Levelers of privilege and avenues of reinvention

The United States is beginning an interesting experiment in democracy: We’re cutting public library funds, shrinking our public and school libraries, and in some places, shutting them altogether.

These actions have nothing to do with whether the libraries are any good or whether the staff provides useful service to the community. This country’s largest circulating library, in Queens, N.Y., was named the best system in the United States last year by Library Journal. Its budget is due to shrink by a third. Los Angeles libraries are being slashed, and beginning this week, the doors will be locked two days a week and at least 100 jobs cut.

Such cuts and close calls are happening across the country. We won’t miss a third of our librarians and branch libraries the way we’d miss a third of our firefighters and firehouses, the rationale goes…but I wonder.

I’ve spent four years following librarians as they deal with the tremendous increase in information and the many ways we receive it.

They’ve been adapting as capably as any profession, managing our public computers and serving growing numbers of patrons, but it seems that their work has been all but invisible to those in power.

But if you visit public libraries, you will see an essential service in action, as librarians help people who don’t have other ways to get online, can’t get the answers they urgently need, or simply need a safe place to bring their children. I’ve stood in the parking lot of the Topeka and Shawnee County Library in Kansas on a Sunday morning and watched families pour through doors and head in all directions to do homework or genealogical research, attend computer classes, read the newspapers. I’ve stood outside New York City libraries with other self-employed people, waiting for the doors to open and give us access to the computers and a warm and affordable place to work. I’ve met librarians who serve as interpreters and guides to communities of cancer survivors, Polish-speaking citizens, teenage filmmakers, veterans.

The people who welcome us to the library are idealists, who believe that accurate information leads to good decisions and that exposure to the intellectual riches of civilization leads to a better world. The next Abraham Lincoln could be sitting in their library, teaching himself all he needs to know to save the country. While they help us get online, employed and informed, librarians don’t try to sell us anything. Nor do they turn around and broadcast our problems, send us spam or keep a record of our interests and needs, because no matter how savvy this profession is at navigating the online world, it clings to that old-fashioned value, privacy.

A profession dedicated to privacy in charge of our public computers? That’s brilliant. They represent the best civic value out there – an army of resourceful workers that can help us compete in the world.

But instead of putting such conscientious, economical and service-oriented professionals to work helping us, we’re handing them pink slips. The school libraries and public libraries in which we’ve invested decades and even centuries of resources will disappear unless we fight for them. The communities that treasure and support their libraries will have an undeniable competitive advantage. Those that don’t will watch in envy as the Darien Library in Connecticut hosts networking breakfasts for its out-of-work patrons, and the tiny Gilpin County Public Library in Colorado beckons patrons with a sign that promises “Free coffee, Internet, notary, phone, smiles, restrooms and ideas.”

Those in cities that haven’t preserved their libraries, those less fortunate and baffled by technology, and our children will be the first to suffer. But sooner or later, we`ll all feel the loss as one of the most effective levelers of privilege and avenues of reinvention – one of the great engines of democracy – begins to disappear.

Marilyn Johnson is the author of, most recently, This Book Is Overdue! This article was written for and previously published in the Los Angeles Times.

Saturday, June 5th

The Gilpin County High School Class of 2010 celebrated their high school graduation with Commencement Exercises on Saturday, June 5, in the Miller-Headrick school auditorium. Balloons of red and black, the Class Colors, floated above the auditorium stage where the graduates would sit.

The opening of Commencement was the Processional of 13 black robed graduates-to-be stately walking to the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance.” This was followed by Maranda Hudackey confidently singing a solo rendition of the National Anthem. Middle/High School Principal Alexis Donaldson welcomed everyone to the Class of 2010 Commencement Exercises.

Sierra Rhodd introduced teacher Ralph Campbell, who was honored to give the Commencement Address, remarking that what a great opportunity it was for a teacher to have the last word. Campbell commented that he sought collaboration with his peers in composing his speech. He read a small fuchsia-colored sticky note and attributed the written advice of, “No one will probably remember your speech, so try to look intelligent,” to Mr. Gates.

Campbell continued his humorous Address by asking, “Who was the idiot who developed the English language?” He proceeded to provide entertaining cases in point demonstrating the idiosyncratic structure of English. “Why is it when you transport something by car it’s called a shipment and when you transport something by ship, it’s called cargo?” And “Why do cars drive on parkways and park in driveways?” The audience loved his examples, laughing and applauding.

Campbell spoke about his research for a topic that everyone could relate to and he came to music: a powerful force that creates a memory in us by the force of association. Music tells the story of our lives. It has the power to make us recall long-forgotten memories.

One of Campbell’s favorite songs is, “I Will Return,” about how we live our lives and treat others. He wanted the students to remember the “songs” or teaching that school staff had shared with them in preparing them for college and life beyond high school. In planning to have the graduates remember this day by musical association, he played a rendition of the song. Campbell thanked the Class of 2010 for sharing their “songs” with him over the past years.

Principal Donaldson introduced graduate Megan Spellman, who presented the Senior Class Gift of a large flat screen TV to the school. David Yerkman followed with a light-hearted and candid talk about Class Memories. Shauna Corsino was next as the Class Speaker and was sympathetically applauded by the audience during an emotional moment when she couldn’t continue speaking. Corsino introduced Valedictorian Megan Spellman, who spoke about the future accomplishments of her fellow classmates.

Counselor Kirsten Goodlett presented the Scholarship Announcement based on the awards referred to during the June 1 Senior Awards Celebration. The grand total of scholarship monies earned by 13 graduates totaled approximately $111,000, a truly wonderful accomplishment.

Graduating seniors planning on attending Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, are Bethany Bendrat, Robert Garza and Megan Spellman. Shauna Corsino and Katie Shimanskey plan on attending Colorado Film School located in Denver. Seniors planning on attending Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood are: Maranda Hudackey, Tom Kennedy, Kaylea Morrison, Jara Peterson, Sierra Rhodd, Katie Shimanskey, and William Ward. David Yerkman plans on attending University of Northern Colorado (UNC), Greeley.

Graduating senior Luke Dillinger will be proudly serving his country in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Flower Ceremony was next with the graduates sentimentally presenting orange lilies, the Class Flower, to their family members and friends. The Senior Slide Show by Katie Shimanskey followed with the dimming of auditorium lights.

Principal Donaldson, Superintendent Tina Goar and the Board of Education—Scott Groginsky, Rusty Hardy, Brook Ramsey, Charlotte Taylor, and Craig Holmes–presented diplomas to the members of the Class of 2010: Bethany Bendrat, Shauna Corsino, Luke Dillinger, Bobby Garza, Lee Hudackey, Tom Kennedy, Kaylea Morrison, Jara Peterson, Sierra Rhodd, Katie Shimanskey, Megan Spellman, William Ward, and David Yerkman.

Donaldson announced the Presentation of Graduates and they joyfully flung their cap tassels from right to left before traditionally throwing their caps into the air.

The Recessional was initiated with the Class Song, “Don’t You Forget About Me,” by Simple Minds and completed the Commencement Exercises. Cake and refreshments, courtesy of the Booster Club, were provided in a reception for the graduates. Congratulations to the Gilpin County High School Class of 2010!

Nine make serious commitment to training, safety, service and community

Seven men and two women recently completed the Firefighter One Academy, and were awarded their Firefighter badges at an hour-long graduation ceremony on June 5^th. Clay Bosworth, Ralph Gould, Emmit Hoyl, Liz Pfeffer and Christina Vanderberg of High Country Fire Protection District, Caleb Kropf and Judd Motchan of Colorado Sierra Fire Protection District, and David Femmer of Nederland Fire Department have now attained state firefighter certification. As HCFPD and CSFPD are in the process of merging under the name of Timberline Fire Protection District, this group of graduates was the first to be awarded the new “Timberline” badge. Their families, friends and fellow firefighters looked on as, one by one, each firefighter was pinned with the glimmering gold shield.

