More than 100 local student-athletes were honored Jan. 23 at the
fourth annual Douglas County Girls and Women in Sports
luncheon.
Girls from district middle and high schools were nominated by
administrators and coaches for accomplishments on and off the
field. Coaches and Douglas County alumni were also honored for
their past accomplishments.
Marcia Neville, high school sports reporter for Fox 31, emcee’d
the luncheon at Chaparral High School.
The keynote speaker was Diane Van Deren, Sedalia resident and
ultra-distance runner. The mother of three is a former pro tennis
player and state high school championship golf, tennis and
basketball player. Most recently, she won the 2008 Yukon Arctic
Ultra, covering 350 miles while pulling a 40-pound sled in
50-degree-below-zero temperatures. The race is considered by many
to be the world’s toughest footrace. She is active with many
Colorado groups and as a spokesperson, camp leader and
inspirational keynote speaker nationwide.
“The DCEF is very proud to support this incredible event,” said
Sean McGraw, executive director of the Douglas County Educational
Foundation, which sponsored the event in conjunction with Douglas
County School District. “The Girls and Women in Sports luncheon
will be a mainstay event for the DCEF for years to come.”
Graduates of the class of 1989 from Douglas County and Highlands
Ranch high schools are invited to a joint reunion in August.
Detailed information is available at www.dchs89.info.
The reunion planning committee has worked to plan a reunion
package that includes a mixer, dinner and at least one free event.
The problem is finding alumni.
“We are trying to track down everyone’s contact information for
the reunion”, read a recent e-mail from the planning committee.
Many of the class of ’89 alumni have remained in Douglas County but
are difficult to find.
“We’re being aggressive in trying to find our classmates,” said
reunion chair Jim Sosnicky. “We are sending out a lot of e-mails
looking for people, a lot of us have joined Facebook, and we have a
Web site with detailed information and a place for alumni to update
their contact information.”
Alumni from Douglas County and Highlands Ranch high schools from
the class of 1989 are urged to visit www.dchs89.info to update their
contact information and get details about the reunion.
Clear Sky Elementary’s first spelling bee was a nail-bitter.
Eighteen representatives from fourth through sixth grades battled
Jan. 29. In the end, sixth-grader James Mundle placed first and
fourth-grader Jonathon Hoe placed second. The district spelling bee
was Feb. 18 at Northeast Elementary.
English Language Learner students at Clear Sky Elementary
recently participated in an Asian New Year celebration. Throughout
the week, kindergarten through sixth grade ELL children explored a
new culture while discussing the importance of building alliances
with those who are different from themselves. During their
celebration, they tasted various Asian dishes and played
traditional games. A special thank you goes to Mrs. Barger, Mrs.
Chin, Mr. McKenna, and Mr. Her for contributing food to the
celebration. Mr. Her is the owner of Sushi Zoo, off Founders
Parkway in Castle Rock.
Hope Wellman, of Larkspur, was named a first-year scholar at the
University of Northern Colorado. Wellman is a 2008 graduate of
Douglas County High School.