Sports

Rotary, fire departments hosting education event on May 1

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Wildfire season is now considered to be year-round, and Rotary Wildfire Ready along with area fire departments are hosting a day of educational events to help residents prepare for what many say is the inevitable.

May 1 is Wildfire Preparedness Day, and it will be 8:30-11:30 a.m. at Elk Creek Fire Station 1, 11993 Blackfoot Road in Conifer, and from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at Evergreen Fire/ Rescue’s Administration Building, 1802 Bergen Parkway. The public is invited to visit the booths to learn more about preparing for wildfire.

“We really wanted to make sure to have this event in conjunction with our fire departments to get the word out,” said Cindy Latham, chair of Rotary Wildfire Ready. “We are not prepared as a community at all. It’s important to have each individual take steps to protect their home and their family.”

Both locations will provide attendees information about the fire departments’ wood chipping program, hardening homes, defensible space, emergency go bags, getting neighborhoods involved in wildfire preparedness and more. In addition, fire departments hope people will sign up for the emergency notification program.

Children won’t be left out since there will be activity guides available, and the Rotary Wildfire Ready fire truck, which is a rolling educational laboratory on wildfire readiness, will be at both locations.

Latham said last year’s Elephant Butte fire west of Evergreen plus the numerous wildfires around Colorado should be a wake-up call to residents to get prepared now.

Rotary Wildfire Ready consists of the Evergreen, Conifer and Mountain Foothills Rotary clubs, and it tries to increase wildfire awareness through education to make the foothills safer.

“We need to get people ready and thinking about this,” Latham said. “We need to keep our residents safe.”

Clear Creek moves forward with 4-day school week for 2022-23

Board members want more data and an option to reverse course

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A four-day school week is a step closer to reality for Clear Creek children in the 2022-23 school year after the school board on April 20 asked the superintendent to create a resolution to be approved in May.

However, there are some caveats. The board will set a go/no-go date in January or February 2022 where the district can remain at a five-day school week if the board feels the district isn’t ready to move forward.

In addition, in the next 10 months, the district will continue to poll families about how they feel about the switch and create options for all age groups for the fifth day, including funding sources.

Board members said they wanted families to know their intention on the issue, which is why they are taking this approach. The go/no-go date will give families time to make plans for the 2022-23 school year.

“(This is) saying at a high level, a four-day school week lines up with our graduation profile and our vision for the district,” board member Kelly Flenniken said, “and this is what we’d like to see.”

Board member Erica Haag added: “But if it is not feasible, we can reverse direction.”

Sixty-two percent of school districts in Colorado, 111 out of 178, use a four-day week model including the Gilpin County School District.

While the district is looking at several school calendar scenarios, it is considering lengthening the school day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for middle school and high school, and 8:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. for elementary school. Approximately two weeks would be added to the calendar.

Moving to a four-day week

Superintendent Karen Quanbeck reminded the board that district officials were considering a four-day school week because they believe it will make a difference in teaching and learning.

“We want to make sure we are preparing our kids for the very best success when they leave us,” Quanbeck said, “and we acknowledge that teachers have the greatest impact on student success.”

She said it was important to pro-

SEE SCHOOL DAY, P15

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Spring is in the air and for the Conifer Chamber that means we are voting in new board members and saying goodbye to those rolling o . This year we have ve board members rolling o which include Jodi Dolph with Keller Williams Real Estate, Dean Arniotes with Conifer Stagedoor Theater, Julie Dikken with Macaroni Kid, Jeanie Boymel with Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, Lisa Ho man with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Elevated Living Real Estate. This group has been on the board at the chamber for three years. During this time A LOT has happened and their leadership has been key to the success of the chamber.

It would be impossible to name all they have done, but I want to highlight a few areas. As Board President, Jodi Dolph walked the chamber through our rst strategic planning process. She has been coordinating 285 Winterfest for the past 3 years and volunteers at all of our events. Dean Arinotes has done an amazing job representing the non-pro t organizations in our membership. In addition, he has been leading the charge to create a welcome center and community center in the yellow house at Meyer Ranch. This is a long process, but we are hopeful our partnership with Conifer Area Council, Conifer Historical Society and Je erson County Open Space will prove bene cial in moving forward. Can you imagine how great it will be to turn that house into a welcome center! It is such an iconic building, it needs to be highlighted as people drive into our community. Julie Dikken has been sharing her social media expertise by educating members on the latest trends and helping members promote their businesses through social media. Julie has also been a huge part of many of our event committees and has dedicated much of her time to making those events successful for both our community and our members. Jeannie Boymel has also been a part of our event committees, speci cally Elevation Celebration. She has worked closely with Conifer Area Council and Conifer Lobos Uni ed Boosters to organize the run event to Elevation Celebration. Lisa Ho man, most recently, has been working on updating the “Welcome to Conifer” signs along 285. We have noticed over the past couple of years that the signs are deteriorating and need some work done. Thanks to Lisa, we are now moving in that direction and you will soon see some changes.

Of course, over the past year, all of these amazing board members have been guiding the chamber and our local small businesses through all the COVID changes. They have been right there leading the way as we gured out the funding and grants available to small businesses. They reached out to members and local small businesses to o er their assistance and support. I am so impressed with this team. I know this group will continue to volunteer at the chamber and support our community, but I will miss having them on the leadership team. To Jodi, Dean, Julie, Lisa and Jeannie ~ Thank you for all your service! Our community is better because of you!

If you are ready to be a part of an amazing community, now is the time to plug into the Conifer Chamber and take advantage of the resources that are available to help grow your business. Our members recognize the value of being a part of something bigger, an organization to help them connect with the community, to increase their visibility, to advocate for their business and to provide educational skill building opportunities. Becoming a Conifer Chamber member is a great opportunity to increase the reputation and reach of your business.

If you have any membership questions, or would like to nd out more about becoming a member, contact the Chamber o ce at 303-838-5711. Thank you for your continued support and thank you for shopping local!

The poms are in sync as they jump during a routine. COURTESY PHOTO

New heights for Everegreen pom squad

Evergreen poms ending an unconventional year on a high note

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Perseverance. Tenacity. Teamwork.

While these terms describe many athletic teams, they are especially true for the Evergreen poms.

Despite performing at only one football game and limited performances throughout the school year, the team of 11 girls placed fi rst at leagues, second at state and fi fth in the National Dance Alliance national competition for small varsity poms squads.

The group is preparing for its family showcase at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, at Evergreen High School. The showcase will be shorter than in past years because the squad didn’t learn as many routines as in a typical year in which they perfect 10 routines.

“We were able to prove ourselves this year,” said senior Amy Updike, one of the squad’s four senior captains. “We’ve been through the highest highs and the lowest lows, so (this year) taught us mental toughness.”

Poms is more than dancing. It’s gymnastics, it’s synchronization, it’s entertainment.

The captains said the poms, especially in a pandemic year, provided them with strong friendships, confi dence and self-worth as they did well in competition. They learned the value of resiliency since they didn’t know on a daily basis whether practices would be canceled because of COVID-19.

“We are hard-working, and we’re a family,” senior captain Paige McCartney said of the strong bonds among the team members.

First-year head coach Sophie Updike, who is Amy’s older sister, has been impressed by this year’s squad, especially after last year’s season was cut short.

SEE EHS POMS P11

The Evergreen poms team competes at the State Spirit Championships in Colorado

Springs. PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN