April 16, 2015 VOLU M E 2 8 | I S S UE 21
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School district showcases cuisine
Event displays options for parents, students By Christy Steadman
csteadman@colorado communitymedia.com
A Taste of DCSD is almost like a myth-buster event, said Douglas County School District chef Jason Morse. Students should have no reason to tell their parents they don’t like school lunches anymore, he added, because now parents know they are being served tasty food that is balanced and healthy. “We’re not the typical lunch ladies or lunch dudes,” Morse said. “We’re a culinary team.” The annual A Taste of DCSD took place April 8 at Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch to showcase the lunch Meals continues on Page 13
Anthony Mowry serves a portion of vegetable fried rice from Minh’s Asian Line at the A Taste of DCSD event April 9, which took place at Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch. Along with the fried rice, people were able to sample Teriyaki chicken stir fry and a chicken or pork egg roll. All of the items offer a healthy option, Mowry said, because they are low-sodium foods made with whole grain. Photos by Christy Steadman
Fresh Point provides fresh fruits and vegetables to the school district. Students can choose from common fruits and vegetables, but also are introduced to exotic fruits, such as blood oranges and medjool dates. Pictured is an exotic fruit called rambutan. It is from the lychee family, with a sweet flavor and grape-like texture.
Pizza will always be popular choice of students who attend the Douglas County School District. The school district offers pepperoni or cheese from Big Daddy’s Pizza.
Red Bird Farms provides the chicken tenders for the school district. The chicken is an antibiotic-free product, and can be prepared with a gluten-free option. Pictured are chicken tenders choices, which are baked, rather than fried, and flavored with various seasonings. The most popular choice among attendees of the A Taste of DCSD event was the tortilla-crusted tenders, which is pictured in the center.
Goings going, but his impact won’t be gone Highlands Ranch principal says effective educating similar to good parenting By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Highlands Ranch High School Principal Jerry Goings radios security staff as students file into a classroom for their first period of the day. Photo by Jane Reuter
As Principal Jerry Goings walks the halls of Highlands Ranch High School on a spring morning, students call out his name. Tall, graying and lean, broadcasting a hard-to-come-by blend of geniality and authority, the school’s leader is tough to miss. Many of the teens go out of their way to get his attention, and he acknowledges as many as he can. “Goings!” “Mr. Goings!” The principal greets the vast majority of them by name, often accompanying that with a pat on the back or a high five. “Paul, grab your hat please,” he shouts to a group moving en masse down the stairs. A student glances over, smiles apologetically and removes a burgundy knit hat from his head. Goings crosses the hall to say good morning to another young man. Slings an arm around the shoulders of another and
walks partway down the hall with him, their heads bent close in confidence. One recently has lost his father, the other is struggling academically, he later explains. In what some might view as a sea of teens coursing through the halls, Goings sees people — each with his or her own story. Goings, 55, will step down from his principal role at the end of the academic year. He will take with him 10 years of such stories and memories both painful and jubilant. He remembers students and staff lost to tragedies, including Quinton “Q-Man” Sanford, who died during a run in 2009, and in whose memory the school hosts an annual 5K. “A special spirt,” Goings said. More recently, he dealt with the late 2014 death of teacher Joe Chandler, a loss so great and fresh,“It’s hard for me to think and talk about.” Balancing those memories are the 2009 National Association of Student Council Conference, accompanying students to Washington, D.C., for President Obama’s 2009 inauguration, and innumerable state Goings continues on Page 13