by Regan Bervar | Sep 30, 2022 | Uncategorized
Distressed, Depressed? Ask For Help! “One of the biggest defects in life is the inability to ask for help.”
by Luke Schmaltz
According to Science.org., the human brain has changed very little over the last 35,000 to 100,000 years. Yet, the degree and variation of stimulation and stress it is currently being subjected to has increased exponentially — especially over the last century.
In effect, the human brain is being bombarded by the wholesale results of its own sophistication run amok.
Our brains get overloaded, the veritable bandwidth therein gets saturated, and some people’s minds become sick. The circumstances can be equated to overeating and getting a stomach ache, but the consequences of a “mind ache” are far more devastating.
Crisis Created
Seek Safe Space: Achea Redd warns constant rumination on the same thought can cause you to go into hyper focus, heart racing, and lack of focus.
Brain Game: Our brains get overloaded, the veritable bandwidth therein gets saturated, and some people’s minds become sick.
The human race, particularly Western society, is in a mental health crisis. More and more people are finding themselves unable to cope with the pressure, responsibility, confusion, misinformation, and a myriad of other stimuli which are rampant in everyday life.
Yet, the mess can’t be unmade by dumping prescription pills into the void. We have to dig ourselves out of this hole with the same tool that got us here in the first place — our humanity.
People from any walk of life, at any time, can become saddened, distressed, depressed, and yes — suicidal. When the walls close in and you’re all alone, when life doesn’t seem worth living but a tiny part of you wants to turn the ship around and find a way out of the darkness, the best course of action is to ask for help.
How To Begin
Dr. Arin N. Reeves, author of “In Charge,” a guide for women tired of being tired, offers a guide to exhaustion as it relates to mental health. She says the problem is it’s hard to tell when exhaustion is not just exhaustion. While more open about mental health, “we still aren’t forgiving or patient with people who are in that gray zone. People are pressured to be okay instead of being okay with not being okay long enough to figure out the problem.”
The top roadblocks stopping people in crisis are stigma and shame, suggests Dr. Bill Howatt. The three types of shame, the psychological expert says are, “Self, peer, and organizational.” When a person doesn’t feel “good enough” they get caught in shame. Thus, they don’t have empathy for self and others.
Motivated to get away from pain, they focus on symptom relief such as drinking. The CEO of Howatt HR says we need to educate people that mental health is no differ than the flu. “We can have a physical flu, and with support it will pass. An emotional flu can pass as well with rest and support,” he enlightens.
When To Act
Warning signs of a looming mental health crisis are many and vary in individuals. Achea Redd, author of the recently published book titled, “Be
coming Your Own Safe Space,” suggests what to watch for based on personal experience.
She says to watch for these indicators: Sudden sleep pattern changes (either too tired or not able to sleep), change in appetite, not enjoying the things you used to, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, or stomach pain.
“Constant rumination on the same thought can cause you to go into hyper focus, heart racing, and lack of focus,” Redd warns.
Where To Turn
Licensed Social Worker Tina Rushing says, “I always say professionals are vital in a crisis. Loved ones can help [and] be there for you but mental health professionals have the proper tools to make the difference.” The PRSL website posts an extensive list of international resources available at any time, anywhere for those in crisis.
For example, the Crisis Text Line can be accessed in the U.S. by simply texting “HOME” to 741741, and the person will be connected (for free) to a mental health support network. “I have personally used it when I was spiraling into a panic attack after a fight with a loved one,” Rushing says. “They helped me navigate my thoughts and emotions and worked with me to sort out why I was spiraling afterwards.”
Resources on the PRSL website also include help lines for veterans (1-800-273-8255 press#1), domestic violence (text START to 88788), rape abuse and incest (1-800-656-4673), eating disorders (1-800-931-2237), suicide prevention (text TALK to 741741); LGBTQ+ (text START to 678678); plus many more options.
What To Say
Mental Tune-Up: The music community is noted for taking care of one another. Punk Rock Saves Lives focuses on health and wellness, with emphasis on mental health.
