Select Colorado high schools will no longer recognize a class valedictorian

Denver, Colo.

A school district in Colorado plans to do away with valedictorian awards at its high schools in the coming years.

The Cherry Creek School District, about 20 miles outside of Denver, will not give special recognition to students who have earned the highest grade-point average in their class at graduations starting in 2026, according to a letter sent to parents earlier this month.

The newsletter said faculty have found the tradition outdated and inconsistent with what they know and believe of its students and that learning is not a competition.

High school principals with the district said this is a way to help decrease the angst several students face daily by removing unnecessary pressure.

But the district said it would continue to honor those students who receive academic achievements such as the honor roll, GPA honor cords at graduation and more through various other ways.

According to the letter, the Cherry Creek School District consulted counsel to ensure it is in alignment with its decision to eliminate a class valedictorian when it comes to the admission processes of other local schools, colleges and universities.

“At the University of Denver, we are not concerned with schools eliminating class rank or valedictorian recognition, as these are not factors used in our admission process,” wrote Todd Rinehart, vice-chancellor of enrollment with the University of Denver. “Many college and university admission committees stopped considering class rank years ago, as very few high schools still report a class ranking.”

COVID virus can infect inner ear, cause hearing loss, study finds

A recent study found the virus that causes COVID-19 can infect cells of the inner ear, including hair cells, which are critical for both hearing and balance.

In a study of 10 COVID-19 patients who reported a variety of ear-related symptoms, researchers with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Eye and Ear said they found a pattern of infection in human inner ear tissue samples consistent with inner ear problems.

The study said several COVID patients developed issues with their ears - including hearing loss, tinnitus. dizziness and balance problems - which suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 virus may be able to infect the inner ear.

Before the COVID pandemic began, Lee Gehrke, a professor at MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, and Konstantina Stankovic, a former associate professor at Harvard Medical School, began working together on a project to develop cellular models to study infections of the inner ear, MIT said.

Viruses such as cytomegalovirus, mumps and hepatitis can all cause deafness, the professors said.

In early 2020, after the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged, Stankovic said she started to see patients who were experiencing hearing loss, tinnitus and dizziness who had tested positive for COVID.

Gehrke and Stankovic decided to use the model system they were working on to study the COVID infections, MIT said. And their research showed that the virus can infect the inner ear, specifically the hair cells and, to a lesser degree, Schwann cells, cells that keep peripheral nerve fibers alive.

“Having the models is the first step, and this work opens a path now for working with not only SARS-CoV-2 but also other viruses that affect hearing,” Gehrke said.

Nine of the 10 patients suffered from tinnitus, six experienced vertigo and all experienced mild to profound hearing loss.

Possible routes the virus can take to enter the ears include the eustachian tube, which connects the nose to the middle ear.

Stankovic said the virus may also be able to escape from the nose through small openings surrounding the olfactory nerves. That would allow it to enter the brain space and infect cranial nerves, including the one that connects to the inner ear.

“This article provides very compelling evidence that Sars-CoV-2 infects the inner ear, and might be causally related to the hearing and balance symptoms in a number of patients with COVID-19 infection,” said Yuri Agrawal, a professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Researchers said they hope to use their human cellular models to test possible treatments for the inner ear infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses.

Survey: 45% of millennials don’t know how much money is in their bank account

A recent survey revealed that a good amount of millennials are not exactly staying on top of their finances.

StudyFinds reports 2,000 millennials participated in a survey on how they managed their money. It found that the average young adult spends nearly 150 more hours a year scrolling through social media than monitoring their finances.

The survey also found that millennials are more likely to play with their pets or search for a new TV show to stream than checking on their money every week.

Additionally, being on top of their finances came last on a list of activities millennials spend time doing — including deciding what’s for dinner or caring for their plants.

Finances overall appear to be a touchy subject for millennials, with more than a quarter of respondents admitting they only check their bank account balance once a week (27%). The survey also found that nearly half were unsure of the amount of money currently in their bank account (45%).

About 75% of the millennials in the survey did agree that it’s important to develop good financial habits at a young age with more overall turning to financial planners to help keep track of their debt and savings.

Immersive Van Gogh exhibit bringing art to life on Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas, Nev.

The future of viewing art is on display at Crystals on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Immersive Van Gogh exhibit is currently running at the Shops at Crystals and is located on the retail center's top level.

"Lighthouse Immersive is thrilled to be bringing the original Immersive Van Gogh exhibit to Las Vegas -- it's art coming to life," said Amy Pittle, associate general manager of the exhibit. "Our beautiful space is designed by David Korins, who has designed sets for Hamilton."

