Science fair builds research skills, confidence in students
Skinner Middle event attracts hundreds of students eager to learn
BY NATALIE KERR
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Do you remember your school science fair?
Venturing bravely out into the world of scienti c discovery with a posterboard, glue and a cursory understanding of the scienti c method, hoping for results that reward our e ort. Mentos dropped into a bottle of Coca-Cola produces an explosion. Cornstarch mixed with water is a liquid when stirred slowly, but it solidies under quick pressure. ese feats of science ushered us, slack jawed, through an important rite of passage. But the science fair is disappearing, with fewer and fewer schools coordinating student science projects.
is is not the case, however, at Skinner Middle School, where hundreds of students present their research to dozens of judges who award passing grades and prize ribbons to top projects.
It’s a huge e ort every year, said Christopher Martin, the school’s science department head, but the value for students’ science literacy and soft skills like time management and public speaking is well worth it.
“ ey typically have not had a lot of science instruction in elementary, if at all,” Martin said. “ is is a really big shift to have a designated class every day and embark on this endeavor. ey just haven’t had this opportunity.”
e school purchases the materials students need for their projects and allocates class time when experiments can be conducted, data collected and charted, and conclusions written up. is takes pressure o families and instead teaches students to work independently, Martin said.
Projects range from “How high does a Hot Wheels track have to be for a marble to make a loop?” to investi-
gating how age a ects the pattern-separation abilities of the dentate gyrus (a region of the brain in the hippocampus).
Seventh-graders Bennett Niehues and Emmett Salzburg are cross-country runners, so they conducted an experiment investigating how body temperature a ects running performance. ey asked participants to run a 1.5-mile route at normal body temperature, after dunking in an ice bath and after sweating in a sauna.
For every participant, average body temperature led to peak performance, and most reported cramping muscles and soreness after the sauna and shortness of breath and sluggishness after the ice bath.
Niehues and Salzburg enjoyed the experiment, but it took a lot of time to coordinate, gather the materials, determine a route and schedule the experiment on days when the outside temperature was cold or hot enough to align with the experiment, they said.
“Next year, I’m de nitely doing something where I just get to sit around and eat food,” Salzburg said.
Berkeley resident builds electric vehicle in his garage
BY JACQUI SOMEN SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Gray Carstens, a junior at CU Denver studying electrical engineering, is looking to add a spark to his contributions to reducing greenhouse gases.
“If we want to change the world, we’re just going to have to do it ourselves,” said Carstens, a Berkeley neighborhood resident who has been building an electric vehicle in his garage for the past 18 months.
“ e fact of the matter is that after about ve years of owning an electric vehicle, it’s net-zero in terms of emissions output,” he added, “and zero-emissions cars are an important step to addressing climate change.”
Even as it is often said that the actions of an individual may not make a signi cant e ect, they do add up, especially when it comes to electric vehicle use. In a six-year study, researchers at the University of Southern California discovered that with more electric vehicle adoption came lower air-pollution levels and fewer asthma-related emergency room visits.
A student describes their science fair project to a judge at Skinner Middle School on Dec. 3. PHOTO BY NATALIE KERR
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Denver completes Federal Boulevard, 25th Avenue safety project
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BY ALLEN COWGILL SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
A small crowd gathered in November in Je erson Park to celebrate the completion of the Federal Boulevard and West 25th Avenue safety improvements project. e project includes the following upgrades to Federal Boulevard between West 23rd Avenue and West 27th Avenue: a new pedestrian crossing signal at West 25th Avenue and Federal Boulevard, known as a HAWK signal; upgraded pedestrian ramps; concrete bulbouts to shorten crossing distances for pedestrians and slow-turning vehicles; and hardened center lines with yellow ex posts that also slow turning vehicles.
In addition, the project includes a transformational redesign to West 25th Avenue between Federal Boulevard and Eliot Street. West 25th Avenue has been narrowed and green infrastructure has been installed along with community gathering spaces along the edges to make the street more friendly.
e green infrastructure includes additional trees, bushes and landscaping to help with cooling the street in the summer and to naturally clean storm water through the drainage process. e project was managed by the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI).
A few dozen folks attended the event, including city leadership represented by Mayor Mike Johnston.
“Today is a celebration of a number of
things. It’s a celebration of a vision of a city that is safe to walk and bike and shop and spend time with your friends and family,” Johnston said during the ceremony. e mayor also noted that it was a victory for residents and businesses in Je erson Park and Sloans Lake who have been advocating for this project and turning their dream into a reality.
e mayor praised the design of the new street on West 25th Avenue, saying it creates a more welcoming place for residents to walk, shop and sit down to experience the neighborhood and enjoy time with friends and neighbors.
Council President Amanda P. Sandoval, the council representative for North Denver, was also present. Back in 2015, Sandoval was a council aide, working for then-Councilman Rafael Espinoza. Sandoval advocated for and worked with Espinoza to get a bond project for safety improvements on Federal Boulevard.
With Federal being the deadliest street in North Denver, Sandoval had heard from many neighbors and neighborhood organizations, including the Sloans Lake Citizens Group, that it was a horri c street to cross on foot. She also encouraged residents to support the local businesses that weathered the construction on the street including 2914 Co ee, Federal Bar and Grill, Santiagos and the temporarily closed Red Tops Rendezvous, which Sandoval said hopefully reopens in the not-too-distant future.
“It’s common for people to assert that Denver is a car-centric city, but it has not always been that way,” said Jill Locantore, the execu-
tive director of the Denver Streets Partnership, a nonpro t that advocated for the project. “In fact, many neighborhoods in Denver, including Je erson Park, grew up around an extensive street-car system that was in place for nearly 80 years.
“ e street cars are gone but they left their impression on our neighborhoods with embedded commercial districts like this, where people who lived in the neighborhood could walk to locally owned shops and restaurants that were clustered around the transit stop,” Locantore added.
Indeed, both Eliot Street and West 25th Avenue in Je erson Park were part of Denver’s street-car network. Locantore noted that as Denver’s transportation system changed to prioritize driving, commercial districts like Je erson Park su ered.
She said that it was community members who came together to re-envision making 25th and Federal the heart of the neighborhood again through the Better Block Je erson Park project.
Locantore called the redesigned street “a place that would prioritize the life of the community over the movement of vehicles. I’m hopeful that this project here will continue to inspire similar improvements up and down the Federal Boulevard corridor.”
e $9 million dollar project was funded by the Elevate Denver Bond approved by voters in 2017 along with the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Safer Main Streets Program.
