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December 19, 2014 VOLU M E 1 4 | I SS UE 4
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Students, along with members of the community, remember slain Arapahoe High School student Claire Davis on Dec. 13, the one-year anniversary of the school shooting. The candlelight ceremony was held on campus at Clarity Commons, the peaceful gathering place named in her honor. Photos by Deborah Grigsby
Arapahoe, in a healing light Candlelight event marks anniversary of high school shooting By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com Battling the beast called grief is often best done together, so on the anniversary of the Arapahoe High School shooting, the south metro community showed up in force to honor Claire Davis. “We are stronger, we are more aware, we are focused, we are kinder, we are united and, ultimately, we are successful,” Sanjay Patil, student body president, told the hundreds who gathered at Clarity Commons on the Arapahoe High campus. On the chilly evening of Dec. 13, friends sought each other out and parents held their children close. While many tears refused to be contained, mundane conversations about holiday plans, roofers, where to go for dinner proved that life must and does go on.
A WAY TO HELP The Claire Davis remembrance ceremony served as a fundraiser for TLC Meals on Wheels and Denver Health’s Family Crisis Center. Desiree Davis, Claire’s mother, said even if people couldn’t make it to the ceremony, “We hope you’ll consider honoring our daughter by supporting these charities.” Those who want to share can donate at www.tlcmealsonwheels.org. TLC Meals on Wheels enriches the lives of homebound seniors and others in south-metro Denver by providing nutritious meals and services. Donations of new stuffed animals can be dropped off at the Family Crisis Center Medical Offices, 2929 W. 10th Ave. in Denver. Many of the children served by the center have been physically or sexually abused, neglected or removed from their homes to be placed in foster care. The stuffed animals left at Arapahoe High School in the days following last year’s tragedy were donated to the Family Crisis Center.
But it must go on with a purpose, with a vision to make things better, said those who addressed the solemn crowd.
Arapahoe High School student body president Sanjay Patil said the school will never be the same after the shooting that took Davis’ life. “We are stronger. We are kinder. We are united.” “If you want to change the world, love the person in front of you, love the person next to you,” said Jeff Brandberg, an Arapahoe teacher who had Claire in several classes. “Love them for who they are and who they are becoming, and love yourself for
who you are and who you are becoming.” Brandberg spoke of the love that exists in the Davis family, noting that Claire once Healing continues on Page 15
Leaders get experience of lifetime Coalition had ‘robust business agenda’ in nation’s capital By Christy Steadman csteadman@colorado communitymedia.com
A group picture of the South Metro Denver group outside of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The goal of the chamber is to create jobs and workforce stability, hence the permanent sign, said Jeff Wasden, president of the Colorado Business Roundtable. Courtesy photo
It was a bustling three days in the nation’s capital — people were protesting the Keystone XL pipeline project and the World Health Organization was having a function on Ebola. Amid it all was a group of south metro Denver’s elected officials, educators and two graduate students, chamber of com-
merce members and business leaders. The trip to Washington, D.C., was very successful, said Jeff Wasden, president of the Colorado Business Roundtable, because there was something for everybody. “It was a Wasden once-in-a-lifetime experience for those who had never gone before,” he said, “and the veterans to D.C. got to experience something new.” The 24 attendees visited Washington for three days Nov.
18-20. The main purposes included building relationships, increasing visibility locally and nationally, gaining knowledge and providing input to national leaders. “An understanding of the issues critical to our representatives at the federal level, and how those can end up affecting us locally, is key,” said Josh Martin, Parker mayor pro tem. The group had a full itinerary with a “very robust business agenda,” Wasden said, which included meetings with the National Business Roundtable, the Leaders continues on Page 23