1-Color
May 8, 2014
50 cents Adams County, Colorado | Volume 50, Issue 38 A publication of
northglenn-thorntonsentinel.com
A class to remember
High-achieving students at Mapleton set the bar high By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Mapleton Public School may be modest in size, but it is proving to be impressive with academic talent. Mapleton, with a population of just 6,247 (excluding its online school), will graduate close to 260 students on May 31. Of the graduating class, there have been some notable feats from high-achieving students. There have been more than $4 million in scholarships received by the Class of 2014 as of May 2. One student was accepted into three Ivy League schools, another student is going to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and another was appointed to the United States Air Force Academy. A student received the Boettcher Scholarship, two were selected to be Gates Millennium Scholars, five were offered Daniels Fund scholarships and one earned a Blue & Gold Award from Regis University. “We have received some very highprofile scholarships and university acceptances that really honor the work of our students and the dedicated staff of adults that support them,” Superintendent Charlotte Ciancio said. “These are amazing highlights and awards. We have so many every day examples of the great things our students accomplish.”
Impressive acceptances, scholarships The Gates Millennium Scholars program offers a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any university and only selects 1,000 recipients nationwide, according to the program’s website http:// gmsp.org/. Two of the 2014 recipients not only come from Mapleton, but from the same school as well. Viviana Andazola Marquez and Navil Perez have known each other since third grade and consider themselves “brothers.” The two York International School seniors finish each other sentences and even know the exact time and date when the other learned they were accepted into the school
Mapleton Public Schools had some amazing feats from its soon-to-be graduates this year, including winning competitive scholarships and getting accepted into high-profile universities. This year’s graduation ceremony will be 10 a.m. Saturday, May 31, at George DiTirro Stadium at the Skyview Campus in Thornton. Courtesy photo of Mapleton of their choice. “Dec. 14, at 12:14,” Marquez answered promptly when Perez asked her when she found out she was accepted into MIT. Perez, who is York’s valedictorian, will study biological engineering at MIT and plans to go to medical school. Only 7.7 percent of applicants in 2014 were accepted into MIT — 1,419 out of 18,357 students that applied, according to the school. Marquez and Perez said it was challenging finding ways to make their applications stand out — they were competing with students who attended private schools or high-income public schools. “It was good having someone to push you,” Perez said of her friendship with Marquez.
It is impressive to be accepted to one Ivy League school; Marquez was accepted into three — Princeton, Yale and Harvard. According to a March article in the Washington Post, 34,295 students apply to Harvard, but only 2,023 get accepted (5.9 percent); 26,641 apply to Princeton, 1,939 get accepted (7.3 percent); and 30,932 apply to Yale, 1,935 are accepted (6.3 percent). Marquez chose Yale because “it was the one that felt right” and plans to major in ethics, politics and economics. She is considering law school after she earns her bachelor’s degree. MIT and Yale are two hours away, and the girls plan to visit each other monthly and do some shopping in New York City. Along with their Gates scholarships, the girls also received a Daniels Fund scholar-
ship. Each year, approximately 250 Daniels Scholars are selected out of thousands who apply to receive a “last dollar” scholarship, according to www.danielsfund.org. This scholarship is intended to cover the student’s unmet financial need when attending a university or college. Marquez and Perez were among five Mapleton students who were offered this scholarship.
Tough choice — college or military? Brian Ortiz, a senior at Global Leadership Academy, was also offered a Daniels Fund scholarship. However, he had to decline it. The five Mapleton students found out about their Daniels Fund scholarship offer Class continues on Page 13
Portion of Platte River Trail to be completed Adams County contracts work for trail between 108th and 120th By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Work on a two-mile stretch of the South Platte River Trail between 120th and 108th avenues could be completed as soon as June 2015. The Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Drexel, Barrell & Company during its April 28 regular meeting. The $143,120 contract POSTAL ADDRESS
covers the cost of engineering and design work of the trail. There is $1.4 million set aside in the capital budget for this project, which covers the costs of construction, according to a county document. “This project will construct approximately 9,000 linear feet of 10-foot wide concrete trail and two pedestrian bridges and complete the South Platte River Trail through the Regional Park all the way north to E-470,” project manager Marc Pedrucci said. The bridges that will be constructed will go across the South Platte River Trail near 120th and across Bull Seep near 108th. Design and permitting work is being
done during the next six months. Construction should begin in January 2015 and hopefully be completed by June 2015, he added. “The South Platte River trail currently ends at approximately 108th Avenue, and from that point to 120th Avenue (south edge of the AC Regional Park) the trail does not exist,” Pedrucci said. “Once this segment is completed the South Platte River Trail will run continuously for almost 40 miles all the way to Chatfield Reservoir.” This is the last segment the county will build. The remaining sections within Adams County will be built by the city of Brighton, according to county staff. The county, in partnership with the Urban
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Drainage and Flood Control District, has already constructed more than 12 miles of the trail since the 1980s. The South Platte Trail spans 14 miles through Adams County and is part of the Colorado Front Range Trail. According to www.traillink.com, the 28.5-mile Platte River Trail has two disconnected sections: the northern portion runs from east 120th Parkway north for roughly three miles in Henderson and the southern section officially runs from the Elaine T. Valente Open Space in Thornton south to West Dartmouth Avenue, just west of US Highway 85 in Englewood. The trail intersects with three other trails: Sand Creek, Bear Creek and Clear Creek.
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