RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR
75 CENTS
December 27, 2018
Traditional, alternative celebrations offered in the metro area
Pages 12-13
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Englewood schools earn state awards STAFF REPORT
Englewood Police Sgt. Bobby Garrett unloads merchandise from the cart after she helped a family go Christmas shopping. A Walmart grant for the program now called Santa Cops made it possible for members of eight families to team up with police officers and go gift shopping Dec. 18. TOM MUNDS
Blue Christmas a good thing Police join families for holiday shopping at Englewood Walmart BY TOM MUNDS TMUNDS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Other customers may have wondered why uniformed police officers accompanied families doing Christmas shopping at the Englewood Walmart store Dec. 18, but it happens every year. “The program began here in Englewood in 2011. Originally it was called Shop with a Cop. The
organization got a copyright for that title so I changed the name of our program to Santa Cops,” said Toni Arnoldy, Englewood Police community relations specialist. “Each year I have sought and received a $2,000 grant from Walmart for our program. The schools and officers help us line up those who will take part in the program by nominating families to be part of Santa Christmas.” Arnoldy provides gift cards for the children. Children not yet in school receive a $50 gift card and children in school receive a $100 gift card. Jessica Chavez and her four
children were among the families selected to take part in the program. “This came as a huge surprise and it is truly a great blessing for us,” she said. “I have two different jobs to pay the bills and help my children with their education. That is very important now because my oldest son has just been accepted to college.” She has four children, a 7-yearold, a 9-year-old, a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old. She said being part of this program will help make Christmas a special time for her family. SEE SHOPPING, P7
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Two Englewood schools have received awards from the Colorado State Department of Education based on their students’ performance on state assessments. Englewood Leadership Academy received the John Irwin School of Excellence Award, which is given to 185 schools statewide and reflects exceptional performance in math, English language arts, and science on Colorado statewide assessments. The school received an exceeds expectations rating on the academic achievement indicator of the School Performance Framework report. “We are proud year after year that ELA continues to demonstrate excellence,” Annessa Hart, Englewood Leadership Academy principal, said in a news release. “Our teachers and students all work hard to achieve these impressive results.” Clayton Elementary received its first Centers of Excellence Award. Given to 15 schools statewide, the award is given to schools where at least 75 percent of the students are at-risk but demonstrate the higest rates of student growth over time as measured by the Colorado growth model. “They Clayton community continues to focus on academic achievement and growth,” Clayton Principal Jenny Buster said in the release. “This award is a reflection of our dedication and hard work to ensure that all students have equal opportunities for growth and learning.” Englewood Schools Superintendent Wendy Rubin praised all the district’s schools for their achievements. “We are proud of the academic achievements of all our schools this year,” Rubin said in the release. “It’s great that the Colorado Department of Education is recognizing these two schools in particular for their achievements.”
The warmest temperature ever recorded in January in Denver was 76 degrees on Jan. 28, 1888. Source: National Weather Service
VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 17
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VOLUME 98 | ISSUE 45