It’s no small feat to earn certification in Colorado. To do it, the volunteers put in at least 160 hours (closer to 200) attending a three-hour class two nights a week for three months, and putting in an eight-hour day of training every other weekend during that period. Training included written work, home work, quizzes, exams, practical exercises and, most “interesting” for the volunteers, live-fire exercises at the burn building in Arvada. Other firefighters attending the ceremony described the accomplishment as “huge.”

This year High Country Fire Protection District offered the course in-house and opened it to firefighters of neighboring departments, making it as convenient as they could for volunteer firefighters to get the training. Training Officer Jake Vassar is responsible for the training. In addition to teaching, he organized the program. He was joined by professional instructor Rene Macias from Loveland Fire Department. Vassar said this course differs from training last held at HCFPD in the 1990’s because of new state standards for firefighters. The course is accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress.

Macias was on hand to congratulate and witness the pinning ceremony and, in some cases, pinned a badge personally. In some cases, family members had that honor. Macias thanked those families, noting it was their values, morals and ethics passed on to these volunteers that made them the kind of people who are willing to risk all to help others. Now they were getting to see those ethics play out, he said. Recognizing that three different fire departments were represented by the graduating firefighters, Macias went on to describe some of the experiences they had encountered during training, including 38 evolutions of live-fire training, and how those experiences had forever bonded this group beyond their separate departments. He explained the symbolism of the features on the badge. Using Hoyl’s grandfather’s badge, Macias pointed out the same symbols were there fifty years ago. (Hoyl, like many, is carrying on a family tradition of firefighting and had been given his grandfather’s badge.)  “It’s not about the name on your badge,” Macias told them, “It’s about doing the right thing at the right time for your community.”

In addition to their badges, the graduates were awarded “Challenge Coins.” These also identify a firefighter by profession and department, reinforcing their collective bond. Firefighters challenge each other, meaning “Present your coin,” and those who don’t have them in their pockets, owe the challenger some kind of gratuity – at Macias’s department, that’s a beer, he said. Volunteer Chip Smith was awarded a coin, as well. He is a summer resident of Gilpin County who serves while here. He had completed Firefighter One out-of-state. Vassar awarded Macias a coin. Then there were specific awards: the Top Gun Award and the Top Academic Award were both earned by Swenson. Macias explained a score of 70% is required by the state for certification, but he requires 80% to pass his course. The class average for this group, he said, was 98.9%. Several fun and funny awards were given from instructor to firefighter and vice versa, and the instructors were given thank-you gifts.

“I’m very proud to serve with all of them. I wouldn’t hesitate to go into a burning structure with any of them,” Vassar said of the graduates. HCFPD Chief Galen Koepke, acknowledged the firefighters’ skills, adding his respect and appreciation, “This is our front line,” he told the audience, “they stand against all of the disasters that can happen in our community.” Then, turning to the graduates, he added, “The rest of the department, all of the officers, stand behind you.” Macias gave his final directions, “Make us proud in the fire services. Now you are firefighters.”

Certification isn’t mandatory to be a volunteer firefighter in Colorado, but the training has proven its worth in keeping firefighters alive. It’s dangerous work. 34 firefighters have died in the line of duty in Colorado so far this year- the annual death rate is similar to that of police. “Everybody Goes Home” is a firefighting mantra, sometimes seen abbreviated “EGH” on firefighter apparel. With the firefighting and decision-making skills they’ve worked so hard to acquire, these nine volunteers are better able to do the job, and to reach that ultimate goal, EGH.

As warm weather finally arrives, the high heating bills of winter give way to other energy challenges such as keeping homes cool and cutting down on fuel use.

In our Colorado foothills climate, some easy behavior changes can yield surprisingly big energy dividends. Before you worry about adding solar panels or even doing expensive home retrofits, it’s wise to think of some no-cost or very low cost ways to save energy and cut your utility bills.

