1-Color
January 17, 2014
75 cents Arapahoe County, Colorado | Volume 93, Issue 48 A publication of
englewoodherald.net
Suspects sought in school vandalism Damage caused at Englewood High could be as much as $500,000 By Tom Munds
tmunds@coloradocommunitymedia. com Englewood police continue the investigation and search for at least three young men who broke into Englewood High School and went on a vandalism spree, causing thousands of dollars in damage. Helen Porterfield, a recent EHS graduate stopped by the school Jan. 13. “This is just awful. I can’t imagine why someone would do all this senseless destruction,” she said. “I toured the new facility and it was wonderful. I wish the school was like that when I went here.” There wasn’t much to see on the outside of the building but crews from Servpro, a company specializing in fire and water restoration, were preparing to enter the
school to continue the cleanup. The damage was confined to the computer lab and the band room. According to the police, the break-in happened about 1:30 a.m. Jan. 12. “Our teacher and students had just moved into the area hit over Thanksgiving and then we have criminals break into our building and do extensive damage to our STEM lab and our band, orchestra and choir rooms and the auditorium,” said Brian Ewert, Englewood Schools superintendent. “The damage to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) lab is estimated at $30,000. I was just sick when I saw all those computers and equipment smashed and when I went into the performance area and saw all those plaques and banners had been set on fire. It really hurt me.” Ewert said the district is documenting all expenses, including the cost of hiring a restoration firm to do the cleanup. He said the damage could reach $500,000. But the School continues on Page 7
Shattered glass was part of the damage done by vandals inside the Englewood HIgh School Science, Technology, Engineering and Math lab. The vandals struck in the early morning hours of Jan. 12 and did hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the lab, the band and choir rooms, and the auditorium. Photo courtesy of Englewood Schools
Bill aims to put cap on tuition Students taking part in the voluntary after-school instrumental music instruction program filled the Englewood Middle School stage to capacity for the Jan. 12 recital. About 125 students learning to play the violin, viola, cello, guitar and piano took part in the recital. Photos by Tom Munds
Recital features young musicians
Recital continues on Page 18
Tuition continues on Page 7
tmunds@ coloradocommunitymedia.com
Piano instructor Miriam Kapner, right, directs her students as they take part in the Jan. 12 Strings Attached recital at the Englewood Middle School auditorium. The voluntary, after-school instrumental instruction program added lessons in piano and guitar this year.
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My daughter took up my instrument when she was in high school in Greeley and now my granddaughter is learning to play the violin. She likes it and, if you watch her, you can see her smile when it is her turn to play.” Generally, the tempo was slower as the Strings Attached students played music from the “Nutcracker” for the recital. Ben Tompkins, head instructor, designed the program so every group of students ranging from first-year students including those learning to play the piano and the guitar students who began instructions in September to the more advanced violin and cello students who have been
By Tom Munds
I tip my hat to Englewood for having an instrumental music program for elementary school students,” Laura Bauer said. “I guess you could say music is a family tradition. I love music and, a long time ago, I played a flute in the high school band in Missouri.
By Vic Vela
Democratic state lawmakers have drafted legislation aimed at making college a little less expensive. Last week, the College Affordability Act became the first bill to be introduced in the Senate this legislative session. The bill would cap college tuition-rate increases, and would make more money available for students seeking financial aid. Sen. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, a bill sponsor, said the legislation is about “making sure every kid who graduates in Colorado — with the skills and ability and the grades — has access to higher education.” “I really think where we’ve gone the last few years, with the incredible tuition increases that we’ve seen, is a lot of the institutions having not just priced at-risk students out, but also pricing out a lot of our middle-class students, even with getting loans and financial aid,” Kerr said. Under current law, colleges and universities can increase tuition 9 percent annually. Senate Bill 1 would cap tuition increases for undergraduate students at 6 percent. Kerr, who serves as chairman of the Senate’s Education Committee, said that state budget cuts in higher education are partly to blame for skyrocketing tuition costs in recent years. “The years that we really slashed funding to higher education are the years that tuition really increased quite a bit,” he said. In response, Kerr said it is important for colleges to understand that the 6 percent “is a cap, not a floor.” The bill would increase higher education funding by more than $100 million. That’s in addition to whatever funds are
About 125 students perform during Strings Attached concert
Members of the audience and fellow musicians expressed their appreciation with enthusiastic applause for every performance during the Jan. 12 Strings Attached recital. Strings Attached offers students the opportunity to attend after-school classes to learn to play musical instruments. The program has offered lessons in the violin, viola and cello and, this year, offered guitar and piano instruction. The entire Strings Attached student body of about 125 student musicians filled the Englewood Middle School auditorium stage to overflowing for the performance with the young piano students at keyboards on the main floor at the edge of the stage. “This is such a wonderful program and
Legislation also provides more financial aid funding