July 23, 2015
THIS WEEK IN
VOLUM E 126 | IS S UE 52 | 75¢
LIFE
LOCAL
Home entertainment quickly changing with new technologies A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
page 9
LittletonIndependent.net
WHAT’S INSIDE
A nice place for a nest: Bird Habitat Garden Tour coming to area. See Page 6
‘While we’re young’: Golf etiquette is a fine art. See Page 16 Juana Arroyo, 16, enjoys volunteering with the kids at North Littleton Promise, a program she said helped her a lot in her younger years. Photo by Jennifer Smith
Program helps northeast Littleton kids Manning’s PeyBack Foundation kicks in $5,000
Off to the races: Mile High Nationals rock Bandimere. See Page 16
By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@colorado communitymedia.com
POSTAL ADDRESS
LITTLETON INDEPENDENT
(ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 315-780) OFFICE: 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603 Centennial, CO 80112 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Littleton, Colorado, the Littleton Independent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT LITTLETON, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603 Centennial, CO 80112 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legals: Fri. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 5 p.m.
PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
When Juana Arroyo was in middle school, she found a program that helped her find her way. Now, at 16, she’s found her way back. “My relationship with the Lord wasn’t quite established yet, and this helped me realize what path I
LPS still tops state averages
wanted to go on, and that my community could help me get there,” she said. “And getting to be with these kids is such a privilege. You have to be patient and understanding, and I struggled with that so much before.” In middle school, Arroyo got involved with North Littleton Promise through its soccer program. That led her into its after-school and summer programs, which serve atrisk kids in the northeast neighborhood. Now she spends time volunteering there, working with the 31 elementary schoolers at NLP’s new home, Living Word Tabernacle,
where it’s been for about a year. The 15 middle-schoolers meet at Bethany Free Church on Broadway. It’s not a coincidence NLP is church-based, as the program began when founder Katie Brook pulled several area churches together to support the neighborhood children. Today, it receives about 25 percent of its funding from churches and just about 2 percent from tuition, with parents paying just a dollar a day. The rest is mostly from fundraising and individual donors. But the summer program scored big this year, though, winning a $5,000 grant from Peyton Man-
ning’s PeyBack Foundation, which focuses on giving kids opportunities. “Emphasis is placed on programs that have a direct benefit to children through relationships and activities, and that are intended to enrich the lives of disadvantaged youth through activities conducted outside the typical school day,” reads the nonprofit’s website. PeyBack’s focus on leadership and life, mentoring and healthy living dovetails perfectly with the goals of North Littleton Promise, said its director, Maureen Shannon, Promise continues on Page 15
A REAL HOOTENANNY
CDE releases some standardized-test results Staff report Littleton Public Schools students, including low-income kids and those with disabilities, are still outperforming state averages on standardized tests by double digits, though several schools slipped from last year’s scores. The Colorado Department of Education on July 17 released results from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, which tested fourthand seventh-graders in social studies and fifth-and eighth-graders in science. In social studies, LPS fourthgraders scored 15 percentage points higher in the highest category, “Strong and Distinguished,” than the state average, and seventh-graders scored 10 percentage points higher. In science, LPS fifth-graders scored 20 percentage points higher in the highest category than the state average; eighth-graders scored Tests continues on Page 4
Members of Leftover Salmon and Breckenridge Brewery raise a toast July 18 at the brewery’s 25th annual Hootenanny and first at the brewery’s new home in Littleton on Santa Fe Drive, south of Denver Seminary. Hundreds attended the all-day music festival and pig roast, a bout of afternoon rain notwithstanding. Local band Leftover Salmon, also celebrating 25 years together, joined the party as headliners, and the brewery rolled out a special Silver Salmon brew in the band’s honor that included access to 25 of the band’s live tunes. Courtesy photo