March 20, 2015 VOLU M E 1 3 | I S SUE 20
ParkerChronicle.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Student testing ignites debate Opinions on assessments fall at both extremes By Jane Reuter
jreuter @coloradocommunitymedia.com
The three stars of a new reality show on the Weather Channel work out of a garage in southern Elbert County. They built a wind turbine out of bicycle parts, wood, shovels and a treadmill motor as part of their audition. Courtesy photos
Trio’s reality is stuff of TV
`BrainStormers’ show features invention gurus By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com With minds for building crazy contraptions and hearts geared toward foolhardy shenanigans, these guys were destined to have their own reality show. Three Douglas and Elbert county residents have become the stars of their own DIY-centered series by simply being themselves. America will meet father-and-son tandem Rob “Poppy” Parker and Ryan Parker, along with the latter’s childhood best friend, Bill LeVasseur, during the premiere of “BrainStormers” March 22 on the Weather Channel. The trio builds weather-related inventions and farming equipment out of whatever is lying around, and assists others in doing the same when they get stuck on a project. Before the TV cameras descended on their garage in southern Elbert County to film eight episodes profiling 27 projects, Ryan Parker and LeVasseur created a company called Backyard Genius and posted a series of online video blogs. They traveled the country spotlighting inventors and helping them construct one-of-a-kind devices by using a little elbow grease and ingenuity. Ryan Parker, the self-described “dreamer” and thinker of the group, has a knack
From left, Ryan and “Poppy” Parker and Bill LeVasseur, the stars of the upcoming reality show “BrainStormers,” which premieres March 22 on the Weather Channel, use their minds and spare parts to invent useful weather and farm equipment.
WHEN WILL IT AIR? “BrainStormers,” a reality TV show featuring three backyard geniuses from Douglas and Elbert counties, will premiere March 22 with back-to-back episodes starting at 7 p.m. MDT on the Weather Channel. From their home-grown workshop in Elbert County, stars Bill, Ryan and Poppy “tackle weather issues from across the country. Sometimes starting from scratch
and sometimes helping other backyard inventors improve their projects. Every build is filled with challenges, from creating a homemade mosquito trap or solar water heater to fixing a nearby town’s wind generator, and the road to success is filled with setbacks, revelations and a lot of fun,” according to a show promo.
Pine Grove Elementary fifth-grader Kole McNamara didn’t join his classmates in taking the PARCC test this month. After reviewing some of the test questions and reading about the assessment, his mother, Laura McNamara, opted the Parker student out of the testing. “I was not confident this test could show me growth in my son,” she said. “On top of it, it’s like our whole March and April is about PARCC; it’s not about any foundation (education). It’s very disappointing to me.” The Partnerships for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, which tests English and math skills, is a partial replacement for what originally was called the CSAP. Separate assessments intended to measure science and social studies skills are given to fourth-, fifth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students as the other half of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success. McNamara is hardly alone. While the Douglas County School District doesn’t yet have numbers to provide, many parents refused to let their children take the test. They were bolstered by the Douglas County School Board — which frequently has expressed concerns about excessive testing and said it would respect parents’ decisions — and the Colorado Board of Education. The CDE said parent refusals wouldn’t negatively impact the student, school or district. “The state board’s action of eliminating the penalty aligns with our beliefs, and gives us a clear signal that we have support,” DCSD board president Kevin Larsen said. “We still have to administer the test. But we now have, I think, a little better process to honor the requests of those who want out of it.” Colorado’s attorney general, however, said the testing is legally required. Opinions about the newest state-mandated test couldn’t be much more different. The PARCC, given to most elementary PARCC continues on Page 15
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Sober-living house files application to stay Home in Rowley Downs used for substance-abuse counseling By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com The parent company of a sober-living house in the Rowley Downs neighborhood has filed an application to stay and withdrawn a similar request for a second facility in Elbert County.
David Kuminka, the owner of a home at 11259 South Parliament Way in Rowley Downs, filed a “use-by-special-review” application with the Town of Parker’s community development department March 5. In mid-February, the town found that Community Recovery of Colorado did not follow proper guidelines before opening and gave the company three weeks to comply with zoning requirements or be removed. The group provides substance-abuse counseling, which neighbors say causes a nuisance and violates the rules of the Row-
ley Downs Homeowners’ Association and the Town of Parker’s charter. Kuminka’s request was followed days later by a letter from Chris Bathum, chief executive officer of Community Recovery of Colorado, which said, in part, that “most of the communities we are a part of welcome us after at first being suspicious and fearful of our affect.” The company is seeking the use-by-special-review permit to hold “ourselves accountable to the community House continues on Page 15
The Legend High School library, like rooms in schools throughout the district and state, was closed March 6 for state-mandated testing. Photo by Jane Reuter