It is time for the fall musical on the Berthoud High School Stage. This year’s extravaganza is the 1950’s Tony Award winning musical “Guys and Dolls.”

Set in lower Manhattan, the story centers on the passions of hard-core gamblers willing to wager on any variety of chance or situations. They are countered by Sergeant Sarah Brown (Maggie Stamets) who heads a local Salvation Army-like organization and her missionaries.

Nathan Detroit (Sam Kleber) is the organizer of the local floating crap game, but he is running out of places to play. He wants to hold the game at the local garage, but the owner wants  $1000 dollars up front and Nathan is fresh out of money. The pressure is on and to secure the money Detroit makes a bet he feels sure to win with Sky Masterson (Jon Nuehalfen) a big stakes gambler.

Sarah Brown

An unanticipated result of the bet is the beginning of romantic feelings between the gambler and the missionary.

Miss Adelaide's Lament

Meanwhile, Miss Adelaide (Jessalyn Neuhalfen}, the star of the Hot Box Dancers and Nathan Detroit’s fiancée of 14 years, has had a long and frustrating engagement to the slippery Mr. Detroit and is just about to give up on him.

The play takes us through the ups and down of these relationships with the floating crap game as the backdrop. Finally, the ladies decide to accept their men just as they are, since they can always change them later.

In the final scene, several weeks later, many changes have happened.

This is a delightful production with Bridge-Between Choir members in the cast and with Karen Kleber’s magic touch on the choreography. Songs by talented Jessalyn Neuhalfen and Maggie Stamets are showstoppers. Mrs. Latchaw has done it again, another smash musical for the Berthoud Stage. Go, you will like it.

Show times are 7:30 on Friday and Saturday, November 17 and 18. A Saturday, November 19 matinee is at 2 p.m. with an evening show at 7:30.  Tickets $10 at the door, $8 if you buy them ahead of time at the school office.

Support our kids and have a great time while doing it.

The Cast

Nicely-Nicely Johnson ……………………..Timmy Harvell

Benny Southstreet ……………………….… Kyle Cavey

Rusty Charlie…………………………..…….Parker Owens

Nathan Detroit ………………………………Sam Kleber

Miss Adelaide……………………………… Jessaiyn Neuhalfen

Sky Masterson ……………………………..Jon Neuhalfen

Sarah Brown ……………………………….Maggie Stamets

Aunt Arvide Abernathy……………..……..Natalee Hawkins

Harry the Horse……………………………Johnny Vaughan

Big Jule……………………………..…..….Gabe Munoz

General Matilda B. Cartwright ….……..…Rachael Hammel

Lt. Brannigan ……………………….…….Matthew Cunningham

Walter…………………………………… .Morgan Madden

Members Of The Mission Band -

Agatha………………….……….………McKenna Hawkins

Calvin …………………….…….………Severin Lier

Martha …………………….……………Clara Levy

Eugene ………………………………….Justin Baskall

More Gamblers -

Angie the Ox  ………………………….….Philip Ziemkiewicz

Liver Lips Louie …………………….……Everett Owens

Society Max ………………………………..Severin Lier

Scranton Slim……………………………….Justin Baskall

Bramdy Bottle Bates………………………. Preston Ross

The Greek …………………………………. Morgan Madden

Hot-Box Lead Dancers -

Mimi……………………………………….. Maris Westrum

Rosario………………………………………Mollie Bonds

Allison……………………………………… Kim Rosson

Betty…………………………………………Kaylin Bailey

Ferguson…………………………………….Paige Dun

Doreen……………………………………….Dakkota Naeb

Vernon……………………………………….Amy Copley

Margaret……………………………………..Anna Puckett

Havana Dancers

Preston Ross and Mollie Bonds

Pilip Ziemkiewicz and Maris Westrum

Parker Owens and Paige Dunn

Hot-Box Chorus

• Madi White
• Hannah Atkinson
• Keely Petitt
• Maddie Angus
• Josie Baskall
• Jo Buckley
• Hallie Bunker
• Adrianna Croft
• Kelsey Falasco
• Karly Hardy
• Clara Levy
• Amberly Smith
• Kyla Stevenson
• McKenna Hawkins
• Emmie Wellems
• Ariel Maggi-Byers

Thompson one of five award recipients

Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence announces five 2011 award winners

Thompson School District is one of five organizations in a three-state region to receive an award from Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence (RMPEx), formerly Colorado Performance Excellence.

RMPEx is the Baldrige program in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming. For 10 years, they have been helping organizations on the journey to performance excellence.

The district will receive recognition at the Foothills level, which means the district has been evaluated and has demonstrated systematic and mature approaches in many areas of their business. Also reaching this level was the RTD FasTracks Program in Denver.

Award recipients will be honored at the 2011 RMPEx Quest for Excellence conference in Littleton on Nov. 4. This one-day event provides an opportunity to learn from those who have led large-scale organizational transformations – the nation’s top executives and recipients of the prestigious Baldrige Performance Excellence Award.

Achievement toward levels such as Foothills entails an application process that requires an organization to demonstrate specific continuous improvement efforts. A team of expert examiners review the application, conduct a site visit, and write a report recognizing the organization’s strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Dr. Ron Cabrera said he was pleased with the progress the district is making as an organization. “By being designated with the Foothills Level Award, we have demonstrated that we are successfully moving forward with continuous improvement based on criteria for performance excellence. This criteria is research-based data from internationally successful organizations and school districts. We have shown that we are developing systematic thinking and processes which will get results. It is our belief that the ultimate beneficiaries of this work will be our students with increased achievement and experiences in their education.”

More than 54 district staff members and Board of Education members participated in the input and application process over the past year. The next step for the district is to debrief and use the feedback to improve in areas where gaps were identified.

The three organizations that will be recognized at the next level, Timberline, are: Avista Adventist Hospital; Online Trading Academy of Colorado; and S.M. Stoller Legacy Management Project. These organizations demonstrated systematic and mature approaches, effective deployment, process learning and process integration.

Press Release

The Thompson School District Board of Education unanimously denied a charter school application from Red Rock Academy during a special meeting today. A resolution for denial listed nine key reasons for the action (resolution attached).

The vote by the board follows weeks of discussion, several open meetings, a community forum and reviews by the community, staff and the District Accountability Committee. The next step for the founders of Red Rock Academy in Berthoud is to appeal to the state Board of Education.

Staff recommended denial because of several unanswered concerns and evidence did not bear the need for a charter school in Berthoud according to three criteria cited in state statutes: adequate community support, choice in educational programming and legitimate educational need.

Regarding the first criteria, response from the Berthoud community has been heavily opposed to the school. Attendance at a community forum held in Berthoud drew 279 people, most of whom wrote or voiced a lack of support for the school. A grassroots group of Berthoud area citizens has also been active in opposing the school, demonstrating that there is not adequate support nor is the school in the best interest of the students or community.

For the second criteria, a report prepared by Deputy Superintendent Dr. Judy Skupa cited Colorado Revised Statute [CRS 22-30.5-102(2)(f)] that addresses “expanded choices in the types of education opportunities that are available within the public school system” to support the district’s concerns.  The report noted that the proposed charter offered little choice not already offered in Thompson except for providing a different facility. The application also proposed a strong integration of the arts programs. Such a program is available at Garfield Elementary School.

The third criteria seeks evidence of educational need. The report provided data showing high academic achievement at the current Berthoud schools and supplied charts and other data from the Colorado Department of Education comparing various indicators in Berthoud and Union Colony School in Greeley, which is the model for Red Rock Academy. Skupa said the data indicates no significant need has been demonstrated.

Reviews by the District Accountability Committee and experts, including charter school representatives, required review of key consideration including alignment to state standards (required by law); elementary curriculum; impact on resources; financial data; facilities; and governance. The teams evaluated 18 components, including a checklist of required elements, overall score, strengths, concerns and additional questions and recommendations for each component. The final DAC recommendation included approval in four areas, conditional approval (needed more information) in 11 areas and denial or no rating in three areas. The final staff review included approval in five areas, conditional approval in three areas, and denial in nine areas.

