. The enrollment numbers are flat becuase they are capped at one LowerEl (1st-3rd) and one UpperEl (3rd-5th) classroom and each classroom is capped at 24 - 25 students. The program has typically been oversubscribed with more students who wish to enroll (primarily in the LowerEl classroom) than there are spaces for. Becuase of the multiage classroom, there are only about 8 openings each year in the first grade and a smattering of openings at upper grades from the few students who either move out of the area or choose to leave the program.
It is a great option that has served many families well.
April 17, 2011 at 8:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steamboat superintendent could be headed to new job in California
This would be a big loss to the community. Superintendent Cunningham is very smart with a lot of great experience and she cares about the student's education.
April 7, 2011 at 3:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )