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September 19, 2014 VOLU M E 1 2 | I SS UE 46
ParkerChronicle.net A publication of
D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Museum a $40M gift to CU Wildlife Experience near Parker the largest real estate gift in university’s history By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Parker Mayor Mike Waid doles out whole-grain double chocolate-chip cookies to sixth-graders at Mammoth Heights Elementary Sept. 10 on Colorado Proud Day. Photos by Jane Reuter
School lunch serves state’s best Colorado Proud Day mixes healthy eating with ag education By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com Mammoth Elementary School students could scarcely wait to get up close and personal with Parker Mayor Mike Waid and Douglas County School Board president Kevin Larsen. But the sixth-graders weren’t seeking autographs from their elected leaders — they wanted cookies. Waid and Larsen doled out chocolatechocolate-chip cookies to the students Sept. 10 to help celebrate Colorado Proud School Meal Day, an annual recognition of the state’s agriculture and nutritious food sponsored by the state departments of agriculture and education. The school served a special menu that day that included a Colorado-beef burger, San Luis Valley-grown potato wedges, a salad bar filled with Colorado produce, Rocky Ford watermelon and cookies made by an Aurora company.
In addition to their home-state origins, the cookies had another unique attribute: They were healthy. Made with whole grains, the dessert was low in sugar and fat. Student reviews were unanimously favorable. “Those were awesome,” said Richard White. “I love ‘em,” said Riley McPherson, who went back to the line for a second cookie. “I really liked how they were especially chewy.” “The cookies were the best I ever had,” said Lola Baker. Such words are sweet as sugar to Douglas County School District executive chef Jason Morse, who never stops looking for ways to make school lunches grow in taste and nutrition but shrink in sugar and fat quantity. Desserts are particularly challenging. “We know kids are going to eat cookies; parents know they’re going to eat cookies,” he said, adding that when they are made with the right balance of taste and quality ingredients, “kids don’t notice they’re whole grain.” Agribusinesses contribute more than $40 billion to Colorado’s economy annually and provide more than 170,000 jobs. Colorado is home to more than 37,000 farms and ranches encompassing 31 million acres.
Douglas County School Board president Kevin Larsen doles out whole-grain, double-chocolate-chip cookies to sixth-grade students at Parker’s Mammoth Heights Elementary on Colorado Proud Day Sept. 10.
Parker Core Knowledge turns 20 County’s second charter school beloved by its families By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com Parents who describe their experience with Parker Core Knowledge use the same words and phrases — sense of family, core virtues, discipline and love. Those whose
children have graduated from the Parker school express a shared sentiment: Theirs is a combination of gratitude and sadness. In its 20 years, the charter school has created lasting bonds among staff, students and their families. “I couldn’t be more proud of that school,” said Monique Durham, whose two sons — among the earliest attendees of PCK — are now college graduates. “Every time I drive by it, I just beam when I see it. I truly believe that
made an impact on how (my sons) did in high school and how they continued to do after in college.” It is the second charter school in Douglas County, now home to 12 such schools. Castle Rock’s Academy Charter opened in 1993, with PCK following in September 1994. The K-8 school of 624 students opened in a rented space in a Parker church, and then
The Wildlife Experience museum has been given to the University of Colorado, marking the largest real estate donation in the institution’s 138-year history. The Wildlife Experience, on Lincoln Avenue east of Interstate 25, has been the site of the newly opened University of Colorado South Denver since August, but it was announced Sept. 11 that the museum would be donated to the school by Dave and Gail Liniger to allow CU to expand its south metro presence. Liniger is the chairman emeritus of The Wildlife Experience and co-founder of REMAX International Inc. The property, established in 2002, is valued at $40 million. “Gail and I are making this gift to CU to provide more services and more value to our south Denver community,” Dave Liniger said in a news release. “The museum remains open, events will be held, and the public spaces will (still) be available for rental. The added value now is the easy access to a quality CU education right here in south Denver.” The gift builds on the collaboration that began in April when The Wildlife Experience teamed with CU and converted 11,000 square feet of the 151,000-square-foot facility to classroom and lab space. CU began offering classes there in August, while the popular Douglas County wildlife art and natural history museum continued most of its museum services to the community. Regular museum operations are not expected to change drastically, said Lisa Douglas, who was named vice chancellor of the new facility. Kathy Daly, who was named chief executive officer of The Wildlife Experience earlier this year, will stay on until the end of the year to help support a smooth transition, said Douglas, who will also continue to serve as associate vice chancellor for budget and finance at the University of Colorado DenverAnschutz Medical Campus. CU Denver and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus are offering the first classes at the facility and CU Denver will manage the facility on behalf of the university as operations move forward. Existing areas for museum programming could become shared space with the college, Douglas said. There are also plans to renovate underused areas of the building, which means The Wildlife Experience will no longer regularly host rotating exhibits that travel around the country. “I believe we can do this without sacrificing the quality of the museum experience,” CU continues on Page 9
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Students at Parker Core Knowledge helped celebrate its 20th year Sept. 9 by creating a living monument on the school soccer field. Photo by Tanya Bouthillier
Dave Liniger, the founder of The Wildlife Experience, donated the building, valued at $40 million, to the University of Colorado on Sept. 11. File photo