Lakewood sentinel 1205

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Sentinel Lakewood

Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 90, Issue 17

December 5, 2013

A Colorado Community Media Publication

ourlakewoodnews.com

Board prez: We are not Dougco Jeffco school board meets By Vic Vela

vvela@ourcoloradonews.com

Laura Arbagast, a sophomore at Lakewood High School, with one of her works on display at the 40 West Arts gallery. Arbagast has been interested in art since the 7th grade. Photos by Clarke Reader

40 West Arts partners with high school Student artists get art show at gallery By Clarke Reader

creader@ourcoloradonews.com The 40 West Arts District is eager to reach out to artists of all ages in Lakewood, and its latest showcase shines a light at artists from Lakewood High School. The showcase features 14 student artists from the high school’s Advanced Placement and International Bachalaureate art classes, taught by Gwen Ahlers and Linda Slobodin. “This is the first time we’re working with high school students, but we have been wanting to do more work with them and reach out to youth in the area,” Julie Byerlein, a member of the board for the district and a volunteer with its champion group said. “This show is the first step.” The show will be at the 40 West gallery, 1560 Teller St., through Dec. 13 and Byerlein said it’s a great opportunity for students to get some exposure and have some gallery experience. According to Slobodin, who teaches photo classes and I.B. visual art classes, the partnership came about when she met Bill Marino, executive director of the Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District. “We saw this as a tremendous opportunity to show the students’ work,” Slobodin said. “We selected the work from artists we wanted to show. I tried to select work from all levels of photographers.” Laura Arbagast, a sophomore at Lakewood, with some work on display at 40 West, said that she became interested in art in the 7th grade when she started taking classes in the subject.

Arts continues on Page 12

Lakewood High School sophomore Laura Arbagast shows off her drawings at a reception for students participating in the 40 West Arts District’s latest member showcase. Arbagast is one of 14 students who have work on display at the gallery.

Ken Witt knew there were a lot of questions and concerns going on inside the minds of attendees of a Nov. 21 Jefferson County school board meeting, a little more than two weeks removed from an election that swept conservatives like himself into power. “I want to do some rumor control,” Witt said, moments after fellow board members voted him new president of the Jeffco Board of Education. Witt then tried to assure uneasy parents and district employees that the new board had “no intention of becoming Douglas County” — referring to a school district that has received national news over controversial reform efforts put in place by conservative board members there. Witt addressed the Douglas County elephant in the room, as well as other areas of concern that were present going into his first board meeting. And it was clear that Witt needed to, based on many of the comments that were directed at the board that evening. “Let me say the new board scares me and most my colleagues to death,” said Jim Fernald, a teacher at Lakewood High School, who said he didn’t want Jeffco to go the way of either Douglas County or Denver Public Schools — two districts that also saw reform candidates win school board races earlier in the month. “We all know the fantastic things that are done in our district and we are sorely afraid that your true agenda is to dismantle those successes,” Fernald said, who received applause at the conclusion of his comments. Witt and fellow conservatives Julie Williams and John Newkirk rode a statewide pro-reform and anti-Amendment 66 wave into the win column on Nov. 5. On Nov. 21, they were sworn into their new seats on the Jeffco school board, the governing body of a district that serves more than 85,000 students. The new office holders of the fivemember board were elected to leadership positions: Witt as board president, Williams as first vice president and Newkirk as secretary. Witt takes over a position that had been held by Lesley Dahlkemper, who remains a board member, but who no longer will hold the title of board president. “It’s been an absolute honor and privilege to serve as your board president,” she told the audience. The swearing in of the new board members — who replace Laura Boggs and Paula Noonan, who did not seek re-election — comes on the heels of the recent announcement by longtime district Superintendent Cindy Stevenson that she will be retiring at the end of June. Stevenson’s move was made after the new board was voted into power. “We’re saddened that our superintendent has tendered her resignation,” he said. “I’ve looked forward to working with her for a good long time. She’s provided

Board continues on Page 12

Examples of work done by Lakewood High School students that can be seen at the 40 West Arts gallery through Dec. 13. Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.


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