March 5, 2015 VOLU M E 2 8 | I S S UE 1 5
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Erin Brinkley-Burgardt, founder of Hog Haven Farm, holds Pumba, a 40-pound pot-bellied pig. Pumba and his companion, Boris, are therapy pigs who make their way to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients in the south metro area. Photos by Christy Steadman
Highlands Ranch logo to undergo a face-lift Residents weigh in with their suggestions By Christy Steadman
csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Therapy pigs b r i n g SMILES, spark MEMORIES Pumba and Boris visit people with cognitive impairments at local facilities By Christy Steadman
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com Opal Vollbaum had a memory of something. She remembered she grew up on a farm in Texas. On that farm, they grew corn, and there were horses, cows and pigs. More than 100 pigs, she said. Vollbaum remembered her dad took care of the pigs, her friends didn’t want to touch the pigs, and sometimes, she and her two sisters would chase them. Other times, she and her sisters got chased by the pigs. She lives at Highline Place in Littleton, an Anthem Memory Care community for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Vollbaum can’t always remember a lot of things, but two special pot-bellied pigs, Pumba and Boris, help spark Vollbaum’s memory of having fun on that farm in Pigs continues on Page 9
Pumba and Boris, therapy pigs who make their way to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients in the South Metro area, get in their wagon Feb. 25 after an hour-long visit with residents as part of the Intermissions Program at Wind Crest in Highlands Ranch.
School district explains snow-day decisions Team process toward closure or delay begins in wee hours By Jane Reuter jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com The Douglas County School District’s Facebook page flamed with angry messages the snowy morning of Feb. 26. “I thought safety was a priority for DCSD; guess not!” “DCSD = Don’t Call Snow Days.” “Valor and Regis are closed. I guess we don’t pay enough to keep our kids safe.”
Almost all the 135 posts were from parents, all but a handful upset the district had not canceled or delayed classes. Jeffco and Denver public and several private schools canceled. Two rural Douglas County elementary schools were on 90-minute delays, but all other district schools were on a normal schedule. In Douglas County, consideration about whether or not to cancel or delay classes began about 3 a.m., when most parents and students were sound asleep. That’s when the district sends teams of drivers from the maintenance and transportation departments out to test the roads. Some are in cars, other in school buses. Snow day continues on Page 11
The Highlands Ranch Metro District, the Highlands Ranch Community Association and the Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce are working with Burns Marketing company on a new strategic marketing plan for Highlands Ranch. The plan will include a logo refresh of the Highlands Ranch eagle. The Highlands Ranch Herald conducted an informal poll of 50 Highlands Ranch residents of various ages at coffee shops, fast food establishments and grocery stores, to ask opinions on the Highlands Ranch logo. Of the 50 people polled, 28 knew — or thought they knew — what the Highlands Ranch logo is. Without being shown a Do you know what this is? It’s picture of the the Highlands Ranch logo, an logo, 22 of the 27 correctly eagle. It will soon be modified. identified the Courtesy of Highlands Ranch logo as some Community Association sort of bird of prey— an eagle, red-tailed hawk or falcon. One person thought it was a turkey, one person thought it was a dragon and one thought it was a dove. Two people believed the logo was a tree or leaf of some sort —similar to the Metro District’s Indian paintbrush — and one person thought the logo was a capital “h” and a capital “r.” Of the 22 people who didn’t know what the Highlands Ranch logo is, after being shown a picture of it, 12 were able to correctly identify it as an eagle; five said it is a hawk; two, a falcon; and three people answered that it was a bird of prey of some sort but could not identify exactly what type of bird. The 50 people were also asked if they liked the eagle as Highlands Ranch’s logo. Six people declined to participate in this part of the poll because they were either new Logo continues on Page 9
Vincent Rickard, right, helps keep girlfriend Julia Kramer warm as the ninthgraders walk home from Highlands Ranch’s STEM Academy on Feb. 26. Photo by Jane Reuter