March 19, 2015 VOLU M E 1 2 0 | I S S UE 7 | 7 5 ¢
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Concerts challenge, inspire students Elizabeth Middle puts on three nights of music By Rick Gustafson
Recycle your electronics
Special to Colorado Community Media
Staff report The Pines & Plains Libraries Foundation is hosting its second annual Electronics Recycling Event at the Elizabeth Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11. Net proceeds from recycling fees and cash donations from the event will go toward supporting the Pines & Plains Libraries Foundation. The recycling of unwanted electronics help you clear out needed space while keeping electronic waste out of the landfills and helping to protect soil and water. Blue Star Recyclers will be assisting to receive all unwanted electronics including computer monitors and towers, televisions, audio-visual equipment and more. For a full list of materials that will be collected during the event, visit www.bluestarrecyclers.com.
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Melanie Kaumeyer, Elizabeth Middle School orchestra and choir teacher, shown during the March 3 orchestra concert, estimates that about 80 percent of her students will continue to pursue music in high school. Photo by Rick Gustafson
Music filled the auditorium for three consecutive nights when the Elizabeth Middle School Music Department presented its spring concerts. The three nights of music began March 3 with the Spring Orchestra Concert under the direction of music teacher Melanie Kaumeyer, which was followed by the Spring Band Concert on March 4, and ended with a Spring Choir Concert on March 5. Kaumeyer, who has been the orchestra and choir teacher at Elizabeth Middle for nine years, considers several factors ahead of selecting compositions for her middle-schoolers, who have skills ranging from beginner to advanced. “I try to choose music that is more challenging as they get into the more advanced groups, and they have been playing for longer. Our Eighth Grade Ensemble for the most part chooses their own music,” said Kaumeyer “I try to pick several that I think they (the advanced group) might be interested in and allow them to make the choices for what they would like to play,” she said. “The last two pieces they played for the advanced orchestra, half of the orchestra wanted to play `Festive Intrada’ and half wanted to play `La Confession,’ so we compromised by choosing both.” The middle school and high school orchestras closed out the evening in a combined performance of “Storm the Gates.” “We get a chance to combine with the high school, so the kids
Concerts continues on Page 9
Economic education paves way for real life ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100)
Legacy Academy program helps students practice skills By Rick Gustafson
OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
Special to Colorado Community Media
PHONE: 303-566-4100
A new Economic Education program at Legacy Academy Charter School in Elizabeth mirrors the market-based economy, exposing students to a taste of the responsibilities they will face as adults. Just as with the schoolwide Character Education program that Legacy Academy introduced at the beginning of the school year, the Economic Education program is also in its first year. In addition to performing their normal classwork, the sixth-graders in Matt Parish’s social studies class and Jeff Entner’s math class have jobs. “Jobs are anything from a row captain — they are sort of like the line leaders — to a Twitter liaison who updates the class Twitter page,” Parish said. “I have a class website designer; she updates the website and keeps that going. Our newest position is a “tekkee”; they are the kids who are really good with technology, who can go around and help kids when
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they are having glitches with their iPads or don’t know where to find something.” In the fall, students were assigned their jobs, but after the Christmas break, each student was allowed to apply for the position that he or she would keep for the remainder of the school year. With the resumes written in English class, the students applied and interviewed for the jobs and were hired according to their skills and abilities. “They all went through the process of writing a resume and participating in an interview, and they got assigned their job. We thought that was really valuable experience for the kids to have,” Parish said. Though most jobs are completed in Parish’s social studies class, a few students perform their duties as bankers and auditors across the hall in Entner’s math class. Regardless of the job, each student starts with an equal base salary paid in Eco Dollars, but paychecks are adjusted at the end of each month to reflect job and schoolwork performance. Students who consistently do their jobs and turn in homework on time receive incentive bonuses, and those who fail to do their jobs or are routinely late with Econ continues on Page 9
Morgan Anderson holds the job of banker in Matt Parish’s social studies class at Legacy Academy. Photo by Rick Gustafson