Good News Bulletin
June 17, 2022
District receives $500,000 safety grant
Elizabeth School District today received its full grant request of $503,516 for the 2022 School Access For Emergency Response (SAFER) grant through the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The grant will provide interoperable radio communication for all Elizabeth schools. Below is a list of the updates the district will make through the grant:
SchoolSafe interoperable radio towers (includes Legacy Academy). Provides the ability to bridge school radios with all local first responders and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office personnel.
150 new handheld UHF radios for all schools:
40 new radios for Elizabeth High School.
30 new radios for Elizabeth Middle School, Running Creek Elementary and Singing Hills Elementary.
20 new radios for Legacy Academy.
800MHz radios for district facilities to communicate directly with schools.
UHF radio repeaters for EHS to allow handheld radios to communicate across the entire campus.
Two unique FCC-licensed radio channels for each school. The district will also have a third district common channel on every radio, which allows all schools’ personnel to communicate effectively during a reunification or large-scale district event.
EHS theatre teacher wins state-level award
Barclay's mission to empower student actors manifests in costume craft
Elizabeth High School’s theatre students took the stage with the best costumes in the state earlier this year with their production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”
That’s not just a bold statement: It was confirmed May 26, when EHS theatre teacher Jennifer Barclay won the statewide Bobby G Award for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design.
The Bobby G Awards are part of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ education program.
For Barclay, creating custom costumes is more than just another part of putting a play on stage. “It’s a disease I have,” she joked. But behind that joke is the ethos that “students are at the heart of everything we do,” which has been part of her work since she was in college.
“I was in a lot of shows. And my very last senior show, I was Dolly in “Hello, Dolly,” and my costumes were ill-fitting, and I did not feel confident,” she said. “And so as best as I could portray Dolly, it wasn't my best. I didn't give my best because I was constantly tugging on my clothing: They didn't fit right. And I decided, ‘If I'm ever in this position, I will not let a student (feel like this). I won't let this happen. I won't let a kid go out there feeling that way.”
“I want them to put their costumes on and go, ‘Yes! Man, I look good!’" she said. "Because then they won't be worried about the way they look. They'll be worried about how they're acting.”
Singing Hills hosts STEAM Camp
33 students from four schools learn through inquiry and action
Last week, 33 students in the gifted programs at four Elizabeth schools attended STEAM Camp 2022 at Singing Hills Elementary.
The students, who are in grades 3 through 8 came from Elizabeth Middle School, Legacy Charter School, Running Creek Elementary and Singing Hills Elementary.
They spent the week learning real-world, hands-on lessons in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). Their driving question for the week was, “How do you prepare for a challenge?”
To explore answers to that question, they learned from several visiting experts who taught them about emergency management, team building, first aid and storm safety, and more.
They conducted an astronaut experiment, simulated an earthquake, programmed robots to overcome obstacles, created pendulum art and kept visual journals for the week. They took field trips to Castlewood Canyon and the Ponderosa Ropes Course in Larkspur.
And because high achieving students tend to put extra pressure on themselves, the campers learned how to calm themselves through mindfulness techniques and even tried “goat yoga” – stretching and controlling their breathing while goats, kids, sheep and lambs wandered among them.
The students also learned how the subjects they were covering could translate to careers thanks to visitors from the National Weather Service and 9News, whose professional storm chaser showcased his specialized vehicle.
The annual camp was organized and led by teachers Ashlee Johnson, Susan McMullen and Jessica Schmidt from Singing Hills and Brandon Whittaker from EMS.
Elizabeth Police plan to use three schools for drills
The Elizabeth Police Department has requested access to Elizabeth High School, Elizabeth Middle School and Running Creek Elementary for emergency-response drills.
The drills will take place on multiple dates in July and early August. If you see several police vehicles in front of one of those schools in the next several weeks, please know these are drills and not actual emergencies.
As of this week, all school offices are closed until early August.
Upcoming Events
June 27 – BOE meeting, 6 p.m.
Aug. 1– EHS, EMS, RCE and SHE offices open for 2022-23 school year
Aug. 8 – BOE meeting, 6 p.m.