The News-Press 11
October 29, 2015
A student’s words to the school board Editor’s Note: Julia Martin, a Douglas County School District seventh-grader, spoke to the Douglas County Board of Education during public comment at the Oct. 20 meeting. Here is what she wrote and why she presented it to the board. My assignment was to set a goal that we are passionate about. I am passionate about helping my fellow students and I want to get a good education. When I came home that day after getting that assignment, I told my mom that I wanted to do something bigger than myself by publicly speaking. I chose the board because not a lot of kids have spoken to the board of education. I was assigned this project six weeks ago and it was due by
the end of the quarter. This got bigger than I expected! This is what I said: My name is Julia Martin and I am seventhgrader in this district. My teacher gave Julia Martin my class an assignment to set and accomplish a goal about something we are passionate about. My goal is to use my voice to stand up for myself and my school. First, I see experienced teachers leaving
because how they are being treated. Kids that follow me, like my little brother, are missing out on these teachers. New teachers learn from more experienced teachers. If there are no experienced teachers to mentor them, how will they learn? Who will they collaborate with? Second, the mismanagement of money is affecting me as a student. You want us to have world-class outcomes, right? I look around and see wallpaper peeling and falling-apart computers. We are either freezing or burning up in our classrooms every day. Parents are having to hold fundraisers for things like new math curriculum. Where is the money that is meant for kids going? This doesn’t make sense to me. This does not seem “world
class.” I’m 13 years old. I don’t have all the answers but I know this: Collaboration is working together. Communication is listening to both sides. Creativity takes courage. Critical thinking is stepping back and looking at what is working and what is not working. There are several things that are not working. Please put the money back in our schools and not in glossy ads and more websites. Please treat our teachers in a way that they want to stay and help us grow. We are not a “system,” we are students. We are kids. This is our time to learn. Please give us a positive place to do that.
Sometimes there’s music that cuts through murk The Zombies were in town recently. No, not the candidates. The “She’s Not There” Zombies. About 45 years ago, I was in the school newspaper offices at UCLA and spotted a Zombies PR packet. It featured someone named Colin Blunstone. That name stuck in my head. A name like Colin Blunstone would stick in the head of someone named Craig Smith. Blunstone is 70, and all of the other surviving Zombies are older than I am too. When I saw the newspaper article about their Denver concert, I had to read it twice. I thought it might be one of those tribute bands. Nope. It’s them. It’s not Them. Them was Van Morrison’s group. The Zombies had back-to-back hits, and then recorded an album, “Odessey (sic) and Oracle,” that went nowhere initially. Later Rolling Stone ranked it number 100 on its list of the 500 Great Albums of All Time. The group played the album in its entirety in Denver. It’s only 35 minutes long, so they must have added a few songs to the playlist.
I know that some performers stay around forever. It happens all the time in classical music. But usually a band that only has a couple of hits fades away. I tried to Craig Marshall Smith imagine some of QUIET the other bands DESPERATION from that era touring again. Herman’s Hermits, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. Billy J. Kramer’s middle initial was not “J.” John Lennon suggested it. He thought it gave Kramer a “tougher edge.” Lennon, and McCartney, also gave Kramer some songs. They turned out to be their biggest hits. Those few years of the early Beatles and all of the bands that followed them from
Letters
the cars: Lemieux, Ray and Vogel. Amy McDowell Highlands Ranch
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If Douglas County voters want the union death grip to strangle the successful reforms they should vote for the challengers. But if they want better pay for exceptional teachers, improved learning, leadership committed to forward-thinking educational opportunities, like public charter schools and choice, vote for the incumbent board: Larsen, Richardson and Robbins. Joy Overbeck Parker What’s with the painted cars? Have you wondered why cars around Douglas County are painted with the names “Lemieux, Ray, Vogel?” I drive one of those cars, and would love to explain. The school board election on Nov. 3 is a David-vs.Goliath battle. On the David side are parents, teachers and community members reaching into their own wallets to inform the community about three pro-public education candidates — Anne-Marie Lemieux, David Ray and Wendy Vogel. With no “big money” backing them, these candidates have to rely on grassroots efforts such as painted cars to spread the word. In the Goliath corner, the incumbents have a gigantic advertising budget funded by several large organizations. My husband and I, registered Republicans, have received not one, not two, but three mailers from the incumbents. Paid for by Citizens for a Sound Government, Douglas County Education Alliance and the Republican Party. Wait, what? The Republican Party? School board elections are supposed to be nonpartisan! Additionally, DCEA is hiring canvassers, producing TV ads and buying airtime on Denver TV stations. Much of this and other money can be tied to out-of-state donors. The power is in your hands to decide the winner — David or Goliath? If you don’t want to decide solely on painted cars, I urge you to watch a candidate debate. You can find video of last week’s debate at MVHS on the Vistanow.org site under The Scoop — Local. I am confident that after watching, your will choose to vote for the names on
