Stocked pond reels in young anglers
Kudos to the city of Aspen and Aspen Elks Lodge No. 224 for stocking the golf course pond with fish. My kids and their friends have enjoyed it (and I’ve enjoyed them spending time away from the screen). It’s the little things that kids look back on that make the best memories.
Diane Spicer
Aspen
Homeless Shelter thanks supporters
The fourth annual Aspen BBQ Cook-Off held Aug. 15 at Ajax Tavern was a grand success, raising approximately $150,000 for the Aspen Homeless Shelter. The funds from the event will support the shelter’s continued efforts in providing resources to our most vulnerable members of our community and assisting them with the transition to stability and self-reliance.
To reach this lofty goal, it took the generosity and efforts of our community at large. Two-hundred guests purchased tickets and private tables and many provided significant contributions through a paddle raise at the event.
Thank you to all our sponsors, including Douglas Elliman Real Estate, The Little Nell and Ajax Tavern, Aspen Valley Hospital, city of Aspen, Aspen Thrift Shop, St. Mary Catholic Church, Snowmass Chapel, The Colorado Trust, Alpine Bank, Silich Construction, Reese Henry & Co., HMB Investments, Clearwater Construction LLC, Cos Bar Aspen, Andrew Turchin DM, Incline Management LLC, and special thanks to Creative Weddings & Events, Alchemy, Bethel Party Rentals and Sashae Floral Arts & Gifts. Thank you to our live auction sponsors Betteridge Jewelers, Snowmass Mountain Club, Davidor, Aspen Skiing Co. and the Limelight Hotel Snowmass. More than a dozen businesses donated silent auction items including Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Dunton River Camp, Hotel Jerome, The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Gorsuch Ltd., Christy Sports, Outfront Media, Four Seasons Denver, The Little Nell, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Cos Bar, Elliott Yeary Gallery, Raw Space Art Gallery, Valley Fine Art and Evoke Women.
Thank you to all of the talented chefs who participated in the competition — defending champions and second-place winners Chris Lanter and Kyle Wilkins with Home Team BBQ; this year’s winners: Matt Zubrod, Oscar Carrasco and Oscar Ibarra from The Little Nell; third place winners: Douglas Elliman Real Estate; Adam Bellamy and Alex Young with Slow Groovin’ BBQ; Laurent Pillard and Daniel Acuna with The St. Regis Aspen; Jesse Bennas with the Hickory House; Chris Menard and Brett Thompson with Skico catering; and Ingrid Stern and Nacho Ignacio with The Sundeck. Thanks to our event emcee John Sarpa, the Aspen Homeless Shelter’s board of directors and advisory board, staff and volunteers.
Jonathan Fillman, general manager, The Little Nell
Vince Savage, executive director, Aspen Homeless Shelter
Future is bright for Ross Montessori
At Ross Montessori School, we want to extend gratitude toward all the families that attend our school, those who have attended in the past, the PTO, and all of our staff and administration. We truly have a special community among all of us here. We are excited to share several notable achievements from our school.
We have comprehensive data from Charter School Institute showing that the three-year cycle here at Ross is beneficial to our children. The results are in! When a child completes the three-year cycle (example: first through third and fourth through sixth grade) test results are showing positive growth.
The board learned through the teacher survey (we have 100% participation from every teacher) that Ross offers a positive environment for teaching, growth and community. Teachers shared testimonials with the board throughout the year. We heard that teacher collaboration has improved compared with past years.
We know from our parent survey that faculty retention is a concern and want to share with you that according to our most recent staff satisfaction survey, 93% of staff say they will return to Ross. This is due to a high level of support from school leadership.
Congratulations to the Ross Montessori Class of 2019. Ross has now graduated 101 students who are ready for the world. And there are more to come. We look forward to seeing all our wonderful students for our new school year.
Samuel Bernal
Board member, Ross Montessori