August 2015 Castle Rock Magazine

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CASTLE ROCK’S PREMIER MONTHLY COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

ROCK e n i z a g Ma

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Buying a Back to School Computer Douglas County School District Small Business Grant Program CU Denver South Campus Taste of Douglas County & much more

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AUGUST 2015

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CONTENTS CASTLE ROCK

MAGAZINE

castlerockmagazine.com

This Issue

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DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

A World Class Education For Every Student

Volume 11 Issue 8 PUBLISHER MIKE WAID

mike.waid@waidpublishing.com 303-805-9455 xt 700

AD SALES JAMY BEATON

jamy@waidpublishing.com 303-805-9455 xt 705

GRAPHIC DESIGNER CHRIS WAID

chris@waidpublishing.com

Castle Rock Magazine is published 12 times per year by Waid Publishing (www.WaidPublishing. com), a division of Mike Waid & Associates, Inc. (www.MikeWaid.com), 19751 E. Mainstreet, Suite R-18, Parker, CO 80138, 303-805-9455.

Castle Rock Magazine is available online at www.castlerockmagazine.com. Castle Rock Magazine is a trademark of Waid Publishing.

All rights reserved. The views, opinions and/or statements made or expressed by individuals and/or entities, are not necessarily reflective of the views and opinions of Waid Publishing.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without explicit permission from Castle Rock Magazine. Copyright 2015 Castle Rock Magazine - All rights Reserved.

SUPPORT LOCALLY OWNED Help us find great locally owned businesses to receive a grant to help them grow!

GET TO KNOW CU DENVER SOUTH

BACK TO SCHOOL COMPUTER Tips and advice on buying a new computer for your student...or yourself

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THE BOOKENDS The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

LOCAL AUTHOR More Than Thoughts

by Michelle E. Parker

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TASTE OF DOUGLAS COUNTY Don’t miss this great family event

WIN A FAMILY PACK OF TICKETS TO THE TASTE OF DOUGLAS COUNTY

Here is your chance to win tickets to the Taste of Douglas County.

Simply head over to CastleRockMagazine.com with this copy of your magazine and click the CONTEST tab. Follow the instructions and you could win! GOOD LUCK! WWW.CASTLEROCKMAGAZINE.COM 4

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DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

K

A World-Class Education for Every Student

nown for its strong traditions of innovation, excellence and economic efficiency, the Douglas County School District (DCSD) has long been a destination school district.

Today, DCSD teachers and principals are setting the bar even higher. They are reinventing American education by designing

a new curriculum and challenging students with rigorous outcomes and authentic experiences.

Knowing that every student is unique, DCSD empowers parents to find the best educational environment for their child, by offering more than 80 schools with a wide variety of pathways to learning.

These include neighborhood schools;

charter, magnet and online schools; and home education options.

DCSD is working to provide a broad range of choice to meet the unique needs of all students, in a setting that ensures they receive the 21st century skills needed to compete for the college or career of their choice.

Learn more at www.dcsdk12.org/ district/choice.

67,000 STUDENTS

7,700 EMPLOYEES

2015-16 BUDGETED REVENUE

$670,000,000

4,000+ ARE LICENSED

INNOVATION

SCHOLARSHIPS

Students and parents saved nearly $4.8 million (2014-15) in college expenses through DCSD’s concurrent enrollment program.

The Class of 2015 earned nearly $65,000,000 in scholarships.

CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT

2014-15: MORE THAN $4,800,000 SAVED

ASSESSMENTS ACT

ACT

2015: $65,000,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS

EXCELLENCE GRADUATION RATE

In 2014, DCSD high school students continued to increase the District’s average composite ACT score.

It is now 22.1.

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AWARDED TO DCSD STUDENTS

22.1

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DCSD has one of the highest graduation rates in the Denver metro area. Rates have risen steadily from 81.9% in 2009 to 88.9% in 2014.

88.9% GRADUATE

Help Out Your Favorite And you could win Small Business a cool $100 cash!

U SMALL B SINESS

GRANT AWARD 2015

It’s easy, simply go to searchparker.com and click on the SMALL BUSINESS GRANT AWARD icon to see how you can nominate your favorite locally owned businesses. Once all the votes are counted, a lucky small business will win a grant and someone who nominated them will win $100! That someone could be you! Head over to CastleRockMagazine.com today and support your favorite locally owned small businesses.

AUGUST 2015

WAID PUBLISHING

We are passionate about helping locally owned small businesses succeed. Small business is the backbone of our community and we want to know who you think are the best locally owned small businesses. We would like to give them an advertising grant worth over $2,000...and you could win $100 cash for your efforts.

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Get To Know CU South Denver

T

Academic programs are being added regularly from all four CU campuses—Anschutz Medical Campus, Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver. Currently degree programs are available in nursing, political science and business administration. In addition, there are certificate programs and courses designed for working professionals.