A new way to fund capital needs? Since the Douglas County School Board will not allow voters to decide if funds for school capital needs are needed, where are they going to get money to repair/update our schools? Suggestion: Voters approved override funds for the schools and are they being used for Douglas County students? Since these funds go to schools either neighborhood or charter schools, who is receiving the benefit? Our schools have many out-of-district students attending that receive these funds. Example: Legend High had 60 out-of-district students attend there for the 2014-15 school year. That equates a need for two teachers and since it may be overcrowded, a mobile classroom. Total cost just for those 60 kids comes to around $225,000 that comes from Douglas County taxpayers. Granted the state money those kids bring with them might offset some of the cost but a mobile at a school comes at a cost to taxpayers well over $100,000. Charter schools enrolled over 700 out of district students, which equates to 58 percent of all out-of-district students attending Douglas County Schools receiving override funds while denying in district students. Since the school district has no clear guidelines on what capacity of a school is, our schools have to accept out-of-district students and continue to provide mobiles to meet growing enrollment. To help fund capital needs of the district, could these override funds be used for that purpose rather than funding out of district students? It would remove funds to our resident students as well or can the district just keep funds that go to out of district students and use for capital needs? This may force schools to look closer at capacity and possibly not accepting out-of-district students as well as charter schools giving in-district students a better chance of attending a charter. Taxpayer money is not being used to benefit our kids. Are changes needed or are you comfortable with the manner things are occurring? Dave Usechek Parker
England made a big impression on me. It was a big improvement. The radio was backed up with Paul Anka and Frankie Avalon, and, please, Fabian. Neil Sedaka. Sedaka was awful. Tab Hunter had a hit record. Music needed a considerable laxative. Am I allowed to say that? Then things changed. They changed on Sunday, February 9, 1964, when ghoulish Ed Sullivan introduced the Beatles. It changed again when bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who, and the Yardbirds appeared. The Kinks were great. The lead singer, Ray Davies, married the lead singer of the Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde. Led Zeppelin truly had a tougher edge, and they went along neatly with the Rolling Stones, who were the bad boys when the Beatles were being sweet and cute. That changed too. By the time he died, Lennon had a reputation. One morning a few years ago, I sat on a bench at the Lennon tribute in Central Park. It’s called Strawberry Fields. I erased everything in my thoughts for a few minutes
except the Beatles. I saw them in concert two months after Jennifer was born, in the same city. I cannot imagine that the music on the radio now will impact teenagers like “Please Please Me” affected me. It’s almost unexplainable. Everything was beginning to take its shape at that time. I had an identity for the first time. Music is on all the time here. When I am writing, I can go back and forth between KVOD and my playlists. I always have a soundtrack. Music has been a column theme many times. Please get used to it. During KVOD’s fund drive, I listen to my own music. I came home one day, and a song that I didn’t know I owned was playing. It was a street corner song by the Pastels. I first heard “Been So Long” on my brand new transistor radio. In 1957. It’s been so long. Craig Marshall Smith is an artist, educator and Highlands Ranch resident. He can be reached at craigmarshallsmith@comcast. net.
OBITUARIES MALORZO Donna Marie Malorzo
Jun. 13, 1924 – Oct. 15, 2015
NECCHI JR.
HOFMANN
John Necchi Jr.
6/14/1922 – 10/24/2015
She passed peacefully. Born June 13, 1924 in Rome, NY. Preceded in death by husband Salvatore and Son Frank. Survived by daughters, Joanne(Brust) Mary Angela (Bevan) and Sally (Fosnaugh). 8 Grandchildren and 4 Greatgrandchildren
John passed away peacefully on October 24, 2015 with his loving family at his side. Services will be held Friday, October 30, 4pm at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 2746 5th St. Castle Rock, Colorado.
SAMPLE
BAKER
William Sample Bill Sample, 87, of Castle Rock, died Tuesday, October 20th at Castle Rock Adventist Medical Center. After retiring from the U.S. Air Force, he taught at Castle Rock Junior High for twenty years. He is survived by his wife Yvette (Vett), his son Will and his wife Kristi Gullen of Madison, Wisconsin; daughter Lela Lopez Velasquez and her husband Wilfredo of Denver, Colorado; a granddaughter, Sonja Gullen Marcus and her husband Robert of Chappaqua, New York; and two great-grandchildren, Ryan Marcus and Kirsten Marcus, also of Chappaqua. Services were October 26th, 11:00 am at First United Methodist Church in Castle Rock. Contributions may be made to Wounded Warriors Project.
Darlene Ann Hofmann 7/15/1942 – 10/17/2015
Services for Darlene will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Castle Rock. Rosary service will be Friday November 6 at 7:00pm, Mass of Christian burial will be Saturday November 7 at 10:00am.
Ovid Martin Baker Jr.
Nov. 8, 1920 – Oct. 19, 2015
Ovid “Curly” Baker passed away October 19, 2015. He was born November 8, 1920. In 1951 he became a pilot for United Airlines retiring in 1980 as a DC-10 captain. He is survived by his wife of 76 years, Opal (Nokes) Baker; Children, Gerald
(Reatha) Baker, Douglas (Layne) Vinton, Susan (Andy) Walker: Brother, John “Jack” Baker: many grandchildren, several great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Memorial will be November 8, 2015 at Bonaventure in Castle Rock at 2:30 pm.
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