For example, simply getting in the habit of opening windows every evening and shutting them tight in the morning can keep many homes cool during the hot sunny daylight hours. And be careful of leaving doors open for long periods when it’s hot outside. Using drapes or shades over windows that catch the most sun during the day will also cut down on heat gain.

Inside your home, you can save a surprising amount of electricity by getting in the habit of turning off everything that is not in use. Flip off the light switch whenever you leave a room. And beware of “vampire energy’’- electricity use by electronic devices that are turned off but still plugged in. Computers, televisions, home audio systems, kitchen gadgets – everything that has a little light – continues to suck energy unless it is unplugged or plugged into a power strip that can be turned on or off with a touch of your foot.

Summer months often mean more car travel, and some simple habit changes can yield big fuel savings. According to the Alliance to Save Energy, keeping your speed at 60 miles per hour or lower can really affect your gasoline charges. The group estimates that each five miles per hour over 60 uses gas equivalent to paying an extra 24 cents per gallon.

Summer also means higher water use. In addition to being water wise with your outdoor landscaping, you can save both heat and water by trimming showers to five minutes or so. When it comes to clothes, running only full loads of wash, choosing cold water to wash most loads, and using Colorado sun to dry your clothes can save you water and heat as well.

As your new Community Energy Coordinator, I will be working in Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties to help get the word out about ways to save energy and take advantage of programs to encourage energy efficiency and the spread of renewable energy. I invite your questions, thoughts and ideas at the email or phone number below.

Be sure to also check out the new website of the Governor’s Energy Office that is loaded with information about energy rebates and incentives: www.RechargeColorado.com or 800-462-0184.

Rebecca Cantwell is the Community Energy Coordinator for Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties, working with Colorado State University Extension and the Governor’s Energy Office to help educate residents about energy use and assist in ways to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy. She can be reached at Rebecca.Cantwell@colostate.edu or 303-679-4233.

Sunday, May 23rd

The Nederland Class of 2010 celebrated their high school graduation with Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 23, 2010, in the school gym.

The Class Colors of purple and silver were reflected in bunches of shimmering, multi-hued balloons decorating the gym. The graduating seniors completed the complimentary color scheme by donning coordinating academic regalia: female grads wore purple gowns with silver stoles and mortarboards; male grads wore silver gowns with purple stoles and mortarboards.

The Processional of graduates was followed by the singing of the National Anthem by the choir. Class officers welcomed everyone to the Commencement ceremony. Class officers were: Johannah Monserud, Head Girl; Forrest Pieper, Head Boy; Kyria Bosma, Secretary; and Emma Waddell, Treasurer.

Zane Hintzman spoke about “Dreams.” Presentation of Awards was by Rich Salaz, LeRoy Lopez and Ken Robinson. Charyle Hojnacki spoke about “Passage of Time.”

A dynamic Commencement Address was given by Mark Randall, a former Denver Nuggets player and now one of its community ambassadors.

Principal Rich Salaz next presented the graduates, and Bridget Chiarito and Aly Shambo presented the diplomas to the members of the Class of 2010:

Kyam Blitt, Kyria Bosma, Kiah Chappell, Lacy Cooney, Nicholas Curcio, Tatiana Dake, Brianna Dashnaw-Liming, Robert Decker, Nikolas Demo, Quinton Downs, Jennifer Ebeling, William Ford, Sarah Gunn, Gage Hamel, Keegan Harris, Kyle Headrick, Zane Hintzman, Charlye Hojnacki, Daniel Ishmael, Jesse Knight, Dustin Larsen, Kristopher Lock, Daniel Luevano, Erika Marending, Madalyn McCoy, Johannah Monserud, Theresa Moreno, Ariana Nershi, Cayla Paulson, Forrest Pieper, Ava Plamondon, Timothy Plumb, Christian Reecer, Kaile Robinson, Melodia Roche, Jerry Schmidt, Sierra Seifert, Natasha Slinger, Justin Storms, MicaLee Taylor, Jaymes Tregay, Jennifer Vero, Emma Waddell, Eli Walters, Amy Wenzel, and Stuart Williams.

