PROTECTING OUR PLANET: Ideas from around the world at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival P16
75 CENTS
February 15, 2018
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
New grad rates are a mixed bag BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Englewood’s Dwight Anderson battles to escape the grasp of John Showey of Steamboat Springs in their consolation bracket quarterfinal match during the Class 3A Region 5 Wrestling Tournament held Feb. 9 and 10 at Englewood High School. Anderson suffered his second loss and was eliminated from the tournament, which closed the books on the senior’s high school wrestling career. TOM MUNDS
Englewood wrestlers tackle regionals Senior, sophomore and freshman represent the team BY TOM MUNDS TMUNDS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A trio of Englewood’s wrestlers, two of them new to the sport, faced
the daunting challenge of wrestlers from 11 other teams seeking to go to state during the Pirate-hosted Class 3A Region 3 Wrestling Tournament Feb. 9 and 10. “Two of our kids, freshman Jaheim Young and sophomore Ricardo Chinas, may be new to the sport but they have worked hard all season and I know they will do their best,” Englewood coach Lorenzo Moreno said as the tournament got under-
way. “Our third wrestler is senior Dwight Johnson, who has been wrestling for the Pirates since he was a freshman.” Englewood’s field house walls shook with cheers from the crowd and teammates as well as the advice yelled out by the coaches. Regionals used a 16-wrestler, double-elimination bracket. All SEE WRESTLING, P9
In an about-face from last year’s numbers, the recently released graduation rates for 2016-17 for Englewood High School might elicit some double takes — the district as a whole saw a small downturn, while its traditional high school lost nearly all the gains it made the previous year. Meanwhile, Englewood Schools’ alternative school made a strong climb of more than 5 percentage points — an increase of more than one-fifth the rate it started with. But the causes behind those four-year graduation rate changes are difficult to track, district officials said. “When we look at graduation rates, there’s never really one thing we can point to,” said Diana Zakhem, director of postsecondary and workforce readiness for Englewood Schools. “We know a number of factors impact a student’s ability to graduate on time.” Indicators like attendance, behavior and course failures — what officials call the “ABCs” — are part of what SEE GRADUATION, P40
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
‘Unfortunately, the magnitude of repair issues at the jail is growing, putting additional stress on the capital maintenance budget.’ Kathleen Conti | Arapahoe County commissioner, Page 2 INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 25 | SPORTS: PAGE 27
EnglewoodHerald.net
VOLUME 97 | ISSUE 52