Jeffco Schools Quarterly A Jeffco Schools Publication
October 2012 Vol. 5 No. 3
Biking to better understanding Creighton Middle School students Sydney Hoffa and Jordan Stockdale coax a smile out of Fletcher Miller Special student Kayleigh Callahan as the trio circles the track at Jeffco Stadium. Callahan, a fifth-grader, is riding an adaptive bike on loan from Freedom Concepts for Miller’s bike day. “It’s all about accessibility,” said Miller Assistant Principal Tara Strohm. “Kids need to be able to access all the adventures they have available to them. And bike day gives kids a chance to be on a bicycle and ride when they typically wouldn’t have that chance.” Miller has hosted the annual bike day as an organized event for four years now. And the school’s adaptive PE teacher, Tia Jensen, says it’s about more than feeling the freedom of the bike and the wind in their faces. “It’s a great way for them to take the skills they learn from physical education and physical therapy and use it in the com-
munity,” Jensen said. “And it’s a lifetime skill.” But Callahan’s cohorts would say it’s not just a lifetime skill for the Miller students. “I love coming out and helping,” said Stockdale. Stockdale and Hoffa are just two of 20 Creighton Middle School students who spend a period a day helping at Miller. “These Creighton kids get to see something in themselves that they never would if they didn’t have this opportunity,” said Miller Principal Valerie Pollitt. “It has just sparked a whole different outlook for them and a level of compassion.” Stockdale says she’d like to be a special education teacher. While her friend, Hoffa, says working with Miller students has taught her there really are no boundaries. “I think it’s really important that they (the Miller students) have a chance to do what kids like us get to do,” Hoffa said. “There really are no disabilities. With effort and help, anyone can do anything.”
society at work. This is what the Constitution lays out,” said Jay Shackett who teaches history, politics and U.S. history at Golden. Students who attended the court hearings have been studying government and politics; this was a rare opportunity for them to watch the judicial branch in action. Golden senior Kaylyn Mulkins would like to major in either political science or law. “To have an opportunity for the students at Golden, I think is just wonderful because to watch people’s lives play out in court is interesting and fascinating and the politics is just wonderful — it’s a subject I love,” she said. The Courts in the Community program is designed to give high school students experience in how the judicial system operates in Colorado. The justices will make their ruling on the two cases in a few months.
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Creighton Middle School students Sydney Hoffa and Jordan Stockdale take a lap around the track with Fletcher Miller Special student Kayleigh Callahan.
Living and learning the law “All rise. The Supreme Court of the state of Colorado is now in session.” With those words, the auditorium of Golden High School became the stage for the seven justices who make up the Colorado Supreme Court. Hundreds of Golden students sat quietly while two cases were argued before the court as a part of Courts in the Community – an educational outreach program sponsored by the Colorado Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. One of the cases heard involved a citizen’s constitutional rights against unreasonable search and seizure. The other focused on whether a court-appointed guardian can waive a child’s statutory privacy in communications with a psychotherapist. In both cases, students watched as both defense and prosecuting attorneys were questioned by the justices. “What I want students to take away from this is this is your
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ABOVE: The State Supreme Court hears two cases before an audience of students and teachers at Golden High School. RIGHT: Colorado Supreme Court Justice Nancy Rice lunches with Golden High School senior Kaylyn Mulkins.