Mortarboard tassels of purple and sometimes gold were flung from right to left to indicate the seniors newly attained graduation status. The parents and families of graduating seniors were requested to stand when the grad’s name was called. They were then presented with pine tree seedlings for planting, symbolizing the commencement of their grad’s life as a young adult.

The gym lights were dimmed as a Senior Slide Show of the Class of 2010 members was shown. The traditional audience guffaws and giggles of laughter with wild applause accompanied the slide show by Julie Ikler of seniors’ baby pictures and graduation portraits.

The Recessional completed the ceremony and graduates stood in a receiving line to share handshakes, hugs, smiles, and tears with their well-wishers. Congratulations to the Nederland High School Class of 2010!

Library’s popular summer program continues

Watching Andre Mallinger’s fingers working the keys of her “mbira” is like watching a career secretary work a computer keyboard. The action seems to require no thought, to be so natural, it’s automatic. Effortlessly, her hands move over the instrument’s metal strip keys, but rather than letters on a page, her fingers produce notes in the air. They pour out from the “deza” surrounding the mbira, giving it a “buzz” as they pass. The notes follow each other in ordered form passed down for centuries, but rather than marching along, these notes bounce, skipping and hop-dancing to an exotic rhythm. Malinger explained the music she played is from the Shona culture in Africa. It’s very complex, she said, with interlocking parts that produce a whole series of rhythms and melodies. There is brightness in the music. I couldn’t help smiling as I listened and I noticed Mallinger smiling as she played. This unfamiliar music was vibrant, rhythmic, joyous and when she stopped playing-well, I really didn’t want her to.

We were sitting in the atrium of the Community Center where I’d met Mallinger to talk about this summer’s “Musician-in-Residence” program at Gilpin County Public Library. The Friends of the Library have funded “Artist-in-Residence” programs for three summers, now, with a different genre of art featured each time. This year, they’re focusing on the art of music, choosing Mallinger to provide a summer’s worth of programs (free to those attending). As we talked, Mallinger had assembled her instrument, and then offered a spontaneous sample of its abilities. The mbira is a Zimbabwean instrument, a “thumb piano” with a keyboard of metal strips. The deza is the bowl surrounding it, traditionally made from a calabash gourd (Mallinger’s is made of fiberglass) that adds resonance, a vibration that hums beneath the melody. She plans to use this instrument, as well as others, in several workshops for participants to make their own music. But it’s just part of a broader program, a series of workshops that will include discussion, performance and activities-some geared to specific age groups and some suitable for all ages.

Mallinger brings more than 30 years of musical study and performance experience to Gilpin. She learned piano as a child then joined the school band and became a percussionist. “I wanted to be a rock ’n roll drummer,” she confessed. At eleven, she learned to play the marimba, dedicated to classical music. As an adult, she discovered the African style of marimba music and loves the rhythms of it. She’s since expanded to other instruments. Her education (M.A., Antrhopology, CU, Boulder) as an ethnomusicologist (a combination of cultural anthropology and music) plays well with her love of travel. A resident of Rollinsville, she’s just returned from a 17 month journey that included time spent in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, India and Costa Rica. While in India, she studied classical Indian drumming (“I’m a percussionist at heart,” she says) and, in Laos, she played their style of xylophone, the “lanat.” Mallinger has performed in numerous bands and ensembles, incorporating classical, orchestral, Caribbean, jazz, Celtic, and several styles of African music. She’s taught all to marimba, piano and drum students, both privately and in schools, and has worked with all ages, including teaching at elementary and high schools, community colleges and, most recently (2002-2008), Mallinger was an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University in Boulder.