Allen Cowgill is the City Council District 1 appointee to the DOTI Advisory Board, where he serves as the board co-chair.
Improv for a Claus is Dec. 20 at The Bug Theatre
BY COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA STAFF
Improv for a Claus is an original sketch comedy show and charity fundraiser, written by Colorado talent with holiday themes from throughout the state, presented in the style of a Second City revue. e show takes place 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at e Bug eatre, 3654 Navajo St. Directed by Grant Garrison of e Second City, Chicago, for the past six years, e Parker Players have written and performed this family-friendly, holiday sketch show across Colorado using local news and holiday stress
to showcase the humor surrounding us during the holidays. All ticket proceeds from thie show will be donated to the Feed My Starving Children organization.
Feed My Starving Children provides nutritionally complete meals speci cally formulated for malnourished children. e organization consistently receives the highest awards for accountability and transparency, with more than 90 percent of their donations dedicated directly toward feeding kids in need.
More information can be found at bugtheatre.org.
People cross Federal Boulevard at the new HAWK pedestrian signal crossing at West 25th Avenue.
PHOTO BY ALLEN COWGILL
Denver North High School cheer team to perform at MCA
BY ERIC HEINZ
Choreography and sports will come together at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in January. Denver North High School’s junior varsity cheerleading team is set to perform at 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the museum, 1485 Delgany St., which will include a rendering of a basketball oor where the cheer team will perform. e performance is part of the “Movements Toward Freedom” program, which began in September at the MCA and runs through Feb. 2.
Alyssa Page, the North High cheerleading director and head coach, said the performance will be slightly di erent from the group’s normal competitions.
“Instead of a competition routine, we whittled it down to like half the amount of time,” Page said. “It will (include) tumbling and stunting and dancing. ey’ve been kind of working on a variety of routines throughout the season for halftime performances, whether it’s football and basketball. We’re just excited to get into the space and do something di erent because we’ve not done anything like this before.”
e oor, created by artist Ronny Quevedo, was made with reclaimed wood and vinyl taken from a professional basketball court, and the vinyl has been rearranged from its familiar form to a more abstract setting, according to MCA.
e court is xed with imitation hoops made with milk crates, which are meant to invoke the appearance of preColumbian Mesomerican pitz courts.
Pitz is a ball game invented in pre-Columbian Mexico and still played there today in which players bounce rubber balls o their bodies to score in the hoops. e courts were not only used for entertainment, but also to settle disputes between individuals, families or entire cities.
Olivia Martinez, the youth programs manager for MCA, said the performance is part of a larger theme.
“It is a multimedia exhibition that explores movement, physical movement, movement towards social change, movement that brings communities together,” Martinez said. “It has a wide array of di erent pieces. A lot of the pieces are interactive themselves.”
Martinez said this is the rst time MCA has done a live performance with North High.
“We’ve partnered a lot with North High School for di erent events in the past,” she said. “When thinking about how to connect our current exhibition to our youth, we thought it’d be wonderful to connect with the cheer team, and knowing that they have such a phenomenal reputation and students and dancers … we thought that would be a really nice connection.”
More information on the “Movements Toward Freedom” series can be found at mcadenver.org.
A performer from the group HOLDTIGHT makes a leap toward a milk carton basketball hoop as part of MCA Denver’s series of live art. The group performed in September and December. The Denver North High School junior varsity cheer team is scheduled to perform Jan. 14 at MCA. NIKKI
These Denver food banks are looking to help during the holidays
BY NATALIE KERR SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Not all Denverites have enough to eat. e 2024 Food Insecurity Survey from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment shows 15% of all Denver residents are experiencing food insecurity, and food insecurity is increasing across the state.
Food banks and nonpro ts addressing hunger are trying to ll the gaps where children, adults and families are not able to access healthy, a ordable food. But as demand increases, these organizations need more donations and volunteers to meet community needs, particularly during the holiday season.
Project Angel Heart
Project Angel Heart prepares and delivers home-cooked meals to Denver residents who are living with severe, chronic illnesses that make it challenging for them to shop and cook on their own. is anksgiving saw its largest meal delivery e ort ever, with more than 15,000 meals delivered in one week, said Kristy Adams, director of marketing and communication. Delivering a special holiday meal also helps people who are too ill to attend a public gathering feel less alone, she added.
Sixty percent of their clients are at the 200% poverty level, Adams said, so without Project Angel Heart many might go without food during the holidays.
Project Angel Heart is looking for donations of holiday staples and volunteers to help cook and deliver meals. Colorado Gives Day, which was Dec. 10, is typically the nonpro t’s biggest fundraising day of the year and will help fund their mission in 2025, Adams said.
“ is is a very important time of year,” she added.
Volunteers can get involved or sponsor meals by donating online at projectangelheart.org.
Food For Thought
When schools break for the holidays, Food For ought focuses on fundraising to support their operations feeding school-aged children at more than 75 schools across the Front Range, said founder Bob Bell.
Food for ought gives each student a bag of 12 to 15 nonperishable items on Friday afternoons that feed them throughout the weekends when they can’t access school meals. ey typically feed about 18,000 kids with about 40,000 bags of food per month.
“ e schools are begging,” Bell said.
“We’ve never even marketed ourselves. ey just come to us once they nd out about us. Kids aren’t eating. ey’re asking for our help.”
All of the labor is from volunteers, which keeps overhead costs low, and the food is purchased from the Food Bank of the Rockies. To feed that many students typically costs about $1.2 millions dollars per year.
“We’re professional beggars,” Bell said. “We’re all over town just trying to nd money so that we can keep the operation going.”
Donations can be made at foodforthoughtdenver.org and volunteers can sign up online to help pack food bags at MSU Denver beneath the Colfax Viaduct every Friday.
The First Baptist Church Food Pantry and Fridge
Tra c at the First Baptist Church Food Pantry and Fridge spikes massively during the holidays, with the church phone ringing almost constantly with people calling to ask about food, administerial assistant Kurt Kaufman said.
“I have received more than one call, needless to say, looking for turkeys or just any kind of food,” he added.
e church prepares some hot meals that can be reheated once people take them from the fridge and o ers nonperishables in the pantry. Once both the fridge and pantry are lled, the food is typically all taken within 30 minutes, Kaufman said. is time of year they stock the fridge more often than normal to meet the demand.
Not only are people needing food for the holidays, but the church typically notices people needing to stock up before snow storms hit, Kaufman said.
e First Baptist Church sources the bulk of their food from the City Harvest Food Bank, and during the holidays it partners with the Christkindl Market to rescue food that would otherwise go in the
trash. But that food runs out quickly, and once it’s gone, it’s gone, Kaufman said.
