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August 28, 2014 VOLU M E 1 1 2 | I S S UE 43 | 7 5 ¢
DouglasCountyNewsPress.net
Special Insert Inside
D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Open carry vote still up in air Ballots from Aug. 19 special election not done being processed By Mike DiFerdinando
mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Alex Schultz, 21, of Larkspur, spent three months traveling the New Zealand wilderness as part of his coursework while attending the National Outdoor Leadership School. Courtesy photos
The nature of self-discovery Larkspur man spends three life-changing months in New Zealand wilderness By Mike DiFerdinando
mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com
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(ISSN 1067-425X) (USPS 567-060) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, and the towns of Castle Rock, Parker and Larkspur, the NewsPress is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media and additional mailing offices. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
As he trudged through the mud and rain of the New Zealand mountains, 60-pound pack on his back and no respite in sight, Andrew Schultz’s thoughts began to slip. Water, plentiful the first two days, was becoming more difficult to find — tired legs less stable with each small climb. No stranger to hiking, Schultz, 21, a junior at Colorado State University and native of Larkspur, had spent his childhood climbing the mountains of Colorado. Those had been day trips, though. This was a whole semester — three potentially very long months. “The first couple days, I didn’t have super-happy thoughts,” Schultz said. “I was melancholy. I was nervous about what I had gotten myself into. I was thinking, `This could have been a huge mistake.’ ” Then, on the third day, Schultz and his group reached the treeline. “We popped out on this huge peak that looked over all of New Zealand and you could see the ocean on both sides of the island,” he said. “From that point on, it was just amazing. That was the first time I felt like `OK, I see what we’re doing now.’ It was still hard. There were long days, but I understood the purpose of it.” That first panoramic view of the island nation is the most vibrant memory he carries with him from his semester this summer with the National Outdoor Leadership School. Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt, the school takes students on remote wilderness expeditions and teaches technical outdoor skills, leadership and environmental ethics. Expeditions last up to three months and students learn how to find food, water and survive on their own in the wild. From the beginning, Petzoldt, who died in 1999 and became the youngest person to climb Grand Teton in 1924 at the age of 16, saw his school as a way for young people to learn about themselves and navigate the world to which they would inevitably return. “Much of what they see around them is phony, Petzoldt said in a 1969 Life magazine profile. “All through society they find people who talk one thing and say another. If they have a brain in their heads they can see that something is radically wrong.” It’s a legacy of self-discovery carried on by the school’s current leaders. “We get a lot of college age students,” said Casey
Alex Schultz learned to find water, food and survive in the wild, while spending three months in the New Zealand wilderness. Adams of the National Outdoor Leadership School. “For most of them it’s a progression. They come to our programs often wanting to have an adventure or a unique experience in nature. The goal is that by the time they’re finished we have helped them become leaders, not just outdoors, but in their own lives.” For Schultz, the journey of exploration nearly didn’t happen. Before he graduated, Schultz wanted a new experience outside of school. He originally proposed a motorcycle trip across America but his mother encouraged a more academic direction. Family friends associated with the leadership school had told him about the program. Some had done it themselves. Oblivious to the details of the trip, New Zealand caught his eye while sifting through possibilities online. “I hadn’t decided I was going to do it until two weeks before it happened,” he said. “I decided, `Why not? Let’s give it a shot.’ And I’m very glad I did.” In the weeks and months that followed, Schultz would come to understand just how much of a difference that quick decision would have on his life. The group traveled more than 150 miles on foot, paddled 121 nautical miles in sea kayaks and sailed another 135 nautical miles in changing conditions. Time is plentiful in the wilderness. No distractions. A few close friends. Reflection with every step. “There’s not much that sleeping under the stars for 3 1/2 months won’t teach you about yourself,” Schultz said. “I learned about life and what I wanted out of it.” He learned he wanted to teach children about the world, not work through equations for an oil company. So with classes resuming at CSU this week, he plans to drop geophysics to study social sciences. NOLS continues on Page 12
Nearly a week after the polls closed in Castle Rock’s special election, the outcome of the vote was still unknown and residents were left waiting for a resolution on the contentious issue of open carry. Possibly causing further delay was a second lawsuit filed in a week against the town over the election process. That suit was filed Aug. 25. The ballot in the Aug. 19 special election contained two yes-or-no questions. The first was regarding the authority of the town manager to regulate the open carry of firearms in town-owned facilities and parks. The second question was on a charter amendment that would require a town vote to change gun laws in the future. About 9,400 ballots were turned in, and some were still being processed as of Aug. 25, according to a Castle Rock spokeswoman. A town news release said results “are expected later this week.” The town has seven days to validate and report election results. But, according to the same spokeswoman, officials were considering asking for an extension at the Aug. 26 town council meeting to count and process votes. Delays in the counting process are due, town officials say, to the decision to incorporate the use of privacy sleeves, the time needed to train election judges on how to use those sleeves and an Aug. 18 legal chal-
Election continues on Page 12
TCAP scores take small dip Douglas County results still top statewide averages By Jane Reuter
jreuter @coloradocommunitymedia.com Douglas County School District’s 201314 state test scores fell slightly in two of three categories, but remained higher than Colorado averages. Students who scored proficient or advanced in writing and reading scores on the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program decreased year-to-year by 2.34 and 1.38 percentage points respectively. Math scores stayed steady. The most recent scores in writing and reading were DCSD’s lowest in five years, but the decrease in both numbers between 2009-10 and 2013-14 was less than 1 percentage point. Despite the slight decline, the district’s 2013-14 scores were more than 11 percentage points above the state average. DCSD students scored higher than the state average in all grades and all three content areas. In DCSD, seventh- and ninth-grade math scores and seventh-grade reading scores saw the most dramatic improvement. Tenth-, fourth- and fifth-grade writTCAP continues on Page 12