Mallinger has ideas to share many kinds of music in many different ways. Participants in this year’s Musician-in-Residence workshops will likely discover musical styles, forms and concepts that are new to them. Children love workshops tailored for them with rhythm games and physically playing the instruments. Seniors also enjoy playing the simple instruments and might find these workshops changing their way of thinking. Music is primal, Mallinger explained, it doesn’t matter if participants have no music background at all, music is “heart language.” She says she’s excited to learn from the participants and looking forward to getting to know the “greater Gilpin” population. She hopes people will come away from her programs with a new awareness of the concepts, styles and sounds of different types of music. Then they can decide for themselves which they like. Another goal is to help people feel that creative spark and let it take them wherever they want-even if that’s just singing for themselves, she said, “Maybe this will lead them to something new, as well.” Could be. Though you wouldn’t know it when you hear her play, African music was once new to Mallinger. Now it’s her favorite. “It touches my heart,” she says. Participants in these workshops may well find a style of music that touches their hearts, too.

Mallinger and Library Director Larry Grieco are finalizing the program schedule. The workshops will run June – August. Registration information, the schedule and titles of workshops will be published in the Weekly Register-Call as soon as they’re available. Meanwhile, listen to a sample at www.tobatanamarimba.org – the Crestfest links will let you see Mallinger in action. Just try to sit still while you listen.

Peak to Peak Rotary Club Meeting

The Peak-to-Peak Rotary Club held its weekly meeting on Thursday, May 20, in the Cedar Grille room at Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino in Central City. Gilpin County School Art Teacher, Curt Halsted, and students of the Interact Club were guest speakers at the meeting along with Superintendent Tina Goar.

Interact students attending the meeting were Jon Adams, Megan Ball, Shelby Foelsch, J.J. Johnson, Tim Johnson, Stephanie Pilcher, Molly Quaranto, Becca Schafer, and Ty Schmalz. Bobby Garza, who was unable to attend the meeting, and Megan Ball are the club’s current co-presidents.

Rotary President, D’Lynn Morse, presented Halsted with gifts of appreciation for all the work he has done in being the teacher sponsor for the Rotary supported Interact Club. Several of the Interact projects for this school year included the Penny War/Coin Drive and Hat Drive for Earth Day to raise funds for recycling activities.

Part of Interact’s Earth Day events on May 22 included selling hat pins. With the purchase of a pin for a dollar, a student could wear a hat to school that day to celebrate Earth Day. Rotarian Ben Slinger agreed to once again match the amount of funds generated by the pin sales. An estimated 242 pins were sold in raising some $242 for the club. Slinger’s munificence got the best of him and instead of merely matching those funds, he donated a generous $500 cash to the club!

Following that, Halsted and Adams summarized a PowerPoint presentation by the Interact Club on Earth Day, “3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” The presentation’s final goal emphasized achieving Zero Waste, where all materials are kept in a production cycle and “waste” doesn’t exist. One of the club’s recycling goals is to replace the Styrofoam trays used in the school’s cafeteria with a more compatible recycling product. Halsted recommended Action Recycling located in Wheatridge for recycling electronics, such as old television sets.

The next speaker was Superintendent Goar on the success of the AVID (Achievement Via Individual Determination) program in the Middle and High School classes. Student Becca Schafer talked about her AVID experience and how it had improved her student skills. One of the adult AVID tutors commented on the tangible results of improved student learning she had seen take place during the course of the school year. Rotarians were encouraged to participate as tutors in the program.

Goar mentioned some of the AVID strategies used in the school, including Middle School students attending a theater movie, “Avatar,” and having a critical learning tutorial of the movie afterward. High School students incorporated their reading of Lewis Carroll’s book, “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland,” with attending a theater movie on the same subject matter for a combined critical discussion of the book and movie during tutorials.

The program will be continued next year and Goar talked about the possibility of officially starting AVID in the Elementary School. High School AVID students recently started conducting trial tutorials with select elementary students. When questioned about what class a student gives up for an AVID tutorial, Goar responded with “study hall.”

Goar thanked the City of Black Hawk for providing the funds for the AVID program.

