Chronicle Parker
PARKER 2.8.13
February 8, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourparkernews.com
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 15
Charter school location approved Opponents worry about traffic, nearby sex offenders By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com
Chaparral and later helped spread it to other schools in the Douglas County School District, created the exchange program eight years ago. The number eight is sacred in Chinese culture and Channell said the New Year celebration was meant, in part, to honor the significance of the milestone. “It’s their big holiday, just like our Christmas,” Channell said. “We put on a party, not only for the exchange students, but for the entire community.” The 24 Chinese students, who came with two teachers and an administrator from their 5,000-student school in Chengdu, have participated in Intensive English Lan-
A handful of roadblocks hasn’t slowed progress on American Academy’s expansion into Parker. After a three-week delay on a decision, Parker Town Council on Jan. 28 approved an amendment that will allow the construction of a K-8 school on property previously slated for an assisted-living facility known as the Mountain View Senior Center. With an ever-growing wait list, the public charter school announced in October that it had found the ideal site for a second Douglas County campus. School leaders celebrated the fact that the land was right next to Clarke Farms, a residential neighborhood filled with young families. Some homeowners, however, were not pleased with the plans to build American Academy on the west side of Motsenbocker Road, a mile south of Mainstreet. Twelve of them spoke out during a Parker Town Council meeting Jan. 7 in which the school’s officials asked town leaders to approve the zoning amendment. The opponents are worried about an increase in traffic on Mainstreet and Motsenbocker, and raised concerns about a Developmental Pathways center adjacent to the school site that houses three convicted sex offenders who are developmentally disabled. Mike Kaplan, an attorney representing Developmental Pathways, acknowledged the situation during the Jan. 28 meeting and said one of the sex offenders has a “predilection for pedophilia.” He said the issue has not yet been resolved, and urged council to delay its decision. Ka-
New Year continues on Page 10
Charter continues on Page 9
Performers from Denver-based Wu Lan Lion Dancers entertain a large crowd Feb. 4 during the Chinese New Year program at the PACE Center. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen
Chinese students get lesson in culture, fun Chaparral has New Year’s sendoff for young visitors By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com A partnership between Chaparral High School and its sister school in Chengdu, China, has fostered cultural understanding through education — and a little bit of fun. Parker families have hosted 24 Chinese exchange students for the last three weeks, showing them the mountains and introducing them to American delicacies and customs along the way. Dozens of Wolver-
ines even attended the Denver Nuggets basketball game against the Houston Rockets, a team that recently picked up AsianAmerican star Jeremy Lin. The exchange students formed a corridor that the teams ran through when they took the floor. Days before the exchange students’ Feb. 7 departure, their local peers said farewell in dramatic fashion with a Chinese New Year bash at the Parker Arts, Culture and Events Center. The ceremony, which celebrated the Year of the Snake, included martial arts demonstrations, Chinese cuisine, games and a boisterous performance by the Wu Lan Lion Dance Team. Catherine Channell, the teacher who started Chinese language instruction at
Homeless invited to ‘Come in from the Cold’ Douglas County survey doubles as outreach By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com Douglas County took advantage of Colorado’s Point in Time survey, counting the statewide homeless population, with a safe haven for at least one evening. The Douglas County Community of Care Network participated in the state’s yearly homeless head count by reaching out with free immunizations, bicycles, food, clothing, a hot meal and more. The event included nearly 30 service providers whose efforts serve the county’s homeless and at-risk communities throughout the year. The Jan. 29 event moved to the Lone Tree campus of the Jubilee Fellowship Church as a more central location for those facing transportation challenges, said Rand Clark, Douglas County community of care navigator. Clark worked with about 100 church
Parker resident Jennifer Carcamo, left, laughs with Leah Blake, an osteopathic physician student from Rocky Vista University on Jan. 29. Free medical checks were offered as part of a resource and service fair at Jubilee Fellowship Church in Lone Tree. Provider Todd McPherson, back left, also got his glucose checked from student Lien Nguyen. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen volunteers and about 15 community volunteers who served a meal of chili with sides, drinks and treats for families and individuals invited to “Come in From the Cold.” Campus pastor Marcus Piller
was on hand working the volunteer network. “I’m all about opening the doors to reach out to those in need as well as providing them with an opportunity to get a leg up,” Piller said. “It’s really about
raising awareness and gives us a way to have our finger in the community we serve.” The homeless community included about 28 families who were provided free haircuts, medical checks, diapers and bags filled with food, personal hygiene products and makeup. Total individuals served: 56. “We wanted to include some fun things you can’t get on food stamps or at a food bank,” Clark said. “For the ladies it’s something to make a difference.” Natalie Ibarra, 28, of Castle Rock, attended with her two children and headed straight for the temporary salon in the church basement. It had been a while since Elijah, 8, and Mizhka, 3, had received a trim, Ibarra said. Ibarra is a single mom and 2003 graduate of Douglas County High School who in 2012 moved back home with her parents. “For the first time we’ve felt the recession,” she said. “I lost my job and I had to move back in. (This event) is amazing, it’s awesome.” The county’s “Come in From
the Cold” outreach doubled as the Point in Time survey of homelessness. The annual survey is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to track how residents in each community are assisted through federal grant programs, Clark said. The 2012 survey showed Douglas County had a homeless population between 156 and 164 people, while the Douglas County school district in the 2011-12 school year identified 764 students as homeless. Of those students, 242 identified general financial hardship as the primary reason for their homeless status. For more information about the county’s Community of Care Network and its participating agencies, visit www.communityofcarenetwork.org.
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