Mayor Steve Bach presented a Spirit of the Springs Celebration award to three Cheyenne Mountain High School students, Sara Volz, Janae Vander Ploeg, and Canyon Barry, for their outstanding achievements in a ceremony at the City Administration Building on Friday June 15.
Sara Volz earned first place in Energy and Transportation at the International Science and Engineering Fair. The prestigious award ranked her top 35 of the more than 1500 students from over 70 countries. Sara’s story can be read here.
Janae Vander Ploeg received the Fred Steinmark High School Student Athlete of the Year Award from the Colorado High School Coaches Association. Vander Ploeg excelled in volleyball, basketball and soccer all four of her high school years, and is active in her school and community. Read more about Janae’s accomplishments here.
Canyon Barry also received the Fred Steinmark High School Student Athlete of the Year Award from the Colorado High School Coaches Association. He is a state champion in tennis and ranked No. 1 in his class of 322 students academically. He also excelled in basketball and track, and is active in his school and community.
Also noteworthy, Janae and Canyon have been classmates since elementary school and this is the first time in the 41 years that two athletes from the same school have won the Steinmark Award.
Read more about Canyon here.
The Spirit of the Springs Celebration Award is presented when a noteworthy achievement brings great honor and pride to the City of Colorado Springs or has been distinguished at a state, national or international level.


