Week of February 16, 2023
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 157 | ISSUE 9
Golden High School raises more than $20,000 during Wish Week BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
W
hile working out at
a gym in Golden recently, someone approached Ty Scrable and asked if he was associated with Colorado School of Mines. Scrable had to explain that, no, he’s just a Golden resident. Unfortunately, Scrable said, this isn’t the first time it’s happened. “I get that a lot,” he said. “People think I’m a student, professor or tourist because I’m Black.” Systemic racism stubbornly remains in Golden. But, as Scrable said, it has morphed from Ku
Klux Klan demonstrations in the 1920s and racist housing policies in the 1940s to something less overt but still widespread and endlessly frustrating. Because White people make up the overwhelming majority in the city and, thus, are seen as the norm, Scrable said, “many people don’t view me as part of my own community.” In the wake of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the summer of 2020, many cities and newspapers across the United States have started reckoning with their pasts, examining how they’ve contributed to systemic racism, learning what they can do to be more inclusive and fair.
The Golden community has started the process, and now it’s the Golden Transcript’s turn. The newspaper, which now is part of Colorado Community Media, isn’t immune to biased coverage. This report is the product of its journalists attempting to examine the paper’s coverage of the Black community since the Civil Rights era and own up to its mistakes. Since 1866, the Golden Transcript — known as the Colorado Transcript for its first 103 years — has been a record keeper for Jefferson County. While its stories are extensive and valuable, SEE FOR THE RECORD, P16
Photo courtesy of Denver Public Library Special Collections, call number X-28770.
Golden High School is a place where wishes come true. At least, that’s how it felt during the school’s sixth annual Wish Week. During Feb. 6-10, the school community raised more than $20,000 for Make-A-Wish Colorado. The final count wasn’t available as of 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13, but school officials hoped GHS had reached its $35,000 goal. The Demons were hoping to reach the $200,000 fundraising mark for Make-A-Wish Colorado since they started hosting Wish Week six years ago. Principal Brian Conroy said Wish Week has been successful, “even during the COVID year.” He attributed its success to the students’ passion and the community’s generosity, as everyone wants to give back. “The more money we raise, the more wishes we can help grant,” staff member Adam Mitchell added. At GHS, Wish Week is a mix of fundraising events and spirit-week-type activities like Anything But a Backpack Day and Disney Day. On Monday, the school hosted an assembly for this year’s featured Make-A-Wish child, 6-year-old Everly Carson. Then, on Tuesday, it hosted a Frozen Fest for Goldenarea schools. On Wednesday, GHS students had “penny stalls,” where students brought pennies to class and had their SEE WISH WEEK, P4
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 13 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
MINES WRESTLING SENIOR NIGHT P24