The meeting concluded after the recitation of the Four Way Test. The next Rotary Club meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 27, from noon to 1:00 p.m. at Fortune Valley Hotel in Central City. An appetizing lunch is available for $10 from the hotel’s Flavours Café Restaurant. Non-members and guests are always welcome at the meeting. Please visit the Rotary website, www.peaktopeakrotary.org, for more information.

The Gilpin County School District is very thankful for the opportunities and generosity the Black Hawk Educational Enhancement Fund has provided us this year and will continue to in future years. We take this gift seriously and have taken the time and given serious thought to the prioritized use of these funds for the benefit of our students’ education and well being of the school district overall. I am happy to share with the community the following on how we are currently using these funds in the school district.

The professional development of our instructional staff has been one of our top priorities. It is one of the most important things we can do to positively affect the academic achievement of all our students. This year we have had several professional development activities funded by Black Hawk funds. One is the RtI or Response to Intervention system implementation. Three days were spent with an RtI consultant facilitating staff learning how to best respond to the needs of all our students in the classroom. Best practices and strategies for the classrooms were discussed, learned and are being applied by the staff to meet the needs of our students. In addition, we have an RtI specialist several times this year attend who our Student Study Teams to provide expertise and guidance.

Another professional development activity has been a Literacy Coach in the elementary school. This coach has provided expertise and guidance for all our elementary teachers in developing and implementing a balanced literacy program in the classroom. The literacy coach services has included several days of learning about best practices and strategies in the classroom plus small group or one to one coaching for each teacher.

“Thinking Maps” has been an exciting professional development opportunity this year for all staff. This is an exceptional tool and best practice for our teachers to apply in the classroom to help our students think through the skills and concepts they are learning on a daily basis.Critical thinking is a very important skill for all of our students to possess. “Thinking Maps” is one of the best strategies to develop critical thinking. We have had a one day training with an expert in the area along with several staff taking more days of training in order to be an onsite expert in the school district. Additionally, I have attended two days of “Thinking Maps” training for Leaders in which district and school leaders learned how to apply the strategies in the leadership of the school and district.

We at Gilpin County School District are fortunate in having the Black Hawk Educational Enhancement Funds. As we all experience these difficult economic times, it is helpful to know that we have the resources to build upon the educational program we provide for our students. In future weeks all of you will be seeing additional articles from me sharing how the Black Hawk funds are being successfully utilized and the benefits received by our students and staff.

The Nederland High School Robotics club, team #1584 called the Pirates, is grandly flying their skull-and-cross-tools banner high after they won the 2010 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Colorado Regional Competition in the Ritchie Center at the University of Denver on March 25-27.

The FIRST robotics theme this year was Breakaway, in which the robots will race up and down a court with a ball to score in two nets, bumping and hitting each other to get by. The Pirates’ 2010 PirateBot is called Blackbeard’s Spittoon, which plays a “crushing goalie-style defense,” and was built in six weeks during the specified design-and-build period in early January.

Club mentor Brian Enke said it occurred to them during the Regional Competition against 40 other teams, “What would happen if we won the event?” They did. It was their first time to win the Regional and they qualified to attend the 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition Nationals on Thursday, April 15, through Saturday, April 17, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Pirates then had precious little time to scramble for funds to support their preparation for the trip – buying some ‘bot parts – and the trip itself to the competition.

The Pirates presented an Agreement for Funding requesting a total of $2,250 to the Gilpin Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to support their present and future activities. On Tuesday, April 13, during their regular meeting the BOCC generously granted an immediate award of $1,125 to the team in supporting their entry in the Nationals. Several students who live in Gilpin County but attend the Nederland school are on the robotics team.

Enke said he hadn’t heard about the award and was extremely grateful to the commissioners for their financial support. With their fundraising efforts and tremendous community support, the team succeeded in surpassing their minimum goal of raising $10,000 within one month to make the trip possible.

Blackbeard’s Spittoon already shipped out for Atlanta before the team. The Pirates departed in the early morning from Denver International Airport for Atlanta on Wednesday, April 14. They will spend that evening uncrating and assembling their PirateBot for inspection before the competition begins with practice matches on Thursday. Seven qualifying round matches will take place on Friday and Saturday in determining the winning team.

