Week of June 2, 2022
$1.00
An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 28
Thousands of Cherry Creek School District graduates reach finish line
Police investigate threat in Cherry Creek schools Authorities work to locate source BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Seniors stand at Smoky Hill High School’s graduation ceremony in late May.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Roughly 4,500 students receive diplomas BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
More than two years of the coronavirus pandemic reshaped a long stretch of life in high school for 2022’s graduating seniors, and thousands of those students in Cherry Creek School District persevered, finally receiving their diplomas in late May. Roughly 4,500 students from the Cherry Creek district were to get their diplomas in the May graduation ceremonies this year, according to an email newsletter to parents. “These students have persevered SEE DIPLOMAS, P4
Seniors from Grandview High School sit at their graduation ceremony in late May. Grandview sits in the east Centennial area.
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17
The Greenwood Village Police Department was notified on May 26 of a possible threat to Cherry Creek High School, stemming from an individual through a social media message, according to the City of Greenwood Village on Twitter. A person who lives outside of Colorado received a social media message from an “unknown subject,” threatening to “shoot up the school,” according to a news release from the Greenwood Village Police Department. The person who received the message didn’t know the person who sent it, according to Greenwood Village police Cmdr. Joe Gutgsell. Police determined that the school that was referenced is Cherry Creek High, the release said. As a precaution, a “secure perimeter” was initiated for Cherry Creek High, Campus Middle and Belleview Elementary schools, the city said on Twitter. “Secure perimeter” status means all students and staff outside the buildings are brought inside, all exterior doors are closed and locked, and normal activity continues inside the buildings, according to the news release. SEE THREAT, P8
UNEARTHLY MASTERMINDS Young chefs concoct out-of-this-world creations
P14