News in Brief

Record 1,210 Tickets Sold

Organizer Nina Kuhl reports this year’s Sept. 27 Park Hill Home Tour & Street Fair was the most successful ever, with revenues over $56,000 – which is $8,000 more than last year. In all, 1,210 tickets were sold, and more than 100 vendors participated at the Street Fair. Expenses are still being calculated, but total revenues are expected to clear $48,000, to benefit the Greater Park Hill neighborhood association. The organizers extend heartfelt thanks to the seven homeowners who opened up their homes for the tour, sponsors and advertisers, dedicated committee members and Home Tour support members. More than 140 volunteers the day of the event made the Home Tour & Street Fair a success.

Local Photog Honored

Park Hill photographer and business owner Willy Wilson was honored in the 2015 International Image Competition sponsored by The National Association of Professional Child Photographers. Wilson competed against thousands of image entries and won second place in the Family category with her piece “Sunday Afternoon.” The competition includes numerous category subjects, including Maternity, Newborn, Babies, Children, Siblings, Toddlers, Tweens, Seniors and Family. Image submissions were judged by a panel of experts based on impact, technical merit, composition and creativity. Wilson specializes in Day in the Life photography for families and business – which she describes as photojournalism for personal use.  The subjects of the winning photograph are also from Park Hill – Rachel Fewell is the Collection Services Manager Denver Public Library. To see more of Wilson’s work, check out http://www.lifeunstill.com.

303 Artway Project Launched

Northeast Transportation Connections has launched 303 Artway – a proposed walking and biking trail that would run through Park Hill and connect to the new 40th & Colorado Commuter Rail Station. The trail would add sidewalks where there currently are none, as well as paved off-street components. The trail is modeled on successful projects such as the Indianapolis Cultural Trail (http://indyculturaltrail.org/). It would feature art installations by local artists and contributions from the community, especially kids. It would also connect to retail districts, amenities, and historical sites. The 303 Artway project is a joint effort between Urban Land Conservancy, PlatteForum, Urbanity Advisors, and Northeast Transportation Connections. Organizers have launched a crowdfunding campaign and are trying to raise $50,000 by Nov. 12. Community members are also being asked to fill out a short survey and vote on the stops that should be included along the trail. “This is very much a community-driven project,” according to organizer Jesse Livingston. “We want to get feedback from as many residents as possible in order to know that they want the trail and learn where they want it to be built.” The website is http://www.303artway.org/.  The crowdfunding page is: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/303-artway-let-s-build-an-urban-trail-in-denver#/story And, the survey can be found at this link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/303artway

Northfield Principal Quits

Founding Northfield High School Principal Avi Tropper resigned on Oct. 20, after a DPS investigation into concerns raised by some families that inappropriate force was used in the context of discipline procedures at the school. According to information provided by the district, the review detailed multiple instances where Tropper engaged in inappropriate use of force, inappropriate escalation of relatively minor incidents and inappropriate supervision of security personnel. In addition, the district asserted Tropper threatened to use suspension as a tool to force at least one student out of the school and engaged in inappropriate behavior towards parents. According to a DPS press release, parents and students will be invited to participate in the hiring process for a new permanent principal.

Keeping The Lights On

More than 100 children, parents, and community members came together Oct. 23 at a Lights On Afterschool rally at Park Hill’s Ashley Elementary to draw attention to the need for more afterschool programs to serve millions of children nationwide who are unsupervised and at risk each weekday afternoon. The gathering was one of 8,000 such events across the nation emphasizing the importance of keeping the lights on and the doors open for afterschool programs.

Scholars Unlimited has provided after-school and summer learning programs at Ashley Elementary for more than a decade. These comprehensive programs provide literacy intervention and tutoring, self-paced math instruction, a variety of in-depth enrichment, and recreational activities to promote fitness and health.