Sage Canyon students collect shoes for Japan
Sage Canyon Elementary students in Castle Rock are starting a
project to help Japan get through their traumatic experience. They
are trying to get 25,000 pairs of shoes to represent the projected
death toll in Japan after the disasters. People should send a
donation of a pair of new or gently used shoes. Corporate donations
are welcome.
Sage Canyon’s intermediate grades participated in a natural
disaster day. The staff members put everything out of place in the
upper floor of our school, and the students had to work together as
a team to clean up our village/school. When this is all done, the
students will ship the shoes to Japan.
Douglas County students win essay contest
The Colorado League of Charter Schools and CollegeInvest have
announced the winners of its third annual Charter School Essay
Contest — and three of the four winners are students from Douglas
County charter schools. The Douglas County winners were: Ruth
Morton, grade 8, Platte River Academy, Kaylee Schuler, grade 5, DCS
Montessori, and Isabella Kaze, grade 2, Platte River Academy. All
three won a $250 savings account from CollegeInvest. They received
their awards from Speaker of the House Frank McNulty. The winning
essays are online at
www.coloradoleague.org/charterweek/charteressaycontestwinners.php.
DeLaup receives band director of the year award
Douglas County High School band director Darren A. DeLaup
received the third annual Colorado Honor Band Association Bill
Thompson Band Director of the Year Award. DeLaup received the award
in recognition of his dedication to reaching students through
instrumental music education. He has been the band director at
Douglas County High School for five years. DeLaup will receive his
award at the CHBA Annual Spring Concert May 15 at the King Center
on the Auraria Higher Education Center Campus in Denver.
DCEF, Frugal Formalwear looking for formal attire
The Douglas County Educational Foundation and Frugal Formalwear
e-boutique announce a spring fundraising opportunity for Douglas
County School District. The fundraiser generates money for the
DCEF’s “Fill the Gap” initiative from profits generated from
donated dresses, tuxedos, jewelry, and other formalwear items. The
fundraiser runs from April 15 through June 30. Donations can be
dropped off at the DCEF offices, garden level of the district
building at 620 Wilcox St. in Castle Rock. DCEF staff will tag
donated items and provide a tax deduction form for all donations.
Frugal Formalwear staff collects the donations, posts the items on
the Web site and directs 60 percent of the profit for each item to
the DCEF’s “Fill the Gap” fund.
Gilbert selected as Lake Forest College’s Senior 25
Lake Forest College student Alexander Gilbert, class of 2012 of
Castle Rock, has recently been selected as a member of Lake Forest
College’s Senior 25. Senior 25 is a distinction awarded to 25
outstanding students entering their senior year. Selection is based
on academic excellence, leadership on campus, commitment to service
and extracurricular participation. Gilbert is a graduate of Douglas
County High School in Castle Rock.
Kate Lang earns spot on dean’s list for winter
DePaul University student Kate Lang of Castle Rock has been
named to the dean’s list for the 2011 winter quarter.
4th-grader orchestrates fundraiser for Japan
Jennifer Clemente, a fourth-grader at Meadow View Elementary,
Castle Rock, put in motion a fund raiser for Japan at her school.
For one week the children of Meadow View could wear pajamas to
school, but you had to pay a $1 to do so. The parents, teachers,
staff and children raised more than $3,600 for Japan.
Local teens earn Girl Scouts highest honor
This spring, teens from Larkspur are receiving the Gold Award,
the highest award in Girl Scouts. Mackenzie Ellen Johnson, Kara
Leachman and Kristen Zwiers have demonstrated exceptional
dedication to the Girl Scout Law’s commitment to “making the world
a better place” through their community service. Mackenzie Ellen
Johnson, a student at Douglas County High School, organized “Bat
Boxes.” Johnson decided to help people become more aware of the
importance of bats. She accomplished this goal by making pamphlets,
holding community meetings and building bat houses.
Kara Leachman, a student at Douglas County High School,
organized ”Signs for School Safety.” Leachman decided to pursue a
Gold Award project around safer driving. She targeted drivers in
school zones for the safety of children walking home and being
picked up by parents. To meet her goals, Kara built and posted six
signs in six area school zones that said “Drive with Caution. Drive
with Care. We have many children, but none to spare!”
Kristen Zwiers, a student at Douglas County High School,
organized “Chair Huggers.” When Zwiers learned that the
Instructional Support Services Department of her school district
had huge budget cuts, she knew that she had to help kids in her
classes with autism and other learning challenges.
She created a project called “Chair Huggers,” which are
sweatshirts with bean bags sewn into the sleeves that go over the
back of a child’s chair. The weighted sleeves wrap around the
child’s lap, and the gentle, yet constant pressure helps children
stay focused during the school day for longer periods of time.
Chair Huggers are used by the school district for children with ADD
and autism.