Blogs

At Friends of Coal Creek, we are big believers in the power of art to connect hearts to places. And so, in collaboration with the Lafayette Art’s Council, we are proud to announce a Young Poets Competition. The theme is Transitions and entrants are asked to find inspiration in the areas of Coal Creek where one type of land, ideas or themes meets another.

The submission window is open now through February 15, 2025, and is open to all middle- and high school students who live or attend school within the Coal Creek communities (Lafayette, Erie, Louisville, Superior and Golden).

The contest has cash prizes for first ($100), second ($50), and third ($30) place winners in four categories:

• High school - Spanish

• High school - English

• Middle school - Spanish

• Middle school - English.

ZBassSpeaks, Lafayette’s poet laureate, is our esteemed judge.

“It is with great honor that I get to be part of this project, and even more so that I will get to hear from a new generation of writers,” ZBassSpeaks says. “I look forward to hearing your voices transcribed in my favorite art form. Your participation gives me great confidence that I will be blown away by your unique styles and views of our world. I encourage you to bring everything to the table and I implore you to be as expressive as you feel necessary. Good luck!”

Prizes will be awarded at an event at the Lafayette Public Library in April, 2025, which is National Poetry Month.

See here for full submission guidelines. If you know a talented middle- or high-schooler who has a way with words, please send them our way and help us share and celebrate the ways our young poets see our creek.

Friends of Coal Creek is a local nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the habitat value and improving the resilience of Coal Creek and the communities along its run.

Local teen in the spotlight for her fight against bullying is being bullied behind-the-scenes.

Maya Claridge, a freshman at Legacy High School, is no stranger to bullying.  She was bullied for over two years in middle school and says it was the “darkest and loneliest time” of her life.  With the hope of helping other kids who are experiencing bullying, Claridge began the Bullied to Bold tour, traveling to schools and youth related organizations throughout Colorado, sharing her story and message of hope.  “I don’t want anyone to feel alone,” Claridge says.  “I want them to know that they can overcome being bullied.”

Her message is one of inspiration, hope and strength as she encourages kids to put down their fear, put down the shame and rise above the pain.

Ironically, in the midst of the Bullied to Bold tour, Claridge is experiencing cyber-bullying from several teenage girls whom she has never met.  “These girls have targeted Maya via Instagram and have posted numerous negative comments about her, mainly making fun of how she looks,” said Beverly Brenner, management and booking agent for the Bullied to Bold tour. 

Claridge appears un-phased by the cyber-bullying attacks against her, stating, “I’ve dealt with bullies before and I refuse to give them the power to hurt me.”

Determined to continue reaching out to others with a message of kindness, Claridge does not respond to the negative comments she receives via social media.   “They can say what they want to say about me but they’re mean words aren’t going to change who I am or what I’m doing,” Claridge says.

Claridge will appear on Colorado & Company (9News) on January 22, 2016 to promote the Bullied to Bold tour and her song entitled, PUT IT DOWN, which was written specifically for the tour and produced by Billboard award-winning producer, Marc Williams at Indasoul Records.

For booking information please visit www.BulliedToBold.com

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Come take a magic carpet ride with a darling group of local youth actors, many in their very first performances, as they bring to the stage Disney’s ALADDIN Jr.

Boulder County’s own, The Art Underground,  will open its Fall Season production, Disney’s ALADDIN Jr., Friday evening, November 14th for six performances in Boulder at Platt Middle School.

ALADDIN Jr. is a one-act theatre musical adapted from the very popular animated Disney film Aladdin, released in 1992. The film is based on the Arab folktale of Aladdin and the magic lamp from “One Thousand and One Nights”.  Both the story and music in this version closely follow the original film.

So come join our three casts (25 each) of talented young actors ranging from 4th -8th grade and with the talented direction of Betsy Keating. Hear the Academy award-winning score with songs including “Arabian Nights”, “One Jump Ahead”, “Friend Like Me”, “Prince Ali”, and “A Whole New World”, as well as a new song, “Why Me”, which is sung by Jafar and Iago. You’ll also be treated to colorful, dazzling costumes and innovative, creative set design by Art Underground staff.

 http://www.artunder.org

Friday,11/14/14
7pm Blue Cast

Saturday, 11/15/14
11am Red Cast
2:30pm Blue Cast
6:00pm Yellow Cast

Sunday, 11/16/14
1pm Yellow Cast
4:30pm Red Cast

Is your child just getting interested in sports or need an activity to burn off some excess energy?  Then the Town of Superior and i9 Sports have a summer camp for you.  The camps will be Monday to Friday, June 17 to 21, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon each day on the Town of Superior sports fields. 

In the camp for boys and girls ages 4 to 7, your child will have fun playing Flag Football, Soccer, T-Ball, Relay Races, and Tag games. This camp will focus on fundamentals while allowing children to gain an interest in sports.  The camp is designed to let children experience different sports and physical activities in a fun learning environment.

The camp for boys and girls ages 8 to 12 will allow your child to have fun playing Basketball, Flag Football, Dodge Ball, Relay Races, and Kickball.  This camp will explore positioning, defense, offense, passing, receiving, and running.  Each level takes the skills taught and applies them on the field during fun drills and scrimmages.  The camp will provide a positive and energetic environment where your child stays active on the field.  They are provided with the very best instruction geared toward improving skills.  

Each day, the camp will highlight a sportsmanship value for the kids to focus on.  The instructors will award sportsmanship medals to each participant based on learning this value.

i9 Sports and the Town of Superior believe that the primary reason children play sports is to have fun.  They love mastering new skills, developing friendships, and healthy competition.  i9 Sports works on developing character, the value of teamwork, fair play, and good sportsmanship.  Team sports are one of the best ways to help children develop physically and emotionally.  Youth sports develop life skills, promote a healthy lifestyle, and increase self-esteem.  The instructors have an athletic background and experience working with young athletes.

Registration is only $109 and includes camp T-shirt, award, and more.  The deadline is June 12.  For more information, go to www.superiorrec.com or www.i9sports.com (click More Sports and then choose Camps from the dropdown menu), or call 303-462-1520.