“We do truly rely on our neighborhood and our community to provide that food,” Kaufman said.
Volunteers can donate to the pantry or fridge by simply putting labeled food items inside. e church posts guidelines for what can be donated both on their website and on the outside of the fridge and pantry doors.
Winter clothing like coats, hats and gloves can also be donated to the pantry. Volunteers can also help cook hot meals by emailing o ce@rethinkbaptist.org or calling 303-861-2501
“Everything helps, everything absolutely helps,” Kaufman said.
Bienvenidos Food Bank
anksgiving and Christmas are the busiest times of year for Bienvenidos Food Bank, typically distributing food to more than 400 households in the week leading up to the holidays, said Executive Director Greg Prat.
During this time they are also doing more mobile distribution events in neigh-
borhoods around Denver and donating food to schools.
Bienvenidos creates special boxes with food typically eaten during anksgiving, but additionally has started o ering food that is culturally relevant to immigrant families who came to Denver from Central or South America.
“Last year we had all the xings for anksgiving, and we had this huge in ux of people who came in who had no idea what that food was,” Pratt said.
Financial donations made to Bienvenidos help them purchase food from their partner organizations, which is typically the most economically e cient source for the food bank, but some things are not available at those sources.
Food like masa, black beans, hearty soups, cooking oil and small-batch baking ingredients are of particular need this time of year, Pratt said.
Volunteering needs are well met this time of year, but Pratt encourages people to reach out in January and February, when engagement typically falls o .
Bienvenidos Food Bank, 3810 N. Pecos St., serves about 25,000 people annually.
COURTESY OF BIENVENIDOS FOOD BANK SEE FOOD BANK, P5
RiNo BID board votes for renewal, existing mill levy — but promises changes
BY THOMAS GOUNLEY BUSINESSDEN
e board of the RiNo Business Improvement District voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to recommend the taxpayer-funded district be renewed for another 10 years at its current mill levy (or tax rate), rejecting a push by some property and business owners wanting to see it disbanded or dialed back.
But the board said it is taking the negative feedback to heart and plans to refocus the organization and its spending.
“Safety and security, cleanliness and the marketing and promotion of the businesses must become the BID’s unequivocal focus,” said board member Danny Newman.
e board’s decision sends the future of the BID to the Denver City Council, which is expected to vote early next year whether to renew it for another 10 years beyond 2025.
e Wednesday vote came after a urry of public interest in the proceedings of a relatively obscure quasi-governmental body. About 100 people watched or attended a Nov. 13 hearing on the BID renewal, with 20 of those addressing the board.
Separately, Andy Mountain of GBSM, a consultant brought in to help manage the BID renewal process, noted Wednesday that an email sent by EXDO Group Cos. CEO Andrew Feinstein to dozens of property and business owners on Nov. 13 turned into a days-long online conversation.
“It’s a joy when you have reply-alls to about 87 di erent people from 40 di erent people,” Mountain said.
e RiNo BID is one of a number of business improvement districts within Denver. It is funded by increased property tax paid by owners of commercial property within the district. e BID contracts with the RiNo Art District, a neighborhood organization that works to protect the area’s art, to manage the BID.
e BID must be renewed every 10 years. e mill levy can be adjusted annually, but is capped at four mills.
As BusinessDenreported last week, the BID and the RiNo Art District have been criticized by some property and business owners for a variety of things, including a loss of focus, wasteful spending and seeming to re ect the priorities of the Art District, not the business community. A one-block stretch of Larimer Street that is closed to vehicle tra c, which is supported with BID dollars, isalso controversial, as some believe it bene ts only the businesses on that speci c block.
ose seeking changes to the BID are divided into two main camps: those who want to see the BID dissolved and those who want to see its mill levy — which corresponds to how much it collects in
property taxes — cut in half. ose pushing for a 50 percent cut include EXDO’s Feinstein, Menalto Development CEO Bernard Hurley and Walter Isenberg, CEO of the hotelier Sage Hospitality, which operates the Catbird hotel in RiNo.
In the email chain, Isenberg said the BID “ rst and foremost should focus on clean and safe.”
“If we don’t have that all the money in the world supporting arts and activations is wasted,” he wrote. “As a business owner we are constantly facing vandalism, theft and rampant drug use.A hidden tax we pay is for private security. While this should be the responsibility of the DPD, sadly that’s not working.Since the BID is a tax it’s our second line of defense.”
Spencer Fronk, owner of RiNo’s Number 38 and a BID board member, acknowledged public concerns about safety on Wednesday, and said the BID’s $3.5 million annual budget doesn’t re ect that.
“We have $5,000 in the budget next year for safety and security,” he said.
RiNo property owners Tom Sprung, Tai and John Beldock, and Sonia Danielsentold BusinessDen last weekthat they wanted the BID scrapped. Also in their camp is Byron Weiss, who owns the 7-acre Rock Drill property along 40th Avenue.
When the BID’s boundaries were being drawn a decade ago, Rock Drill wasn’t included, Weiss said — until he volunteered to join, despite the increased taxes. Weiss said he now pays about $20,000 annually to the BID.
“It should be dissolved,” he said. “It’s just too far broken.”
Weiss spoke to BusinessDen Tuesday, ahead of the BID board’s vote. But he gured a renewal recommendation was inevitable and was already focused on the next step.
“ e only option is to stop it at City Council,” Weiss said.
Councilman Darrell Watson, who represents RiNo, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Adam Larkey, a BID board member and Zeppelin Development executive, said Wednesday the BID board and the Art District had su ered from turnover and sta ng shortages, which impacted the e ectiveness of the BID.
“We were at, frankly, not our strongest,” Larkey said. “We were kind of in triage mode.”
BID board member Jevon Taylor, CEO of Green Spaces coworking, said that situation caused people to question all aspects of the BID.
“I honestly don’t think people would be questioning the mill levy if they believed the BID was e ective,” Taylor said.
“ ings have to change. I think we all agree things have to change,” Fronk said.
But the board determined that reducing the BID’s mill levy, and thus its annual budget, didn’t make sense given the desire to reallocate spending to things such as safety.
“We’re hearing loud and clear the priorities, and we need resources to execute those with,” Larkey said.
“I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot if we do anything less than four,” Fronk said.
Board members said the BID renewal process, and the resulting push for changes, comes at a pivotal time because RiNo is facing a number of challenges.
“It is frustrating going around the district and the rst oor of every multistory building is empty,” Taylor said.
“I leave and breathe development every day,” said Alison Nestel-Patt, an executive with Denver-based developer Formativ. “We are still reeling from COVID.”
“While we do some special things for the holidays, we’re the program that’s going to be here every week for families,” Pratt said.
Across the board, the number of people seeking support is unprecedented. And to
make matters more challenging, support is also lacking this year, Kaufman of First Baptist Church said.
He hopes the holiday season reminds people to be in the spirit of giving
“Be generous, reach out to organizations and individuals especially that need help this holiday season,” Kaufman said.
“It’s important to keep that reminder that sometimes we do need to reach out and help.”
One end of the 2900 block of Larimer Street in RiNo, which is closed to vehicle tra c.
VOICES
12 Days of ‘Fitmas’ workout
Baby, it’s cold outside! But that’s no reason to leave your exercise routine in the deep freeze.
Unwrap just a bit of movement each day and give yourself the gift of feeling your best in this season and beyond. Remember, doing a bit of something beats waiting until the perfect time to do everything and ending up doing nothing every single time.
Pop on some holiday tunes and start wherever you are with whatever you have. Not all of these moves are for everybody, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moves for your body. Talk to your doctor, ask a trusted health professional or nd me at my email listed at the end of my column and let’s keep moving together! Start slow on day one, maybe just do the rst move. If you start today, by New Year’s we bet you’ll be humming along with this full-body workout and ready for whatever the new year has in store. We sure wish you all the very best of wellness in 2025!
(and a…)
Sit all the way down, both cheeks on the oor. Stand up. Sit all the way back down. Five times is one round. ree sphinxes posing
Lie on your belly. Place your elbows under your shoulders. With your forearms and palms at on the oor, gently press your upper torso up until your elbows make a 90-degree angle. Let your hips be heavy and try to relax your glutes. Eyes on the horizon and breathe. Hold and breathe for 15 seconds. Gently release. Repeat three times.
Four quads a burning
If you love squats, now’s your time to shine. Not too sure? Stand up and sit down on a chair as slow as you can, 10 times. Your quads will thank you!
Five big, deep breaths
On the rst day of Christmas my Santa gave to me, a plank by the holiday tree:
One-minute plank position. If you are new to it, start with 10 seconds at a time. e ability to get into the position is what’s key to mobility. e holding is extra and will come with practice.
On the second day of Christmas my Santa gave to me, two rounds of get-ups
In and out through your nose. Feel belly, ribs and chest expand on the inhales. Let those shoulders go on the exhales.
Six crunches laying
Bend those knees to protect your back. Elbows stay back to open your chest. is is about engaging your core, not sitting all the way up. Eyes up and breathe out as you lift. Lift slowly for a count of six, hold for six, lower even slower for six, re-
peat six times.
Seven swimmers swimming
Lay on your stomach. Lift and lower alternating opposing arms and legs as fast as feels challenging. Channel your inner Michael Phelps! Take care to protect your neck. Leave your forehead on the oor if you want to.
Eight birds a dogging
Start on all fours. Breathe in, with a stable spine (not sagging or overarching) life one arm and the opposite leg. Reach your hands and toes out away from your body, aim for length not height.
90 seconds dancing
Crank up the holiday tunes and move. No one’s watching!
10 legs a leaping
Jumping is so great for mobility, bone density and fun. Don’t overthink it. Even if your feet barely leave the ground, it counts!
11 toes a reaching
Lay on your back with your legs up, soles of your feet pressing toward the ceiling, atten your back to the ground, reach your nger tips toward your toes. Breathe in to prepare and out to reach, 11 times!
12 drummers drumming
Wooden spoons, chopsticks, rulers, whatever you have two of. Grab them and drum away on a couch cushion or pillow for at least the length of the “12 Days” song. Remember to breathe and
smile, channel your inner rockstar! Erika Taylor is a community wellness instigator at Taylored Fitness, the original online wellness mentoring system. Taylored Fitness believes that everyone can discover small changes in order to make themselves and their communities more vibrant, and that it is only possible to do our best work in the world if we make a daily commitment to our health. Visit facebook.com/erika.taylor.303 or email
Mexican-American Christmas traditions of the Northside
It is Christmastime on the Northside, and the decorations are beginning to appear on houses and in yards.
People are hosting parties, and the carolers visit houses and facilities like the senior living centers around us. Highland United Neighborhoods Inc. has caroled at e Gardens at St. Elizabeth for several years.
Every ethnic group has ways of holding and passing on their cultural identity. Holidays are a common focus point because they are at the intersection of religion, family and foodways.
Christmas is one of the times of the year when many people decorate, gather with family and friends, and turn to their churches to celebrate the meaning of this Christian high holiday. is month’s column looks at some of the ways the Hispanic/Mexican-American/Chicano/ Latino communities in North Denver celebrate the season.
One tradition that has been part of our holidays for years is Las Posadas. It was started by Father José Lara at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Lower Highland. Beginning on Dec. 16, members of the community walk through the neighborhood carrying luminarias and singing traditional Christmas carols.
I observed my rst Las Posadas in 1997 as the group walked down West 32nd Avenue. By then, many of the participants attended St. Dominic Church, where the priest was Father José Sanisteven, a Puerto Rican who had come from serving the Mexican immigrant neighborhoods of Chicago. Part of St. Dominic’s
new mission was to keep traditions alive for the Mexican parishioners, and so some of his ock participated in the event.
Each night they ended up at a di erent house where a family hosted them. ey sang carols and nished the evening with food and a piñata for the children. On each night the children and adults answered questions about the meaning of the night. e priest asked why they continued to carry on these traditions in a foreign country. One mother answered that it was so the children would be good Catholics. One father said that he wanted his children to remember their Mexican traditions, to value them, and to understand their importance.
Another universal tradition is to make favorite family recipes. One that stands out is tamales. ey are not just something that the abuelas and tias create, but are a family a air. Mixing the masa, cooking the chiles and meat, and grating cheese are all tasks that children and adults alike take on.
Next comes the assembly line to pat or roll out the masa and then ll each round with ingredients before they are folded into corn husks. After the tamales are assembled, they are steamed in large pots. Finally, it is time to eat. It is not enough
A group of young children rehearse for Los Posadas, a traditional Mexican Advent Christmas celebration, in 1969 at the Centro Cultural. Some of the children are dressed in ponchos and sombreros.
to make a dozen or so. ere must be enough tamales for the whole family and some friends as well. ere is a lot of laughter and companionship that leavens the nal product. And of course, the season includes church and Christmas Eve and morning around the tree. It is all about the importance of family and upholding tradi-
tions. Feliz Navidad to you all.
Dr. Rebecca A. Hunt has been a resident of North Denver since 1993. She worked in museums and then taught museum studies and Colorado, Denver, women’s and immigration history at the University of Colorado Denver until she retired in 2020.
HEALTH & WELLNESS HISTORY COLUMN
Rebecca A. Hunt
Snowy books to look for this season
The Denver Public Library’s adult Winter of Reading program begins Jan. 2. To help get you started on your reading journey, here are some snowy books to check out for yourself or to read to a young one.
“I’m Going to Build a Snowman” by Jashar Awan
A young boy wakes up ready to build the best snowman ever. Although he knows all the steps to making the perfect snowman, the snowman he builds seems to be a little o . Undiscouraged, the boy realizes what’s wrong just in time for his mom to take a picture of him and the best snowman ever.
“I’m Going to Build a Snowman” by Jashar Awan is an energetic and charming story. Awan perfectly captures the excitement and determination of a young child with a plan. e text is simple, with bold words and larger text emphasizing the energy of the young boy as he builds his snowman.
Awan’s illustrations are bright and bold, using simple shapes, all of which complement the text.
Children will get excited as the boy builds his snowman and giggle as he tries to gure out what’s wrong with the snowman. e overall message of the book will
WINTER OF READING
resonate with adults: joy can still be found in imperfection.
“I’m Going to Build a Snowman” is best for children ages 3 to 7.
“ e Girl Who Speaks Bear” by Sophie Anderson
Found near a bear cave as a baby, Yanka was adopted by Mamochka and raised in the village. Although Mamochka and her friends are loving, Yanka often feels alone. On the day of the village’s winter festival, Yanka nds she is suddenly able to talk to animals and has grown bear legs. Sensing that she will nd answers in the forest, Yanka heads out on her own, ignoring the advice of her Mamochka and friends.
Heavily inspired by Russian fairy tales, “ e Girl Who Speaks Bear” by Sophie Anderson is a whimsical, action-packed adventure. Anderson does a fantastic job with her world building, naturally incorporating and explaining the Russian fairy tales she is taking inspiration from. Bear Tsars, Baba Yagas and dragons all make an appearance in this fantastical tale
Short of a Christmas miracle, BRDG Project to close in December
BY JILL CARSTENS
After a dynamic year and a half of transforming the corner of 33rd Avenue and Tejon Street into a colorful, accessible and locally curated community art space, e BRDG Project is ending its time at its expansive location in LoHi.
As accessible as the space is with its frequently open, sidewalk-facing garage doors that invite passers-by to engage with the art, it is not necessarily a ordable. Tackling the now-typical high rent as a new nonpro t experiencing a dwindling amount of donations has caused BRDG co-founder Brett Matarazzo to rethink the next steps for BRDG.
From the 1970s to the early 2000s, the formerly gritty North Denver area had been an a ordable haven for locally owned businesses, small co-op galleries and artist collectives. en came gentrication and sky-high rents, transforming streets such as Tejon into a high-rise mecca.
Matarazzo’s vision was to attempt to revive the local arts exposure of the past, hoping some of the money streaming through the area might help support his venture.
“We wanted to renew the sense of community that has changed drastically over the last 20 years and has lost many of its cultural touchstones,” he said in a recent press release.
Losing those cultural touchstones has become a norm for longtime residents. Artist Arlette Lucero, who has lived just a block from 3300 Tejon for decades, said she has witnessed the transformation of her landscape.
“It was so nice to have a local art gallery within walking distance again. I will be sad beyond words for the loss of this place that has provided so many wonderful shows for us this year,” she said. Lucero helped to bring back the Dia
about found families and identity.
“ e Girl Who Speaks Bear” is a great book for parents to read at bedtime to younger children who are interested in fairy tales and adventures. Adolescent readers will sympathize with Yanka’s fears of being an outsider and her desire to belong.
“ e Girl Who Speaks Bear” is best for children ages 9 to 12.
To sign up for Winter of Reading, stop by your local library branch and ask the front desk to participate. Learn more about the Winter of Reading programs at Decker branch at denlib.org/decker.
ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:
• Email your letter to eric@cotln.org Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.
• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.
de los Muertos exhibition and Calaveras Ball to BRDG in October, which had been a yearly tradition in the now-gone Navajo Arts District. She and her late husband, artist Stevon Lucero, have a long history in the local arts scene, exhibiting their works at the rst location of the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC) near 34th Avenue and Pecos Street years ago.
“I have seen years of changes to my neighborhood and the surrounding city,” Lucero said. “I have watched as my favorite places have disappeared and new places have sprung up, and some of those also disappear. My neighborhood has changed from a home-grown family, artistic population to something very foreign to me.”
BRDG Project began during the pandemic, rst showcasing art in the windows of a commercial building at the base of the Highland Bridge on 16th and Platte streets. Over three-and-a-half years and two locations, the project hosted a diverse array of solo, group, pop-up, philanthropic, senior-focused and community exhibitions and numerous live musical performances.
e nonpro t hosted student artwork from three universities and the Denver Public Schools, and it provided a “ ird Place” to reconnect in a post-COVID world. Even though BRDG’s tenure at 3300 Tejon is coming to an end, no doubt Matarazzo will nd another way to promote and exhibit the local arts, somewhere.
BRDG Project will have two shows to close its run at 3300 Tejon St., “DeMOCKracy: free expression on the election and the state of our union” and “Circle, humans who helped us and the art they make,” which will both be on display through Dec. 29.
• Letters must be no longer than 400 words.
Quetzalli Cortez is a librarian at the Decker Branch Library. She loves reading, cooking and exploring parks with her dog.
Quetzalli Cortez
Denver artist asks people to tackle big climate conversations
BY JACQUI SOMEN SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
A long, blue-clothed table extended across the dark room to an altar decorated with steer horns, owers, candles and beans—at the other end sat a plate decorated with one word—“Choice.”
With this installation, Denver artist Eileen Roscina said she is “challenging the fallacy that humans are the most important entity on the planet and examining what nature can teach us about being human.”
e evocative table-and-altar installation was just one piece at “On the Table,” a multimedia exhibition on display at A.I.R. Annex Gallery. e exhibition, which runs through early December, was part of Roscina’s artist residency at PlatteForum, a local nonpro t organization that connects youth and artists with resources while addressing social issues.
e artist residency is a competitive six- to eight-week program that gives artists the “time, space, and support they need to create a new body of work which inspires and connects communities,” according to the PlatteForum website. Roscina’s exhibit encouraged re ection on how individual choices a ect the planet.
