Herald Englewood
October 19, 2012
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourenglewoodnews.com
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 92, Issue 36
Campus project breaks ground Ceremony marks demolition’s end, start of construction By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com
first fall fling. She said she moved to Englewood earlier this year and a neighbor offered her a ticket, so she decided to come and see what the event was all about. “I came tonight because I am a strong supporter of public education. This is fun and I hope they raise a lot of money for a great program,” she said. “They won my heart when those kids in the Strings Attached program performed. I appreciate what the foundation is doing and I will do what I can to support it.” She said she also had a great experience as she met four former Broncos players who attended the event. “I am a big Bronco fan and meeting players like Larry Evans and Wade Manning was pretty special,” she said. “I got to talk to them and I got their autographs,
Cloudy weather didn’t dampen the mood Oct. 12 as school officials, board members and guests used shovels to turn a little dirt, ceremonially launching construction of the more than two-year project to transform the current Englewood High School area into a modern sevenththrough 12th-grade campus. Work had been under way on the Englewood High School campus since spring as crews demolished the Lowell Building, technical arts building, tennis courts and pool and hauled away the debris. The completed demolition provided a large open area where the groundbreaking ceremony was held. “This is the beginning of the next step of the project and soon we’ll see crews moving a lot of dirt so they pour foundations for the first of the building,” said Brian Ewert, school superintendent. “This is the kickoff of a major, exciting project symbolizing that Englewood Schools is moving into the 21st century and are here to stay.” Ewert said that, along with new buildings, the district is making major changes to curriculum and instruction methods. “We have to understand we are educating students and preparing them for jobs that may not exist today,” he said. “That requires a different approach to teaching in order to have graduates who are critical thinkers, problem-solvers and have the ability to collaborate to solve problems. We must do that because we are told that in the near future, it will be rare to find a job that is done in isolation.” Ewert said the new campus will be state-of-the-art and will include the equipment for a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program, a culinary arts program and a visual arts performance program. “We are thinking and talking about the future of technology being on a oneto-one basis, meaning every student will have some form of technology in his or her hands every day,” the superintendent said. “Technology is definitely changing things and I can see the time in the not-too-distant future when there will be few traditional textbooks, as just about all textbooks will be available on laptop computers or pads.” The groundbreaking signaled the start of construction needed to create a modern campus. All the buildings will be new except the auditorium and the field house. How-
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Former Broncos linebacker Larry Evans signs an autograph for Jaide Erickson during the Englewood Education Foundation’s Fall Fling fundraiser Oct. 13. Four former Broncos were present to support the organization and help raise money for scholarships and grants to teachers for programs not covered by the regular school budget. Photos by Tom Munds
Fall Fling yields fun, funds Englewood Education Foundation holds annual fundraiser By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com More than 100 people had a catered dinner and opportunities for lots of conversation, and many took part in enthusiastic auction bidding during the Sept. 12 Englewood Education Foundation Fall Fling. “This is our major fundraiser and I think it was a success again this year,” said Karen Miller, EEF president. “This fundraiser is very important and all we raise goes to our programs since several years ago when we became an all-volunteer organization.” She said the money goes to the foundation’s two major projects, creativity grants and scholarships. Last year, the foundation awarded $18,000 in scholarships to 2012 graduates of Englewood High School and Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School. Additionally, this fall the organization provided more than $16,000 in creativity grants to teachers for projects not included in the normal district budget. She said sponsors have stepped up this year and their donations will cover
Englewood Mayor Randy Penn gives two potential bidders a close-up look at the bat signed by Colorado Rockies player Todd Helton during the live auction at the Englewood Education Foundation’s Fall Fling. The Oct. 13 event was a fundraiser for the foundation programs that provide scholarships and creativity grants to teachers. the expenses. That will allow the money from ticket sales and the auctions to be used for scholarships and for creativity grants. A variety of items were donated for the auctions, including a baseball signed by Colorado Rockies player Todd Helton as well as wine gift sets, gift baskets and hand-knitted scarfs. Katie Pennington was attending her
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