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December 11, 2014 VOLU M E 2 8 | I S S UE 4
HighlandsRanchHerald.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
FUN, EVEN FOR SCROOGE
Not home? Program has you covered Residents urged to register for sheriff ’s House Watch before leaving on vacations By Christy Steadman
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Scrooge visits with a group of attendees at the Holiday Celebration Dec. 6 at the Highlands Ranch Mansion. Scrooge mingled with guests throughout the day during the annual event. Attendees got into the spirit of the season at the Highlands Ranch Metro District’s annual Holiday Celebration on Dec. 6 at the Highlands Ranch Mansion. Four local elementary school choir groups entertained the crowd with live music, and attendees enjoyed self-guided tours of the mansion and a Candyland-themed scavenger hunt. Horse-drawn hayrides were a big attraction, and some people got some shopping done at the gift and craft vendor booths. Santa Claus arrived mid-morning, visited with children and wished everyone happy holidays. But Santa wasn’t the only high-profile character there — Ebenezer Scrooge also attended the event.
PHOTOS BY HIGHWAY 4 PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF THE HIGHLANDS RANCH METRO DISTRICT
Santa gives two thumbs-up for a joyous season.
A neighbor is taking care of the family pets. The post office is holding the mail. All houseplants are watered and electrical devices unplugged. Suitcases are packed and loaded into the car. You’re ready to relax and have a fun holiday vacation. Until you make that first stop at the gas station or coffee shop 100 miles out of town and realize the garage door was left open, or the front door unlocked. Something like that is easy to do, said Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Ron Hanavan, because people get in a hurry. But that’s the purpose of the House Watch program, he said, to check on the property when nobody’s there. “While you’re gone, it will give you a peace of mind,” he said. “It provides a sense of security to have a set of eyes and ears on the property.” The sheriff’s office has been offering the free service to county residents, including those in Highlands Ranch and other parts of unincorporated Douglas County, as well as Larkspur and Castle Pines, for at least 10 years. It’s called House Watch, but businesses also qualify. The only stipulations are that a house or business must be empty, meaning nobody is staying there while the owners are out of town, and that a reasonable amount of time, typically about 30 days, is requested to ensure the resource is available for all, Hanavan said. Watch continues on Page 15
For community, a year of living with tragedy Arapahoe High shooting leaves search for lessons, answers, healing By Jennifer Smith
jsmith @coloradocommunitymedia.com One year ago, it was unimaginable that two lives would end violently inside the walls of Arapahoe High School. But on Dec. 13, 2013, that’s exactly what happened. Senior Karl Pierson walked into the building with a gun, mortally wounded classmate Claire Davis, then killed himself in the school library. It all took less than two minutes. In all the minutes since, emotions in the community have run the gamut from heartbreak to confusion, anger to hope, fear to War-
rior pride. “It’s a beautiful conundrum we face now: each of us being both `Warrior Strong’ and needing to lean on each other more than ever,” wrote AHS senior Anna Sutterer in a story for Colorado Community Media in January. The tragic event galvanized the community into action. Dozens of fundraisers have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars to go toward the library renovation, mental-health support, anti-bullying programs and Clarity Commons, an acre of peace on the AHS campus initiated by Davis family friend Bob Lembke. “Kids hopefully will leave messages for others or for their future selves,” he said. “Every one of them, to some degree, has been changed by this. Some profoundly, some positively, some maybe not. It’s been a consistent drumbeat about how to
deal with the worst side of life.” While Littleton Public Schools has officially remained mostly silent, the district has taken actions toward protecting the well-being of its students. It created an advisory committee that will focus on mental health and school security. The board of education allocated $810,000 for an in-house mentalhealth clinic and $200,000 for additional school resource officers. The library was completely remodeled and open in time for the new school year. “There is no doubt that LPS continues to be a special place with unprecedented support from its communities,” Superintendent Scott Murphy, who in October announced he was retiring effective June 15, wrote in a letter to parents in November. AHS continues on Page 10
At Clarity Commons on the campus of Arapahoe High, a large granite pillar is engraved with Claire Davis’ image and inspirational thoughts. Photo by Chris Rotar