Congratulations Class of 2024!
The May edition of IB Connected is always a celebration of our graduating class and any retiring IB staff members. Congratulations to our IB Diploma Class of 2024! We are so incredibly proud of your hard work and hope you enjoy all of your upcoming celebrations! Congratulations also to Mr. Mark Sherman (IB TOK teacher)! We are so happy for you, but please know how much you are going to be missed!
To all of our Pre-IB/IB students - good luck on finals! We know you're going to do great! Hang in there... summer is almost here!
Tripp Demeule
Headed to: CU Boulder or Flight School (Undecided)
Awards and scholarships: President Horace M. Hale Scholarship
Planning to Study: Economics
Words of advice for future IB students: Make time for friends and your real life. My best memories from IB and High School as a whole have been, of course, made outside of school. Remember that life is way more important than school, and that the best thing you can do is make memories and truly enjoy this short life that you have. As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” In the race to get ahead of your peers, it’s easy to become caught up in a program that lasts two years, and you can miss opportunities to make memories that will last a lifetime. Make sure to keep IB in perspective: it feels important now (and it is, absolutely), but your life and memories made during these formative years are far more important.
Cassidy Gebhard
Headed to: Colorado Mesa University
Awards and scholarships: Trustee Scholarship
Planning to Study: Double Major in Biological Sciences and Fine Arts
Words of advice for future IB students: Don't doubt yourself! You've already gone a huge distance, and that proves how determined you can be. Use that confidence to push yourself when you need it most.
Haley Hilderbrant
Headed to: Colorado School of Mines
Awards and scholarships: President’s Scholarship
Planning to Study: Biochemistry
Words of advice for future IB students: Surround yourself with people who will provide you with positive energy and help propel you forward! You will find that you have a renewed sense of strength when you have a support system to fall back on.
Faythe Payant
Headed to: Colorado State University
Awards and scholarships: National Merit Finalist,
Green and Gold Scholarship, CSU Honors Scholarship
Planning to Study: Biomedical Sciences (Anatomy and Physiology)
Words of advice for future IB students: Advocate for yourself! You are in charge of your future and experience in IB, so whether that means taking an opportunity that is outside of your comfort zone or taking a break for yourself, have the courage to do it.
Eli Pinsky
Headed to: University of Colorado, Boulder
Planning to Study: Astroparticle physics
Awards and scholarships: President Horace M Hale Award as an Esteemed Scholar
Words of advice for future IB students: Stay organized so you don’t miss anything and have a plan on finishing each assignment, especially so when things pile up you are prepared.
Maegan Smay
Headed to: Colorado School of Mines
Awards and scholarships: President’s Scholarship and Bart and Helen Ryan De Laat Scholarship
Planning to Study: Design Engineering
Words of advice for future IB students: Find ways to make sure you are balanced! While it's important to complete homework and study, plan out time to take breaks and do fun activities with friends and family.
Connor Sowinski
Headed to: CSU Fort Collins
Awards and Scholarships: Tbh idk yet but going to walk on for track so that's cool
Planning to study: Real Estate and Business Administration
Words of advice for future IB students: Be sure to understand your “why” factor throughout the process. This doesn’t just mean that you understand you’re gonna get a lot of money by getting the IB diploma, but rather that you understand a deeper “why” within you. This can be religion, discipline, spirituality, an ego, or whatever works for you. The way to succeed here is to be timely, organized, and work with DEPTH. You won’t achieve depth if you only do this for a number or letter on a screen.
Liliana Wilson
Headed to: CCU
Awards and scholarships: president's scholarship, IBARMS scholarship
Planning to Study: Engineering project management
Words of advice for future IB students: It’s okay to struggle, this is a hard academic process that will push you. Remember to take time for yourself and believe you can do it!
Yes, it's a real thing.
Many honors, IB, and AP classes at Dakota Ridge have summer homework assignments. Be sure to check here to see if you have assignments this summer. Unfortunately, claiming you didn't know about summer homework will not get you out of assignments.
Thank you to our AMAZING IB Parent Group!
Every year, our incredible IB Parent Group works behind the scenes to support the DRHS Pre-IB/IB students, families, and programme; this year was no exception! A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who hosted and supported many events throughout the year for our students! Here are just a few of the amazing things they did this year:
- Provided snacks throughout the year for Pre-IB/IB students
- Chick-fil-A finals lunches for students on the first day of finals
- Pinning ceremony and sweatshirt for our IB juniors
- IB graduation medallions for our graduating IB seniors
- IB Senior Celebration dinner at Red Rocks Country Club
- IB Senior Awards
We are so incredibly lucky to have these wonderful parents who so graciously helped out this year! Thank you to everyone who volunteered, brought snacks, planned events, dropped off food, and helped in countless other ways! We couldn't do it without you!