March 24, 2016
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BY THE BOOK Book clubs give readers a chance to connect with like-minded individuals on PAGE 12.
Security measure limits threats Erica Kendrick of Westminster’s The Academy recites “Always Something More Beautiful” by Stephen Dunn at the Poetry Out Loud event. Photo by Clarke Reader
Poetry contest slams into Lakewood Slam poetry event hosts 25 high schoolers seeking national title By Clarke Reader creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com There is more to a good poetry recitation than knowing the words. It’s about conveying the writers’ emotions and seeing the world through his or her eyes. Luckily, that’s Long View High
School student Brittney Hall’s favorite part. “You read a poem multiple times, and you start to view things from the poet’s perspective,” Hall said. “There are so many different aspects to poetry.” Hall, whose school is in Lakewood, joined 25 other poets from Colorado for the state championship of Poetry Out Loud on March 15 at the Lakewood Cultural Center. The competition was sponsored by Colorado Creative Industries, the National Endowment for the Arts,
the Lighthouse Writers Workshop and the Poetry Foundation and featured students reciting two poems each. Each poet was judged on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, overall performance and accuracy. “This is our first year partnering to host the event, and we wanted to because it totally fits in our mission to support creative writers, literary efforts and poetry,” said Michael Poetry continues on Page 19
City of Arvada discovers, cleans ‘poop zone’ City Council and staff pick up 600 piles of dog poop at the Arvada Center By Crystal Anderson Canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com On a sunny and windy Wednesday afternoon, members of the Arvada City Council and city staff donned their jackets and picked up a shovel to clean up 600 piles of dog poop. “No back shots!” city staff joked as they began to shovel poop into garbage bins. The poop zone, located at the far southeast corner of the lawn at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., was discovered by the Arvada Parks department late last week while attempting to aerate the ground. As workers prepared the soil, they decided to leave an orange flag wherever a poop pile lay. Which amounted to more than 600 little flags that “weren’t left by the poop
fairy,” according to the city’s Facebook page. Since then, the city has launched the “Clean Up After Your Dog” campaign, encouraging dog owners to be responsible citizens and dog owners and pick up and properly dispose of their dogs’ poop. “We want to send two messages,” said Mayor Marc Williams before the March 16 pickup affair. “One, this is an issue that needs to be addressed. And two, we’re not always going to be around to do this.” Ironically, in an open field next to the center’s sculpture park are several trash bins and doggie bag stations for residents to use when walking their pooches. If caught in the act, a resident can be fined up to $999 for leaving behind their dog’s mess. For working on a not-so-pleasantsmelling endeavor, the city staff and council were great sports. But Arvada Urban Renewal Authority Executive Director Maureen Phair echoed the sentiments of many with a final remark to the city’s dog owners: “People should be a good dog owner, and just pick up the poop!”
Jeffco school district’s three recent lockdowns reflect necessary response to safety By Crystal Anderson Canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com On Dec. 15, an Evergreen High School student made threatening comments that sparked concern among students and staff. In February, a Northglenn High School student took pictures of Arvada K-8 and threatened over text and social media to enter the school with a gun. On March 1, a student brought a BB gun to North Arvada Middle School in a backpack, scaring students who reported it to school staff. In all three incidents, the schools were immediately locked down — a security measure that prevents anyone from entering or leaving the building. No one was injured in any of the incidents. Although three lockdowns in a few months may seem like a high number, according to the Jefferson County School District it actually is on par with the amount seen over the past five years. Safety continues on Page 19
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP Safe 2 Tell program: A hotline students can call if they see and/or hear of something that could threaten the safety of a student or the school. Once a call is received, the district, principal and the area’s law enforcement teams are notified so they can work together to triage the report. Annually Jeffco schools is the program’s No. 1 user. This year, the hotline has fielded more than 500 calls from students. Hotline: 1-877-542-7233 www.safe2tell.org
NET GAINS Getting down to business, Mayor Marc Williams bends to shovel up piles of poop left by Arvada residents on the Arvada Center lawn. Behind him, Councilman David Jones, scoops the poop. Photo by Crystal Anderson
In tennis, the second serve is one of the most important parts of the game. Read more on PAGE 26.