“When we interface with climate change, it’s easy to feel powerless, paralyzed, and passive—because the issue is so massive, and often abstract. is notion led me to investigate: how can I make the most impactful di erence as
an individual?” she asked in a statement about the exhibit.
An artist might seem an unlikely activist for raising awareness for climate change, but according to Manda Gorsegner, division head of visual and performing arts at the Arts Institute of Middlesex County, their work is essential.
“ e contemporary climate change movement requires the integration of artists to respond to the challenges of climate change not merely as bu ers between the public and the hard data but to incite a richer and more complex conversation,” Gorsegner wrote in her thesis.
It was in the vein of initiating complicated conversation that made Roscina’s project appealing to the program.
“We selected Eileen Roscina as one of our artists in residence not only for her beautiful work, but we also thought she was bringing forth important topics in her work, such as climate change and the future of food, which we thought was important for our community to learn about,”
PlatteForum curator Ilan Gutin said.
Over the course of her residency, Roscina worked with PlatteForum’s ArtLab interns—paid arts interns from Denver metro-area high schools—to create additional pieces for the exhibition.
Over seven weeks, the group gathered natural materials, lmed, created nests from found objects and exposed cyanotype ags. eir work was also on display at the exhibit.
This art exhibit by Eileen Roscina is an example of the various work presented at PlatteForum 2700 Arapahoe St, Suite 102, in the Curtis Park neighborhood. COURTESY OF WES MAGYAR
At a recent PlatteForum artists discussion, titled “Talking All Things Climate Change and Food,” participants, from left, Linda Appel Lipsius, Eileen Roscina, Jayden Lynx, and Roberto Meza spoke about their work and how it addresses societal issues.
COURTESY OF DAVID GRAJEDA GONZALEZ
‘Anyone But Her’ throws reader into suspense
Mystery, suspense and Denver landmarks abound in the latest novel by local author Cynthia Swanson.
“Anyone But Her” follows Suzanne, whose mother was murdered in 1979 and who is uncovering the truth behind the murder 25 years later. e story is told in alternating timelines with a web of interweaving subplots, making it a complex puzzle to be solved. Add to that a dash of the paranormal, and it is a multilayered
and compelling read.
It’s 1979 and Alexandra “Alex” Parry owns Zoe’s, an independent record store on East Colfax. Alex is shot and killed during a robbery at the store, leaving behind her 15-year-old daughter Suzanne, 6-year-old son Chris and husband, James.
Less than a year later, James’s high school girlfriend, Peggy, takes a special interest in Chris and insinuates herself into their lives in a way Suzanne nds sinister. Alex’s spirit appears and warns Suzanne that Peggy can’t be trusted and her impending marriage to James should be stopped.
Jump to 2004 when Suzanne moves her family back to Denver from California and nds the city plastered with posters of a missing woman. Eerily, the young woman was last seen with the son of Alex’s killer.
With the oodgates of memory open, Suzanne is drawn to the site of the former Zoe’s Records and decides to open a new iteration of the store. At the same time, she is navigating her teen daughter’s hostile rebellion, trying to nd answers to her son’s challenging behaviors and desperately searching for her missing dog.
All of this is set against the backdrop of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, with the Northside making a brief cameo. e Bluebird eater makes an appearance
(in its previous iteration as an adult entertainment venue) as does the Rainbow Music Hall, Wax Trax, Cheesman Park and East High School.
Longtime Denverites will appreciate the walk down memory lane and can nd a similar history of the University Hills neighborhood in Swanson’s 2015 debut, “ e Bookseller.”
An engaging read for history and mystery fans, check out “Anyone But Her” at a Denver Public Library branch near you.
Winter of Reading
Winter of Reading is nearly upon us!
is adult reading challenge runs from Jan. 2-Feb. 28 and encourages you to nd your next favorite book, explore the library’s o erings and connect with other readers around Denver. Pick up a game board at any Denver Public Library branch after Jan. 2, complete ve activities and bring the complete game board back to receive a mug or tote bag (while supplies last).
Wendy omas is a librarian at the Smiley Branch Library. When not reading or recommending books, you can nd her hiking with her dogs.
Alongside Roscina, the ArtLab interns thought of alternative ecological futures and engaged in projects to assist climate action.
According to ArtLab intern Ziah Martinez, working with Roscina helped him widen his perspective as an artist. “ e program helped me understand what we as humans consume and how much waste we create. Roscina taught us how to use waste as art or food,” he said. “I learned that it helps make a tiny change and that all of these tiny changes can impact something so big.” e ArtLab interns also conceptualized the questions asked at an artist conversation in November titled “Talking All ings Climate Change and Food.” e panel featured Roscina alongside Roberto Meza, co-founder of Emerald Gardens and East Denver Food Hub, and Linda
Appel Lipsius, executive director of Denver Urban Gardens.
e conversation was moderated by former ArtLab intern Jayden Lynx and addressed topics such as the future of food, connection to and disconnection from our food system, and how individuals can make an impact.
In the talk, Roscina said she hoped to get people talking about these “complex and uncomfortable topics.” A self-described “con icted carnivore” and lover of the natural world, she knows rsthand how challenging these conversations can feel. is artist conversation was the rst in a series meant to “allow youth to interview resident artists along with activists and experts who will bring cross-sector topics to the forefront such as environmentalism, racial equity, and mental health,” hosted by PlatteForum. Learn more about Roscina at eileenroscina.com. More information about PlatteForum at A.I.R. Annex Gallery, 3575 Ringsby Ct. Unit 103, can be found at platteforum.org.
Wendy Thomas
Gardeners plan for next spring while snow falls
BY MERYL PHAIR
COMMUNITY MEDIA
From Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) Seed Distribution program to initiatives by Denver Water, community members have numerous resources to plan for creating a sustainable water-wise garden for the next planting season.
Seed distribution
e largest distribution of free seed packets in Colorado gets underway every year at DUG headquarters in Curtis Park, with this year’s volunteers expected to sort and bundle around 150,000 seed packets, an equivalent of 40 million seeds.
Seeds from the Community Seed Distribution program are available for DUG’s community garden network along with families, community partners and non-pro ts, ending up in food pantries, libraries and the Denver Housing Authority.
Over 100,000 pounds of organic food is produced through the program a year, and along with reducing nancial barriers involved in growing food at home or in a community garden, the program also diverts waste. Working with several seed retailers, the program is distributing seeds that would otherwise be thrown away as big seed brands can’t sell their products a year after they’re packaged.
