Alumni in the News

Matthew Gemperline, Class of 2007, graduates with a Civil Engineering degree from CU-Boulder

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:18:00 GMT

Matthew Gemperline will graduate from the University of Colorado on May 18, 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering.

Marty Sandberg, Class of 2006 publishes story about the Chicago Cubs

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:12:00 GMT

Seriously, where have all the Cub fans gone? Click here to download the full story.

Molly Erdle, Class of 2012 named ACC Defensive Player of the Week for Boston College

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:30:00 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Maryland senior midfielder Katie Schwarzmann and Boston College sophomore midfielder Mikaela Rix have been named Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Co-Offensive Players of the Week as announced Tuesday by the conference. Boston College freshman defender Molly Erdle was recognized as the ACC Defensive Player of the Week.

Erdle was tasked with marking Kerrin Maurer, who leads Duke and is fourth in the conference averaging 3.83 points per game. The freshman held Maurer to zero points and no shots in the 10-9 win, the second straight victory over a team ranked in the top 10 for the Eagles. The native of Lone Tree, Colo., anchored the Boston College defense that limited Duke to its lowest scoring total since Feb. 24 against Maryland. This is the first career ACC weekly honor for Erdle.

Elliott Beski, Class of 2009, featured in the Vaulters Magazine for the U.S. Air Force

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:50:00 GMT

Elliott Beski, was featured in Vaulter Magazine, the January 2013 College Issue. He appears on the cover with his teammates (2nd from left), and again on page 23. Watch for this explosive team to continue their winning ways. The full story has not been published due to its length.

Click her to view several PDF pages.

Rick Egloff, Class of 1963, talks about Tuscany Tavern and life

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:27:00 GMT

Rick graduated from Mullen in 1963, earning 11 varsity letters while competing for the Mustangs in football, basketball, baseball, track and field. He went on to play with the Broncos, and now finds himself at the Tuscany Tavern in Evergreen doing what he loves.

Story was posted in Colorado Serenity Magazine, January 2013 issue in the the Talk with a Townie column.

Click here to download the PDF of the full article.

Kathryn Barrett, Class of 2001, appointed to Mullen High School Foundation Board

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:10:00 GMT

LAW WEEK COLORADO

Brownstein Associate Appointed To Foundation’s Board

Kathryn Barrett, an associate at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, was recently appointed to the J.K. Mullen High School Foundation Board of Directors, and subsequently elected secretary.

As a board member, Barrett will assist the foundation in receiving, managing and investing contributions, gifts and bequests exclusively for the benefit of the school. Barrett is a graduate of Mullen High School and will serve her term through 2015.

The Mullen High School Foundation’s mission is to create a sustainable legacy in direct support of the educational mission of Mullen High School core principles of faith in the presence of God; concern for the poor and social justice; respect for all persons; quality education; and an inclusive community.

http://www.lawweekonline.com/2013/02/brownstein-associate-appointed-to-foundations-board/

Mat Erpelding, Class of 1993, elected to Idaho House of Representatives

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:01:00 GMT

Mat Erpelding was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives, District 19 during the recent elections.

Congratulations Mat!
Experiential Adventures LLC
Representative Elect, Idaho House of Representatives District 19
erpforidaho.com

Christi Scott, Class of 2012, named to Harvard's Track and Field Squad

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 22:49:00 GMT

Track and Field Bolsters Squad with Sixteen Freshmen

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Director of track and field and cross country Jason Saretsky announced his incoming class for track and field, made up of 16 freshmen. The 16 track and field student-athletes join the 12 newcomers that are competing with the Harvard cross country team this fall.

"I am thrilled with the current class of freshmen," said Saretsky. "Last year we had one of the best men's recruiting classes in the nation and I feel this women's class is equally as strong. There is a tremendous amount of talent on both the men's and women's sides and I look forward to supporting all of our student-athletes as they pursue their athletic and academic goals here at Harvard."

