1-Color
May 15, 2014 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 27, Issue 26 A publication of
highlandsranchherald.net
Family of crash survivor ‘grateful’ Woman’s father: ‘We have so many questions’ By Hannah Garcia
hgarcia@coloradocommunitymedia.com A Highlands Ranch mother is still in critical condition after surviving several days in the wreckage of her crashed car, forcing doctors to amputate both of her feet. Meanwhile, Kristin M. Hopkins’ family is wondering how she ended up in Park County in the first place. “We have so many questions, you know, ‘why were you out there?’ ” said Glen Morgan. “To our knowledge, she doesn’t know anyone in Park County, never talked about
that area. We don’t why she was over there.” Hopkins survived to see age 44 after she was found barely alive on May 4 in the mangled remains of her red Chevrolet Malibu, which ran off of the right side of a mountain pass north of Fairplay before hitting several trees and rolling down an 80foot embankment, landing on its top. Her birthday was May 8. Hopkins was found five days after her parents reported her missing to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Her father said he and his wife “scoured” Douglas County after she failed to pick up her children from her ex-husband’s house on April 29. “We had no idea specifically where she disappeared,” Morgan said. “We called her and it went straight to voicemail and we started thinking, ‘this is really odd.’ She
loves her kids. She would never forget to pick them up.” The mother of four works two jobs and was supposed to be off work on the day she went missing. Morgan said he and his wife Connie last saw their daughter on April 27 after she had returned home from work. “It was like she vanished,” he said.
Trapped for days
Morgan said that while she was trapped with her ankles crushed, Hopkins attempted to signal for help by writing “Call 911, Jaws of Life” on the back of a parking placard and scrawling desperate pleas with a black marker on an umbrella her mother bought for her two years ago. She smashed the car window to shove the Survivor continues on Page 16
Highlands Ranch resident Kristin Hopkins was found trapped in her car May 4 off US 285 a week afer she went missing. Hopkins is recovering in St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. Courtesy photo
School district talks up reforms ‘Innovation Summit’ set for three days in June By Jane Reuter
Aranda Gillum, a registered massage therapist for Hand and Stone Massage in Highlands Ranch, works on Dorothy Carr, owner of The Face Place Skin Care & Acne Care Clinic, May 8 during the fourth annual WINapalooza. Free massages were a popular attraction at the event.
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com The Douglas County School District will open its doors to those in the education world curious about its reform efforts during a summer Innovation Summit. The event is planned from June 18-20. Sessions will take place in district schools. “This is not going to be your average experience,” Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said on a promotional video for the event on DCSD’s website. “This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate on the transformation, the reinvention of American education, that we all know is best for our kids.” The Innovation Summit is described as a way for attendees to “Get everything you need to spark change within your school district,” according to the website. “We will share best practices from actual implementation by teachers and leaders for kids. You’ll collaborate with teachers who have reinvented their classrooms and teaching for the 21st century, uncover changes that have put millions of dollars into the classroom, work alongside staff who have reinvented professional pay in education, and receive authentic feedback on your ideas and your work.” Sessions will cover professional development, market-based pay, pay-for-performance, teacher evaluations, the legally challenged choice scholarship voucher program, school security and more. During the May 6 board meeting, one parent asked school leaders about the cost of the event. She did not receive an immediate response, though board president Kevin Larsen said they would look into it.
A WIN for women The fourth annual WINapalooza, May 8 at Southridge Recreation Center, helped raise funds for the Crisis Center, a Douglas County-based organization that helps educate, empower and encourage women in Douglas, Arapahoe and Elbert counties who are victims or survivors of domestic violence. The annual Women In Networking event sponsored by the Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce brings together women-owned and women-led organizations from throughout the region to showcase their businesses and wares. There were plenty of free massages, food and drink to go around, and a variety of businesses for one to become familiar with.
PHOTOS BY RYAN BOLDREY
ABOVE: Crisis Center outreach coordinator Lynn Adams, right, talks about the organization during the May 8 WINapalooza event at Southridge Recreation Center. The organization helps victims and survivors of domestic violence in Douglas, Arapahoe and Elbert counties. LEFT: A crowd of about 300 people attended the fourth annual WINapalooza May 8 in Highlands Ranch. The event, which raised money for the Crisis Center, celebrated women-owned and led businesses from throughout the region.
Reforms continues on Page 9
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.