February 25, 2016
VOTING STARTS NEXT WEEK!
VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 5
LoneTreeVoice.net A publication of
D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
WHAT’S INSIDE
District 2 race: Two candidates for Douglas County commissioner make the case for their campaigns. See Page 4
Rock Canyon seniors Maggie Gilbert and Casey Sabados lead the preparations for Wish Week at their school. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando
Students make wishes come true Douglas County schools raise money for terminally ill children during Wish Weeks By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com When Shelby Martyniak of Parker was in sixth grade, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As an eighth-grader at Sierra Middle School in 2014, she became Chaparral High School’s first Wish Week recipient. Each year, high school communities in Douglas County partner with Make-a-Wish Colorado for weeklong events to raise the money needed to make a terminally ill child’s wish come true. Martyniak’s wish was to meet pop singer Katy Perry. That wish came true at a concert in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, thanks to the help of the Chaparral community. “It was nerve-wracking because you’re this little, tiny, eighth-grader staring at a giant pop star — world famous,” Martyniak said. “We talked and she asked me what I had and how old I was. I told her. She was like ‘all right,’ and then didn’t ask me anymore about it. She asked me about my day and things like that.” Now, Martyniak is a sophomore student government member at Chaparral helping to make another child’s wish come true. Wish Week at Chaparral will be March 3-11 this year. “When I was a wish kid, they told me there were late nights. I was like, ‘OK, yeah, maybe until 5 p.m.,’ but last year we were here until 11 p.m. We were having fun and bonding. It’s nights like those that make it feel like the Chap family,” Martyniak said.
“You’re here. You’re working together and you’re making wishes come true. It’s an amazing feeling.” Rock Canyon High School in Highlands Ranch was the first school to start the tradition six years ago. Since then, they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Make-A-Wish Colorado and been an example for other schools. “The entire student body gets involved. Even if it’s not donating money, just being present and attending the events makes Wish Week what it is,” said Rock Canyon senior Maggie Gilbert. Gilbert said she and fellow senior Casey Sabados have been working on this year’s plans since November. Rock Canyon’s Wish Week for 2016 runs from Feb. 19-26. This year, Rock Canyon will
Blazing a path: Trail running breeds balance and strength, while providing peace of mind and smiles for miles. See Page 12
On the ice: Elite players pursue careers, opportunities through the club route. See Page 20
Wish continues on Page 9
STEM School and Academy expansion request denied Highlands Ranch facility failed to address traffic concerns By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com Concerns over traffic congestion and student safety have halted the proposed expansion of STEM School and Academy. Several neighboring business owners spoke out against the expansion, which would have included adding kindergarten through fourth grades, during a Feb. 16 public hearing with Douglas County and the county’s board of education. The newly added grades at the Highlands Ranch charter school, 8773 S. Ridgeline Blvd., were scheduled to begin classes in the 2016-17 school year. STEM had already accepted 260 commitment letters from new students. The present enrollment of the school is 1,280 students in grades 5-12. School officials are not ready to give up on the expansion. “...STEM School and Academy are confident that we can continue to work
with the school district and the county to resolve all pending issues prior to the 2016-2017 school year,” STEM executive director Penny Eucker said in an emailed statement. During the hearing, there was a proposed motion to allow STEM additional time to gather information and present its case, but a vote of Douglas County School Board members on the matter ended in a 3-3 tie. School board member Doug Benevento was absent from the meeting. The expansion had been approved by the school board Dec. 15 with a list of nine conditions from the district and county that needed to be met. If these conditions were not met, “the expansion approval will be withdrawn and will be denied as of the date set forth below (Dec. 15),” the resolution read. STEM failed to meet the condition that a minimum of five county-approved entrances onto the campus would be obtained by the Dec. 31, 2015, deadline. “The current (Transportation Master Plan), as it has been submitted, is not valid in the county’s eyes,” said Douglas County STEM continues on Page 9
Cars line up to pick up students at STEM School and Academy in Highlands Ranch Feb. 18. The school’s proposed expansion for grades K-4 was denied due to traffic and safety concerns. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando