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Education

  • A big lesson in giving

    A Kendallvue Elementary School mom — with the help of some elves — made Christmas a bit brighter for some school families last week.
    When Tricia Ribble heard that a few families were unable to pay their water bills and had no water in their houses, let alone presents for Christmas, she jumped into action.

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  • Grade-school parents warned about dangers of Internet, cell phones

    Parents of elementary school students need to keep track of their children’s activities on the Internet because even kids that young are falling prey to online sexual predators, two Jefferson County investigators said.

    More elementary-school-age children are becoming victims of sexual predators because more of them have cell phones and frequent social networking sites, said Mike Harris, an investigator with the Jeffco district attorney’s Child Sexual Offender Internet Investigations Unit.

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  • Doggin’ it: Marshdale dads provide safety, fun for students

    Marshdale Elementary School has started a program that benefits the school, kids and, just as importantly, dads.

    The Watch D.O.G.S. program, which stands for Dads of Great Students, puts a dad, uncle or granddad into the school for the entire school day every day of the school year. The dads have many tasks, but their main mission is safety.

    In an elementary school where most of the staff is female, it’s nice to have another male presence in the school, said school principal Christie Frost.

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  • Board candidate Powers concerned with closings, need for options

    By Emile Hallez

    Staff writer

    Lakewood architect Jim Powers opted to run against District 4 school board candidate Lesley Dahlkemper at virtually the last possible minute, filing an affidavit with the state on Aug. 29, the day such documents were due.

    Though Powers wasn’t sure months ago about his desire to run, he said he began paying attention to school issues this year, and that led to some serious concerns.

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  • School board candidate Branaugh cites transparency, spending policies

    By Emile Hallez

    Staff Writer

    Jeffco Board of Education candidate Preston Branaugh slipped into the previously uncontested race in District 3 just hours before filing deadlines, registering with the secretary of state on the last possible day.

    But for Branaugh, a father of two daughters who attend Jeffco schools, the decision to run against candidate Jill Fellman came after months of deliberation, he said.

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  • Schools’ new pay structure will be tied to student performance

    By Emile Hallez

    Staff Writer

    A Jeffco Public Schools panel is working to draft a new compensation plan for teachers, and the Board of Education instructed it on Sept. 15 to initially dream big and spare no expense.

    A new pay-for-performance compensation structure will eventually need to be implemented to make the district compliant with Senate Bill 191, legislation passed last year that ties teacher evaluations to student performance.

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  • Business leaders coach DECA club members at Conifer High

    Thanks to local business leaders, students in the DECA chapter at Conifer High are on their way to becoming engineers, bakery owners, fashion designers and, with a little luck for one, the future general manager of the Boston Red Sox.

    The Business Plan Adviser Panel, a group of area business leaders, met with about 45 members of the marketing club recently and helped them refine ideas for business plans for DECA competitions this year.

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  • Driving the future

    This time of year, school bus drivers have only one thing on their minds: getting area kids to and from school safely. But some bus drivers also have a little fun on their five-day-a-week educational road trips.

    More than 60 bus drivers for Jefferson County Public Schools began driving the 47 routes that get children to and from Conifer and Evergreen schools. The bus drivers are based at the west area transportation office in Marshdale, known simply as the bus barn.

    “It takes a unique person to be a driver,” said Josie Gallagher, bus barn director.

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  • Most parents on board with bus fee

    Most Conifer area parents seem to be on board with the transportation fees imposed this year by the Jefferson County School District. 

    Josie Gallagher, director of the Marshdale bus barn, said people aren’t complaining to her about the bus fees. If anything, people are calling if they don’t see the fee on their bill.

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  • A virtual standout

    The most rewarding part of Jeffco English teacher Kristin Kipp’s job is helping struggling students find success, a sentiment not uncommon among passionate educators.

    But Kipp, an Evergreen resident with a remote mountain home, seldom, if ever, actually meets many of her students in person.

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