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italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

I think it's great that you wrote an article on the MCHS honor band, however I found the article lacking in recognition for the actual students who were selected. I've noticed recent articles about MCHS athletes, in which there were pictures of the individual students, or the whole team, and the names were listed. The kids in honor band deserve the same recognition as the students who happen to be star athletes. It would have been nice if you included a picture of the honor band students and the names of all eleven of the students who were chosen.

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

Our family was devastated when we heard the news of Mr. Smith's passing. He was my oldest daughter's first band teacher. She is now a member of the high school wind ensemble, marching and jazz bands. My son is an 8th grader in the CMS Band, and lost his favorite teacher. His lovely wife Linda is my youngest daughter's piano teacher.
Mr. Smith truly was a wonderful human being. He loved his job and loved the kids he taught. He was a class act, and an exemplary teacher. He will be missed by many in this community. I can only hope he knew how much he meant to the kids.
Please say prayers for his wife, their sons and the rest of the family. May he rest in peace.

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

Vehicular homicide and careless driving resulting in death are two completely different charges. It has nothing to do with who you are. Vehicular homicide is charged in cases when there is a death and the driver is grossly negligent, ie. under the influence of either alcohol or drugs. In careless driving resulting in death, the person did not break any other law, except to drive carelessly and it results in someone's death. In Colorado, vehicular homicide is a felony and careless, resulting in death is a misdemeanor.

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

I think this hype around the CSAP is just ridiculous. Despite the fact that my kids have always scored in the advanced range, I have always hated the CSAP. Why not just teach the kids what they need to know, rather than teaching them how to take a test. I know it's state-mandated, but it's still a waste of time. There is way too much time spent simply teaching the kids how to take the test. It takes time away from teaching them the core subjects. I also think the words and signs of encouragement need to be seen and heard all year and not just for this test. Kids need to know we want them to do their best every day they are in class, and not stress about one single test.

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

For those interested, I found a very informative website about a film made about this exact situation. Here is the website link:
http://gaslandthemovie.com/whats-frac…

It does a really good job of explaining what exactly is involved in the “fracking” process.

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

I totally agree! I did not grow up here, but I have lived in the Yampa Valley for over 20 years. My three kids were born in Steamboat Springs and here in Craig. My oldest is 16 now and doesn't have recess anymore, but my two younger kids still do. I have always thought that 10 degrees was too cold to force the kids to play outside. I have relatives down in Colorado Springs, and their kid's schools don't allow them to go outside if the temperature is lower than 20 degrees. I work for the school district and have also been a substitute teacher in the schools. There are many kids who just don't have the proper outerwear to be out in that weather. I have subbed on frigidly cold days when some kids wore little more than a light jacket. They do try to help the kids find coats, hats and gloves, even resorting to going through the lost and found to find something appropriate to wear. Of course whatever was taken from the lost and found was returned after the recess, but I think that's ridiculous!
On the other side, because of our geographic location, we will have many, many days where the temperatures fall just above 10 degrees. I'm sure there will be arguments that the kids would rarely get to play outside during the winter if the rules were changed. I'm not sure they will change that rule, but you are not alone in your thoughts. You do have the support of other parents.

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

I totally agree! I did not grow up here, but I have lived in the Yampa Valley for over 20 years. My three kids were born in Steamboat Springs and here in Craig. My oldest is 16 now and doesn't have recess anymore, but my two younger kids still do. I have always thought that 10 degrees was too cold to force the kids to play outside. I have relatives down in Colorado Springs, and their kid's schools don't allow them to go outside if the temperature is lower than 20 degrees. I work for the school district and have also been a substitute teacher in the schools. There are many kids who just don't have the proper outerwear to be out in that weather. I have subbed on frigidly cold days when some kids wore little more than a light jacket. They do try to help the kids find coats, hats and gloves, even resorting to going through the lost and found to find something appropriate to wear. Of course whatever was taken from the lost and found was returned after the recess, but I think that's ridiculous!
On the other side, because of our geographic location, we will have many, many days where the temperatures fall just above 10 degrees. I'm sure there will be arguments that the kids would rarely get to play outside during the winter if the rules were changed. I'm not sure they will change that rule, but you are not alone in your thoughts. You do have the support of other parents.

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

I have to make a correction to my comment. I apologize for saying that Jantz made the statement about the program's effectiveness, when it was Hess.

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

I find it funny that Jantz says “there is no available data to support or detract from the program's effectiveness.” Maybe he is only talking about Moffat County, because there have been a number of well-publicized national studies that show DARE does not work. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to tell kids to not do drugs and make good decisions. I just think it's ridiculous to spend money year after year on a “feel good” program that just doesn't work. The Federal Department of Education doesn't even support DARE in the schools!! Read this article, it's pretty eye-opening. http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Cont… This is from another study on the effectiveness of DARE “Many experts assert that politics is what has kept the much-criticized program around for so many years, despite a mountain of evidence that it's not only ineffective but sometimes even counterproductive and causing harm to young people. The estimated cost of DARE annually is already $1 to 1.3 billion. That's a lot for a completely ineffective, often counterproductive, program.”

italiris4 (Denise Bagley) says…

In theory I agree that the program was a positive, but it still violates the law. A police officer cannot legally stop a vehicle for no reason. He/she has to have probable cause.