Accompanying Resolution by the Thompson Board of Education

THOMPSON SCHOOL DISTRICT R2-J

BOARD OF EDUCATION RESOLUTION DENYING THE CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION OF RED ROCK ACADEMY

 WHEREAS, pursuant to the Charter Schools Act, C.R.S. §§ 22-30.5-101 to -115 (the “Act”), Red Rock Academy (the “Charter Applicant” or “RRA”) submitted a charter school application to the Board of Education (“Board”) of Thompson School District R2-J (“District”) for approval as a charter school in the District for the 2012-13 school year; and

WHEREAS, the Board held public meetings, hearings, and a community forum on October 10, 2011, October 13, 2011, October 19, 2011, and October 27, 2011, to solicit public comments in an effort to obtain information to assist the Board in making a determination on the charter school application and during these meetings the Charter Applicant responded to questions from the Board regarding the charter school application; and

WHEREAS, the charter school application has been reviewed by the District Accountability Committee (“DAC”) during three meetings held on September 28, 2011, October 3, 2011, and October 13, 2011, and by the Board, as required under C.R.S. § 22-30.5-107(1) and (1.5); and

WHEREAS, the charter school application has been reviewed by District staff pursuant to the Colorado Charter School Standard Application, Check List, and Review Rubric as well as the requirements of Board Policy and Regulation LBD, LBD-R, and recommendations were given to the Board for its consideration; and

WHEREAS, the Board has thoroughly considered the charter school application, the requirements of the Act, the information presented by the Charter Applicant, the comments and concerns of the DAC, information and recommendations provided by District staff, and testimony and information from the public.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board, that the RRA charter school application is hereby denied for the following reasons:

1.  There is overwhelming community opposition to the Charter Applicant’s proposed school.  Among other things, the local electorate has expressed a strong desire that their tax burden not be increased by an additional school, that resources not be further diluted, and that their tax dollars be used for educational purposes other than support of RRA.
2.  The Charter Applicant failed to demonstrate that there is a legitimate educational need in the local community for the educational programming it desires to offer or how its proposed program and purchased curriculum will align with required state standards and provide higher levels of student learning.
3.  Insufficient evidence was presented to indicate that demand for RRA exists in the local community and that enrollment projections by the Charter Applicant will be met.
4.  The Charter Applicant has not demonstrated that its plan and/or its budget are economically sound as required by the Act.
5.  The Charter Applicant failed to provide a viable facility plan in the charter school application.
6.  The Charter Applicant failed to provide a specific plan for the recruitment and retention of a student population that reflects the demographics and diversity of the District as a whole.
7.  The plan for the instruction of English Language Learners is inadequate and will serve as a barrier for those students’ desired enrollment and success at RRA.
8.  The Charter Applicant failed to demonstrate equal access to educational programming by not providing transportation and food service plans, thereby creating a potential barrier to students who require those services to attend.
9.  The Charter Applicant failed to provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within district schools.

Adopted this 27^th day of October, 2011.

THOMPSON SCHOOL DISTRICT R2-J

By:                                                                  

Lucille Steiner, President

ATTEST:

Sharon Olson, Secretary

The Thompson School District Accountability Advisory Committee which monitors school effectiveness plans and the district’s accountability process will meet at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 8 at the Thompson School District Administration Building, 800 South Taft Avenue, Loveland. The public is invited.

By Shelley Widhalm
Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted: 10/19/2011 11:26:00 PM MDT

BERTHOUD — Red Rock Academy got a resounding “no” during public comment Wednesday at the Thompson Board of Education meeting.

Not one of the 26 speakers who addressed the school board on the charter school application showed his or her support.

District staffers gave that lack of community support as one of the reasons they recommend that the board reject the application. READ MORE

Each Thompson School District high school offers one or more specialized programs designed to enrich the educational experience for students.  If you would like to learn more about these educational programs, please attend any of the following evening opportunities.  You will see informational presentations and have an opportunity to ask questions about each program.

