Moffat Monthly

RISINGSTARS

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VOL. 2 NO. 7 FEBRUARY 2012

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By BRIDGET MANLEYM2 WRITER

A.J. Stoffle found his calling at 4 years old.

He watched his cousin in a snow-mobile race in Steamboat Springs and decided he wanted to try it, his mother Teresa Stoffle said.

His family happened to have his tyke-sized snowmobile with them that day in 2002, Teresa Stoffle. That afternoon, they bought him the safety equipment he needed to race that night.

A decade later, A.J. is still certain of his calling.

“This is what I want to do,” he said. “It’s kind of been that way since I started.”

The trophies and posters that fill A.J.’s bedroom at his Craig home speak to his love for snocross, an event in which competitors race snowmobiles around a closed track riddled with jumps, bumps and other rough terrain.

His accolades include winning two consecutive national titles in 2010 and 2011 at competitions in Sandy, Utah, and taking a bronze medal at the 2004 X Games in Aspen.

Since he started racing, “he’s never been without a championship,” said

Teresa, 52.The 14-year-old competes in numer-

ous races every year, including those in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The sport requires long trips — as much as 2,400 miles round-trip — and Teresa home-schooled him from fourth- through sev-enth-grades to make time for competi-tions, she said.

A.J. has no intention of resting on his laurels, either. He can turn pro at 16, and that’s exactly what he plans to do, he said.

His intentions aren’t a surprise to Teresa.

“He eats and breathes snowmobiling,”

RISING STARS: CMS

‘This is what I want to do’

By BRIDGET MANLEYM2 WRITER

Kasen Brennise’s dream is to rodeo in one of the biggest arenas of them all: the National Finals Rodeo.

The 12-year-old Craig resident is well on his way to realizing that goal.

Kasen secured the title of world champion barrel racer during the 2008 National Finals Little Britches Rodeo. He was only 8 years old at the time.

The Craig Middle School sixth-grader also won several saddles during his rodeo career and “I don’t know how many buck-les,” said his father, Scott Brennise, 46.

“Lots,” Kasen said.Although he’s young, Kasen isn’t new

to the rodeo gig. He’s been in rodeos since he was 5, Scott said.

Rodeo runs strong in the Brennise family.

Kasen’s 11-year-old sister, Kinlie, took the 2011 junior girls barrel racing world championship at the National Little

Britches Rodeo Finals, and Scott and his wife, Sheila, once rode the circuit, too.

Kasen’s favorite event is team roping, he said, but he competes in a gamut of other events, including flag racing and goat tying.

Buckles, saddles and a world champi-

onship title didn’t come without some sweat on Kasen’s part. He practices two to five hours a day, winter and summer.

Scott believes the time Kasen invests into his events now will pay off later.

Rodeo practice builds responsibility, work ethic and motivation, he said.

“You have to be self-motivated to get better,” he said.

Kasen plans to keep sharpening his rodeo skills, aiming always for his dream. The big arena may be a long way off yet, but he’s determined to keep working toward it.

BRIDGET MANLEY/M2A.J. STOFFLE, 14, stands in his room packed with trophies he’s won in snocross races. “He eats and breathes snowmobiling,” his mother Teresa Stoffle said.

Little cowboy, big dreams

BRIDGET MANLEY/M2KASEN BRENNISE, 12, stands near his 9-year-old quarter horse Bart on Wednesday afternoon at an indoor arena near Craig where Kasen practices for rodeo events. Bart wears a trophy saddle Kasen won at a 2011 Little Britches Rodeo event in Rifle. The Craig Middle School sixth-grader also won the world champion barrel racer title at the 2008 National Finals Little Britches Rodeo.

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By JOSHUA GORDONM2 WRITER

Joe Camilletti, Taft Cleverly and Tyler Davis each started playing basketball when they were in grade school.

All three worked their way through the ranks, starting in the youth leagues before suiting up for the Craig Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade teams.

But Cleverly, a Moffat County High School sophomore, and freshmen Camilletti and Davis, found themselves in a rare position in the 2011-12 season — contributing as young players for a varsity basketball team.

