Sentinel
Lakewood 3.28.13-28
Lakewood
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 89, Issue 33
March 28, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlakewoodnews.com
Folks taking a preview ride mill around the outside of the W Rail Line train at the Jefferson County Government Center stop. Photos by Glenn Wallace
Riders take a trip down the line W Rail all travelers hope for By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com The W Rail is going to be well worth the wait. Since construction began in July 2009, residents of Denver, Lakewood and Golden have eagerly anticipated the ease and sustainability of travel the light rail will bring, and I was able to ride the rail on March 20 to experience it for myself. Conductor Tim Mascolo operated the media train (a job he’s been doing for 14 years) and said the W Rail is the most scenic route FasTracks has. As I watched sights slide by — the foothills leading to the Rockies, the Denver skyline and landmarks like Casa Bonita’s pink spire — it was difficult not to agree. The route travels between Union Station and the Jefferson County Administration and Courts building, and is projected to draw 20,000 riders, said Austin Jenkins, assistant general manager of rail operations for the Regional Transportation District.
The ride is smooth and quiet, befitting of one of the most unique facets of the W Rail. It passes through neighborhoods, slicing quietly behind backyards, loading docks of businesses and parks. “There was concern about the amount of noise, and during the construction there is no doubt neighborhoods were impacted,” said Jim Starling, W Rail project manager. “Now that it’s done and we’re getting to running, most people I’ve run into are just excited to ride it.” What most surprised me was how quick the ride was. Granted, we didn’t stop at the stations, but I was still vastly impressed by the less-than-half-hour it took to make it from Denver all the way to Golden. The stations were still being worked on as we rolled by, but it’s easy to see that each one will have a unique character, especially once the specially commissioned art work each will have are added. On Friday, April 26, a ceremonial train will ride down the tracks, filled with elected officials from the cities, with ribbon cuttings along the way, ending in a grand opening ceremony at the Jeffco Administration and Courts building. That weekend, rides on the light rail will
RTD staff ride along the W Rail line as the train approaches the Indiana Street bridge. be free so riders can see how the new line works, and at midnight Sunday, April 28, the regular schedule will go into effect. After getting a taste of what’s in store for
travelers, I can’t wait. For more information on the W Rail Line, visit www.rtd-denver.com. Glenn Wallace contributed to this report.
Exhibit gives art special attention Fletcher Miller and Sobesky students show talents By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com
An example of a weaving project created by a student at Fletcher Miller School. It is one of the more than 40 pieces on display at the Lakewood Cultural Center. Courtesy photo
Students at Fletcher Miller School and Sobesky Academy have a venue to show off their artistic talents with an art exhibit at Lakewood’s Cultural Center. The work of more than 40 students is on display in the east lobby of the center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, through April 1. Both schools specialize in teaching students with special needs, including physical, cognitive and social challenges as well as visual and hearing disabilities. Student artwork is shown at different venues around Jefferson County throughout the year. However, Jennifer Russo, the art teacher at Sobesky, and Jenni Halsted, the art teacher at Fletcher Miller, thought their students deserved a show of their own.
“We were approached by the teachers about doing an exhibit,” said Lakewood arts curator Lorene Joos. “They’re so supportive of their students. We’d really like to build on this and make it an annual event.” Halsted said she and Russo have been discussing doing a show together for a while. She said they have many similar experiences in their teaching, despite being in different schools. “Art classes provide a creative and expressive outlet for our students,” Russo said. “It’s also an area where many of our students excel, where positive feedback is provided and a sense of accomplishment is nurtured.” For Halsted, one of the major benefits of providing art opportunities to her students is the way it helps them communicate. “Many of my students are non-verbal and yet through their artwork, a world of content, emotions, ideas, imagination and talent is revealed in a way that might be more difficult to communicate verbally,”
she said. Both teachers said some of their students have had the chance to see their works on display, and there will be photos in their yearbooks to commemorate the achievement. For Russo, the best part of the experience has been the chance to show the community the kind of work that is done at Fletcher Miller and Sobesky. “My favorite (part of the experience) is that many of the projects displayed in this exhibit truly involved a sense of discovery, of experimentation and making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, laughing at them, recognizing how such mistakes can produce great art work, and deciding where to go from there,” Halsted said.
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