Dr. Howatt offers sound advice for those ready to voice their need for help. Begin with the understanding that a mental health crisis is an intrapersonal impairment of emotions and thoughts that drive behavior. The person does not need to know what is wrong or why they feel the way they do. “All they need to do is say ‘I am struggling w
See A Doc: Mental illness is no different than the flu, says Dr. Bill Howatt. Getting help is a good choice, so go see a doctor. Copyrighted Kayla Hannaford
ith my emotions and thoughts, and I am not sure what to do. I need some help [in order] to figure out what I can do.’”
Dr. Arin N. Reeves adds: “It’s helpful to have one person you really trust who you can share your plan with and ask them if they can do some of the communicating for you. If not, and you are trying to explain the crisis, focus on concrete things that can help you describe what you are going through.”
It’s tough for professionals to grasp your feelings in crisis. They need to hear facts they can wrap their arms around. Examples: “I haven’t been able to eat in two days, or I have not been able to sleep for more than two hours at a time, or I cannot make myself get out of the bed.”
Solving The Stigma
Western society’s obsession with perfection and the pursuit of an unattainable status quo, by default, places judgment, shame, and condemnation on those suffering from mental health conditions.
“Mental health has been looked at as a moral weakness for many years. To change the culture requires education and senior leaders to make mental health prevention and mental illness a priority,” explains Dr. Howatt. His point: There is nothing wrong with getting help. It is a good choice and no different than going to the ER, if you have a broken arm.
So, get to a doctor. Assess yourself. Pay attention to how you are feeling and take pain seriously. You are not a hero for hanging on when you should be letting go and getting help.
by Valley Gadfly | Sep 30, 2022 | Main Articles
Student-Teacher Ratio, Salaries, School Board Squabbles
Drop Denver District’s Learning To The Lowest Level Ever
by Glen Richardson
Brimful Classes, Bickering Board: Crammed classrooms and squabbling schoolboard has plummeted Denver schools to the lowest level of academic learning ever.
Parent Protest: Parents are confused and angry as DPS teachers and principals leave or are replaced at schools. Principals at 46 of the district’s 134 non-charter schools were new to their position, their school, or both this year.
With Denver’s new school year now in full-swing, the turbulent return for students has been a rollercoaster of feelings, from worry and uncertainty to apathy. Despite reuniting with friends and peers bringing joy, the process of reentry is jarring and chaotic due to the short supply of classroom teachers coping with larger class sizes, fewer aids, a lack of supplies, and a dysfunctional school board. Comprised of nearly 200 schools — including traditional, magnet, charter, and pathways — the Denver Public School System has an enrollment of more than 92,000 students.
A total of 440 teaching positions were unfilled statewide as the 2022-23 classes started. Sorrier yet, another 1,128 or 20% were filled by hiring long-term substitutes, retired educators, alternative licensure program candidates, and “emergency authorization” candidates. The previous year (2021-22) 235 teaching vacancies remained unfilled for the entire school year and another 13% were filled by shortage mechanisms.
Board Bad Boy: School Board’s Tay Anderson continues to create chaos and erode community support. He is shown here refusing to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo: Kevin J. Beaty, Denverite
When it comes to public education, Colorado is at the bottom of the barrel: The state has the eighth lowest average teachers’ pay of all states. Furthermore, it has the 11th highest student-to-teacher ratio in the nation at 31 students per teacher. The Outcome: Colorado’s high school graduation rate is the sixth lowest in the nation at 79.1%.
On The Ropes
Schools in Denver and statewide are at a critical point: Teachers are stressed, overworked, and exhausted. After the tremendous pressures of the past two years, many have reached the end of their rope, tied a knot, and are barely hanging on.
Meanwhile, second graders need to learn kindergarten and first grade academic and social skills while sixth graders are grappling with fourth and fifth grade concepts. Even if classes weren’t huge, teachers feel triple the workload within each child.
