2-18-12
Boys team captain, Sam Buchholz has many athletic accomplishments.  He's made numerous zone and ODP teams for the mountain zone and is the youngest player to become captain for the Pirates.  He is also captain for the Aurora Public Schools boys swim team, and wrestled for Rangeview High School.  But Sam is just as strong in the classroom.  Sam was recently recoginzed as an Academic All-American by USA Water Polo.

The program honors students for excellence in the pool and in the classroom as well. Each student-athlete had to have at least a 3.6 grade point average with outstanding achievement going to those with a 4.0.  Sam has 3.65 GPA with a weighted average of 4.25. 

Sam is part of the STEM program for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  This is a very challenging program requiring multiple Advanced Placement courses, with more to come next year in his senior year.

Less then 6% of all eligible USA water polo players meet the requirement for Academic All-American status.

5-16-11

Pirate Goalie and Captain Jasmine Griffin recently had a tough decision to make.  She was accepted to both Harvard and Yale.  As you can guess, far more students are rejected than accepted to these prestigious Ivy League schools.  Harvard is lucky to have her coming their way.  She will also play for their water team.

Jasmine is ranked first in her high school class of more than 500 students at Arapahoe High School and will be honored as co-valedictorian at graduation.  She has a 4.3 GPA while carrying a remarkable work load.  Jasmine has taken 11 Advanced Placement courses including Chemistry, Physics, and Spanish.  She has performed very well on standardized tests earning a 2240 (our or 2400) on her SAT, and a 35 (out of 36) on her ACT.

Jasmine is a National Merit Finalist for 2011 and an AP Scholar with distinction for 2010.  She has earned a number of other academic accolades including several math and science awards.

Jasmine is also an accomplished piano player who is the accompanist for the Arapahoe Singers at all of its events including performances on the radio and with the Colorado Chorale.  Jasmine is also the President of her youth church group helping plan conferences for kids throughout the Denver area.

5-16-11

Hannah Harm has been selected as a John Lynch Star of the Year.  This program recognizes Denver-
area middle and high school student-athletes for outstanding performance in academics, athletics, and community involvement.  Hannah is an 8^th grade 4.0 student at Euclid Middle School (2010-2011 school year).  She has earned continuous straight A’s throughout her school years.  She is already taking Honors Geometry at Heritage High School.  She represented Euclid at the Brain Bowl in 2010 and 2011 and has been on the Honor Roll each of her semesters from 2008-2011. She is a member of the National Junior Honor Society. Hannah also displays an aptitude for music and art.  She placed 3^rd chair Flute in Symphony Winds, the most advanced band within the Colorado Honor Band. Hannah as also shown artwork in school, district and community art shows over the past three years. 

Hannah excels at other sports in addition to water polo.  She was awarded 1^st place in the Discus at the Littleton Public Schools District Championships in 2010. She was a member of both the 7^th and 8^th grade LPS District Champion Girls’ Basketball “A” teams and a member of both the 7^th and 8^th grade Volleyball “A” teams. 

Hannah is also active in caring for the environment and endangered species.  She published a science article on the US Fish and Wildlife’s website for the Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Program after shadowing a resident wildlife biologist for the Lower Brule Sioux tribe in South Dakota. ( http://www.blackfootedferret.org/pdf/Hannah-Harm-All-Nighter-Fall2009.pdf )  She has also been a local Girl Scouts spokesperson for recycling appearing on Denver-area television stations.

Congratulations Hannah on your diverse accomplishments!

5-16-11

Chelsea Stevens and Cassidy Clark are Cherokee Trail High School juniors who heard about Grier's accident and wanted to do something to help Grier's family... and they did. 

Chelsea and Cassidy organized a 5K run in Grier's name.  It took a lot of planning, probably more than they thought.  But they ended up hosting about 300 runners at the Aurora Reservoir on April 16th.  After expenses, they were able to donate $10,000 to Grier's memorial fund to help his wife and three children.  It's a remarkable example of what two caring high school students can do when they set their minds, and hearts, to something.

They don't play water polo, but Chelsea and Cassidy's act of generosity on behalf of Grier's family makes them honorary Pirates.  Thank you, girls.  You're both great!