Story originally submitted on June 2, 2023 in The Summit Daily. Written by Cody Jones. For the full story click here.

Cain Steinweg and Nina Schamberger, left, begin the second Summit Trail Running Series race on Wednesday, May 31. Schamberger was the first female athlete to cross the finish line in the short course race.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

As cars started to stream into the B&B trailhead parking lot off French Gulch Road in Breckenridge, thunder started to boom and rain started to steadily pour down from the sky.

While many people peeled out of the parking lot after a jaunt on their bike, others exited the warmth of the interior of their cars in order to compete in the second of six scheduled Summit Trail Running Series races on Wednesday, May 31.

Part of the town of Breckenridge Recreation Department, the Summit Trail Running Series and the Summit Mountain Challenge strives to get people together in the community to challenge their fitness on local trails via trail running or mountain biking.

After hosting the first race in the series in Dillon on May 17, the French Gulch race consisted of both a short course and a long course on the trail system surrounding the B&B trailhead.

The French Gulch short course race was advertised as a 3.43-mile race with over 459 feet of elevation gain, while the long course race was marked for 5.34 miles with 652 feet of total elevation gain.

The short course race ended up being marked short of the prescribed mileage with the race being closer to 2.5 miles with 350 feet of elevation gain.

At the front of the short course race field were several standout Summit High School and Summit Middle School distance runners who were willing to brave the cold rain and slippery course.

Leading the pack was incoming sophomore Cain Steinweg, who completed the course in 18 minutes, 17 seconds in order to win his second 2023 Summit Trail Running Series race.

Steinweg was followed by his new Summit High School cross-country teammates Jay McDonald and Lukas Remeikis, who tied for second place with a time of 18:40.

The Peak School graduate and University of Utah commit Nina Schamberger was the next athlete to cross the finish line. Schamberger showed off her aerobic engine from Nordic skiing by completing the short course in 19:17, earning fourth place.

Originally posted in the Utah Utes News on November 9th, 2022

Read the full article here.

SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah head Nordic skiing coach Miles Havlick announced on Wednesday the signing of Nina Schamberger with the program. One of the top junior Nordic skiers in the United States, Schamberger is a native of Leadville, Colorado, and will join the Utes beginning in the 2024 collegiate season.

"Nina has been tearing up the junior racing scene for many years both domestically and internationally," said Havlick. "She will be an immediate asset on the women's team with her strong work ethic, desire for excellence and contagious energy. On and off the skis, she will be a great ambassador of the sport and the University of Utah. We couldn't be more excited to have her sign on as a Ute!"

Schamberger currently skis with Summit Nordic Ski Club in her home state of Colorado, most recently appearing on the international scene at the 2022 Junior World Championships in Lygna, Norway. She raced in three events during the championships, including as part of a fifth-place United States relay team that also included current Ute Sydney Palmer-Leger.

She qualified for the Junior World Championships during the 2022 U.S. National Championships which were held at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. Her U.S. Junior Nationals debut came in 2019, when Schamberger raced in Anchorage, Alaska.

"I chose the University of Utah because I have goals to be a professional skier in the future and to me, the U was the best stepping stone to this," Schamberger said. "I think this is a place where I can thrive, surrounded by dedicated, like-minded student-athletes all while enjoying the process. There is so much I can learn from this ski team!"

A rundown of Schamberger's racing history is available on her FIS profile.

Follow the Utes on social media (@utahskiteam).

Alumna Selah Kreeger '16 is a freshman at The New School in New York City. 

NEW SCHOOL FREE PRESS — The New School’s Body Positivity Art Exhibit, sponsored by the Wellness and Health Promotion program at Student Health and Support services, will take place in Baldwin Rivera Boggs Social Justice Hub from Feb. 26 through March 16. It features selected works submitted by the students, faculty and staff, two of which received a financial reward of $100 and $50.

