1-Color
March 27, 2014
50 cents Adams County and Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 69, Issue 20 A publication of
westminsterwindow.com
Kraft-Tharp tours local businesses
California, here they come
By Ashley Reimers
areimers@coloradocommunitymedia. com
The Legacy High School Lightening band performs during an assembly on March 21. During the assembly, the band received its official invitation to the 2015 Rose Parade from Pasadena Tournament of Roses president Richard Chinen. Students will perform in the California parade on Jan. 31. The band was chosen after an extensive application process including interviews, past news coverage, and video clips of past marching shows. The marching band has 35 juniors who participated in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as freshmen, and who will now perform in the Rose Parade as seniors. Photo by Ashley Reimers
Breakfast welcomes back DeAngelis By Ashley Reimers
areimers@coloradocommunitymedia. com The Westminster High School cafeteria was packed during this year’s District 50 Education Foundation’s Connecting Hearts, Giving Hope community breakfast. The early morning event on March 21 was a reminder to the Adams County School District 50 community about the importance of investing in the district’s students. The mission of the Education Foundation is to provide grants and scholarships to staff and students in District 50.Creativity grants are awarded to teachers, staff and parent groups to improve student achievement. Scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors to encourage their dreams for the future. During the 2012/2013 school year, 29 students were awarded scholarships in the amount of $44,600. Westminster High School 2013 graduate Breanna Huizar was one of the scholarship recipients. She spoke during the breakfast about the opportunities the scholarship provide in furthering her education. She is now a freshman at the University of Colorado Boulder studying sociology. “I couldn’t have had the opportunities I have now without the help of all of you in this room,” she said. “Now I’m able to do what I love which is learn and go to the school of my dreams.” Class of 1972 Ranum High School graduate Frank DeAngelis was the keynote speaker during the event. He is the principal at
The Westminster Nighthawks present the colors during the District 50 Education Foundation Connecting Hearts Giving Hope breakfast on Mach 21 at Westminster High School. Photo by Ashley Reimers Columbine High School and was present during the April 1999 school shooting at Columbine, which would become the first high profile shooting in the United States at a school. He emotionally spoke about that tragic day and the close friends who helped in through the days after the shooting, his former Ranum High School principal Don Rhoda and his friend, Chris Dittman, who is a former WHS principal. “Don and Chris gave me faith that I
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could continue on,” DeAngelis said. “They cared for me the rest of my life.” DeAngelis also gave educators some advice on paying attention to all students, especially those who may not be experiencing the best time in school. He said before the Columbine shooting he would seek out what he wanted to hear, but after he made it a priority to reach out to every student in the school. “I made sure to listen to those kids who would normally be leaving the school during school functions or assemblies,” he said. “And all it took was listening. Now those kids aren’t leaving, they’re piling in during the assemblies. The Education Foundation also provides low income student access to medical necessities when they are not eligible for other social services through the Benevolent Fund and matches businesses to schools to provide tutoring and mentoring. For more information on the foundation, visit www.district50educationfoundation.com.
During a Business on Your Block event, House District 29 Representative Tracy Kraft-Tharp spent some time touring Westminster businesses on March 21. Representing Arvada and the Jefferson County portion of Westminster, Kraft-Tharp was on a mission to learn from business owners and employees about the needs and progress of four businesses, Trueffect, Serpentix, Axion Health and the Westminster Brewing Co. “My main goal was to listen. Just listen,” she said. “I wanted an opportunity to hear what these businesses had to say and also get a sense of who they really are.” Kraft-Tharp serves as the vice chair on the business, labor, economic and workforce development legislative committee. Connecting with the businesses in her district is always a priority, she said, though she admits she was a little concerned on whether or not the businesses would have time to meet with her, realizing owning a business is quite time consuming. Luckily, all four businesses were very receptive, opening up their doors to not only Kraft-Tharp, but also Westminster city councilors Bob Briggs, Faith Winter and Alberto Garcia as well as Westminster Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Shannon. “Representative Kraft-Tharp’s visit was very insightful and informative and it’s clear, she’s committed to the success of those businesses in House District 29 and the State of Colorado overall,” Darryl LaRue, COO at Trueffect said. Kraft-Tharp said collaborating with the city councilors on the tour allowed businesses to voice concerns they had on both the local and state level. Some of those concerns involved transportation. “I heard from two of the businesses that they really want to see light rail come to the area,” she said. “People are excited about the changes on US 36, but still would really like to see the rail come in.” At the end of the day Kraft-Tharp says she was overwhelmed by the amount of innovation that is happening in Westminster and the amount of growth each business was experiencing, which she believes is reflective of the growth in the economy overall. “Jobs and the economy are not partisan issues,” she said. “It’s not about politics, it’s about everyone being invested in the economy.”
Westminster city councilor Bob Briggs, president of Serpentix Conveyor Robert Nusz, state Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp and Westminster city councilor Alberto Garcia discuss the progress of Westminster business Serpentix Conveyor during a business tour led by Kraft-Tharp on March 21.Courtesy photo