“All three of those guys are dedicated to basketball,” head coach Eric Hamilton said. “They have put in a lot of hours in the sport and they are only getting better. They each have a great work ethic and we coaches expect them to help make this program successful.”

The boys basketball program at MCHS has endured three straight losing sea-sons, including last season’s dismal 2-20 mark. Hamilton, a first-year coach at MCHS, along with the three underclass-men contributors helped the Bulldogs triple last season’s win total. The team went 6-16 overall and 3-9 in the Western Slope League.

Hamilton said the three players are good building blocks for the future.

Cleverly started at point guard for the Bulldogs and is the floor general on both sides of the ball, Hamilton said.

Getting experience now is crucial to future success, Cleverly said.

“The experience we get now is going to help the most in two years when we are the varsity team,” he said of himself, Camilletti and Davis. “We get a chance to work together now in varsity games and we are building a chemistry to work as one unit.”

Camilletti and Davis didn’t start during the season, but they saw good minutes each game and sparked the Bulldogs off the bench.

Camilletti said he enjoyed the oppor-tunity.

“It is fun to be able to play with the bigger, stronger, faster varsity guys,” he said. “Being able to play now is going to let me see what I can do to help the team as I get older.”

All three players have a high basketball IQ, Hamilton said, and the early expo-sure will allow them to lead the team down the road.

“Instead of just playing with other freshmen, this year helps me become a better player,” Davis said. “We are all going to keep working to improve.”

Joshua Gordon can be reached at 875-1795 or [email protected].

RISING STARS: MCHS

Basketball building blocks

JOSHUA GORDON/M2FROM LEFT, TYLER DAVIS, Taft Cleverly and Joe Camilletti each contributed to the Moffat County High School boys varsity basketball team in the 2011-12 season. Head coach Eric Hamilton said Cleverly, a sophomore, and freshmen Camilletti and Davis are the building blocks for a successful future for the program.

JOSHUA GORDON/M2THE MOFFAT COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL boys varsity basketball team will lose four seniors from this year’s roster, leaving room for underclassmen to step up. Along with Joe Camilletti, Taft Cleverly and Tyler Davis, head coach Eric Hamilton said next year’s team will be full of young players with varsity experience. From left, freshmen Denton Taylor, Miguel Cruz, Phillip Chadwick and Matthew Hamilton all saw minutes during varsity games this season.

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By BRIDGET MANLEYM2 WRITER

While other young artists work in oils or pastels, 13-year-old Allie Dilldine prefers to work with a more mouth-watering medium.

She’s a champion cake decorator whose creations have two appeals, she said.

“People love it because it tastes really good,” the Craig Middle School eighth-grader said. “ … They like it before and they love it after.”

Judges at the 2011 Colorado State Fair apparently were of the same mind. They awarded Allie a grand champion ribbon in her division for a cake she fashioned to look like a dollhouse.

She’s been decorating cakes since before she can remember, she said, and has entered gingerbread house contests in downtown Craig several times.

It also helps that her mother, Kandee Dilldine, knows a thing or two about the fine art of frosting.

Kandee co-owns KS Kreations Craft Store and Bakery at 523 Yampa Ave., where Allie spends much of her time.

“Her creativity is her biggest strength,”

Kandee said about her daughter. Allie is able to concoct decorating

ideas on the fly rather than simply fol-lowing an illustration, her mother said.

“She can come up with all kinds of neat things,” Kandee said.

Working without a template is one of the reasons Allie enjoys the work.

“I can do whatever I want and there’s no rules, no nothing,” she said.

There’s another advantage to working with frosting rather than more tradi-tional art forms.

“You can eat it,” she said.

RISING STARS: CMS

Edible artBy BRIDGET MANLEY

M2 WRITERIn Miguel Meza’s eyes, his job descrip-

tion at the Boys & Girls Club of Craig is simple.

Help out.Be kind.Set a good example.And don’t think you have to be “the

all-star,” said Miguel, 14, a first-year Boys & Girls Club volunteer.