A survey by the Colorado Education Association found that 40% of licensed teachers statewide are considering leaving the profession. For those teaching this year, pandemic burnout, low
pay, and rising housing costs are the driving factors as they contemplate leaving the classroom. The kids are the only thing that makes that decision hard.
Learning Plummets
Academic learning in Denver has plummeted relative to other school districts in the state. In 2021, Denver Public Schools recorded the lowest level of academic learning ever, performing worse than all other large Colorado districts. Heretofore, Denver’s growth scores were beyond 50 every year for over a decade, outperforming nearly every school district in the state.
Among worrisome Denver scores were 22nd percentile growth for sixth-grade math, and 40th percentile growth for fifth-grade literacy. Denver’s fourth-grade students math achievement in 2021 was 7% proficient. In 2019, fourth-grade students were at 18% proficiency. Another troubling trend: For at least the past five years, the percentage of kindergarten-through-third-grade students who scored “significantly below grade level” on fall reading tests has hovered around 22%.
On the whole, Denver’s CMAS scores rebounded from last year, though not back to pre-pandemic levels. The one positive exception was third-grade reading, where the percentage of students meeting expectations — 39.9% — was slightly higher than in 2019. On the PSAT and SAT, however, Denver’s scores were lower than in 2019 or 2021. Students struggled the most in math. Just 29% of 11th graders met expectations on the math SAT. It’s long overdue for Denver’s district leadership to drop the magical thinking and honestly address the challenge of educating more than 92,000 students, submits Van Schoales, a Senior Policy Director at the Keystone Policy Center and former President of A+ Colorado.
Unproven Principals
Denver Public Schools opened its doors this year to more new principals than it has in at least six years. Principals at 46 of the district’s 134 non-charter schools — or 34% — were new to their position, their school, or both this year, according to district information. Sixteen of the new principals moved into the position from that of assistant principal.
If the 11 principals who simply moved laterally — jumping from the leadership of one Denver school to another — are not counted in the total, DPS still has 35 new principals. More: Twelve of the principals are external hires, new to DPS.
Henry Roman, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, believes the district should focus on encouraging experienced teachers to enter its principal pipelines because he believes candidates with a strong background in instruction and curriculum development are needed. He’s also concerned that the DPS Ritchie Program for School Leaders at DU draws too much from a young, inexperienced pool of prospects.
School Board Squabbles
Even if DPS wasn’t already boiling over with troubles, the current Denver School Board may be the most counterproductive and contemptuous ever. Creating chaos, confusion, and uncertainty, members have eroded community support while sidetracking student and teacher problems and concerns.
Responsible for setting policy for Denver Public Schools, members in work sessions disagree on matters as small as whether to call each other by their first names and as big as how to gather feedback from the community. The board spent much of this winter-spring debating a single policy related to school autonomy and teachers’ rights. That, according to critics, left little time to talk about important issues such as helping students learn to read and improving their mental health.
At a meeting to fill a vacant board seat, it took nine rounds of voting and several heated and emotional exchanges for a majority of members to agree. A consultant specializing in conflict resolution was asked to attend a mid-June retreat. She reported the group’s energy was filled with “mistrust, fear, and hesitation.”
by Jessica Hughes | Sep 30, 2022 | Main Articles
by Jessica Hughes
Skiing the fresh powder at Vail Mountain. Photo: Andrew Maguire, Breckenridge Ski Resort
Ski runs at Breckenridge along the Tenmile Mountain Range. Photo: Andrew Maguire, Breckenridge Ski Resort
It’s that time of year again, when fall signals the anticipatory announcements of opening day for Colorado ski resorts and the race to be the first to open begins.
On August 22, 2022, Vail Resorts announced their opening dates of its five Colorado resorts including Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Crested Butte. The season begins with Keystone Resort set to be the first to open in mid-October and ending with the closing of Breckenridge running well into May, making this one of the longest seasons in the country for its Epic Pass Holders.
The race to the top is tight with Keystone Resort planning to be the first to open in all of Colorado on October 21, rivaling Arapahoe Basin which is set to open on October 22. Historically, the average opening date for the upcoming ski season has been October 22.
