WEEK OF MAY 18, 2023
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 25
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Candidate seeks new vote after blunder BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
supporting students after school in unified sports. Covak will continue her education at Colorado State University where she plans to pursue an undergraduate degree and a masters in occupational therapy. Mountain Vista school counselor Andy Labron became emotional while speaking on behalf of Kamila Skonieczny. Skonieczny was born to a Polish family in Highlands Ranch, however, when she was 6 years old, her family had to return to Poland. While in Poland, Skonieczny and her father became close as they found a shared love for karate. Unfortunately, Skonieczny lost her father unexpectedly in 2016. In 2022, as Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion on Ukraine, Skonieczny and her family had to make a decision. “As tensions escalated,” said Labron. “Kamila certainly worked to convince her family to move back to America.”
A week after the Parker Water and Sanitation District board of directors election where 96 registered voters did not receive mail-in ballots, candidate Kory Nelson is asking a Douglas County District Court to order a new election. Following the preliminary election results, Nelson, who finished fourth, refused to concede “until every voter is given a fair opportunity to vote,” he said in a May 3 press release. On May 2, Parker Water and Sanitation held a special district election to fill three board seats. According to the unofficial results, Nelson 26 votes behind the thirdplace candidate one day after the election. The election will be certified by May 16, and the top three candidates who received the most votes will be elected to the board, according to the Parker Water District. On May 10, Nelson asked the district court to intervene, citing a botched elections process and the “disenfranchisement” of over 90 voters that changed the outcome of election results, he said in a press release. Nelson said the election results should be deemed invalid because 48 hours before the May 2 election Parker Water discovered that ballots were not sent to nearly 100 residents. “Then (the district) scrambled haphazardly to try to remedy its mistake at the last minute,” Nelson said in the press release. “The district placed a huge burden on the disenfranchised voters to find information about the candidates and the election, obtain a ballot in person, mark the ballot and then submit the ballot in person — all within 24 hours.” Ron Redd, the district manager of the Parker Water and Sanitation District, said the district had posted numerous public notifications about the election a few weeks in advance.
SEE STUDENTS, P29
SEE WATER, P5
Four of the five recipients of the 2023 Missy Martin Scholarship stand with Missy. From left: Kamila Skonieczny, Meghan Tesch, Missy Berg, Kendall Covak and Jacobi Keefe. Aloukika Patro is not pictured. PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
5 earn scholarships for overcoming adversity BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Five seniors from five Douglas County School District high schools were awarded a $2,000 Missy Martin Scholarship for a total of $10,000. Now going by the name Missy Berg, the former Castle View student has dedicated her time to give back to the same community that helped her through a tragic accident and to other students who have overcome challenges and have decided to continue their education. In 2002, Berg was a varsity cheerleader and peer mentor at Douglas County High School when she was hit by a train on the way to school. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for about five weeks. She went through nearly two years of hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation to learn how to function normally again. Berg decided she wanted to give back to other students, so with
the help of her father David, they created the nonprofit, Future Hope Foundation, to honor local youth who have worked to overcome adversity. “These people are amazing,” said Berg. “They just come and they have all these amazing stories and it is so good to help them go to college and to further their life.” Among the seniors to receive the scholarship this year was Kendall Covak from Chaparral. School counselor Holly Treiber had the opportunity to honor Covak and her accomplishments. Covak was diagnosed in eighth grade with Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, otherwise known as POTS and has seen numerous specialists and tried multiple treatments. Despite her daily medical hardships, Covak has maintained a 3.8 GPA and has continued to give back to the Chaparral community. Not only did she compete in Chaparral volleyball for three years, Covak served as a peer mentor to others and was an integral part in
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14 | CALENDAR: 17 | SPORTS: 22
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