The Craig Middle School eighth-grader has no problem finding his way around the club. He’s been coming here since he was 5 years old, and “I know the place inside out,” he said.

Miguel’s duties include helping staff-ers clean up after meals and playing a game like basketball or soccer with young club members.

But his work also extends to a more personal level.

He spends one-on-one time with chil-dren if they’re sad, are having a rough time or just need someone to talk to, he said.

“I’ve been a member there a long time

and they actually look up to me,” he said.Miguel is at that age where younger

club members can relate to him and feel comfortable confiding in him, he said.

Kim Maneotis, Boys & Girls Club unit director, agrees.

“Absolutely,” she said. “… I think it’s because he listens. … He’s respectful.”

Miguel believes respect, along with a positive example, is what young club members can expect to find from club volunteers.

“We help the kids,” he said. “We understand the kids, how they are.”

A good example

BRIDGET MANLEY/M2ALLIE DILLDINE, 13, poses near awards she’s amassed for cake decorating. Allie’s awards include a grand champion ribbon she won at the 2011 Colorado

BRIDGET MANLEY/M2MIGUEL MEZA, 14, takes a break Wednesday afternoon at The Boys & Girls Club of Craig, where he is a volunteer. Meza began attending the club when he was 5.

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Craig Downtown Business Association is proud of our youth and all they have accomplished.

We are always very excited and proud to welcome young entrepreneurs to the community.

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Around the community

By JOSHUA GORDONM2 writer

Garrett Stewart was in fifth grade when he started wrestling.

The sport was a kind of family tradi-tion, Stewart said, with his dad, uncles, cousins and brothers having wrestled at one time or another.

But it was the feeling Stewart got when he was on the mat, the feeling of fighting for his own success, that kept him around.

“Wrestling is a unique sport, not like anything else,” Stewart said. “It is you and only you on the mat and there is no team to blame if you don’t do good. It is all up to you what you end up doing.”

Stewart, a Moffat County High School junior, qualified for the 4A state wres-tling tournament for a second consecu-tive year this season.

Next season, Stewart will be the only returning senior wrestler and state qualifier.

While he accepts a leadership position now, it wasn’t until he qualified for state in his sophomore year that Stewart real-ized he had the potential to be a great grappler.

“In middle school I thought I was real-ly good, but then I came in as a freshman and it was a whole different game,” he said. “It was a learning experience, going from 1-minute periods to 2-minute peri-ods and all the different wrestling styles.

“I never would have thought in a mil-lion years I would have qualified for state as a sophomore.”

Head coach Roman Gutierrez wasn’t as surprised as Stewart.

Gutierrez said Stewart put in the time and did “the little things” to become a good wrestler.

“Garrett worked on his conditioning, he showed up and stayed late, and he

worked outside the wrestling room,” he said. “He worked so he could accomplish all the goals he set for himself.”

Wrestling in the state tournament as a sophomore build up his confidence, Stewart said, and gave him a look at some of the best competition in the state.

But, it also raised expectations for the rest of his high school career.

“I had raised my expectations for myself heading into this season,” Stewart said. “Since I had been to state already, anything but making it again would have been a disappointment.”

Gutierrez said wrestlers' first time at state brings out nerves, but it gives them an edge in the following years.

Stewart’s two years of experience, Gutierrez said, are not only vital to his success next year, but also to the team's.

“Garrett did a good job this year help-ing lead, but the team did a good job of supporting each other as a whole,” he said. “Next year, Garrett will be the senior leader and he will have to make sure everyone is on the same page and working hard in the room. He has to keep them motivated and reflect his work ethic onto them.”

Stewart said his goal next year is to not only qualify for the state tournament, but place in the top four.

He knows what he has to do to reach the goal, but he also wants to use what he knows to help his teammates.

“It can be hard to be the leader because like this year, kids wanted to give up at the end of the year,” he said. “But, I know that if you stick with it and keep pushing, you will get there.

