Organic Landscape Design

The Denver Post
By Michael Behrenhausen
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2000
Page 2D

Student of the Year Awards recognize exemplary effort, personal commitment.

On Sept. 27, The Colorado Private School Association and The Denver Post hosted the 2000 Student of the Year
Award. The ceremony, held at The Denver Post building downtown, served not only as a celebration for this year's
award-winning recipients and their academic achievements but as a testament to the successes and rewards of
personal commitment, performance and leadership.

The Colorado Private School Association was founded over 25 years ago to provide an effective voice for
Colorado's private for-profit educational institutions. As the award ceremony proved, the association prides itself
in representing the best interests of the students attending its institutions as well as the institutions themselves.
Additionally, the CPSA has, as an objective, equal treatment of Colorado students, regardless of their educational
choice.

The room was filled with a diverse crowd, ranging from a working woman with two jobs and four kids to twin
brothers who traveled to Denver from Alaska to complete their schooling ? all with a common thread: overcoming
obstacles to achieve success.

After an initial welcome to the recipients and their guests by Steve Durham, executive director of the Colorado
Private School Association and master of ceremonies and Jerry Sirbu, president of the CPSA, the ceremony got
under way. Claudia Leis, recruitment operations manager for The Denver Post, spoke briefly to the crowd explaining
that the Denver Post's Newspaper in Education programs commitment to "meet the same goals for higher education
by creating programs which appeal to the changing needs of the entire education community" mirror those of the
Colorado Private School Association.

Keynote speaker Norman Bouchard of Cooper & Associates Ltd. motivated the crowd with a speech stressing the
fact that there is no greater transformation to success than an ordinary life lived in an extraordinary way.

"How many people in your life have you known who use meager excuses such as the classic 'my dog ate my
homework' as an excuse not to be successful?" asked Bouchard. He addressed the crowd directly, "You have created
the opportunity for your own success, and that is why you succeed." Bouchard cited the example of Abraham Lincoln,
who overcame a number of personal obstacles such as poverty at a young age, failed business and political ventures
yet kept "plugging" and continued on to become one of our nation's greatest presidents.

He went on to stress that these award-winners have succeeded through commitment ? what you give not what you
receive; performance ? as the measure of height and depth of greatness; academic achievement ? learning something
new everyday; and leadership ? changing yourself first so that you may transform the lives of those around you.

"You are the gift," he said " and what got you here is unwrapping the gift."

The awards presentation followed and as each student was called and handed their plaque they were greeted with
applause from the room and personally congratulated by members of the CPSA and The Denver Post.

Upon receiving his Student of the Year award in the Computer Technology category, Enrique Sotomyor of Platt
College said, "This feels great, it's a complete shock, I had no idea I would receive an award. All of the work and
sacrifices made to get here though were well worth it."

"This is a great honor," said Cheryl Gehrke-Bailey also of Platt College, a free-lancer in design and Web-design and
recipient of the Meritorious Recognition Award in Art & Design. "It was a lot of hard work to get here; this is my
second degree and it's in a new field and I worked all the way through school. I'm glad I stuck with it."

As the students and their families celebrate afterward, it was apparent that all of those in attendance were proud of
this moment and would carry it with them as they continue to succeed in the rest of their endeavors.

Students named best of the best
Categories and Award winners for the 2000 Student of the Year Awards were as follow:

Allied Health Specialist - Clinical
Student of the Year -Michael Taylor, Institute of Business and Medical Careers
Meritorious Recognition - Bethany Locke, Intellitec Medical Institute
Allied Health Specialist - Administrative Medical
Student of the Year Lori Pool, Heritage College
Meritorious Recognition - Tisha Lumbrezer, Heritage College
Art & Design
Student of the Year - Charli Warren, Art Insitute of Colorado
Meritorious Recognition - Cheryl Gehrke-Bailey, Platt College
Computer Technology
Student of the Year - Enrique Sotomayor, Platt College
Meritorious Recognition - Dale Ishida, Intelletec College
Hotel/Restaurant/Household Management
Student of the Year - Thomas Gyetvai
Physical/Massage Therapy

Student of the Year - David E. Ward, Colorado School of the Healing Arts

Meritorious Recognition - Linda Quintana-Reyna, Heritage College
Specialized Trades -- Alan King, Institute of Business & Medical Careers
Technical Trades
Student of the Year -- Shane Allen, Denver Auto & Diesel College
Student of the Year - Jesse Allen, Denver Auto & Diesel College
Meritorious Recognition - Greg Bruning, Westwood College of Aviation
Meritorious Recognition - Monica Holguin, Intellitec College