“ e program is the rst lifeline for jump-starting food production across metro Denver,” said Shay Moon, senior manager of food access programs for DUG. “ e collection has a focus on food production, so there’s a lot of vegetables and annuals but we also get seeds for perennials, herbs, we get seeds for a little bit of everything.”
DUG also recently launched a Culturally Inclusive Seeds Program, which Moon described as a more intentional and smaller-scale seed distribution initiative. Currently only available for DUG gardeners, the organization developed a catalog of seeds through a community feedback process to provide greater access to specialty plant varieties that community members may nd challenging to acquire in Colorado.
“Food access is only meaningful if the supplies you’re getting, the varieties you’re able to grow, are also familiar and desirable,” Moon said. “ is is our program’s way to broaden and diversify the scope of foods accessible through our resources and to o er a connection point for gardeners from di erent backgrounds to still share in growing and cooking in community spaces across the city.”
For many across the metro Denver area who are starting to think about next year’s gardens, the Community Seed Distribution program along with vari-
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ous other community initiatives reduces barriers to getting plants in the soil. Addressing a range of challenges such as cost, land success and education, DUG o ers a host of resources to get Denver growing.
In addition to the seed distribution programs, DUG has various food access initiatives across the city, distributing around 30,000 seedlings every year through its Grower Garden Program, which has beginner-friendly themed kits for starting gardens including a bilingual educational guide.
e organization also holds plant sales around the year, distributing seeds and seedlings for free to families that receive SNAP bene ts, along with running nearly 200 community gardens involving around 40,000 people and launching an ongoing food forest program.
Xeriscaping, water reduction
For people who are thinking of starting or already have a garden in the works, integrating native plants and reducing water use are two ways to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly garden this year.
Denver Water uses the term “xeriscaping” meaning landscape design requiring little maintenance or irrigation and has embraced these low-water principles in its ColoradoScaping programing.
“ ese landscapes are more diverse, they attract pollinators, they’re colorful, textural and vibrant,” said Bea Stratton, water conservation planner at Denver Water. “We want to emphasize the diversity of the landscapes that we’re talking about putting in and illustrate that we’re not talking about a rock lawn.”
Denver Water has completed a se-
ries of landscape transformations on its properties, including working with Denver Parks and Recreation to complete a 10-acre Quebec Street median, and the organization has begun to partner with other projects throughout the metro area experiencing funding gaps. ese projects replace “non-functional turf,” essentially grass that serves no purpose beyond aesthetics, into a ColoradoScape that reduces water use along with providing native habitat for birds, pollinators and wildlife by planting native grasses and trees for shade.
Partnering with the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Resource Central, a nonpro t based in Boulder that provides programs for utilities across the front range, the water agency plans to release a residential how-to-guide for landscape transformation in 2025. rough Resource Central, Denver Water o ers Garden in a Box, a native and climate-adaptive plant garden that residential customers can customize based on their property needs along with turf removal. ey also o er Slow the Flow, a free irrigation system audit that nds ways for existing water systems to be more e cient. Denver Water also o ers rebates on sprinkler heads and smart irrigation controllers and will cover up to $750 toward turf removal.
Denver Water also partnered with Plant Select, an organization that works with CSU Extension and Denver Botanic Gardens, to provide customers with native and climate-adapted plants such as rabbitbrush, yarrow and penstemons. ey also o er free native grass seed to Denver Water customers.
DUG’s Grow a Garden program which hands out beginner-friendly themed kits for starting gardens typically sells out fast every year. COURTESY OF DUG
CCM owner starts printing press operations
National Trust for Local News facility hopes to o er a ordable option for newspapers
Colorado Community Media’s 25 weekly and monthly newspapers are now being printed at e Trust Press, a commercial printing facility in northeast Denver launched by the National Trust for Local News to address the skyrocketing costs of producing local news in Colorado.
Printing costs for CCM’s newspapers have risen more than 60% in the past two years. After the Gannett-owned printer in Pueblo closed in the summer of 2023, the nonpro t National Trust for Local News – which owns Colorado Community Media – began looking for more long-term and a ordable solutions. e project to stand up a new printing facility, named e Trust Press, spanned nearly a year.
“We’re excited that this path-breaking idea is nally a reality in Colorado,” said Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, CEO and cofounder of the National Trust. “Print newspapers are still valued, particularly in rural and underrepresented communities. We are proud to launch this affordable and sustainable printing solution that will strengthen local and ethnic news organizations across Colorado.”
dozens of other local and ethnic newspapers in the new year. e Trust Press is estimated to save local publishers at least $500,000 in 2025 compared to existing printing options, according to the
National Trust.
e Trust Press was made possible by philanthropic support from the Colorado Media Project, Bohemian Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, and e Colorado Trust. e National Trust is continuing to fundraise to support the Trust Press, with roughly $700,000 remaining to reach the project’s overall goal of $1.7 million.
“Gates Family Foundation is grateful for the partners that rallied to make this new printing solution possible,” said omas A. Gougeon, president of Gates Family Foundation. “While the future of news is digital, a local and a ordable way to support print publications is an essential bridge to that future. We hope that this press will support smaller, local publishers on the Front Range in a way that is more a ordable, more mission aligned, and more supportive of the local news ecosystem in Colorado.”
e centerpiece of the Trust Press is a four-tower DGM 430 Press purposebuilt for the smaller print runs that most local independent publishers now demand. e printing facility has already created ve full-time jobs, with more expected in 2025.
“We have heard from so many local publishers here in Colorado who are struggling to nd an a ordable printing solution, and I am excited to serve them at the Trust Press,” said Kevin Smalley, director of the Trust Press. “We have a great team and rst-rate facility in place. new press facility. Publishers or commercial printing customers interested in the Trust Press are encouraged to email printing@coloradocommunitymedia. com for more information.
ers whether their personal property is functional or non-functional,” she said. “ at’s up to each individual to decide how they want their landscape to work for them. We’re providing a suite of op-
tions to help achieve water e ciency, depending on what each customer’s Denver Water is also working with grassroots organizations to identify landpacted communities. ose projects are not solely focused on water savings but might address climate-resilient landscaping.
For more information about Denver
Colorado Community Media, the nonpro t a liate of the National Trust for Local News, operates two dozen weekly and monthly publications in and around the Denver metro area. e National
Urban Graden’s programing and volunteer opportunities reach out to dirt@dug. org or check out their website at Dug.org. Information on Slow the Flow irrigation audits, turf removal, and Garden in a Box can be found at resourcecentral. org. Denver Water customers can also request free native grass seed by emailing nativegrass@denverwater.org. For more information about landscape transformations, check out Denver Water’s ColoradoScaping website.
