April 16, 2015 VOLU M E 9 5 | I S S UE 8 | 7 5 ¢
EnglewoodHerald.net A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
WHAT’S INSIDE
A new home: Brian Ewert signs three-year contract as superintendent of Littleton Public Schools. See Page 2
Abstractions: Patricia Aaron’s artwork to display at the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Englewood. See Page 11
In for the win: Heritage defeats Ponderosa with help of penalty kick. See Page 17 The Bishop Elementary School Bucket Drummers took the stage during the April 3 program showcasing some of the enrichment programs made possible by a federal grant. About 880 students took part in more than 40 grant-funded enrichment programs over the past five years. Photo by Tom Munds
Bishop spotlights grant achievements POSTAL ADDRESS
Event celebrates activities made possible by federal dollars By Tom Munds
tmunds@colorado communitymedia.com Dancing, singing, cheering and drumming demonstrations provided a small sample of the programs the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant made available to Bishop Elementary
ENGLEWOOD HERALD
(ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 176-680) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, the Englewood Herald is published weekly on Friday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT Littleton, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603 Centennial, CO 80112 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. GE T SOCI AL WITH US
P LE A S E R ECYC L E T H I S C O PY
School students over the past five years. About 80 students took part in the April 3 demonstrations on stage at The Englewood Campus Auditorium as Bishop faculty, families and students celebrated all that has been accomplished because of the grant funding. “We received the $500,000 grant over five years, and those funds made it possible to set up the afterschool programs that have done so much for Bishop,” said Clarice Fortunado, grant coordinator. “More than 880 students have taken part
in one or more of the more than 40 different enrichment programs made possible by the grant.” Grant funds made it possible to provide two 60-minute afterschool sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The first session provided academic assistance and help. The second session provided a wide range of enrichment opportunities, ranging from playing the piano to building robots. There were also single club sessions on the other days of the week. Teachers recommended the students who needed help for
the academic assistance session. Students volunteered to attend the second session, selecting the enrichment club they wanted to attend. There were only a limited number of students in each club and the spots were assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Students and teachers agreed that the April 3 celebration was a bittersweet time because this is the final year of the grant, and Bishop has made so much improvement that the school is not eligible to reapply to be part of the federally funded program.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE PROGRAM Principal says programs amazing
Linda Lewis, Bishop Elementary School principal, said the school’s several hundred students were provided opportunities to do things they would not have had the chance to experience without the federal grant funding. “The grant has been great for our kids,” she said. “The list of enrichment clubs seemed to provide something for just about every student. For example, those who like Linda Lewis music could learn to play the ukulele, those interested in art could learn to paint and those interested in sports could learn to play volleyball.”
Mom says kids loved activities
Theresa Summers’ two children have both gone through the Bishop Elementary after-school program. She said the activities have helped with attitude, discipline and listening skills. “Both of my children have been involved in the program,” she said. “Both my children have learned so much through the program about musical instruments and about music. They both really have enjoyed Theresa Summers being part of the after-school programs. My oldest daughter liked the dance program the best while my younger daughter liked the cheerleading and the choir the most.”
Coordinator lauds grant help
Clarice Fortunado
Clarice Fortunado coordinated the federal grant programs at Bishop Elementary School for the past five years. “This grant has been a great help to Bishop and all our students. I feel the grant programs helped Bishop improve over the last four years from a turn-around school, the state’s lowest rating, to a high-performance school,” she said. “Our students who needed help got academic assistance, plus just about all our students got the opportunity for a wide range of experiences such as arts,
drama and sports.”
Student praises music program Ariana Wilborn, a Bishop Elementary sixth-grader, joined club programs the first year of their existence. She said she has enjoyed the musical program more than some of the other clubs. “I have really enjoyed being a bucket drummer because it is cool to experience the different sounds you can make with a drum,” she said. “Being involved in the clubs has helped me when I do things at Ariana Wilborn home. I work on other kinds of music and I am helped when I think about the things I learned in bucket drumming.”