In addition, to the opening dates, the company shared it will limit lift ticket sales throughout the season in an effort to manage potential overcrowding. “We care deeply about our guests’ experience at our resorts,” said James O’Donnell, president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain division.
“Limiting lift tickets throughout the season, alongside the big investments we’re making at our resorts, and in our team members, will help us provide our guests with an Experience of a Lifetime this winter.”
Much of this came in response to issues the resort has experienced in past years with long lift lines and overcrowded runs. Pre-purchased passes, including the Epic Day Pass, are not limited, and if tickets are sold out online, guests will not be able to purchase at the window.
Downtown Breckenridge rests near the base of the resort. Photo: Andrew Maguire, Breckenridge Ski Resort
Aside from opening dates announcements, the winter 22/23 season ushers in exciting news from Colorado’s 26 ski areas and resorts with notable milestones, upgrades, and new additions.
Vail Resorts is investing $300 million in the guest experience this season, with new lifts at Vail and Breckenridge, a restaurant expansion at Keystone, and exciting events at all five resorts.
Vail Mountain will unveil its new two-lift project, introducing the Sun Down Lift, a new high-speed 4-person chair that will connect the bottom of Sun Down Bowl to Wildwood, allowing for a smoother connection between Lionshead Village and the Seven Legendary Back Bowls. The lift in Game Creek Bowl will also be upgraded to a new high-speed six-person lift.
Steamboat Resort continues to move forward with its second phase of a multi-million, multi-year transformation of its base area, including an ice-skating rink and new food and drink hall, while World Cup downhill racing returns to Aspen Mountain this spring.
North America’s highest-elevation restaurant re-opens at Arapahoe Basin as the completely renovated and expanded il Rifugio, a European-inspired full-service eatery, while down the road Loveland Ski Area will launch a guided snowcat operation offering backcountry trips for intermediate level and above skiers and snowboarders beginning in January of 2023.
Colorado’s oldest ski area in continuous use since 1915, Howelsen Hill in Steamboat, will open a new snow tubing area and lift to debut this December. This season also marks a few historic milestones. Telluride Ski Resort and Copper Mountain will celebrate their 50th anniversaries, and Eldora Ski Area and Vail Mountain will celebrate their 60th anniversaries.
Opening dates for the winter 22/23 season in Colorado*:
Keystone: October 21, 2022
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area: October 22, 2022
Wolf Creek Ski Area: October 29, 2022
Loveland: October 29, 2022
Aspen Snowmass: November 10, 2022
Breckenridge: November 11, 2022
Vail: November 11, 2022
Winter Park: November 17, 2022
Eldora Mountain Resort: November 18, 2022
Purgatory: November 20, 2022
Copper Mountain: November 21, 2022
Beaver Creek: November 23, 2022
Crested Butte Mountain Resort: November 23, 2022
Aspen Mountain: November 24, 2022
Telluride: November 24, 2022
Steamboat: November 26, 2022
Powderhorn: December 03, 2022
Ski Granby Ranch: December 9, 2022
Aspen Highlands: December 10, 2022
Cooper: December 10, 2022
Monarch Mountain: December 10, 2022
Howelsen Hill: December 10, 2022
Echo Mountain: December 10, 2022
Buttermilk: December 17, 2022
Sunlight Mountain Resort: December 17, 2022
Silverton Mountain: December 24, 2022
*all dates are subject to change based on weather conditions.
Source: https://www.onthesnow.com/colorado/projected-openings
by Charles Bonniwell | Sep 30, 2022 | Main Articles
Zoning War Possible Between Cities
by Charles C. Bonniwell
High Density King: David Tryba, Principal of Tryba Architects. His firm has submitted a “Concept Site Plan” for an area that borders Glendale along Cherry Creek Drive South that includes 15 and 20 story apartment buildings. In 2016, his firm proposed buildings to be constructed in Glendale that would have been the tallest in the state. Glendale officials rejected the concept.
