Glenwood Springs. There may be nothing to do on Friday nights, the movies may come two weeks later than everywhere else in the country, and about the only thing to do this time of year when it’s not snowing is make like a bear and hibernate, but it is still our town. Anyway, this week you’ll have the chance to check out another town, much like Glenwood Springs, via the Glenwood Springs High School thespians and their winter play, “Our Town,” by Thornton Wilder. The play runs on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 29-30, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $4 for students and $6 for adults.Also this week, ESL students will have the chance to take part in a very cool conference. The Latino Leadership Conference takes place at Colorado Rocky Mountain School on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The students will hear speakers, learn about educational opportunities, and talk about financial and medical resources. Que divertido!This week is a very exciting week for you student of the week junkies. Due to the fact that we had a slew of nominations recently, you get to hear about not two, not three, but FOUR outstanding students in the GSHS powerhouse. And if you call within the next 15 minutes, you can receive this and more for the low, low price of $19.95 .Our students of the week this week are Amanda Thompson, Jake Velasquez, Renee DeRoeck and Tivis Alexander.Amanda Thompson lives in New Castle, and is the only child of Patricia Thompson. She and Jake Velasquez were both nominated by Med-Prep instructor Judy Burke. “Amanda has been helping as a classroom assistant,” Mrs. Burke says. “She helped at the [state] conference in incredible ways.”Conversely, Amanda has good things to say about Med-Prep. “Med-Prep is my favorite class,” she says. “I’ve gained much confidence in myself and my abilities.”Amanda hopes to go into the medical field when she graduates from high school in May. After finishing a pre-med curriculum at the University of Northern Colorado, she would like to “major in nursing but later become a trauma surgeon.”Jake Velasquez has lived in the valley for five years with his dad, Gregg Velasquez. He also also has a sister named Jenny who lives in Seattle.”If I could pick a role model for all students, it would be Jake,” Mrs. Burke says. “He has shown real leadership skills.” Jake, too, is looking at the medical field for his future. “I want to pursue a career in medicine,” he tells me. While this is his eventual goal, he wants to make sure he does some traveling as well, to places such as Ireland and England.When Jake’s not thinking about his future, he likes to rock climb and snowboard, and is a member of HOSA who participated at the state level this year.Renee DeRoeck has lived in the valley since second grade with her dad John DeRoeck and her mom, Denise Wilson. She also has three sisters, a brother, and a cat (can’t forget the cat) named Libbalow.English teacher Ms. Michelle Zaccardi recognized Renee for her contributions in class. “Working at her own pace complements her personality and she is always putting forth a great deal of effort to better her work and herself,” Ms. Zaccardi says of Renee. Renee likes to read, hang out with her friends, and take in a movie or two. “I’m psyched out about Spring Break,” Renee says. “I’m planning a trip to Denver.” She plans to take in the metro scene with a few of her friends and maybe go to a concert or two. Tivis Alexander has lived here for 13 years with his mom Victoria and his sister Lindsay, who is a junior at GSHS. Tivis was a little nervous when he got called down to the office to be recognized. “I just thought I did something wrong,” he says. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Tivis was nominated because of his random act of kindness to teacher Mrs. Laura Hardman. She was struggling with some heavy boxes and an encounter with the stairs, and Tivis gentlemanly stepped in to help.Tivis enjoys rafting, swimming, and is looking forward to his family’s cruise in the Bahamas over Spring Break. He also likes the quote, “Get tough or die, pilgrim,” which his grandpa loves to say to him on fishing trips when Tivis is complaining or in physical pain. Congratulations Amanda, Jake, Renee, and Tivis for being this week’s students of the week!-Random Disclosure: Check out the GSHS Futures Web site at http://teacherweb.com/glenwoodspringshighschool/futures . It has great college and scholarship stuff, and even a packing list for kids heading off to college.