“I want to keep everyone on track and get the experience they need to so they can notice how awesome it feels to suc-ceed.”

Exceeding expectations

JOel ReicHeNBeRGeR/cOURteSy pHOtOGarrett Stewart, a Moffat County HiGH SCHool junior, qualified for the 4A state wrestling tournament for a second straight year this season. Stewart said being a two-time state qualifier not only raises expectations for himself, but also for next year’s squad, on which he will be the only returning senior.

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By SARAH BOHRERSpecial to M2

One afternoon in early December 2011, a Moffat County Fuller Center for Housing volunteer found a trace of the past.

She was helping the nonprofit group dismantle the Simmons Rooming House and was removing baseboard trim in one of the downstairs rooms when she discovered a letter postmarked July 1948 wedged between the baseboard and the wall.

The envelope bore only the typewritten initials and last name of the addressee: “M. W. Lefferdink” with “Craig, Colo.” on the line below. No street address was listed.

The postmark indicated that it had been sent from Wauneta, Neb.

The envelope had been opened and it contained a handwritten letter. The writing was difficult to decipher, but the signature was clear enough.

It read, “Love and Kisses, Mamma.”Questions surrounded the discovery. Had it purposely been hidden there,

or much more likely, had it slipped down into the narrow space and disappeared?

The letter’s mysterious history was rivaled only by the rich past of the house that sheltered it.

The building located at 731 Yampa Ave., has been known for years in the community as the Simmons Rooming House.

The 16-room structure, originally known as the Stewart House, was used as a rooming house from the beginning, ever since Rhoda Stewart had it built in 1910 by Robinson and Aiken, and it can be seen in many old photographs of Craig.

In 1924 it was sold to Hattie Sherman, whose grandson, Glen Sherman, was for-merly Craig’s chief of police. It changed ownership several more times before Lillian Simmons purchased it in 1951.

After a period of vacancy, it was pur-chased with the intent of renovating it into an apartment building. However when it was discovered the founda-tion was badly deteriorating, the owner decided to donate the building and land to the Moffat County Fuller Center for Housing.

Formerly known as the Moffat County Chapter of Routt County Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit group is dedi-cated to making more decent, affordable housing available in Moffat County.

When doing business as Habitat for

Humanity a few years ago, this group was responsible for completely renovating a home two doors north of the rooming house.

But, after careful consideration, it was decided the best way to use the donated property would be to tear down the old rooming house and build a new home on the site. Rather than simply razing the structure and sending all of the mate-rial to the landfill, Fuller Center officials chose to recycle what they could.

As it turned out, the Augusta Wallihan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution needed dimen-sional lumber for its restoration of the Lay School, which was also built in 1910 and very likely used lumber milled at the same sawmill as the Simmons House.

Volunteers started the demolition work with the aim of salvaging whatever mate-rials could be reused or recycled. Old metal siding, roofing and trim was turned in as scrap metal, with the proceeds going toward building the new home.

Wood beams, siding, studs and trim pieces were removed one by one to be reused to help bring the Lay School back to life as an interpretive center.

However, the project yielded more than wood and metal. The letter’s discov-ery uncovered a mystery.

No matter how it ended up there, the letter appeared to have been tucked away for quite a while. A quick check of the most recent Craig phone book showed no one with the last name of Lefferdink currently living in the area.

The following week, the letter was brought to the Museum of Northwest Colorado in hopes that the staff might be able to help piece together some infor-mation about M.W. Lefferdink.

Jan Gerber, the museum’s assistant director, pulled out an old Craig phone book from 1946 and found a listing for Martha Lefferdink at 731 Yampa Ave.

The address was right, but it seemed strange at first, since the property was a rooming house. It was unusual that a ten-ant would have her own phone, unless maybe she was the manager.

Further research showed Martha listed in the Craig phone books from May 1946 through January 1951, which seemed to support this theory.

Museum Director Dan Davidson pulled out a file on the Simmons family and found the names of some relatives still living in the Meeker area, thinking that maybe someone might remember Martha.