Site Plan: The concept site plan submitted to the Denver Planning Department by Tryba Architects includes five buildings along Cherry Creek Drive South and East Kentucky Avenue with buildings 4 and 5 bordering Glendale and totaling 20 and 15 stories respectively.
Tall Buildings: The red lines in the above photo illustrate how tall the proposed buildings would be if approved by Denver’s Planning Department. They would be 157 feet and 210 feet respectively and block out any views East along Cherry Creek Drive South from Glendale.
The massive density along Cherry Creek within the City and County of Denver appears to be continuing unabated with the creek being canyonized by tall buildings. High density developers’ favorite architectural firm, Tryba Architects, has submitted a “Concept Site Plan” for 5250 East Cherry Creek Drive South to Denver Planning and Development that has surrounding neighborhoods and the City of Glendale in an uproar.
David Tryba, the head of Tryba Architects, had come along with Dana Crawford, to Glendale City Hall in February 2016, to convince city officials to allow a massive tower of luxury apartments/condominiums. The building would have been potentially the tallest building in Colorado and located along 3.8 acres acres of land owned by the proprietors of Authentic Persian and Oriental Rugs on Colorado Boulevard. At his meeting with Glendale officials, Tryba
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noted how landowners could make a great deal more money the more density they can squeeze on a property. He stated that they had come to Glendale because they were “frankly interested in having more flexibility than they could have in Denver in terms of being able to go vertically.”
Community And Glendale Objections
Glendale was not impressed and did not approve the concept, but Denver in the waning days of the Hancock administration has become more “flexible” than it was previously. The Glendale City Council directed its staff to oppose the 5250 East Cherry Creek Development due to its extreme density and asked them to point out “the serious negative impacts to traffic, parks, and the surrounding lower density Denver and Glendale neighborhoods, and encouraged a development that is “more compatible adjacent zoning and density.”
Glendale did not object to a redevelopment of the present site which has 328 units and a density of 28 units per acre. Glendale notes the redevelopment would drastically increase the number of units to 1,232 with 196 units per acre — a fourfold increase. The redevelopment would be comprised of five buildings with the two tallest being 15 and 20 stories and back up to one and two-story buildings in Glendale. In one property in Denver, there would be 40% of all residential units in Glendale combined.
Both Cherry Creek Pediatrics and the Board of the Cedar Pointe Condominiums have sent objection letters to the Denver Planning Department pointing out many of the problems that the size and mass of the buildings could effectively destroy the existing landscaping in Glendale.
Parking And Traffic
Glendale in its correspondence noted the enormous parking and traffic problems that the project would bring. Denver allows as little as 1.5 parking places per unit while Glendale requires much more plentiful parking but does not allow on street parking. Adjacent Cedar Point Condominiums has 573 off-street parking for 270 units. The overflow parking from the project would therefore be forced into Denver’s Virginia Village neighborhood streets and overwhelm them.
Proposed Site: Creekside Apartments, which has 328 units, currently sits on the property that is most likely going to give way to a massive development sprawled over 11.632 acres.
Traffic created by the redevelopment would create bottlenecks on Cherry Creek South during rush hours and double the traffic on East Kentucky Avenue. The redevelopment does not provide a full signalized intersection with pedestrian crossings. Glendale points out that the redevelopment is not consistent with the 2010 Blueprint Denver which provides for low to medium residential development for the area.
Rezoning And Possible Zoning War
The property had been zoned R-2-A with height limitations but in 2006 rezoned to R-3 with no height limitations. To obtain the rezoning the property owner, Apartment Income REIT Corp agreed to waive its unlimited heights rights to protect the R-2-A Denver property to the south but no protection for any Glendale property to the west. The setback on the Glendale side is proposed to be only 20 feet dwarfing the Cherry Creek Pediatric Center in Glendale. Denver appears to be allowing massive density adjoining Glendale properties. This could result in Glendale in turn rezoning its properties along the Denver border with massive density.
Such a zoning war would hurt both cities, but Glendale may have little choice given Denver Planning Commission’s seemingly willingness to badly damage Glendale.
