Herald HIGHLANDS RANCH 1.3.13
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 7
January 3, 2013 A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
Many Heritage parents want principal back Hundreds of signatures call for McQueen’s reinstatement By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com Almost 300 parents of Heritage Elementary students have signed a petition calling for the reinstatement of Principal Alan McQueen. McQueen was abruptly released from his duties Dec. 7 for an alleged violation of the district’s alcohol policy, but the 441 people who so far have signed the petition don’t agree with that decision. “I do not find Alan’s actions egregious and believe he should be reinstated immediately as principal of Heritage Elementary,” the petition reads. “By reinstating (him), the Douglas County School Board and (Superintendent Elizabeth) Fagen will show they have compassion for their em-
ployees and are willing to make the right decision for schools. Alan is a great leader for Heritage, and deserves the opportunity to return to Heritage as our principal.” As of Dec. 27, 291 of the signatures are from parents of Heritage students, said parent Cristin Patterson, who initiated the petition. Heritage has about 650 students, representing about 450 families. Of the remaining signatures, 78 are from Heritage students, with the remainder either from other schools or the general community. Patterson, the parent of a Heritage second-grader, launched the petition after school board president John Carson questioned her assertion she represented “hundreds of parents” who support McQueen. Patterson read a statement during the Dec. 13 board meeting that she said reflected the shock and disappointment Heritage parents felt at losing their principal. Though she still is collecting signatures, Patterson submitted a copy of the petition to Fagen and the board Dec. 21.
McQueen said he is overwhelmed. “I am unbelievably thankful for what they’re doing,” he said, adding he is “absolutely open” to the idea of returning to his post. McQueen has served as principal of the high-performing Highlands Ranch school since 2009. Buffalo Ridge Elementary Principal Ally Berggren resigned the same day McQueen was released, also for an alleged violation of the district’s substance abuse policies. Both reportedly were given breathalyzer tests during a Dec. 6 administrators’ meeting at The Wildlife Experience in Parker. Both had been drinking during separate events the night before the meeting. The district sent emails to parents at both schools, explaining the principals had violated its substance abuse policy. Patterson said she and other parents have seen no evidence to suggest McQueen has a substance abuse problem. Alisa Pauley is serving as Heritage’s interim principal.
Alan McQueen was relieved of his duties as Heritage Elementary School principal on Dec. 7. Courtesy photo
Sports fields to replace golf facility
2012: A WILD RIDE
County buys out lease as plan, budget take shape By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
In one of our Images of the Year, saddle bronc rider Cody Peterson of Yoder prepares for a face-to-face meeting with the dirt at the Highlands Ranch Community Association’s Rodeo in the Ranch in July. For more photos that helped make 2012 special, turn to Page 6. File photo by Deborah Grigsby
Free the Girls helps survivors of trafficking Highlands Ranch group aids Mozambican women By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com A Highlands Ranch-based nonprofit is changing the world, one woman at a time. Free the Girls, founded by Dave Terpstra and Kimba Langas in 2010, is helping women who were previously caught up in sex trafficking to new beginnings. “I like to do more than just shout at who-
Kimba Langas, co-founder and executive director of Free the Girls, stands surrounded by bras in the garage of her Highlands Ranch home. Free the Girls is a newer nonprofit organization that helps African women with a background in trafficking get off the streets. Courtesy photo by John S. Miller Photography
ever will listen,” Terpstra said. “I like to dig in and get my hands dirty. When I looked around the landscape of anti-trafficking organizations in the U.S.A. a couple of years ago, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for the average person to engage in the fight beyond using their voice. I wanted to change that.” A visit to Mozambique changed everything for Terpstra, who moved there from Highlands Ranch in 2010. Looking for ideas to help curb human trafficking, he became overwhelmed by the amount of secondhand clothes being sold in the country, and one day came across a man with an umbrella that had bras dangling off the ends. The image stuck with him, and as he began to research the value of bras on the secondhand market, he learned that selling two bras could pay for a day’s wages. Free continues on Page 9
One of the first golf facilities in Highlands Ranch, Grand Golf — home to a driving range, pro shop and adventure golf course adjacent to Highland Heritage Regional Park — will soon be no more. On Dec. 18 the Douglas County commissioners agreed to buy out the last two years of Grand Golf’s lease agreement — plus the two 10-year lease extensions that were in place — giving the county a 22-year hold on the land. Douglas County Parks, Trails and Building Grounds is taking over the maintenance of the area and will begin to demolish the golf facilities sometime in 2013, with plans of converting the 20-acre site into synthetic-turf, lit, multi-use sports fields. “We don’t have a master plan right now and have nothing budgeted as of yet,” said Randy Burkhardt, spokesman for Douglas County Parks, Trails and Building Grounds. “It happened too late in the year to get it into the 2013 budget. (After the demolition) we’ll repair the turf and come up with a site plan in 2014-15. At this point we don’t know what it is going to look like. It’s not going to be a big redo of the park. “The most we are going to do is add a couple fields and some additional parking.” According to County Commissioner Jill Repella, when Grand Golf was constructed, a lot of the other golfing facilities had not been built yet in the area. Yet because of the increase of nearby golfing options, the use of Grand Golf has decreased significantly. “It just wasn’t fully being utilized,” she said, “considering the high demand that we have in Douglas County and in the area for ball fields, it seemed as though there might be a better use for that facility. … My only concern is that we as a county are coordinating with the Metro District and the HRCA to make sure that all the input is taken into consideration and that we move forward to do something that is incorporatExpansion continues on Page 9
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