Elbert County News 0514

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May 14, 2015 VOLU M E 1 2 0 | I S S UE 1 5 | 7 5 ¢

ElbertCountyNews.net E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O

A publication of

Elizabeth School Board President Deb Spenceley, left, talks to visitors during a reception for new Elizabeth High School Principal Bret McClendon, right, at the school May 8. Photos by Rick Gustafson

Community meets new principal Elizabeth High will be led by educator from Kansas

By Rick Gustafson

POSTAL ADDRESS

Elizabeth Police Chief Steve Hasler gets to know new Elizabeth High School Principal Bret McClendon on May 8 at a reception at the school.

Special to Colorado Community Media Elizabeth School District hosted a reception for Bret McClendon, Elizabeth High School’s incoming principal, on May 8. The reception, held in the high school’s library, was open to the public to introduce and welcome McClendon to the community. Earlier in the day, McClendon met formally and informally with students, faculty and staff. “I appreciate all of you coming out. It’s a quarter to 5 on Friday, and you are all in a school library. That says something about your commitment to Elizabeth and to this district,” he said. Principal continues on Page 7

Master gardeners create a buzz Volunteers teach residents about bees By Rick Gustafson

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS

Special to Colorado Community Media

OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

“Beekeeping is a total learning process all the time,” master gardener Denise Drummond says to a class of more than 20, gathered around the horseshoe-shaped table in the Elizabeth Community Learning Center at Frontier High School on May 9. Drummond gives the presentation, along with fellow master gardener Diane Stack, a retired Denver Police detective and six-year beekeeping enthusiast, while Drummond’s 10-year-old daughter, Hailey, acts as technical support, advancing PowerPoint slides and presenting teaching aids. Both Stack and Drummond volunteer as Colorado master gardeners through the Colorado State University Extension Office in Kiowa. Master gardeners are volunteers trained in a variety of horticultural subjects and offer their expertise free to the public. “All of this is for people who are community oriented, people who like to help,” said Kali Benson, Ag/4-H Livestock Agent with the extension office in Kiowa. “It’s a significant commitment.” Each fall, prospective master

(USPS 171-100)

PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ELIZABETH, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legal: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 10 a.m. GE T SOCI AL WITH US

P LE A S E R ECYC L E T H I S C O PY

Denise Drummond, left, and Diane Stack show the cells from their own hives where the queen lays her eggs and bee larvae grow during their presentation at Frontier High School on May 9. Photo by Rick Gustafson gardeners apply to the CSU Extension Office for entry into the program. By December, selected candidates are contacted and begin a one-year apprenticeship starting the following January with a 10week course comprising aspects of horticulture, a university-level curriculum covering a range of instruction from weeds to pesticides and landscaping to mulch. Once the course is complete, apprentices are encouraged to focus on a specific discipline, cultivating

their interests through research and eventually passing on their acquired knowledge to members of the community who request their expertise as master gardeners. To keep their master gardener status current, all volunteers must perform a minimum of 50 hours of service each year. In addition, each master gardener must take 12 hours of continuing education annually. The trained volunteers are available to the public through the

county extension in Kiowa office most Tuesday and Thursday afternoons or can be found staffing tables at the Elbert County Fair or other community events, such as ElizaBash. The two-hour class on beekeeping counts toward Drummond and Stack’s volunteer requirement for the program, but from the meticulously crafted slides and energy, their enthusiasm is evident. Their audience, ranging from experienced beekeepers to prospective enthusiasts, easily taps into their zeal as Drummond and Stack offer their expertise on bee health, demonstrate the use of equipment, and offer anecdotes illustrating the highlights and occasional pitfalls of beekeeping. Stack rolls up a sleeve to display slight swelling and redness on her arm from two of the eight bee stings obtained from a minor mishap while transporting bees the previous evening, but despite the occasional sting, both Stack and Drummond dote over their bees. “They become mesmerizing,” Stack said of her bees. “They are so beautiful. Sometimes I go to bed at night with them still buzzing in my head.” Drummond is so in tune with her bees that when she sees them on the flowers near her house, she is able to distinguish her bees from those from other hives by their markings.


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