The robotics club was established by Enke and Scott Jewell six years ago in 2004 “to help prepare area students for life in a technological and business world.” The Pirates are a small team currently consisting of six students and three mentors who rely on lots of parental support in keeping the club going. Jewell is the lead mentor and estimated that he has dedicated approximately 40 volunteer hours a week on average after school in mentoring the program.

Pirates seniors are Zane Hintzman, Dustin Larsen and Forrest Pieper. Hintzman plans on attending Carnegie Mellon University in the fall and majoring in computer science with a minor in robotics. Larsen will be attending the University of Colorado at Boulder and Pieper will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.

The remaining Pirates team members are juniors Ian May and Jack Newman, and freshman Parker Stevens. May was “really excited” about attending the Nationals. Hintzman, May and Pieper did most of the computer programming this year using Wind River C++ software. Both Enke and Jewell encourage Gilpin County students to check out the club.

What are the Pirates chances of winning the Nationals against 399 other teams? It might be a long shot, as Pieper explained that some robotics teams have up to 30 members and corporate sponsorship, meaning more money to spend on building a better ‘bot using more sophisticated technology. May said Blackbeard’s Spittoon is a good defensive ‘bot and they “might be picked.”

Regardless of the Nationals outcome, what the Pirates and their mentors have achieved is truly exceptional and they deserve congratulations all around for their triumph. As Enke commented, “It’s a culmination of six years’ worth of learning,” that’s come through commitment and hard work. Good luck to the Pirates!

For the fifth year in a row, students from Gilpin County High School attended the third session of the annual Colorado Close-Up Program. This intensive three-day program focuses on engaging Colorado’s youth in an in-depth study of our state government. Our students spent the three days in marathon training sessions, which were primarily led by the students or by various elected legislators of the state. The in-depth program covered all three branches of the state government and was held at the state Supreme Court building, the State Capitol, and in the Denver Court House.

While in the House and Senate, the students watched debates over various issues, voting on bills, and talked to lobbyists from several organizations throughout the state about issues important to Gilpin County such as education funding, the I-70 corridor, and environmental issues.

From Sunday noon to Tuesday afternoon our students participated in discussions on Hot Topics where students work with their peers to create solutions addressing the hot issues in their communities, examining the positive and negative consequences related to those solutions. They attended a session called, “Role of the Media” where local media professionals joined our students to discuss the impact of the media in the political realm and help students learn to form the “perfect question.” U.S. Representative Jared Polis, from Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, was a keynote speaker and addressed our students about the importance of civic engagement and being leaders within their own communities. Monday brought along a mock trial in The Judicial Branch in which our kids participated along with nine other high schools from Meeker, Rifle, Caliche, Plainview, Weldon Valley, Florence, La Junta, Widefield, and Rangeview, CO.

This year’s Colorado Close-Up participants included seniors Katie Schimanskey, Bobby Garza, and David Yerkman, junior class representatives Haeley Johnson and Megan Ball, and sophomores Molly Quaranto, Jon Adams, Michael Barngrover, Becca Schafer, and Shelby Foelsch. Our high school social studies teacher, Karl Gates, was the accompanying sponsor from the school.  For a month prior to the session the students researched and studied current and past legislation, “hot topic” issues, and several Supreme Court cases on their lunch breaks and in after school sessions in preparation for the event.

“It is very encouraging to see the amount of preparation and work that these kids were willing to put into this program. They represented Gilpin Schools very well and I am extremely proud of them,” said Karl Gates.

Taking time out from their hectic legislative schedules, Colorado State Senator Dan Gibbs, and Representative Claire Levy, joined the Gilpin student group for breakfast on the final day of the program.  For an hour the students asked the legislators questions and talked about issues that specifically affect our county.

The Colorado Close-Up program is impressive in its scope and gave the students a better idea of how essential it is to be informed about the issues that affect our state and county and how important it is to be an active participant in our community’s future development.