For some students, the exhibition provides an opportunity to reclaim pride in their identity. “I made a film of kind of accepting who I am and appreciating the fact that I might be a little bit more androgynous than somebody else and making it a part of my own unique beauty,” said Selah Kreeger, a sophomore studying psychology at Lang.

Other artists see the exhibition as a way to oppose social stereotypes, celebrating the beauty of diversity. “I want to embrace the aging of women and I want to celebrate the wrinkles,” said Rui Zhou, an MFA fashion design and society student.

Many used the exhibit to take a stance on social issues. “I would love for it to be 100 percent celebration, but this topic is too loaded for it to not be considered a cry for action,” said Martina Travia, a senior photography student.

Often participants share a deeply personal experience, in attempt to help their peers, struggling with similar problems. “I like to depict female figures eating. It’s been really stigmatized,” said Athena Rigas, a fine arts senior. “I guess it’s kind of good to create stuff that you didn’t see growing up.”

Regardless of individual background and artistic intentions, the participants emphasized the urgency of collective dialogue. “We have to consciously celebrate body types that differ from the societal standards, and start to unlearn what we’ve been taught for years,” said Beatrice Helman, an MFA creative writing student.

The Spring 2017 National College Health Assessment surveyed 1,190 New School students. Of those surveyed, 34.1 percent reported that their personal appearance felt “traumatic or very difficult to handle” within the last 12 months. “There’s so much pressure to look the certain way, and there are rewards for looking the certain way, and there are penalties for not,” said Rachel Knopf, director of Wellness and Health Promotion.

Particularly at Parsons, students’ exposure to the demanding standards of the fashion industry affects their self-esteem. “How people present themselves is very different from any other school. You never see people in sweatpants,” said Ellory Camejo, a junior fashion design student and Peer Health Advocate at Student Health Services. “Trying to have a certain image is a big problem here.”

There is no single solution on how to amplify students’ confidence, but many saw the exhibit as a promising start. “Creating a space in the first place to be able to talk about things like this is just one step forward to achieving overall body positivity,” Kreeger said.

By Toma Volozhanina

See the original article here. 

The class of 2017 gathers around their newly installed class photo (Santinelli/Peak).

Last June, The Peak School waved goodbye to our first graduating class, sending students across the globe from Olympia, Washington to New York City to Edinburgh Scotland. 

So with open arms, fresh baked pancakes, and a lot of questions, we welcomed back those first pioneers on Thursday, December 21 for the first Peak School Alumni Breakfast and Panel Discussion. 

Our entire Middle and High School gathered in the Community Room to hear stories and seek advice from the class of 2017. 

We look forward to making this a tradition at The Peak School for many years to come!

If your students are gearing up to take college entrance exams like the ACT, SAT, and AP, one of Colorado's Best Kids has some great advice. Grant Morgan is a 2017 graduate of The Peak School in Frisco, CO. His nickname is "The Test Master" because he's aced so many of these tests.  See his top five tips below.

Grant is also an accomplished pianist, who has written an original sonata, and he speaks fluent Chinese and conversational Spanish.  He also loves the great outdoors and traveling the world.  He's leaving soon for a 5-month nature and leadership course in Patagonia.  After his trip, he plans to study medicine & neuroscience and become a neurosurgeon.

Grant’s Test-Taking Tips:

1. Choose your tests wisely.  You are about to devote months of your life to tests like Advanced Placement exams, so the best thing you can do to score well is choose a subject(s) you have passion for. You don't have to love studying for these tests, but what you learn should at least spark your curiosity.
2. Get some sleep. I pulled an all-nighter before the Advanced Placement American Government exam and I barely recall the three hours I spent taking it. This lack of recollection is proof enough that a good night’s rest is critical. Overall, sleep helps keep you healthy and steadies your nerves – and it’s one of the easiest things you can do.
3. Take advantage of free resources and be creative with others.
4. Get experience in your field of interest and subject matter and be prepared to apply the knowledge you’ve gained before test day.
5. Finally, start studying now: the earlier, the better. This is a process – a journey with a beginning, middle and end.

Read the original article at Fox31 Denver.