Davidson and Gerber recalled that when the building belonged to Lilly Simmons, the manager’s apartment was located in the part of the building where the letter was found, so it made sense that it had been the manager’s apartment before that, too.

Next, Gerber started looking at old census records and found Martha Lefferdink living in Lancaster, Neb., in 1920 with her two small children, John and Elizabeth (Betty), and after that in Denver during the 1930 census.

Since 1940 census records have not

yet been made public, Gerber turned next to the Ancestry.com database. There she found more information about the family.

Martha’s son, John, had settled in Lamar, but the records showed he died in 2010. Following a hunch that he might still have family living in the area, she contacted the Lamar newspaper for more information.

They knew the family, and they told her that John J. Lefferdink had a son, John S. Lefferdink, who was still living in Lamar and serving as the Prowers County attorney.

Gerber called him and told him about the letter and asked if he would like her to send it to him. He said he would love to have it. He knew quite a bit of the family history and was able to fill in some of the details about Martha Washington Lefferdink’s time in Craig.

He told Gerber that Martha had been teaching school in Denver and answered an ad in the paper for a rooming house manager in Craig in the late 1930s. Through her daughter, Elizabeth, Martha ended up purchasing the rooming house and continued to live there until 1951 when she sold the property to Mrs. Simmons and moved back to Denver.

After disappearing 60 years or so ago, Martha’s letter from her mother has been returned to her grandson.

For anyone who might be curious about the letter’s contents, a transcribed copy can be viewed at the Museum of Northwest Colorado, 590 Yampa Ave.

Around the community

Mystery letter finds its way home

muSEum Of nORtHwESt cOlORAdO/cOuRtESyA volunteer with the Moffat county Fuller center for Housing found the letter pictured here while helping tear down the Simmons Rooming House, 731 Yampa ave. the letter was postmarked July 1948 and had apparently been sent from Wauneta, Neb.

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By BRIDGET MANLEYM2 writer

Clint Gabbert doesn’t put too much stock in learning through books.

“I’ve always learned better by just doing something,” the 20-year-old said.

It’s no surprise, then, that he chose business as a career.

In March 2010, a little more than two years after he graduated from Moffat County High School, he and his mother, Leona, opened The Jungle Pet Shop at 565 Yampa Ave.

His choice put him on a different tra-jectory than most of his peers.

Instead of cramming for finals or sit-ting through lectures, Gabbert is learn-ing about merchandising, finance and other essential business concepts the way he learns best: through experience.

Not that the pet shop gig is unfamiliar to Gabbert.

He worked at Baker Drive Pets since he was 14, and he ran his own saltwater

fish business inside the store for about nine months.

While he was in high school, he had aspirations to enter the business world.

“That’s kind of what my goal was,” he

said. “I didn’t plan on it happening so abruptly.”

The change from working in a pet shop to co-owning one wasn’t that significant, he said, if you don’t consider the financial side of things.

“It’s expensive,” he said, especially when all the equipment, like aquariums and pet food, are taken into account.

At the ripe age of 20, Gabbert is one of the youngest businessmen in downtown Craig and the city overall.

Terry Carwile, who owns Downtown Books a few doors away from The Jungle, believes young entrepreneurs like Gabbert are key to ensuring Craig’s economic future.

“If you’re going to use the word ‘sus-tainable’ … you would really like to have a generational sort of advancement,” said Carwile, who also is Craig’s mayor.

Gabbert doesn’t think much about his comparative youth, he said.

He’s got too many other things on his mind, like gauging his clientele’s needs

and weighing which kinds of animals, including reptiles, birds and fish, will sell best.

Gabbert also sells rodents, although “I really am not fond of them,” he said.

It’s all part of the package, though, in running a pet shop in a small town. His real passion is fish, and there are some aquariums out there he would love to sell, but a small demographic like Craig doesn’t support specialty stores, he said.

Yet running a business in a small town has its perks, namely less competition, he said.

