Youth Achievement Awards

Apply by March 31, 2023!

The Centennial Youth Achievement Awards honor and recognize exemplary young leaders who have made significant contributions to Centennial through service and outstanding leadership in school, community and the workplace.

nesses with online stores, Evans said he would like for his website to expand to a point where stores that do not have an online presence will join Harvester.

Evans hopes to grow the number of users so he can adjust the app as necessary to make it fun for the users to come back.

“I hope to kind of put the fondness of local shopping in the digital form, kind of make the digital mainstreet of sorts,” said Evans. “I want to make it so any day of the week, you can browse your local stores and shop directly from your phone.”

Up to four $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to be applied toward college tuition, fees and course enrollment.

For Information and To Apply centennialco.gov/youthawards

Apply by March 31, 2023 for children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” he added.

According to the CDC, in 2020, suicide was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 2534. Suicides account for about 54% of all rearm deaths, and roughly 53% of all suicides involve a rearm, according to a 2022 article published by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Smith noted in his letter that the state law “Safe Storage of Firearms,” passed in 2021, requires rearms be responsibly and securely stored when they are not in use in order to prevent access by unsupervised juveniles and other unauthorized users.

“Responsible and safe gun storage in the home can save lives,” Smith wrote. “Any single step we can take to prevent suicide and save a life is a step worth taking.”

He said community members can nd more information on how to safely store guns online at projectchildsafe.org and bit.ly/safetoolkits.

Cherry Creek Schools also has a mental health webpage with resources regarding youth suicide prevention, available at: bit.ly/ cchealth23.

Smith’s letter was sent the same day as hundreds of East High School students marched to the Colorado Capitol to demand that state lawmakers take action to prevent more gun violence, as reported by e Colorado Sun.

East High School student Luis Gar- cia, 16, died March 1 after spending weeks in the hospital following being shot outside of his school. Garcia was a member of the Denver East Angels soccer team, according to a GoFundMe that was created Feb. 14 to support Garcia and his family. e anger, grief, trauma and sadness that he feels never goes away, he said. He encouraged the students to look to their friends for support, and to remember that their grieving process is for them to decide — not anyone else.

East High students, many wearing red, were joined by members of Moms Demand Action in asking for legislative action. After holding a rally on the west steps of the Capitol, the students gathered in the Senate gallery and watched as legislators addressed them, according to e Colorado Sun.

State Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat who represents District 27, directly addressed the students and spoke of his son, Alex.

“Today’s the 554th Friday since my son, Alex, was murdered in the Aurora theater massacre on July 20, 2012,” Sullivan said.

“You need to remember that your friends are out there. at there’s others out there who have been through this just like you’re going through this. And that’s why I came down here, was to try to do everything I can so that I don’t have to see kids like you,” Sullivan said. “You stay with us so that we can get this gured out.”

“We need each and every one of you here,” he added. “ ank you so much for coming down. Keep it up.”

Sullivan is a prime sponsor of two proposed bills related to rearms — e house bill aims to establish a three-day waiting period to take place before a rearms seller may deliver a rearm to a purchaser. ese two bills were announced Feb. 23 in addition to two other guncontrol bills: Senate Bill 169, which would increase the minimum age requirement to purchase or possess a rearm from 18 to 21 with some exceptions, and Senate Bill 168, which would make it easier to sue rearms manufacturers. e Denver Post reported that Republican Rep. Mike Lynch, the minority leader of the state House of Representatives, said there will be “as vigorous of an opposition to this as any legislation you’ve seen come through here” and described the legislation as the “biggest single uni ed e ort to attack our Second Amendment rights that we’ve seen, I think, probably in Colorado history.” e bills are scheduled to be considered by committees the week of March 6. it around. importance and is willing to give us a share of the pie so to say.” e $4 million funding comes from the Airport Terminals Program, which is one of three aviation programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to the release. is law provides $1 billion annually for ve years for airport terminal grants.

House Bill 1219 and Senate Bill 170.

Senate Bill 170 would expand the list of people who can petition for an extreme risk protection order to include licensed medical care providers, licensed mental health care providers, licensed educators and district attorneys. ese protection orders, also referred to as “red ag laws,” result in the temporary con scation of rearms from a person who poses a safety risk to themselves or others.

Centennial Airport owns the current tower, which opened in 1985, and the FAA leases it from the airport, ompson said. e new tower will replace the current tower and will increase operational capacity and enhance air eld safety, the FAA said in the release.

“ e current tower is approaching 40 years old and there are some aspects of the building that need updating to continue safe and proper operation in the future and, much like a vehicle or other item, sometimes it is more cost-e ective to replace than update,” ompson wrote. “ ere are also some other operational advantages to a new tower depending on what site is selected.” e $4 million will be set aside for site selection and the engineering and design of a new tower, ompson said. It will be a multi-year project and the actual construction timeline will be determined at a later date once the design work is done, he explained.

“It’s exciting and attering to receive the grant,” ompson wrote. “Centennial Airport has played a big role in the economic growth of both Arapahoe and Douglas counties and it is a good feeling to know that the FAA nationally recognizes our

“Today’s funding doesn’t just improve Centennial Airport’s terminal. It creates opportunities in the community for good-paying jobs and a chance to be part of our country’s thriving aviation sector,” FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims said in the release.

Centennial Airport is one of three airports in Colorado that received funding. Denver International Airport was awarded $22 million to fund a portion of the baggage handling system replacement that the airport is planning. e Colorado Springs Airport received $6 million to help fund the remodel of its terminal concourse.

“Americans deserve the best airports in the world, and with demand for air travel surging back, this funding to improve the passenger experience couldn’t come at a more urgent time,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release. “ ese grants will make it faster and easier to check your bags, get through security, and nd your gate, all while creating jobs and supporting local economies.”