DOUGLAS/CR 12/27/12
Castle Rock
News-Press
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 10, Issue 40
December 27, 2012
Free
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcastlerocknews.com
Douglas County prohibits pot shops Commissioner says amendment is ‘half-baked’ By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com
collaborate, be entrepreneurial, set (themselves) apart.” STEM also is about teaching students to find the answers. With the rapid pace of technological change, teachers no longer can cover every eventuality. “Instead of the teacher being the source of information, they’re the facilitator of problem solving; that’s the STEM approach,” Larsen said. “When you can give a kid the tools to solve problems and help them see patterns vs. narrowing in on the specific problem itself, they can start applying their previous experiences to new problems in new ways.” Several DCSD high schools recently introduced STEM-specific curriculum. At Mountain Vista, teachers worked with Denver-area industry professionals to map out a rigorous class offering. As part of a STEMoriented shift in thinking, physics now is
Commissioners made Douglas County the first in the state with a prohibition on commercial marijuana operations. The ban is effective Dec. 27, following the unanimous vote Dec. 18, and prohibits commercial marijuana cultivation, testing and product facilities as well as retail stores in unincorporated parts of the county. The ban has no impact on the right to privately cultivate and consume marijuana, as approved by November’s passage of Amendment 64, said Lance Ingalls, county attorney. Commissioners said their decision reflected the wishes of the majority of county residents, who in 2010 voted against medical marijuana by 61 percent and in November opted against legalization by 54 percent. Residents spoke for and against the county’s position, with one calling the prohibition a “Draconian” response to Amendment 64. “We’re pushing the values of some on the many,” said Matthew Hess, who was this year’s Libertarian candidate for commissioner. “There’s been no pilot program, no willingness to search for what’s best for Douglas County. “It’s only the Draconian `my way or the highway’ approach.” Commissioners sided with those who supported a ban, including Tom Gorman, director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program for the Rocky Mountain region. Legalization as defined by Colorado voters does not change the federal law against marijuana, which makes commercial outlets “illegal enterprises,” Gorman said. Because federal law trumps state law, allowing commercial enterprises in Douglas County would be an act of aiding and abet-
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Dana Srdoc, STEM facilitator at Summit View Elementary in Highlands Ranch, jokes with students before taste-testing an experiment Dec. 12. Students created fizzy lemonade using lemon juice, baking soda, water and sugar. In addition to being tasty, the experiment showed the chemical reaction of combining an acid and a base. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen
STEM branching into all schools Concepts becoming part of county’s K-12 curriculum By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com Five years ago, most people never had heard the acronym STEM. Today, Douglas County is home to a charter school specifically focused on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math concept, which is being woven into the K-12 curriculum districtwide. “I think there will only be more and more emphasis,” said Steve Johnson, DCSD’s director of high school education. “The United States has traditionally imported lots of this talent. We need to re-double our efforts to support careers in those areas.”
STEM starts early at Summit View Elementary, which boasts two STEM labs that invite students to fun but highly purposedriven activities. LEGOs may appear to be toys, but not when they transform into programmable robots. “This is embedded into the day and integrated into the classroom,” said principal Sheri Coll. The idea is to expose all kids to STEM concepts as early in the educational process as possible, without limiting it to those who show an aptitude for math or science. By letting children explore the concepts, students discover strengths that might otherwise have remained untapped. “It’s about creating a well-rounded kid,” said Coll. That idea swings two ways, said district STEM facilitator David Larsen. “You take the stereotypical engineer — we need to create a new kind of engineer, too,” he said. “We want them to be able to
Remembering a year of tragedy and triumph The past year was some kind of ride — an emotional roller coaster, if you will. The year brought the nation a presidential election and the barrage of campaign ads preceding it. It brought us a Summer Olympics and a contingent of American champions. In Colorado, 2012 brought us a slew of wildfires that cost some people everything and filled the skies with smoke as far as you could see. The year brought us the Aurora theater massacre. South Metro Denver residents shared in
all of this in one way or another. But here, we also saw signs of a potentially booming economy as more and more developers and employers moved in. We saw a school district entangled in controversy. And we saw tragedies that hit on a smaller scale, but were equally heartbreaking to area com2012 continues on Page 4
A motorist pauses for a look toward Palmer Lake from South Perry Park Road June 27. Smoke drifting north from the Waldo Canyon Fire and an incoming thunderstorm obscured the view of Palmer Lake from the road in Douglas County. The southwestern area of Douglas County was placed under pre-evacuation notice as the fire grew. The blaze destroyed hundreds of homes in neighboring El Paso County and left two dead. File photo