The offerings are a major benefit to those seeking to advance their careers, particularly given the facility’s convenient south metro Denver location.

“With the launch of CU South Denver in fall 2014, we continue our commitment to quality undergraduate and graduate programs, K–12 museum programs, and community events for all ages,” said Lisa Douglas, vice chancellor of CU South Denver. “These services align with the evolving demographics and population needs of Douglas and Arapahoe counties.”

The addition of academic programming from CU does not mean the end of popular activities the community has come to expect from The Wildlife Experience.

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he Liniger Building at CU South Denver is a must-see destination for visitors from south Denver and the surrounding community. Whether they come to be awed by the animal kingdom at The Wildlife Experience at CU South Denver, enjoy a movie and cocktails with friends, enroll in one of the courses offered through the University of Colorado, or attend one of the many other programs and events at the facility, all agree—there is something for everyone.

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The Wildlife Experience at CU South Denver continues to host community favorites such as the Art & Ale Brew Festival.

The beer festival will return for a 12th year, featuring unlimited

tastings from local breweries and restaurants, live music and demonstrations by professional artists, who create masterpieces while you watch. Likewise, the museum, which includes art exhibits, daily movies and programs for all ages is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. Our distinctive catered event spaces for business, weddings and the community are available for rent.

With so much going on, visitors will have more than one reason to return again and again to the Liniger Building at CU South Denver.

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Buying a Computer for Back to School It’s back to school which means time to buy a computer for your student. Weather heading off to college or needing some tech for high school classes, here is a breakdown on different types of computers and what might or might not be good for your student.

Tablet

Pros: The most mobile. Great power and battery life for the size of the package. Adaptable to most situations.

Cons: Absolutely not upgradable. Still expensive.

Limited on storage capacity.

Not made for games. One decent drop and it’s done!

PC with Monitor

Pros: Most customizable.

Able to adapt to meet most gaming or higher educational requirements. Most overall performance for your money.

Cons: Not mobile. Takes up the most space.

By Dana Kinsey

Laptop

All In One PC

Cons: Not very upgradeable.

You can replace the hard drive and RAM. Not really suitable for many of today’s common place games. Not economically repairable in some cases.

Cons: Not Mobile. Not very upgradeable. What you see is what you have! You can upgrade the hard drives and RAM. But most likely the hard drive that the unit comes with is already much larger than you will use.

Pros: Very mobile. Travels well.

Smaller footprint. Self-contained.

Pros: Smaller table top footprint.

Fewer peripherals.

CPU This makes everything fast! The main brain of the system. Always ask for at least a QUAD core CPU. Otherwise you will get a DUAL core CPU. Imagine drawing a carriage with 4 or more horses or only two!!

RAM This makes everything possible. Don’t settle for less than 8GB of system RAM. A short analogy: Think of Ram as a pool with kids waiting to get in. The RAM is the pool.

Your Apps and programs are the kids. The more pool you have the more kids in the pool at one time. When the pool is full someone has to get out so others can get wet!

When this happens your programs get moved to the hard drive and operate slower as the hard drive IS slower than your RAM. That’s why you might notice the hard drive light flashing rapidly or all the time.

HARD DRIVES Storage. The larger the drive the more music, videos, pictures, apps and programs your youth can store.

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VIDEO CARDS This only applies to computers that are designed to play today’s most current and performance-demanding games. Expect to pay a hefty sum on a better than average video card.

Dana Kinsey is the owner of DAKtronix Computers. For more information on how to buy a PC or to have one custom built, visit daktronix.com or call Dana at 720-851-5555 9 CASTLE ROCK MAGAZINE

The Gallery at Vehicle Vault

AUGUST 2015

features multiple distinctive venues covering over 35,000 square feet of this fabulous automotive museum. Featuring dozens of rare and exotic cars from past and present and designed to hold gatherings from the 20 person board meeting to the 700+ guest wedding, fundraiser or black-tie reception, the Gallery at Vehicle Vault is designed to move your events into the fast lane...car pun intended.

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BOOKENDS The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Rachel’s life is a bit of a mess. Her biggest challenge is a serious drinking problem. It has cost her a great deal, including her marriage and job. To escape her roommate that corners her with questions, Rachel pretends to go to work and rides the commuter train to the city.

As she rides she watches a couple that lives in a home right off the track. She has named them “Jess and Jason” and, in her mind, she has created a perfect life for this darling couple. Rachel is pulled into a mystery when, during a typical train ride, she sees something happen to “Jess”. Rachel may be the only witness to this crime but will anyone believe her story?

BECKY: This mystery is uniquely told through the eyes of three main characters. Rachel, whom is mentioned above, Megan aka “Jess” who is struggling with her own demons, and Anna (Rachel’s ex-husband’s new wife that lives a few doors down from Megan). Did you find this confusing or did you like the different angles?