Berthoud High School, November 1, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.: Pre-Advanced Placement, Advanced Placement, Project Lead the Way (PLTW), Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

Loveland High School, November 3, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.:  Pre-Advanced Placement, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate (IB)

Mountain View High School, November 10, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.:  Pre-Advanced Placement,  Advanced Placement, Loveland Area Integrated School of the Arts (LISA), Project Lead the Way (PLTW)

Thompson Valley High School, November 8, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.:  Pre-Advanced Placement, Advanced Placement

]]> http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/10/16/eighth-grade-information-nights/feed/ 0 http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/10/14/public-schools-vs-charter-schools/ http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/10/14/public-schools-vs-charter-schools/#comments Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:56:47 +0000 admin http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/?p=24517  

There has been much attention lavished on the subject of charter schools recently. The proposal of the Red Rock Academy in Berthoud has brought out a lot of emotion and rhetoric by those for and those against the charter school

Much has been written about charter schools in the United States and those articles may help shed some light on charter schools in general.

One of the most important questions is whether charter schools are superior to public schools. The answer seems to be “It depends.”

I have compiled several articles so that it is convenient to read in one place.

Flint Journal

Are charter schools better than traditional public schools? Not necessarily

Published: Monday, May 18, 2009,

By Kristin Longley

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — Tameka Thompson had a feeling that enrolling her daughter in the International Academy of Flint three years ago would pay off — and so far it has.

Not only is her daughter making the grade, but the charter school itself also is pulling in high honors for its academic achievement among the urban population it serves.

But that’s not always the case with local charter schools, most of them created a decade ago to provide parents with more choice in their child’s education. Read More

Huffington Post

The Uncomfortable Truth About Charter Schools

By Larry Strauss
Veteran high school English teacher, basketball coach, novelist

The proliferation of charter schools has become one of the most divisive issues in public education. Proponents tout the successes of some and generalize it to all. They promote charters as desperately needed alternative to neighborhood schools they call “drop-out factories.” Opponents characterize charter schools as anti-union agenda-driven corporate saboteurs of public education and labor unions. Read More

Deseret News

Are charter schools better alternatives to public schools and at what cost?

By Sara Lenz

Over the past couple of decades, charter schools have been touted as better alternatives to traditional public schools, with smaller class sizes and a result-oriented atmosphere. President Obama has said that he supports high-quality charter schools and encourages states to lift limits on charter schools. Read More

Techno.blog

Public Schools vs. Charter Schools: Facts not Myths

A new national study re-ignites the debate over the promise and limitations of charter schools. Created as alternatives to failing public schools, charter schools were supposed to offer more innovation and less bureaucracy. But what about academic achievement? Read More

The Christian Science Monitor

Study: On average, charter schools do no better than public schools

By Amanda Paulson,

More evidence is in that charter schools – at least on average – do no better than regular public schools.

Middle-school students who were selected by lottery to attend charter schools performed no better than their peers who lost out in the lottery and attended nearby public schools, according to a study funded by the federal government and released Tuesday. Read More

GreatSchools.org

Are charter schools better?

By Carol Lloyd

Charter schools. In some education circles, these two words are enough to ignite a spitting match of statistics and impassioned rhetoric.  Read More

A  30++  year old class ring has been found at Berthoud High School.

Call 970-613-7701  to identify and claim it.

The Thompson School District will host a board of education candidate forum, information booths and breakout sessions providing information about the Thompson School District. The event, labeled “Thompson 101,” will be presented by the Board of Education and staff on October 3 from 6:30-9 p.m. at Bill Reed Middle School, 370 W. 4^th Street in Loveland

The event will start in the Bill Reed cafeteria with information tables about the workings of Thompson School District Topics include: open enrollment, early childhood programs, how to get involved, family engagement, transportation, purchasing, and facilities rental and usage.

A series of six breakout session will be conducted between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and will be repeated from 8:30 to 9 p.m.

There will also be a forum from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in the auditorium that will include school board candidates

Board members Janice Marchman and Leslie Young suggested Thompson 101 to introduce the many facets of the school district to parents and the community. It is modeled after a similar event in Poudre School District.

Refreshments will be for sale through the Bill Reed Loveland area Integrated School for the Arts LISA students. LHS Key Club members will serve as hosts along with members of the Board of Education. Child care will be provided.