27J Schools names next principal for Henderson Elementary

Vikan Middle School Assitant Principal Melynda Boehm will move to the top position at Henderson Elementary next fall, 27J Schools

Superintendent Chris Fiedler announced April 11.

Boehm has been a teacher, instructional coach and assistant principal at several di erent schools. She currently serves as the assistant principal at Brighton’s Vikan Middle School where she supports teachers using a student-centered model of instruction. She also serves on her school’s leadership team supporting high quality, data-driven instruction for all students.

Deputy Superintendent Will Pierce and school and district sta met with a number of candidates for this position through a series of interviews.

“Melynda emerged successfully from a very rigorous process,” Pierce said. “She has proven herself in a variety of roles where she demonstrated a wealth of skills. She brings snow with some of Colorado’s lowest electricity rates. exactly the right combination of inspiration, experiences and skills to Henderson.”

Melynda’s career path landed in 27J Schools as a teacher and school administrator. She was a teacher at Stuart Middle School and later, served as teacher at Prairie View Middle School. She also supported teachers at Prairie View Middle School as an instructional coach helping teachers become stronger instructional leaders and increasing student achievement.

“I am so incredibly excited to continue my journey as the Principal of Henderson Elementary,” Melynda said. “ I believe strongly that all students can achieve and I feel blessed to join a community that shares the same belief.” testing one such long-term technology, called iron-air, at Pueblo. Colorado wants to be part of the elusive answer to hydrogen, perhaps using existing electricity infrastructure at Brush or Craig. And transmission and other new infrastructure, such that could allow Colorado to exploit the winds of Kansas or the sunshine of Arizona, can help—but remains unbuilt.

Melynda earned her bachelors degree in history from Metro State University and her masters and principal license through Colorado State University, Global.

She will assume her new role on July 1, 2023.

Holy Cross actually has the second lowest electrical rates among Colorado’s 22 electrical cooperatives. And its rates are 5% less than those of Xcel. is is not Gucci electricity, a Tesla Model X Plaid. e Aspen Skiing Co. and Vail Resorts make e cooperative also intends to integrate new storage in homes and businesses. It incentivizes home batteries that can be tapped as needed to meet demand from neighborhoods. Holy Cross also wants to integrate vehicle batteries, such as from electric school buses, in its e orts to match demands with supplies. Time-of-use rates will be crucial. is market mechanism aims to shift demands to when renewable electricity is most readily available — and cheapest.

Bryan Hannegan, the chief executive and head wizard at Holy Cross, laid out his utility’s broad strategy in recent presentations to both state legislators and the Avon Town Council. Holy Cross, he explained, will add new wind from eastern Colorado and several new solar-plusstorage projects within its service territory.

Importantly, Holy Cross expects to achieve this high mark without need of new natural gas capacity. Many environmentalists loathe the idea of new and rarely used - but always expensive - natural gas plants. Most utilities see even more gas generation as necessary.

Speaking to the Avon council, Hannegan expressed con dence Holy Cross can meet growing demand from electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other uses. He called it “smart electri cation.”

Holy Cross’s journey from 92% to 100%, though, will “be a bit of a doozie,” he said. He likened it to the climb from Camp 4 on Everest to the peak.

“We have to think about how we balance (supply and demand) at every location on our grid at every moment of every day,” he said. at “ ne-grained balancing” will be “quite an engineering challenge. ere is reason we have given ourselves six years” to gure this out. What about that coal plant that Holy Cross still owns (but consigns the output to wholesale provider Guzman Energy)? Does that muck up the math? Can Holy Cross truly claim 92% ? And what prevents other utilities from following in its footsteps? ese are questions I will ask Holy Cross and others in coming weeks. is column is based on reporting that can be found at BigPivots. com, which o ers deeper dives into Colorado’s energy, water and other transitions.

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Why the Treaty of Versailles Failed

For 10 months, world leaders negotiated a peace agreement to make sure such a catastrophe as World War I wouldn’t happen again. However, some twenty years later, World War II broke out. What went wrong? Join presenter Paul Flanders

1:30 p.m. urs. Apr 20. $4. Deadline: Wed. Apr 19

Movie: A Walk in the Woods

A er spending two decades in England, a travel writer retires back to the U.S. and to hike the Appalachian Trail. He’s joined by a longtime friend who desires adventure before it’s “too late.” Rated R. 1hr/45 min. Free, but please register.

1:00 p.m. Mon. Apr 24. Deadline: Fri. Apr 21

Protect Yourself From Frauds Pt. 2

Protect Yourself – is a fraud prevention program presented by the Adams and Broom eld County District Attorney’s o ce. is Part 2 topic will focus on caregiver protection and provide tips on how to address possible caregiver the .

1:30 p.m. Tues. Apr 25. Free.

Deadline: Mon. Apr 24

Low Vision Support Group is month’s topic is on assistive technology. Explore basic low- and high-tech options for adapting to low vision. Facilitated by a Beyond Vision Skills Trainer from the Center for People With Disabilities.

1:00 p.m. Wed. Apr 26. Free. Deadline: Mon. Apr 24

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In a state that has over 400 breweries and almost 100 distilleries, approaching the topic of sobriety can be a hard conversation for many people to have.

But with low-key, no-fuss non-alcoholic options at many establishments across the metro, it doesn’t have to be a big deal if you don’t want to drink, whatever your reasons.

Mocktails that you wouldn’t even know were NA

Golden Moon Speakeasy in Golden uses all its own distilled spirits and creates unique craft cocktails at’s all the more reason that general manager Kayla Veatch sees to o er quality, non-alcoholic options.

“My overall philosophy when I changed the menu was to have the same options as the alcohol menu,” Veatch said.

So no, you won’t have to order a water if you’re the designated driver. e mocktails at Golden Moon use highly steeped teas to replace alcohol and utilize many of the same syrups and NA ingredients the cocktails use.

Mocktails are a great option for people ready to slow down on alcohol for the night, people taking certain medications, pregnant people and people exploring sobriety, Veatch said. e speakeasy even serves mocktails to children before 9 p.m.

Having an inclusive menu makes an establishment like this a gathering place for groups, Veatch explained.

“People can still come together….if I didn’t have mocktails, I wonder if they would still be excited to come,” she said about group members who don’t consume alcohol.

Some of the mocktails Veatch makes include the Cloud City, which features an earl grey tea base, ginger, lemon and elder ower, or the Cheshire Cat, which features a butter y pea ower tea base, passionfruit juice and lime. Veatch even makes a copycat smoked whiskey.

Golden Moon Speakeasy is located at 1111 Miner’s Alley in Golden.

An alcohol alternative

For those looking for another NA drink option, perhaps with health bene ts, kombucha has been a popular choice.

Kombucha has been added as an option at many breweries, bars and co ee shops around Colorado; but Marc Gaudreault owns one of only two kombucha tap rooms on the front range.

Before the pandemic, the Trubucha tap room in Lone Tree had space for people to sit inside and enjoy a glass of kombucha. According to Gaudreault, Trubucha actually grew during the pandemic, and the demand for his product is so great he needs most of his shop space for fermenting the kombucha in huge vats.

Still, Trubucha boasts 31 taps in the store and has a spacious patio for people to enjoy kombucha, lemonade, ginger beer or cold brew.

So, what is kombucha? Put simply, Gaudreault explained, it’s lightly fermented tea. But the health bene ts are much more lengthy, he said. Most notably, the drink has an abundance of natural probiotics,