COLD-BLOODED COMPANIONS
September 15, 2016 VOLUME 121 | ISSUE 33 | 75¢
Exotic pets require unique foods, habitats. PAGE 10
ElbertCountyNews.net A publication of
E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Local schools upgrade emergency radio systems Devices boost signal strength to improve communication ability By Ben Wiebesiek bwiebesiek@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Lexye Wood heads for the mat as she competes in vault for the Elizabeth High School team. The Cardinals are competing in Class 5A for the first time this year. Photos by Tom Munds
Cardinals aim to fly in 5A Elizabeth competes in higher classification this season By Tom Munds tmunds@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Elizabeth gymnast Sydnee Eruich does her routine on the balance beam during the Sept. 7 three-team meet at Elizabeth High School. The young Cardinals competed against Ponderosa and Cherry Creek at the meet.
Since 2006, Elizabeth has competed and won a case full of state awards in Class 4A gymnastics. This year, the team is moving up to Class 5A. “We are a young team with 23 on our roster but only three are juniors and seniors,” Cardinals coach Stacey Folmar said during the Sept. 8 home meet. “However, our girls are very talented and very excited with a lot of energy. We are trying to rope in that energy and use it to our advantage as we go into our first year competing in Class 5A.” The first year of gymnastics at Elizabeth was 2006, and the Cardinals didn’t qualify for the Class 4A state tournament as a team. But there were some girls who qualified as individuals, so the Cardinals took sixth place in the final team standings. Since then, the Cardinals won state Class 4A titles in 2009, 2010 and 2012. Elizabeth finished second in state in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Folmar said this year, the Cardinals’ best events will probably be vault or floor exercise. “We have a lot of talented gymnasts and many of them are event specialists,” the coach said. “I feel we will do well in small meets like this as well as in the larger meets a little later in the season.” The coach said Dillon Lind should have a very good season. “I have been doing gymnastics for about 10 years. I guess the Olympics inspired me to get involved in the sport. Once I got started I fell in love with the sport,” Gymnastics continues on Page 9
The Elizabeth School District completed upgrades this summer to three schools, improving radio communication for first responders in the event of an emergency. Running Creek Elementary, Singing Hills Elementary and Elizabeth Middle School received In-building communication devices known as bidirectional amplification (BDA) systems to boost radio signals inside the buildings and improve communication to outside radio sources. According to a statement from the district, the BDA systems are designed to boost signals of 700/800 mhz radios, eliminating “dead spots” within the buildings and allowing first responders to communicate more effectively during critical incidents. CNC Technical Services installed the systems at the three schools. The company’s owner, Clay Crist, said these types of communication systems are now a federal requirement for new school construction, but are not a requirement for existing school buildings. “Older buildings were grandfathered into these requirements, so the school district didn’t have to make the upgrades,” Crist said. “They are one of the very few districts that have made these improvements voluntarily.” Radio continues on Page 9
The Elizabeth School District installed new radio equipment at Elizabeth Middle School, Running Creek Elementary and Singing Hills Elementary this summer. Pictured here is bi-directional amplifier, which amplifies the signal both in the building and out to other sites. It is also hooked into the fire alarm system so that the school will know if there is a problem with the system. Courtesy photo
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