The exhibit allows Van Gogh's art to come to life all around you. It brings guests inside the works of the Dutch artist as the paintings take over the entire space.

"Unlike looking at paintings on the wall, you are stepping into the painting. You are immersed in the thought process of the brush strokes and surrounded by beautiful music -- it's the future of art," Pittle said.

It's an impressive 360-degree exhibit featuring larger-than-life digital projections.

"It's 64 projectors, and we have a team that works from Italy who designs the exhibit for each space, and we have 13,000 square feet of space," Pittle said. "The show is 35 minutes. It starts by giving a look at the mindset of Van Gogh and what the process was when he started on his paintings. And then it takes guests on a journey through his life."

The show's producer animates Van Gogh's paintings and maps them to the architecture in the space for an immersive experience -- all choreographed to music.

"It's a beautiful soundtrack that goes along with the exhibit and the artwork shown," Pittle said. "The images allow visitors to experience Van Gogh's art first hand, such as "Sunflowers," "Starry Night," and "The Bedroom."

"There are 44 pieces of Van Gogh art in the exhibit. Some of the well-known works include "The Potato Eaters" and others which the audience will be most familiar with," Pittle said. "I get to watch the show every night, and I never get tired of it. It evokes emotion, and I think it's something everyone should see, with immersive becoming the way more of us are experiencing art."

The exhibit has been extended to May 30, and it offers an in-house artist program, notes to Van Gogh, and a yoga program on Saturday.

Nevada's important role in nuclear testing on display at National Atomic Testing Museum

Las Vegas, Nev.

We are surrounded by history here in Southern Nevada -- the good, the bad and the important.

And Nevada’s atomic history is part of it at the National Atomic Testing Museum located just minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip on East Flamingo Road.

"We were founded by the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation and we have been open since 2005. The foundation was started by former test site workers. Their role was to preserve the history of the site and the worker's stories who helped keep our country safe," said Joseph Kent, director of education at the National Atomic Testing Museum.

The museum offers guests the chance to blast into the past when it comes to Nevada's connection with nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site.

"Guests at the museum can experience the history of nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site to currently what the site is doing as a Nevada National Security Site," Kent said.

Located just 65 miles north of Las Vegas the site became the United State’s main site for nuclear testing in the 1950s and its stories live on at the museum.

"We do a lot of work to help preserve the stories of the test site workers. We offer interviews with former test site workers and a lecture series that shares their stories of working at the site," Kent said.

The history of nuclear testing is on display -- covering the period from the first test in 1951 to the current era as the Nevada National Security Site remains active.

"The Nevada Test Site, which is now known as the Nevada National Security Site, made a huge impact on Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. Prior to the test site being established, there were only about 25,000 people living in the city, and just the next decade after the test site opened the population exploded to about 65,000," Kent said.

Visitors are brought into the fascinating story of America’s nuclear weapons program, the Cold War and how the test site played a crucial role in the race for nuclear weapons.

"The main gallery of the museum starts from the late 1940s all the way up to the 1990s. The biggest thing that people will learn when coming through is when testing moved underground in 1963 those tests continued all the way to 1992," Kent said.

The museum shares never-before-seen, first-person narratives with impressive artifacts on display.

"We often have workers at the museum who share their own experiences at the site. And have a Mark III ballistics case. It is identical to the Fat Man weapon. It's one visitors can see as soon as they enter and its been a great feature piece for the museum," Kent said.

Theatrical devices, environmental recreations and interactive exhibits are all available to those who visit.

"We also have a simulation of a nuclear bomb going off at our Ground Zero Theater that is a huge fan favorite for those who visit the museum," Kent said.

The site is very important in understanding nuclear warfare and continues to be vital to national security to this day.

"Prior to the Nevada Test Site being created the U.S. government was testing weapons out in the South Pacific. So, President Truman started Project Nutmeg. He wanted to find a continental testing site and Nevada fit the bill. From 1951 to 1992 -- the Nevada Test Site tested a total of 928 nuclear weapons," Kent said.

In 2020, the museum honored the 75th anniversary of the first nuclear test known as Trinity with the opening of a new permanent exhibit.

"Visitors can start in our Trinity room first. That exhibit focuses on the development of the first nuclear weapon in the 1940s," Kent said.

So on your next trip down memory lane on Nevada history, make sure to include the nuclear side of Nevada's history at the National Atomic Testing Museum.

"We are always doing activities and events at the museum. Our Distinguished Lecture Series is back up and running and we look forward to seeing you at the Atomic Testing Museum," Kent said.