PAM: I did find it confusing at first, while I was still getting to know each character and her place in the story. I did frequently find myself going back a few pages to remind myself which character was “speaking” in the beginning. However, this style added to the suspenseful feel, especially as we neared the end of the book. I found it difficult to witness many of the episodes that Rachel experienced as she struggled with her many issues, especially her alcoholism. Did you find this challenging?

BECKY: I too found it hard to read about the choices she made. Her drinking would cause her to black out and there were many unanswered questions during those nights. Every time she drank I would cringe because I knew there would be yet more tragedy added to her story. Actually, this book is full of damaged characters. Did this give the characters dimension or was it just a little too much for the story?

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PAM: At first I thought it was a little too much for the story.

However, as the story continued, all of the characters’ issues began to click into place and connect the story lines. Did you feel that the characters’ issues were necessary for the author’s vision?

BECKY: A mystery has to create some shadows of doubt on various characters or there is not a puzzle to solve. Overall I liked the way that the author set the scene but I didn’t feel a great deal of suspense. It seemed to me to be about obsession - and the consequences of your actions when it starts to control your life. The characters were flawed and realistic, but I really liked Rachel’s storyline. She was a mess but had good intentions and I was cheering for her through the story. Was there one character that you liked more than the others?

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PAM: I was also rooting for Rachel t h r o u g h this story, so I would c h o o s e her as the character I liked the most. However, I was frustrated and disappointed every time she went back to the alcohol and it was hard to follow her through these times. I understood her plight more and more as the story unfolded and this made me root for her even more! How did you feel about Rachel’s ex-husband’s new wife, Anna?

BECKY: It was easy to dislike this character. Anna and Rachel are not on friendly terms and although Rachel caused some of the friction between the two ladies, I was still cheering for Rachel. I had a hard time caring for this character on any level. I have asked some of my other friends about this book and they either love it or hate it. Those that dislike it found it hard to follow. Do you think that this story would play out better as a movie?

PAM: I think that a movie would be intriguing and suspenseful.

It would be easier from the beginning to identify each character and situation in the story, with the addition of the visual aspect of a movie. This would allow the audience to be drawn into the story more completely from the very beginning. Would you read another book from this author, Becky?

BECKY: I enjoyed this story and would definitely entertain another book from this author. It’s time to say goodbye to this mystery and move on to another book. What are we reading next month?

PAM: Next month we will travel to South Carolina, where we will delve into a suspenseful story with many twists and turns.

We will be discussing The Sound of Glass by Karen White.

LOCAL AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

More Than Thoughts by Michelle E. Parker

Aspen Phillips wants her abusive finds the courage to not only husband dead. However, when defend herself, but to protect Andrew’s lifeless body is found in someone she loves. the backseat of his Lexus, she is Michelle E. Parker wrote More Than bound and determined to learn Thoughts during her daily commute the truth behind his presumed on the RTD Light Rail train from suicide. She enters the homeless LIncoln Station in Lone Tree to Union Station in lower downtown community of beautiful Santa Denver Colorado.

Barbara in order to earn the trust of people she believes can More Than Thoughts is available help her. Follow Aspen on her online at fictionbymichelle.com and at Poor Richard’s Book journey in this fast-paced novel Shoppe in Downtown Parker of fear, trust, and unexpected Colorado. eBook version friendships. Discover how she available on Amazon.com

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AUGUST 2015

Stay Connected & Get All Our Latest News & Promotions:

TASTE 13th Annual

of

DOUGLAS COUNTY

The 13th Annual Taste of Douglas County will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2015 at the Douglas County Events Center from 5-8PM. “Thirteen years ago I realized that Douglas County had a fine selection of restaurants and decided to put on an event that would highlight many of those places to area residents,” said Mike Boyle, host of the Restaurant Shows on Newstalk KNUS 710AM radio and Comcast, Channel 8. “The event has grown into the finest in the county.” He went on to say “that this will give people an inexpensive evening out while enjoying wonderful cuisine from many area restaurants and food service establishments. It will give attendees an opportunity to sample many places at one time.”

Restaurants and other establishments will offer selections from appetizers to main courses to desserts. The cost of a ticket is $20 at the door, but only $10 in advance. Kids four years and under are free. The admission ticket includes food from each of these various establishments.

Some of the restaurants participating include Old Stone Church, Pegasus on the Square, Outback Steakhouse, John Holly’s Asian Bistro, Old Chicago, Rockyard American Grill & Brewery, Crave Real Burgers, Fowl Line Sports Grill, Stumpy’s Pizza, and many more. There will be beverages from Lost Coffee, Sugarland Sodas, Tropical Smoothie Café, Keva Juice smoothies, and more.

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THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2015 5pm - 8pm

Douglas County Events Center 13 CASTLE ROCK MAGAZINE

Dress is casual and plenty of free parking is available.

Event is sponsored by Century Link, First Bank of Douglas County, Medved Autoplex, and IMI Food Solutions.

Additional information is available at www. tasteofdouglascounty.com or by calling Mike Boyle at 303-903-0017.

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