That’s not to say being a small-business owner in Craig isn’t sometimes an uphill battle, but business is going well at The Jungle —“It’s definitely been a lot more successful than we had planned it to be,” Gabbert said —and he and Leona are planning to advance to the next stage of business development: expansion.

Gabbert estimates by June, or possibly sooner, The Jungle will have a new home at 29 W. Victory Way.

Rising staRs: 25 and youngeR

Entrepreneur learns by doing

BRIDGET MANLEY/M2Clint Gabbert, 20, co-owner of the Jungle Pet Shop, stands next to the store’s aquariums in early February.

By ANDY BOCKELMANSPecial to M2

In May 2006, Derek Duran’s name was mentioned multiple times during Moffat County High School’s graduation ceremo-ny. Besides being read off the list of many receiving diplomas that day, the college-bound student also received acknowl-edgement as Outstanding Senior Boy.

The award was the result of four years of hard work in the classroom, in the gym and elsewhere in the Craig community. And, though only two students, one male and one female, can achieve the top honor each year, Duran hopes to help future graduates of MCHS attain such standards.

As part of the local group Maximum Commitment to Excellence, Duran, 24, strives to promote greater involvement in schools across Moffat County.

“There’s some real successful business-men in that group like Dave DeRose, Scott Cook, John Ponikvar, and I’m proud to be a part of it,” he said. “It’s all about raising the bar for educational standards for the youth of the community.”

Though Duran may be one of the youngest members of the effort, he has an advantage because he recently went through the school system himself.

“I grew up here, and the community treated me well, so I want to do that for the kids here now,” he said. “I always knew I would come back to Craig, and I’ve got a passion for this place. I want kids to be proud coming from Moffat County.”

Duran first left Northwest Colorado to enroll at Mesa State College, later transferring to Colorado State University, where he graduated in winter 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in construction man-

agement and business.Since returning to his hometown, he

has worked with his father, Jim, for Duran and Pearce Contractors.

“That’s really the only job I’ve ever had, working for him, and I’ve always enjoyed it,” he said. “Eventually I’d like to take it over when he retires.”

A jack-of-all-trades, Duran works with large-scale construction equipment, per-forms office paperwork and pitches in on anything else that needs done.

“I think if I weren’t in the family busi-ness, I’d still be doing construction,” he said. “I’d also like to get more into coaching.”

Competing in MCHS football, bas-ketball and track during his high school years, Duran also has assisted with the Bulldogs’ gridiron season.

“Right now, it’s just football, but I’d like to do basketball when I get a little more time,” he said. “I’ve got the perfect balance, coaching in the fall and working with the kids, and since I’m not a teacher, I get kind of a break from them.”

Duran also has worked with younger children, most recently giving Ridgeview Elementary students a breakdown of how the math they learn at an early age can be applied to real-world situations.

His belief, in line with the mission of Commitment to Excellence, is that it doesn’t take much for the community to pitch in for the learning experience of young people.

“There’s a lot of great people here, and they’re willing to help you out and put in some time and sacrifice and help make us better than what we are right now,” he said. “It’s encouraging to know we live in a place that wants to move to the top.”

Building a solid foundation

ANDY BOCKELMAN/SpECIAL TO M2Derek Duran stanDs with a loader at the construction site of applied industries, where his company, Duran and Pearce contractors, is completing a building addition. Duran volunteers with the community involve-ment education effort, Maximum commitment to excellence.

9

By JERRY MARTINM2 WRITER

Christalin Thompson is a busy woman.

She raises three children, 5-year-old Riley, 2-year-old Carson and 5-month-old Addison, works three 12-hour shifts a week as a concierge at The Memorial Hospital in Craig, and teaches Zumba classes three days a week from Holistic Health & Fitness.

“I’ve always been busy,” the 25-year-old Craig resident said. “Even when I was in high school, I was in cheer-leading and student council and I had a job.”

As an adult, Thompson’s active life-style has helped her discover new passions. This was the case in 2007, when she was living in Oceanside, Calif., raising Riley, who was 10 months old.

