WEEK OF NOVEMBER 28, 2024
VOLUME 129 | ISSUE 39
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SPECIAL HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS EDITION
School program holds Thanksgiving feast
Douglas County schools delay AP African American studies course BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
donated items for fundraising drawings. During the event itself, students ushered people to their seats, offered drinks, served pie, and helped clear tables. EHS student teacher Jennifer Haddakin said it’s a “great event that brings everybody together and gets kids involved in the community.” Alternative Education students went around Elizabeth to get donations for drawing baskets for the event. Horton’s “On the Go” class also put together wooden teddy bears to sell at the Englewood Middle School Craft Fair on Nov. 16. The leftovers were sold at the
On a 4-3 vote, the Douglas County School District delayed approval of an Advanced Placement African American studies course after community members raised concerns about its content, and board members said they didn’t feel informed enough. Douglas County School Board President Christy Williams asked to wait before approving a curriculum for a new course on African American studies because the board had received multiple emails from community members with concerns and wanted more information. “It is our responsibility to do our due diligence, and I don’t feel like I had enough time to prepare for this,” Williams said. The course “examines the diversity of African-American experiences through direct encounters with rich and varied sources,” drawing on literature, the arts, humanities, political science, geography, and science, according to the College Board, which administers AP classes for high schools across the nation. Topics in the course extend from early African kingdoms to the contemporary moment. Williams said she wanted to take more time to make sure the course aligns with the district’s equity policy and doesn’t include critical race theory. Critical race theory is an approach to studying racism in the United States and how it intersects with institutions, according to Associated Press reporting. “I’m scheduling a time to go meet with (the teacher) so I can understand the class and answer questions from the public about it better,” Williams said. Though the AP African American studies class was only recently introduced, it’s already received a lot of pushback nationwide, including being banned from classrooms in Florida after Governor Ron Desantis claimed it was pushing a political agenda. AP classes are higher-level courses that offer students the chance to earn college credit while still in high school by taking an exam run by the College Board at the conclusion of the class. The class is an elective course.
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Elizabeth High School Alternative Education teacher Lori Horton, right, stands alongside student Mike Beadnell. Horton and Beadnell are holding wooden bears that students made and sold at the Elizabeth Middle School Craft Fair, for $20 apiece, to raise money for the Alternative PHOTO BY NICKY QUINBY Education program.
EHS Alternative Education tradition takes place in cafetorium BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
The Elizabeth High School Cafetorium was crowded with community members with full bellies at the annual Thanksgiving Dinner, which took place Nov. 21. While not new to the community, it’s only the second year the event has made its home at EHS.
The Thanksgiving Dinner originated at Frontier High School (now called the Frontier Center) 29 years ago and has been revitalized through the EHS Alternative Education Program. When Frontier shut down five years ago, eight students transferred to EHS. Today the program has grown to include 44 students. When the program began at EHS, it initially only included language arts and social studies but the program was eventually expanded to include science and math. EHS Alternative Education students helped prepare for the dinner this year by creating centerpieces, crafting placemats, and putting together boxes to hold
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