Trust, founded in 2021 in Colorado, owns and operates more than 60 newspapers across Maine, Colorado and Georgia – critical sources of community news that serve nearly 40 counties and some ve million people.
The centerpiece of the Trust Press is a four-tower DGM 430 Press purpose-built for smaller print runs. LINDA SHAPLEY
Add ltered water. Cook with love.
Filtra tu agua. Cocina con amor.
If your home is enrolled in the Lead Reduction Program, be sure to use the water pitcher and lter provided for drinking, cooking and preparing infant formula. Boiling water does not remove lead, so lter rst. Learn more at denverwater.org/Lead Obtenga
Si tu casa está inscrita en el Programa de reducción de plomo, asegúrate de utilizar la jarra de agua provista con su ltro cada vez que vayas a cocinar, beber o preparar fórmula para biberones. Recuerda que hervir el agua no elimina el plomo, primero debes ltrarla.
SCIENCE FAIR
In that case, Salzburg should look to fellow seventh-graders Dekker Bouett and Easton Gabriel for inspiration. e pair tested how visual di erences in the same food a ected people’s reported taste. ey used frosting as their variable, all vanilla avored but one was white and the other dyed pink. eir results showed 88% of people correctly guessed the white avor as vanilla, but only 38% correctly guessed the pink avor as vanilla. eir biggest challenge was having too many people interested in being test subjects, Bouett said.
“My favorite part was eating the leftover frosting,” Bouett said.
Seventh-grader Atom Ollom, who won third place in his grade, landed on a project testing the strength of di erent 3D printer materials, thickness and internal formations because he wanted to use the 3D printer his parents have at home. His results surprised him, but they were valuable in showing him how unanticipated factors can a ect experiments, he said.
“Not even a single one of (my hypotheses) was correct,” Ollom said.
High school teachers who work with former Skinner students note a marked di erence in their science skills compared to other students, Martin said. Skinner recruits former students to come back and judge sixth- and seventh-grade projects, which also allows students to connect over memories, their projects and favorite teachers at Skinner.
“A lot of the projects are very good, as long as they can explain what they did, even if the results don’t turn out how they thought they would,” North High
School student Barrett Key said.
Science is one of her favorite subjects, which she attributes in part to her time at Skinner. e science fair experience in particular helps her excel at her labs in high school, Key said.
Eighth-graders are evaluated by outside judges, like Ami Haas, a neuroscience graduate student at the University of Colorado Anschutz. Haas was mentored through the educational nonpro t Community Resources, which helps facilitate science fairs in Denver Public Schools, while in middle school, which led her to a career in science, she said.
“If we can promote science throughout the entire time kids are in school, and not just in classes, I think it would be really bene cial,” Haas said.
e judging component adds to the caliber and expectations of the student projects, Martin said. Knowing they will publicly present their projects encourages students to take the science fair seriously.
Judges evaluate the project based on a rubric from the school district that measures each portion of the project— from prior research, to data collection, to synthesis—on a point scale. Judges then evaluate the top 10 to 20 projects for uniqueness and quality, ultimately choosing three to ve from each grade as winners.
Some winners then compete in district, regional, state and even national science fair competitions, which can award cash prizes and scholarships, Martin said.
But even if students don’t go on to careers in science, this experience of choosing a topic that interests them, designing an experiment goes a long way in building a passion for science, Haas said.
“More science. We need more science,” Haas said.
Bennett Niehues (left) and Emmett Salzburg (right) describe the process of conducting their science fair experiement at Skinner Middle School on Dec. 3.
Judges evaluate and score science fair projects at Skinner Middle School on Dec. 3. score science fair projects at Skinner Middle School on Dec. 3.
Dekker Bouett (left) and Easton Gabriel (right) describe how they conducted their study of how visual di erences impact taste at Skinner Middle School on Dec. 3.
PHOTOS BY NATALIE KERR
ELECTRIC
Denver is no stranger to the e ects of emissions. According to the Colorado School of Public Health, the combination of industry and how the city sits at the base of the mountains subject Denver residents to inversions.
is phenomenon holds ozone pollution over the city, making air quality less than ideal. While Denver is a long way from the notorious “brown cloud” of the 1980s, it was ranked the sixth-worst city in the nation for ozone pollution by the American Lung Association in 2024. Zeroemission cars are among the ALA’s recommendations for improving air quality.
Carstens took this advice one step further and said that people need a collective change in how they think about purchasing vehicles.
“People need to become more comfortable with owning things with an intention of sustainability,” he said. “We need to shift our mentality to say, ‘I’m buying this because it’s going to last me 30 years.’”
e bene ts of electric vehicles have been on the forefront of sustainability conversations for decades. Carstens was inspired to explore electric car building by his stepfather, Je , who told him about “Who Killed the Electric Car,” a 2006 documentary that explains the troublesome history of the electric car’s battle for cor-
porate adoption. He channeled that inspiration into building an electric go-kart when he was 13 years old.
With a background that includes not only a middle-school project but also working at an automotive performance shop and formal education in electrical engineering, Carstens had what it takes
to build an electric vehicle. All he needed was the perfect subject.
After more than a year of searching, he found a 1988 Toyota truck, the owner of which had begun to transform it into an electric vehicle but abandoned the project. Carstens bought the truck from a man in Blackhawk alongside an electric
motor and some components to operate the motor, but nothing was put together. It took Carstens and Je ve hours to get the truck down the mountain after a series of at tires. But eventually, they got it back to Berkeley and got to work.
Over the next 18 months, Carstens took apart every component of the engine and put it back together. Recently, Carstens took on the nal, most challenging step— building out the electric battery pack. Today, the truck is driveable, and his next task is to nd out how to make it streetlegal. Carstens has already procured the next car for his project, a 1989 Toyota Cressida.
Not everyone has the skills and resources to build their own electric vehicle like Carstens, but widespread electric vehicle adoption is not out of reach for many Denver residents, and Coloradans are increasingly making the transition.
e Colorado Automobile Dealers Association’s third-quarter outlook reports that 21.9% of vehicle registrations in the third quarter of 2024 were electric vehicles. e Tesla Model Y and the Nissan Leaf both fell into the top 10 cars in Colorado through September.
Carstens said he isn’t sure exactly what he will do with his electric vehiclebuilding skills and electrical engineering degree, but he knows that electric vehicles are his future. While he acknowledges that electric vehicles may not be the be-all-end-all solution to reducing emissions, “electric vehicles are a shift toward the right direction,” he said.
Gray Carstens and the electric battery he used to convert an old Toyota truck. PHOTO BY JACQUI SOMEN
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