Anyone who has went for a walk, run, or ride on Westerly Creek with any frequency and passed under the MLK bridge, has seen some unusual sites. Sightings include teens and pre-teens hanging out, an inordinate amount of garbage, beer cans, and even condoms under the MLK bridge. In fact, this editor once saw a giant (albeit dead) snake atop the bridge on a run once. But, in the last few months, things have become even crazier. [Read more…] about MLK Bridge Becoming Shady Underworld

Contracts haven’t been finalized, and ground hasn’t been broken, but the Eastbridge gas station is already expanding. In fact, the 20% increase in size of the station has caused a move to the larger north lot in the Eastbridge Town Center. “We ran some numbers, and we believe we can use the space,” says King Soopers Designer Ryan Glynn. “Our team made some adjustments, and we spoke with the other development teams, and now we have what we think will be appropriate space. However, it could continue to grow prior to the construction phase.” [Read more…] about Eastbridge Gas Station Already Experiencing Growth; Moves to Northern Location

The Westerly Creek North/Uplands project is in full swing as evidenced by the many workers and trucks moving dirt in the Westerly Creek North Neighborhood. Although there has been a lot of information regarding the project, residents have been pretty quiet about the whole thing. “Aside from having a lot of dirt blowing around, and some loud trucks during the day, it really isn’t that big of a deal,” says Westerly Creek North resident Adam Young. “In fact, it is kind of exciting, as we have been staring at that ugly field with the prison behind it. Now, it looks like they have built a giant mound so we don’t have to look at the prison. But, I have no idea what is really going on over there.” [Read more…] about Residents Plan to Wait Till Uplands Project Half Completed to Begin Complaining About It

The choice system is complete, and statistically, most people are happy. In fact, 83% of families received their first choice. Aside from the 17% who may not be happy, there are other things to consider when examining the choice system. One of the most frustrating things about the choice system is that you can have five different schools represented on one block. This could be for several reasons including that a boundary school wasn’t even open when kids on the block first starting attending school. But, in other scenarios, parents chose to send their kids to a different school because they liked the location better, their child had friends who planned to attend there, or they felt it was going to be a better learning environment for their child. These are all fair reasons. [Read more…] about Letter From the Editor: Border Wars: Maybe it’s Time to Reconsider Our Choice System

Thank you all for participating in the 2015 Stapletonion Bracket Challenge!  It’s all over! Now, we need your prize choices.  First place, Bryan D., makes first selection of the prizes below, then second place Maria F., then third place Karla R., and so on.  Please contact us ASAP if you are in the top 15 of the pool, and your wish list of prizes.  Thank you! Thank you again to the great companies who donated to the prize pool! 2015 Stapletonion Bracket Challenge Prizes

• Stapleton All Sports: Free mutli-sport summer camp
• Mici: Two of the following: 16″ XL Specialty Pizza & Bottle of Italian Wine
• Happy Cakes: Build a Happy Cake, 8″ two-layer birthday cake (feeds 25)
• Chipotle: Two of the following: Dinner for four certificate
• Berkshire: Two $30 gift cards
• Stapleton Help Desk: Two hours of service ($250 value)
• Jim ‘N Nick’s: $50 Gift Card
• Kevin Carlson Golf: 1.5 hour golf workshop – $250 value – The winner can invite up to 5 friends.
• Camp Gladiator: One FREE 4 week Camp Gladiator boot camp (valued at $189) with buddy pass
• Smart Space:  $200 Smart Space Gift Card
• Stapletonion: Stapletonion Shirts

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Spring has sprung, and as Stapleton parents will tell you, it’s going to be a busy one. There is baseball, soccer, LAX, dance, among several other activities. Plus, for parents, it’s time for Rockies’ games, golf, and impromptu happy hours. It can all make for a busy spring season for parents. However, no matter how busy a Stapleton parent is, they always have time to let you know how busy they are. “We have Jack on the travel baseball team, so he has practice two nights a week, plus weekend tournaments,” says resident Nikki Jenkins. “Then Madison made the soccer A team this year, so things are already getting crazy with her. With Steve’s recent promotion and upcoming travel, I just don’t know how we are going to do it.” Resident Brenda Fisher feels her schedule is even tougher. “Aiden has piano lessons on Sunday nights, and soccer on Wednesdays and Saturdays,” says Fisher. “Then of course Sophia has her dance program, which is on Thursdays, with performances once a month. Coordinating that, as well as getting them to doctors, dentists, and everything else, makes for a really busy spring for us.” In Stapleton, if you want to compete to win the “Busiest Spring” award, it can’t just be about activities. “Anytime I am talking to someone about how much I have going on, I always throw in a boast about my kids,” says Stapleton parent Stephanie Siphers. “For example, ‘Brody has so much going on with soccer. And I feel like we can’t miss it because the coaches are always telling me how good he is and that he needs to be there. So, it’s great, but it just keeps us crazy busy.’” Another key to being in the running for “Busiest Spring” is making people empathize with you. “You have to occasionally throw your hands in the air out of semi-frustration, and then say something to the effect of, ‘but, it has to get done.’ And if that doesn’t do it, you throw in a random annoying thing that happened recently. ‘And on top of that, the furnace just went out at our rental property.’ Your goal is to get people to say things like, ‘I don’t know how you do it,’ then you know they think you and your family are better than they are.” So, when you are wondering the streets and parks of Stapleton, be careful regarding the general questions you ask. “Anytime I am at a park, I am just waiting for someone to ask, ‘how are you doing?’ or ‘how are the kids?,” says Siphers. “It’s a great opportunity to come back with my litany of things to let them know how crazy busy and great I am. Oh, did I mention I just started doing Orange Theory.” Add it to the list. ]]>

A recent article discusses some of the flaws to Stapleton’s new urbanism effort, which mostly focuses on street design. What was intended to be a walking community has essentially been overrun with speeding cars. “The design has done nothing to encourage biking or walking,” says new urbanism planner Doug Cox. “When you make wide roads with two and three car garages in the back, you completely eliminate street parking, therefore creating wide lanes which encourage speedy traffic.” [Read more…] about Report: Daytona Race Track only Two Feet Wider than Stapleton Streets

In March, area schools administered the CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) tests. The testing can be stressful for teachers, administrators, and even parents. But in the end, the pressure is all on those who take the tests, the students. “My heart goes out to them,” says Westerly Creek Principal Nancy Ortner. “It’s a lot of pressure to have the perceived success of your teacher, principal, and school on your back. I don’t remember if we took standardized tests when we were kids or not, but it seems like there is more riding on them these days.” [Read more…] about Schools Practice Unusual Methods to Increase Test Scores