The 2011-12 track and field season saw the Crimson post numerous marks within the school's all-time top-10 lists, as well as some of the school's best team performances in recent years. The men and women both placed fourth at Indoor Heps while the men's squad turned in its best finish in a decade at the outdoor championships, placing third. Pole vaulter Nico Weiler '12-13 set school records in the event during the indoor and outdoor seasons and claimed the IC4A outdoor title en route to earning first-team All-America honors with his fourth-place performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Here's a look at the class of 2016: Only Christi's information is included here.

Christi Scott – Sprints – Englewood, Colo. – J.K. Mullen

Accomplishments
Colorado 4A State Champion – 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and 4x200m relay

Holds the 10th fastest indoor 200m time nationally (24.37)

Personal Best
100m – 11.85

200m – 24.22

60m – 7.66

Before Harvard
Lettered in track and field for three years at Mullen High School ... Named all-state in the 200 meters in 2011 ... Also selected all-state 4A in the 100 and 200 meters in 2011 ... Named all-league from 2009-11 ... Selected all-state 3A in the 200 meters in 2009 ... Won the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100 relay, and 4x200 relay and helped Mullen win the Colorado 4A State Championships ... The Simplot and Golden West champion in 2011 ... Colorado 3A State Champion in the 200 meters in 2009 ... Holds the 10^th fastest indoor 200 meter time nationally ... Member of the National Honor Society ... Member of the Young Voices of Colorado for nine years ... Gave over 70 hours of community service while in high school ... A classically trained pianist ... Also enjoys singing, playing the piano, watching movies, reading, laughing and having fun ... Father, Kim Scott, was a two-time All-American pole vaulter at Wisconsin.

http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/track/2012-13/releases/TFMW121023FreshmanClass

Jared Roberts, Class of 2010: CSU football notes: Roberts named Player of Week for second time

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 22:45:00 GMT

CSU kicker Jared Roberts was named the Mountain West Conference special teams player of the week Monday for the second time this season.

Roberts, a sophomore from Littleton, kicked a career-long 49-yard field goal at the end of the first half of the Rams’ 33-11 win Saturday over UNLV and later hit a 32-yarder to improve to 8 of 9 on field goals this season. Roberts also made three of his four point-after touchdown kicks in the game, which was played with snow sticking to the field and temperatures in the mid-20s. He is 24 of 26 on the season on extra-point kicks.

“I tell you, I’ve been proud of Kicker, I really have,” coach Jim McElwain said Monday at his weekly news conference. “Kicker’s done a darned good job this season.”

His first field goal allowed Colorado State University to take a 24-0 lead into the locker room at halftime and his second put the Rams on top 27-0 late in the third quarter.

Roberts, the kicker on two Mullen High School teams that won Colorado Class 5A titles, also won the MW’s weekly honor after the season opener. He made three of three field goals and one of two PAT kicks in CSU’s 22-17 win over the University of Colorado .

“He’s really stepped up,” McElwain said. “There’s an example of a young guy that came in here, proved his worth and has made himself relevant to the whole team.”

Fresno State running back Robbie Rouse was named the offensive player of the week, and teammate , a linebacker, was named the defensive player of the week. Rouse ran for 261 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries in the Bulldogs’ 52-36 win at Nevada. Brown was in on nine tackles in that game and also scored one of Fresno State’s three defensive touchdowns by stripping the ball from a Nevada running back and returning the fumble 26 yards to the end zone.

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20121112/SPORTS/311120020/CSU-football-notes-Roberts-named-Player-Week-second-time?nclick_check=1

Peter Srsich featured in the Denver Catholic Register

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:01:00 GMT

‘All things work for good’ for teen who fought cancer

By Julie Filby

Photo provided
Following his battle with cancer last year, Peter Srsich, 18, was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI following his general audience May 30 as his mother Laura Srsich looks on. His dream to be blessed by the pope was fulfilled by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Peter Srsich lay sick in bed at Children’s Hospital in Aurora. The teenager’s pain was so intense he’d begun to lose hope. After weeks of chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he was sinking into a depression.

Since entering the hospital, he had welcomed a friend and classmate from Denver’s Mullen High School who brought him the Eucharist. However, this day was different. Srsich had lost interest.

“I was totally wiped out, I didn’t care anymore, I had actually lost my faith at that point,” Srsich said. “I just didn’t even want to see him right there, especially with the Eucharist.”

