WEEK OF MAY 8, 2025
VOLUME 24 | ISSUE 10
FREE
Hard choices, heavy hearts Inside the Douglas County School Board’s vote to close three elementary schools BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
division chief of support services at the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Office, saw other agencies repelling down the sides of hospitals on social media. Davis immediately presented the idea to his community resource team and soon after, members of the Douglas County Regional SWAT team were getting fitted for their superhero suits. “It was super fun,” said Sgt. Dan Moffitt of the Castle Rock Police Department, who served as Captain America for the day. “We jumped at the opportunity.”
“It breaks your heart,” said Douglas County School Board Member Brad Geiger, reflecting on a vote that closed three Highlands Ranch elementary schools and sent ripples through the tight communities surrounding each. “Many nights it kept me up,” Geiger said. “I woke up thinking about the questions I needed to ask. I would walk between schools, drive bus routes and spend a lot of time by myself just processing concerns.” On April 22, the board voted 7-0 to close Acres Green, Saddle Ranch and Heritage elementary schools and pair them with Fox Creek, Eldorado and Summit View, respectively. The decision came after months of emotional meetings, angry emails, late-night school visits and gut-wrenching deliberations. To the board members, the closures were never just about budgets or enrollment numbers. “When it changed from being a general discussion to very specific kids and families, it increased the pressure by an order of magnitude,” Geiger said. The closures were about children, teachers and neighborhoods whose histories are stitched into the hallways of shrinking schools. “It’s not just about buildings or enrollment charts,” Board Member Susan Meek said. “It’s about people and places and the heart of our communities.” Meek called the process “weighty in a different way,” comparing it to the difficult decisions the board faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but noting that this time, the weight came from adding more transitions for students who had already endured so much. Board Member Valerie Thompson said she carried the faces and fears of parents with her through every meeting, email and deliberation. And Board Member Kaylee Winegar described it as “one of the hardest votes” she has made
SEE SUPERHEROES, P10
SEE CLOSURES, P4
Dressed as superheroes, team leaders from the multi-agency regional tactical team commanded by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office rappelled down PHOTO BY HALEY LENA the side of the Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus location in Highlands Ranch.
DC Comics and Marvel superheroes descend onto Children’s Hospital Colorado in Highlands Ranch BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITY
“Was it a bird, was it a plane?” No — it was the Douglas County Regional SWAT team dressed as DC Comics and Marvel superheroes bringing smiles to the faces of everyone at the Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus in Highlands Ranch. One by one, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Flash, Superman and Captain America rappelled from the top of the hospital, waving through the windows as they passed by patients, their families and nurses. This has been a beloved event at Chil-
dren’s Hospital Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora and in Colorado Springs for years, that’s aimed to bring a joyful surprise to everyone. On the final day of April, the superheroes made their way to Highlands Ranch to ascend on the hospital for the first time. “To have superheroes propel is amazing because it just brings morale for the kids,” said Erin Bolinger, corporate and community development junior specialist for the hospital. “This at least brings a little sunshine to their day.” The idea to bring the event to Highlands Ranch sparked when Taylor Davis, the
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 16 | CALENDAR: 19 | PUZZLES: 23
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