Looking for a fun way to stay in shape, Thompson, the daughter of Craig residents Sid and Denise Arola, started taking Zumba classes. She was drawn to the Latin dance-inspired fit-ness program because of its energy, she said.

“The party atmosphere,” Thompson said about why Zumba appeals to her. “You don’t feel like you’re working out, you feel like you’re having fun.”

Thompson returned to Craig in 2008 and quickly noticed Zumba classes weren’t offered in her home-town. She decided that had to change.

“When I moved home, (Craig) had nothing,” she said. “So I decided to become an instructor.”

After getting her instructor’s certi-fication in Denver, Thompson looked at opening a studio in Craig. In May 2009, she opened Zumba Fitness on Yampa Avenue.

While she was working to get her studio off the ground, Thompson gave birth to her second child, Carson. While Thompson was on maternity leave, Craig resident Becky Smith filled in as instructor.

“Everybody liked her and it worked out really well,” Thompson said.

A struggling economy forced Thompson to close her studio in July 2010. Rather than give up teach-ing Zumba in Craig, she and Smith started offering Zumba classes at fit-ness centers in town. The duo start-

ed at Trapper Fitness for the first year before settling into their current home at Holistic, 420 Breeze St. In October 2011, a third partner, Craig resident Kara Holden, joined the group.

Thompson said working with part-ners has its advantages, especially when it comes to maintaining her schedule.

“We have it pretty balanced out,” she said. “We know who’s doing it which days, and it works out well.”

While being a mother and instruct-ing Zumba both offer their share of challenges, Thompson in late 2010 found herself wanting more adult interaction.

“I love being home with the kids, but there’s not enough going on for me,” Thompson said, recalling her motivation for getting back in the professional world. “I needed adult conversation.”

Thompson’s mother, controller at TMH, told her the hospital was look-ing for a concierge, or front desk staffer. Thompson applied and was offered the job. A year later, she couldn’t be happier she accepted the position.

“There is nothing I don’t like about my job,” Thompson said. “I have an awesome boss and awesome employ-ees around me.”

Her favorite aspect of the job is the patient interaction, where she “guides them where they need to go,” she said.

Aside from finding fulfillment in her job, Thompson, who gave birth to her third child in September 2011, said working at TMH has altered her future aspirations.

“Depending on how Zumba takes off, when all my kids are in school I do plan on going to nursing school,” she said. “I was actually working towards going to dental hygiene school, and once I did start working here I realized that this is more my kind of flow.”

In her personal life, Thompson sim-ply plans to “raise my kids,” she said. Coupled with her professional aspi-rations, it doesn’t look like her life will slow down anytime soon. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a challenge at times,” she said, “but I enjoy it.”

RISING STARS: 25 AND YOUNGER

Enjoying the challenge

BRIDGET MANLEY/M2CRAIG RESIDENT CHRISTALIN THOMPSON, pictured here at work at The Memorial Hospital in Craig, said she prefers a busy schedule over a quiet one. In addition to working as a concierge at TMH, Thompson teaches Zumba classes and raises three children.

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By JOSHUA GORDONM2 writer

It seems no matter what Kat Thompson adds to her schedule, she is never overwhelmed.

Thompson, a Moffat County High School senior, is part of the high school’s National Honor Society as well as the yearbook committee.

After school, she’s usually working on the next MCHS theater produc-tion, working as a sales associate at Maurices, or finding time to sing the national anthem at Bulldog sporting events.

This year, she's also competing in the Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA, earning a trip to the state competition after only com-peting twice.

And, lest we forget, Thompson was named the MCHS homecoming queen during football season.

“I have to learn to work with my schedule,” she said. “I try to schedule my stuff so I can focus on one thing so they are not intrusive with each other.”

Thompson, 17, said singing became her forte in church, singing for the choir, and it seemed natural to apply it to theater.

“I’ve always been in choir at church, and in high school I joined my fresh-man year,” she said. “I got in and have done the musicals since eighth grade playing in the orchestra. I just love music in general.”

In her junior year, Thompson starred in “The Sound of Music” as Maria Rainer, a role actress Julie Andrews made famous in 1965.

