1
November 20, 2014 VOLU M E 1 1 3 | I S S UE 3 | 7 5 ¢
Special Section Inside
DouglasCountyNewsPress.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
WHAT’S INSIDE
SNOWY SALUTE TO VETERANS
Housing market booming: Median prices continue to climb in Castle Rock. See Page 7
District’s ranking moves up Board president proud, but community member says academic progress remains flat By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Connecting homeowners: New Castle Pines business offers consumers the wireless touch. See Page 10
A crowd gathers in the snow to celebrate Veterans Day Nov. 11 at the Douglas County Veterans Monument in Castle Rock. Veterans, families, friends and supporters gathered around the Douglas County Veterans Monument in downtown Castle Rock Nov. 11 to remember the fallen and celebrate the service of local, living soldiers. As the first snow of the season began to fall, speakers took turns telling stories and conjured up memories of other cold days on faraway battlefields, while expressing appreciation that area veterans could spend this snowfall back home in the company of loved ones.
To the next level: Area high school students sign letters of intent. See Page 32
PHOTOS BY MIKE DIFERDINANDO Two members of the Douglas County Young Marines stand at attention during the Veterans Day Celebration Nov. 11 in Castle Rock.
POSTAL ADDRESS
Broken hip doesn’t stop area seniors from vows Parker couple ties knot in hospital room By Chris Michlewicz
NEWS-PRESS
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com
OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
If wild horses couldn’t drag him away, a broken hip surely wouldn’t stop Wilfred Stallan. His whirlwind romance with Parker resident Shirley Golden was capped with a kiss during the couple’s Nov. 2 wedding ceremony, which took place in a room at Parker Adventist Hospital. It was an entirely different location than originally planned, but that was OK with the beautiful bride. Like many relationships these days, Golden and Stallan’s courtship began online. What makes them unusual, however, is that Stallan is 83 years old and Golden is 76. They got in touch last April on OurTime, a website that connects older adults who share similar interests. Golden was initially looking for a friend, but she and Stallan quickly fell in love. Six weeks ago, he proposed over the phone because “he couldn’t wait,” Golden said. “He was telling me how much he loved me and just said `I want to get married,’” she said. “Well I said, `you haven’t asked me yet.’ And so he asked and I said, `of course!’” It wasn’t exactly the old-fashioned way of doing things, but as Golden explains it, their age doesn’t allow them time to wait on these kinds of decisions. Stallan moved from Westminster and in with Golden, who lives with her adult daughter and her family. The couple, both widowed, decided to get
(ISSN 1067-425X) (USPS 567-060)
PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, and the towns of Castle Rock, Parker and Larkspur, the NewsPress is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media and additional mailing offices. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G E T SO CIAL WITH U S
P L EA SE RECYC L E T H I S C OPY
Wedding continues on Page 7
Wilfred Stallan and Shirley Golden-Stallan hold hands during their wedding ceremony Nov. 2 at Parker Adventist Hospital. The groom fell one day before the nuptials, injuring his hip, but he didn’t allow it to stop the wedding. Courtesy photo
ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS The Pew Research Center says out of the committed relationships that started within the last 10 years, roughly 11 percent of the couples met online. Younger adults are more likely than older adults to start an online relationship. About 8 percent of 18-29 year olds in a marriage or committed relationship met their partner online, compared with just 1 percent of those 65 and older.
The Douglas County School District made a successful bid to elevate its state performance rating. For the first time since the 2009-10 academic year, DCSD ranks as “Accredited with Distinction” — the highest of the Colorado Department of Education’s five tiers. DCSD was among several districts that requested the state reconsider its ranking. By excluding the performance of the district’s highest-risk students and factoring in improved ACT scores and graduation rates, the CDE agreed Douglas County merited its top rating. District leaders are delighted. Those critical of its education reforms say the ranking is misleading. “Certainly to move up into that top echelon speaks wonderful volumes about our teachers, our district and our students,” school board president Kevin Larsen said. “I and the rest of the board have been confident all along this time would come, and here we are. It means we’re doing good things for kids. So let’s celebrate it, but keep pushing all of our schools to help our kids learn at an even higher level.” Strong Schools Coalition president Laura Mutton noted that while the district’s ACT composite score increased slightly from 2013 to 2014 — from 21.8 to 22.1 — scores on the last Transitional Colorado Assessment Program were flat. “I think it would be unfortunate if the district were to mislead the community into thinking their `accredited with distinction’ (means) the reforms have resulted in overall improvement in academic achievement, when that clearly isn’t the case,” Mutton said. “This board promised to improve academic achievement. We haven’t seen any significant gain. That’s important for the community to know.” But CDE accountability director Alyssa Pearson believes the district earned the boost in its ranking. “There are things to celebrate from 2013 to 2014,” she said. DCSD is among several districts that serve a significant number of students in Alternative Education Campuses. Recent state legislation allows the state to re-evaluate the accreditation category of such districts. In Douglas County, those campuses include Castle Rock’s Daniel C. Oakes alternative high school, Eagle Academy night high school held at Highlands Ranch High, and Hope Online high school. Hope Online, which began operating as a DCSD charter school in 2008, offers K-12 virtual learning to students statewide. Most have limited educational options and do not live in Douglas County. In 2013, DCSD made a similar appeal to the state, but removing the alternative education students wasn’t enough to move the district into the “distinction” category then. In 2014, removing that data combined with improvements in graduation rates for all students, graduation rates for students with disabilities, and the composite ACT score was sufficient to elevate the district’s rating. Additionally, while the alternative ed students weren’t part of the 2014 reconsideration, their performances also improved. Larsen said he’s proud of DCSD for reaching out to Hope Online and other high-risk students. DCSD continues on Page 10