October 1, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 44
County school board election shapes up Two slates emerge in races for four director seats BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Jan Dengal, who is the Parker Senior Center director and teaches a line dancing class there, leads a performance at the Sept. 23 PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER reopening of the facility.
Parker Senior Center reopens with party Facility offers classes, games, luncheons BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
For many Parker seniors, the full
reopening of a local community center represents a path to reconnecting after a year and a half of isolation prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parker Senior Center, located at 10675 Longs Way, celebrated its reopening during an Oktoberfestthemed event Sept. 23.
Barbara Assante, a member of the senior center, said the return of services and events at the center represents “joy and happiness and interactions” for her. “The people here are so nice and friendly,” Assante said. “It’s so SEE CENTER, P8
Hilltop Social Club reaches century mark Women’s group also maintains 123-year-old schoolhouse BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The club began as a social club
for women trying to escape isolation in the remote farming and ranching community of Douglas County, but a century later, it’s
become “more like a sister group than a social group.”
The field is set for this fall’s Douglas County School Board elections, where two slates have emerged to square off for four seats on the board — a majority on the sevenmember board. While one slate is asking voters to let them take the district in a similar direction as current board members, the other is saying it’s time for new leadership. The candidates are not only aiming to help govern the district amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but also after national debates about equity in education took place at the local level in past months. Incumbents Krista Holtzmann and Kevin Leung are seeking reelection while running alongside Ruby Martinez and Juli Watkins in the CommUNITY Matters slate. The four are asking voters to “keep the positive momentum going” in DCSD, according to the slate’s website. Sitting board members bring a track record of academic achievement, a decrease in teacher turnover and financial investment in mental health resources for schools, the group says. The Kids First slate is made up of
SEE SOCIAL CLUB, P31
SEE ELECTION, P20
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