14 Northglenn-Thornton • Westminster Window
LOCAL
November 8, 2018N
VOICES
Five years with groundbreaking Westminster school CROSS CURRENTS
Bill Christopher
STEM Academy is a Westminster Public Schools’ gem It was the first Innovation School for thethen Adams 50 School District in 2013. Initially, the Colorado STEM Academy had 187 students, grades three through six, and ten certified staff. The district added seventh graders in 2014 and 8th grade students again in 2015. Kindergarten-through-second grade students joined CSA in 2016. Today, Principal Brenda Martin proudly tells me that the Academy is teaching and motivating 385 students from Kindergarten through eighth graders — with a waiting list. Approximately 55 percent of the students are in-district with 45 percent students attracted from other school districts.
Bringing in those out-of-district students was one of the original reasons to establish STEM and things have been humming at their two building campus, with 23 certified staff along with eight classified personnel. The Academy’s younger grades occupy the former Crown Pointe Charter School building with the higher grades located in the south end of Hidden Lake High School building. Simple approach, but fascinating I am sure you have heard the STEM acronym numerous times, but do you know the four basic areas of academic concentration? They are science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Martin is quick to point out that art, music and literacy are included in school’s competency based education and students
progress at their own pace. The Colorado STEM Academy brochures stress “working closely with teachers, students progress to new objectives based upon individual learning needs. Enabling individuals to spend the optimal amount of time on each topic promotes deeper learning.” The approach to teaching the STEM courses is fascinating in my opinion. The key focuses are to develop learners with critical thinking and academic skills using project-based learning. For example, one fairly simple assignment was to make wooden bird houses. This project entailed using engineering, technology and mathematics to design, measure, cut and assemble the bird houses. The students apply SEE CHRISTOPHER, P15
Art’s reward is the gift of other people
M LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Questions about water rates Regarding Bill Christopher’s Oct. 25 column (“Westminster recall clock starts ticking because of water rates”). I had tremendous respect for your handling of controversial issues when you were City Manager. Since becoming a commentator, you imply the City can do no wrong and Bruce Baker can do no right. There are many legitimate reasons for the water rate controversy, issues the city has not addressed: Why does the water and sewer system suddenly have urgent problems, when studies over the last 20 years (including 2012 and 2015), found the systems to be adequate for full city build-out? Four former city councilors confirmed this fact during their public hearing statements. Why didn’t the city properly notify residents of urgent issues and rate increases in a timely manner? I didn’t find out until one
A publication of
Call first: 8753 Yates Drive, Suite 200 Westminster, CO 80031 Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: Northglenn-ThorntonSentinel.com To subscribe call 303-566-4100
day before the first reading. There should have been months of notices and discussions in water bills, the City Edition, and Westminster Window. Why are some residents charged 2.5x more per gallon than others, increasing to 3.25x in 2020? No Colorado municipality has such disparate and punitive rates. While Westminster’s top rate is $11.62 per 1000 gallons, Broomfield’s single rate is $3.16 per 1000. Westminster charges the most, but it pays the least due to its senior water rates acquired decades ago. The council admitted that they mishandled the notification, yet they refused to republish the increase and delay the vote. You should defend proper handling of important issues. It’s time to recall the current council. Read and add your support to www.westminsterrecall.com. Dave Buehmann, Westminster
S
att and I won a prize. You still have a chance to see our prize winner at the Lone Tree Arts Center. We collaborated on an art project for a juried exhibition that will be up until Nov. 26. Because of the prize, we will be included in the exhibition that follows as well. I have been winding down my art career for the past two years by collaborating with other artists, two of my (deceased) mentors, and former students. The career began at a kitchen table in Pennsylvania a hundred years ago, and got me as far as UCLA, and three teaching positions. It has also provided me with homes, cars, turtlenecks and toothbrushes. Everything, really. And it led me to Matt Hendrick. I might have read the article about him even if I weren’t an artist, but when I found out that he paints with a brush in his mouth, I knew I wanted to communicate with him, to meet him, and to make him an offer. We communicated, we met, and we collaborated.
Even though it was created F apart in our own studios, it became a harmonic duet. We worked separately on small, wood QUIET panels. He DESPERATION went first, and an assistant delivered his panels to me. I added mine, in some degree of similarity, glued them side by side, and gave Craig Marshall them a title. “Never Smith Known” is on a back wall at the center, with a first-prize ribbon beneath it the size of an apron. The center’s events director, Allissa Dailey, arranged a wonderful reception for the exhibit. Jennifer and I arrived before Matt did, and we kept the news of the prize to ourselves until he had a chance to see the ribbon for himself. Matt’s not crazy about crowds, and there was a possibility he wouldn’t attend, but
Columnists & Guest Commentaries
Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel (ISSN 1044-4254)(USPS 854-980) A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 8753 Yates Dr., Suite 200, Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110
JERRY HEALEY President
BARB STOLTE Marketing Consultant
jhealey@coloradocommunitymedia.com
bstolte@coloradocommunitymedia.com
ANN MACARI HEALEY Executive Editor
AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager
ahealey@coloradocommunitymedia.com
abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com
We welcome letters to the editor. Please Include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.
SCOTT TAYLOR Metro North Editor
ERIN FRANKS Production Manager
staylor@coloradocommunitymedia.com
efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Email letters to editor@coloradocommunitymedia.com
GARY GARVEY Vice President of Sales
LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager
ggarvey@coloradocommunitymedia.com
lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Sentinel.
Deadline Fri. 5 p.m. for the following week’s paper.
SEE SMITH, P15