September 4, 2015
THIS WEEK IN
VO LUM E 1 4 | IS S U E 41 | FREE
LIFE
LOCAL
A look at what makes a good song for the summer
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CentennialCitizen.net A publication of
A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
LITTLETON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
District graded highly by residents LPS conducts the survey every two years By Jennifer Smith jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Lara Martinez as Bat Girl had a little trouble staying on her boat during Holly Creek Retirement Community’s Boat Regatta, an annual fundraiser for Alzheimer’s research. Photos by Jennifer Smith
Holly Creek paddles for Alzheimer’s Cardboard-boat regatta raises money for research
BY THE NUMBERS
By Jennifer Smith jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com “Stone Cold” Sheldon Henderson is the undisputed champion of cardboard boating, having pulled off a three-peat during the Holly Creek Retirement Community’s annual Boat Regatta on Aug. 21. “I’m tired,” said Henderson, who valiantly captained the good ship “Moto Moto” to glory. “I’m going to retire and let somebody else do it next year. I’m done. But it’s all for a great cause.” Indeed, this year’s regatta added nearly $1,500 to the more than $12,000 the event has raised for Alzheimer’s research over the last eight years. But it’s no smooth sailing for the racers, who represent different administrative departments at Holly Creek. The boats are made out of just cardboard, duct tape and plastic bags, then paddled in head-to-head heats around the community’s lap pool. This year’s theme was “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” so the boats had names like “Danika’s Pit Crew” and “Silver Streakers.” Holly Creek resident Lois Donahue was on the team that built “Axlerod,” so named for Sir Miles Axlerod from the Pixar movie “Cars.”
During his first board meeting since taking over as Littleton Public Schools superintendent, Brian Ewert got good news: More than three-fourths of residents who live within the LPS boundaries give the district a grade of either “A” or “B,” according to a survey conducted in June. “You have a unique and special status,” said Lori Weigel, a partner with the national firm Public Opinion Strategies. Some of the survey’s She said findings are that the the survey district: sampled a representapercent — Handles tive populafinances well tion of the commupercent — Has high nity, with academic expectations 37 percent of the 400 percent — Supports respondents teachers and staff identifying themselves percent — as parents of Communicates well students in with the community the district. The percent — Supports company struggling students has been conducting surveys for LPS every two years for a decade, and the results have remained fairly consistent. But the numbers did take a slight dip during the great recession, with results perhaps reflecting the fact that the district had closed two schools and undertaken significant budget cuts by 2010. That year, only 62 percent of the respondents felt
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Sheldon Henderson on “Moto Moto” and Ronnie Brown on “Fear the Bow” prepare to go head-to-head in the eighth annual Boat Regatta at Holly Creek Retirement Community on Aug. 21. “We liked him because he was the villain, and he wanted everyone to use his electricity,” she said. “He is very high energy and electric. He was just for us.” Donahue said everybody looks forward to the annual regatta, but it’s just one of the nice things about living at Holly Creek. “We can go out and do fun things with the staff,” she said. “It’s a fun place, so I don’t feel like I’m stuck up there in a chicken coop.” One of Donahue’s team members, Jim Ratte, was diagnosed with Al-
zheimer’s two years ago. But he still works out every day and came in second place in the regatta last year. “He and his wife are a delightful couple,” said Donahue. “We had good teamwork, and good rapport.” Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen recently announced he has Alzheimer’s, shining new light on the disease. The most common form of dementia, it mostly appears in those 65 and older. But up to 5 percent of people with the disease display symptoms as early as their 40s.
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LPS continues on Page 9
Centennial church’s project helps Haitian women 33 become seamstresses in plan tied to Colorado
By Taryn Walker twalker@coloradocommunitymedia.com While stopping for a Coca-Cola on a hot day in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, a photographer snapped a photo of a young local girl. That photo became the catalyst for a project that has now changed the lives of 33 Haitian women, thanks to Littleton Church of Christ’s organization, Helping Haiti’s Children. When member Barbara Dean first saw the photograph four or so years ago, she noticed the girl was missing buttons on her blouse.
“This is too easy to fix,” she told organization founder David Heath. He responded, “You have to realize you have to have a needle, thread and a button to fix it. They don’t have that.” That’s when things got started. The group at the church in Centennial began putting together a plan to find a solution for those in the small Caribbean country almost 2,500 miles away. “We started by handing out sewing machines and doing a week-long seamstress class to show women how to sew their garments,” member Jeff Simpson said. “It exploded into something really great.” With more than $2,000 donated from churches, members took 11 antique sewing machines bought from eBay and Project continues on Page 9
Haitian women celebrate with a parade after 33 walked the stage to graduate from college to become seamstresses. The college was set up in conjuction with the Littleton Church of Christ’s organization Helping Haiti’s Children, Haitian elder Lucner Pierre and an anonymous donor. Courtesy photo by Helping Haiti’s Children