WEEK OF MAY 22, 2025
VOLUME 123 | ISSUE 25
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Three charter schools pitch Castle Rock campuses With proposals for same region, board members doubt demand exists BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly swears in Guster as the Douglas County School District’s first school resource officer K9, who will serve alongPHOTO BY HALEY LENA side Deputy Brian Corbin.
Not your average school resource officer Deputy Guster, a yellow Labrador retriever, becomes the first K9 SRO in Douglas County
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When Douglas County Deputy Brian Corbin, who is the school resource officer at Cresthill Middle School in Highlands Ranch, first met who he was going to be working with next school year, he knew it was going to be a hit. Standing side-by-side with his new partner, Corbin watched as Deputy Guster, a yellow Labrador retriever, became the first school resource officer K9 to be
sworn in at the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Office in Castle Rock. “It gives the kids an opportunity to have a furry friend during the school day,” said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. “Guster is going to be there to help foster that love and that support that these kids need.” For the past five years, Corbin has walked the hallways of Cresthill Middle School as its only school resource officer, building strong ties with the students. “His presence, his connection with our kids is incredible,” said Principal Franc-
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esca Papalardo. “They trust him, they use him as a resource and go to him for advice.” While Corbin has enjoyed this role in law enforcement and getting to connect with younger students, he is excited for this new chapter of his career. “He’s going to be a great asset to Cresthill and the community,” Corbin said about Guster. “It just adds another layer of what we do as an SRO unit.” SEE SRO DOGS, P6
Three new charter school applications currently under review by the Douglas County School District share something in common: they all want to open in Castle Rock. Renaissance Secondary Charter School, Leman Academy of Excellence and STEM School Castle Rock each presented proposals to expand or replicate to the school board during a May 6 meeting. All three are targeting the same general area of Castle Rock, along with similar grade configurations and timelines for opening. That overlap raised immediate questions about the long-term sustainability of adding multiple new schools to one geographic area. “I’m looking at three new charters for Castle Rock,” said Board Member Brad Geiger. “Each model is different, but I worry there’s not enough student demand to fill them all. It’s not that Castle Rock doesn’t need more options — it’s whether the student population is large enough to support three new schools in the same area.” According to their applications, Leman projects an eventual enrollment of more than 1,000 students, while Renaissance Secondary and STEM also propose serving hundreds across multiple grades. SEE CHARTER, P4
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