When his friend lifted the host and said “Body of Christ,” everything changed.

“I could actually feel Jesus in the room,” he said. “It was like he was actually sitting in the room with me, and I could see that he cared about me, and that he was with me.”

Instantly his hope and faith returned. Within 24 hours, the painful sores that covered his mouth and digestive system cleared up and he was able to go home. It was this, and other blessings that helped Srsich get through seven rounds of chemo and 20 days of radiation.

Diagnosis and support
The Mullen junior was wrapping up the school year in May 2011 when he developed a cough. Not thinking much of it, the 6-foot-6-inch, 200-pound honor student, lacrosse player, Eagle Scout and Taekwondo black belt went ahead with a two-week canoe trip.

Later, after being diagnosed with bronchitis, he continued his routine and attended a lacrosse camp.

“I was still coughing,” he recalled. “I felt exhausted. I started having trouble with day-to-day things.”

A different doctor suspected pneumonia and sent him for a chest X-ray. The X-ray didn’t show pneumonia; instead it revealed a softball-sized tumor in his chest.

“That turned my world upside down,” the now 18-year-old said.

The tumor was so large it was compressing his lungs and aorta. Srsich was rushed to the emergency room for test after test to determine the cause of the tumor. Due to its size and location, it took a week to diagnose: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

Because the cancer had come on so aggressively, it had to be treated aggressively.

Family and friends surrounded Srsich with support, including wearing silicon wristbands in lime green, the color designated for lymphoma awareness. One side was printed “Praying for Peter;” the other “Romans 8:28,” his longtime favorite Bible verse: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

“We ordered 600 bracelets,” said his mother Laura Srsich, “then another 600.

“It was very interesting how Romans 8:28 would pop up in readings or devotionals when he really needed it.”

The outpouring of prayer support was far-reaching, including then-Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley, NFL star Tim Tebow, and clergy and laity all over the world.

“(The wristbands) were huge in his life because of the power of prayer,” said his mother who choked up several times recalling the ordeal. “Peter’s doctors said he did so much better than expected … that kid’s amazing!

“I am so proud of how he dealt with all of this with grace and humility.”

A wish comes true
From July through November 2011, Srsich spent 65 nights in the hospital. During that time, he was referred to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Through the foundation, children from 2 to 17 with a life-threatening medical condition are granted a “wish.”

“It was a great way to take my mind off the stress … thinking about what I was going to wish for,” he said. “The chemo helped me fight the cancer, and Make-A-Wish helped me fight the chemo.”

During his wish interview, Srsich shared his dream of becoming a priest. To provide courage and inspiration for his future, he couldn’t think of a better wish than being blessed by Pope Benedict XVI.

That was a new one for the Colorado foundation.

“They’d never heard that wish before,” said Laura Srsich. “(But they said) ‘we’ll do it; we’ll figure it out.’’’

Five days after Srsich graduated from Mullen in May, a stretch limo arrived to drive his family—mother Laura, father Tom, and younger brother Johnny—to the airport to board a plane for Rome.

The morning of May 30, they were seated upfront for the pope’s general audience at St. Peter’s Square.

“There was so much energy,” said Laura Srsich of the environment.

Following the address, Srsich took his place in line for a private conversation with the pontiff. While waiting, he noticed others in line had exquisite gifts to present to the pope.

“I was like the Little Drummer Boy with my 30-cent wristband,” he said with a laugh.

When he reached Pope Benedict, he kissed his ring and offered him the wristband explaining why people were “Praying for Peter” and how Romans 8:28 had strengthened him while battling cancer.

The pope put his hand on Srsich’s chest to bless him. It was the exact location where the tumor had been.

“I hadn’t mentioned where the tumor was,” Srsich shared.

Scans for cancer in October came back clean and Srsich will continue to be checked regularly. In August, he started his freshman year at Denver’s Regis University, where he is majoring in philosophy and theology. In two years he hopes to enter St. John Vianney Theological Seminary for priestly formation.

