For the last nine months, Colorado School of Mines seniors have been learning to change the world.

They came up with designs, techniques and equipment to make the impossible possible and the inaccessible accessible; to test the limits of their schematics, materials and energy sources; and to give them experience at working with colleagues and clients in the workforce.

Then, on April 30, they faced a potentially greater challenge: They had to summarize everything they’ve learned and accomplished over the last nine months in 90 minutes, to determine whether they passed or failed.

Last week, Mines hosted its Spring Capstone Design Showcase, where hundreds of seniors showcased the projects they’ve been working on all academic year.

The seniors’ family members, their peers and underclassmen, clients, Mines staff members, industry leaders and Golden community members poured through the gyms inside the student recreation center from 9:30-11 a.m.

Most of the participating seniors are graduating in a few weeks, and the capstone projects were required for their degrees. However, Mines officials clarified that capstone projects are required for some majors but not others.

As participants described, the seniors form groups — overseen by a staff advisor — and typically work with a client to solve a real-world problem.

Karuna Owens of Team 15.3 and her teammates said they practiced their communication, project management and client engagement skills — which they said would translate to their respective industries — while also “positively impacting a person who needed it,” as Owens described.

Would you rather go to a rock concert or a fundraiser?

For Golden High School students, parents and staff, there’s no need to choose. Their fundraisers are rock concerts.

On April 26, the scene at The Buffalo Rose was pandemonium, as hundreds of Demons packed the event venue to cheer on their favorite student bands.

Overall, the school’s third annual Battle of the Bands competition drew about 300 attendees — about double last year’s attendance — including GHS students, staff, parents, alumni and community members. The ticket purchases raised $2,000 for the Golden Performing Arts Boosters, which supports GHS’ theater, vocal arts and instrumental arts programs, organizers said afterward.

Despite recent rainfall and cooler weather, Golden’s drought restrictions still went into effect May 1.

Now, water customers can only water their lawns twice a week and only between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m., based on Stage 1 drought restrictions. This applies to both automatic and manual sprinklers.

Customers are also prohibited from washing their vehicles at home. Commercial car washes are still allowed to operate, as they recycle water.

Golden’s Public Works officials have explained that moving into a Stage 1 drought was based on comprehensive monitoring of snowpack conditions, stream flows, and forecasted reservoir levels, among other things.

There are three stages of drought, and the city may move into Stage 2 and/or Stage 3 later in the summer if conditions worsen. Stage 2 would restrict Golden water users to watering their lawns once a week, while Stage 3 would prohibit any lawn-watering.

While it’s theoretically possible Golden’s drought restrictions could end earlier in the summer thanks to rainy conditions, Public Works Director Anne Beierle has said it’s more likely the restrictions will expire Sept. 30 — the end of the irrigation season. 

⚖ Tyler Young of Lakewood has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for stealing a truck in Summit County and later leading authorities on a high-speed chase from the El Rancho Walmart down Interstate 70. Click here to read about the entire case.

🏆 The Colorado School of Mines men’s outdoor track & field team has won the conference title, with the women’s team taking third. Now, both sets of Orediggers are preparing for the NCAA Division II championships later this month. Read more here.

⚾ The Golden baseball team takes down rival D’Evelyn in an 11-4 victory, marking the Demons’ 11th-straight win. Read the full game coverage here.

📱 Jeffco Public Schools is preparing to adopt its first standardized cellphone policy. What would that look like, and how are students and parents reacting? Read more here.

💲 Despite growing per-student revenues, Jeffco Public Schools is facing a multi-million dollar deficit. So where did the money go? Click here to read more.

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Next Tuesday:

This week’s keyword search: “Star Wars” 🌠

The results: Because I’m writing this on May the Fourth, AKA “Star Wars Day,” I thought it’d be fun to see if the movie(s) are mentioned in the Transcript archives. Sure enough, there are! This instance in September 1977 was particularly interesting. (I’m curious: Do any of our readers remember this?)

All archive clippings are available through The Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.