PAGE 2 • THE VILLAGER • December 26, 2013
Students from Cherry Creek and Arapahoe high schools release balloons in honor of Claire Davis. Photos courtesy of Julie Abrahams
Creek students are ‘Colorado Strong’ and ‘Warrior Strong’ By Tom Barry On Dec. 18, around 400 students from Cherry Creek and Arapahoe high schools gathered to support the Arapahoe community after the Dec. 13 shooting at the school. Students came together for camaraderie and to reflect upon Claire Davis, the 17-yearold shooting victim, who later died from her injuries Dec. 21. Over the years, the two schools have fiercely competed on the court, on the fields and in other academic endeavors. Life was put into a different perspective, Dec. 13, during the lunch hour at Arapahoe.
Cross-town rivals come together
“Many of the kids from Arapahoe and Cherry Creek high schools know one another from activities and living in many of the same neighborhoods,” said Penny Malloy, Cherry Creek High School’s spokeswoman.
She is very familiar with Creek, as she has two daughters attending the school. This event was student-driven and many of the Creek students present wore Warrior black in honor of their cross-town rivals, opposed to the typical Bruins red, according to Malloy. There were no parents involved in the non-official school event, while numerous faculty and staff attended at the end of the school day. “This was not meant to be a Creek promotion, it was about the kids,” said Malloy. Throughout the day, Creek students who organized the event “passed the bucket” to classmates collecting money for the Davis family’s favorite charities. By the end of the day, the Bruins had raised $2,000. While the actual event around 3 p.m. in the afternoon only lasted about 20 minutes, many of the students remained at the Quad area well past 4 p.m.
“We put aside our competitive issues and are one with Colorado Strong and Warrior Strong,” said Creek’s Malloy.
Balloons released for Claire
“The Creek community felt a need to support the Arapahoe community and felt that a balloon release was the most appropriate event to hold given the current place in the Warriors healing process,” said Teller Cunningham, 18, Creek’s senior class president, who began to organize the event on Dec. 16 with four other classmates. “I was very familiar with a number of Arapahoe High School students from Denver K-Life, a Christian youth ministry focusing on deepening relationships with youth in the community toward Christ,” said Cunningham. Students inflated 350 balloons and released them into the blue sky with positive thoughts.
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Enjoy a personal tour, plus Colorado-made chocolates.
Cherry Creek and Arapahoe high school students come together, Dec. 18, to show their camaraderie in honor of shooting victim Claire Davis.
Littleton Hospital and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children work together Littleton Adventist Hospital has announced that it has achieved formal designation as a Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children clinical affiliate for pediatric services. This partnership and clinical designation brings together two healthcare leaders that share a commitment to deliver seamless high-value care to the tiniest of patients. RMHC-affiliated physicians are board-certified in their specialties. They have well-established relationships with Littleton Hospital, providing care to patients for more than 15 years. The hospital has a long history of achieving high-quality standards and successfully met the
requirements needed for clinical designation. These evidence-based national standards, including standards developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, are used to monitor clinical quality measures, patient satisfaction, physician participation, protocols, procedures and clinical training. “We have a legacy of excellence in providing emergent and pediatric care close to home. Achieving this clinical designation allows kids to receive excellent care here in the community, without being far away from family and friends,” said Brett Spenst, president of Littleton Hospital. The affiliation places a priority
on treating kids close to home. A child may be transferred to RMHC when a higher level of care is clinically necessary, and that child will return to LAH for continued care as appropriate. “We’re delighted to see this important milestone in our expanding collaboration with Centura Health for high-quality pediatric care in communities they serve. Both of our organizations place a high value on expanding access to pediatric care while minimizing cost, as we enhance services for children by optimizing existing infrastructure and clinical resources,” said Mimi Roberson, president of Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children.