This school year, she got to play Ariel Moore in “Footloose.”

“When I did my first major per-formance, ‘The Sound of Music’, the first opening night was the most ter-rifying night of my life, but it kind of grows on you,” Thompson said. “Ariel was just fun to do and I got to

be something I’m completely not, so that was exciting.

“But, ‘The Sound of Music’ got the best reviews and I heard at lot of good things, so I think that was my all-time favorite role.”

Thompson’s other extracurricular activities outside of school — work-ing for Maurices and competing in DECA — go hand in hand, she said.

“Working at Maurices has helped me in DECA because it is all about business and managing and market-ing,” she said. “(In DECA), they give you a scenario where a store is going out of business and you have to come up with a way to promote it.

“I only competed twice and I got to go to state.”

Still, Thompson said performing is her passion.

The senior has applied to the University of North Carolina to major

in vocal performance.If she can’t get in her first year,

Thompson said she would earn her associate’s degree in Denver before applying again.

No matter, she said, her ultimate goal is to be able to continue per-forming.

“I think just having that moment on stage when everyone is watching you is my favorite part,” Thompson said. “It is not like grabbing for attention, but on stage, attention is naturally focused on you. In school I don’t try to bring too much attention to me, but on stage it is a natural setting.

“I love performing, so that is what I want to do.”

Joshua Gordon can be reached at 875-1795 or at joshgordon@craigdai-

lypress.com.

Rising staRs: MCHs

Balancing work and passion

JOSHUA GORDON/m2Kat thompson, a moffat County high sChool senior, said her favorite aspect of performing is being able to have a moment on stage. when thompson’s not performing, she keeps busy with numerous school clubs as well as working as a sales associate at Maurices.

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By BRIDGET MANLEYM2 writer

Until this school year, Nicole Ferree hated politics, pure and simple, she said.

She couldn’t get away from the subject. She heard about it often at home, which isn't surprising. Her father, Jim Ferree, is Craig’s city manager.

In recent months, though, her atti-tude has changed.

Politics is no longer a wearisome subject to her. Instead, it intrigues her, and she’s ready to get involved in the political process.

Education, it turns out, was the main reason for this 180-degree shift.

“I really never knew that politics had anything to do with the education system,” Nicole said.

Now that she knows, however, she’s determined to make her voice heard.

She applied for and won an at-large seat on the Colorado Youth Advisory Council. The board is made of students from across the state who advise legislators on policies affecting children and teens. The first of four meetings in her one-year term begins April 15.

Nicole’s burgeoning resume includes similar achievements.

She sits on the Colorado Meth Project’s teen advisory council and plans to run for the chairperson’s position in the 2012-13 school year.

In November, she organized the “Not Even Once” carnival, an event designed to prevent methamphet-amine use, at the Boys & Girls Club of Craig.

As MCHS Student Council secre-tary, Nicole is also a leader on a more local level.

For someone who once detested politics, her life is about as political as a 16-year-old’s can be.

She’s thinking seriously about becoming a legislative aid at some point, she said.

Her father, though, believes she has time to consider her options.

“It wouldn’t bother me at all if that’s what she wants to do,” Jim said, “but she’s young and she has a lot of education ahead of her, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she changed her goals a lot between now and when she graduates from college.”

Regardless of what path Nicole chooses, she’s certain her leadership experience won’t be wasted.

“Even if I don’t go into the govern-ment part of things, it’s helped me be a more competent person and to … not be scared to express what I think about things,” she said. “…It’s made me a … more confident person.”

Bridget Manley can be reached at 875-1793 or [email protected].

Rising staRs: MCHs

The makings of a leader

BRIDGET MANLEY/M2Nicole Ferree, 16, a Moffat County High School sophomore, sits in a Craig City Council mem-ber’s chair on a recent Monday afternoon. City council chambers are familiar to her father, Jim Ferree, who is Craig’s city manager. Nicole also is thinking about a career in politics and hopes to become a legislative aid when she finishes school.

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