Julie Filby: 303-715-3123; julie.filby@archden.org; www.twitter.com/DCRegisterJulie

http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/9323

Three Mullen alumni add depth to San Diego State University football program

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:29:00 GMT

Jimmy Miller, '08, Alec Johnson, '08, and Arthur Flores, '12

Aztecs' trio of Colorado linemen are of the "tough, hard-nosed" variety

SDSU center Alec Johnson. Photo by Earnie Grafton/The San Diego Union-Tribune. — Earnie Grafton

Written by Stefanie Loh, noon, Oct. 11, 2012

Some parts of the country are synonymous with a specific mold of football player.

Florida is known for producing athletic speedsters.

Western Pennsylvania, home of Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Joe Namath and Johnny Unitas, is the cradle of quarterbacks.

So what kind of football player do you get out of Colorado?

“I think the Midwest has a tough, big, hard-nosed type of football player,” said Aztecs’ offensive guard Jimmy Miller, one of three SDSU offensive linemen who came to San Diego from the same high school in Denver, Colo.

J.K. Mullen High School has produced the likes of former Tennessee Titans tight end Bo Scaife, and current Cleveland Browns tight end Alex Smith.

As the Aztecs gear up to host Colorado State at Qualcomm Stadium this weekend, it’s pure coincidence that the only three Colorado natives on the roster are all Mullen alums.

Arthur Flores is a freshman tackle who is unlikely to see action this year.

Miller, a senior, is a do-it-all maestro on the offensive line.

It’s been an up-down year for the Aztecs’ line, and losing starting guard Japheth Gordon to a foot injury, has impacted depth. With Riley Gauld filling in for Gordon, Miller becomes the super-sub.

He’s the main reserve at both guard positions, and he also backs up Mullen-teammate Alec Johnson at center.

“I’m one play away from playing, and wherever they need me, I’m ready to go,” said Miller, who’s played in four games this year.

With 35 starts to his name despite two broken hand injuries in consecutive years, Johnson – a candidate for the Rimington Trophy that goes to the best college center annually – is the personification of that tough, sturdy Colorado stock.

Johnson played alongside Miller in high school, and the two have been friends for years.

But each made his college decision independently of the other.

“Back in high school, we were both recruited here,” said Miller, who entertained interest from SDSU, Colorado State, and Air Force. “SDSU was the first one to offer me. The coaching staff that was here at the time was great to me. I felt like they wanted me the most, so that’s why I decided to come here.”

Coaching personalities aside, the Aztecs also offered Miller something the Rams and Falcons could not.

“I wanted to get out of Colorado,” Miller said. “I was looking forward to getting out and experiencing something different. Colorado is a great place, but it’s also been fun to spend the past five years here.”

So he committed to SDSU, and, after a recruiting visit that they took together, Johnson followed suit.

The big center had offers from Arizona State, Colorado State and Central Florida. Yet, the San Diego climate called to him.

“I took my trip when it was pretty cold in Colorado, so I liked the weather out here,” Johnson said.

The idea of playing for Chuck Long and company for four years also appealed to Johnson.

“But I quickly learned that that can change,” Johnson said. “They were only here for one season, and then they were gone.”

People come and go in this business, and in five years, Johnson and Miller have been through two coaching staff changes.

“But I’ve been pretty lucky with all my coaching staffs,” Johnson said. “I’ve had four O-line coaches, and I’ve liked them all. So that’s pretty lucky for me.”

Chuck Long, Brady Hoke, and now, Rocky Long, all stuck with similar offensive systems, and Johnson went straight from snapping for Ryan Lindley to snapping for Ryan Katz.

With half the season over, and the Rams up next, there’s one thing these determined Colorado linemen would like to accomplish more than anything else: Keep their quarterback on his feet.

“I hoped to be better – 3-3 is not where we want to be around here,” Johnson said. “Giving up a lot of sacks as an offensive lineman, that doesn’t allow Ryan to get the ball to the receivers,” Johnson said. “We didn’t do that up front. So that’s one area we need to improve on in the second half (of the season).”

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/oct/11/aztecs-trio-colorado-linemen-are-tough-hardnosed-v/?page=2#article

Peter Srsich, Class of 2012, meets the Pope through the Make-A-Wish Foundation

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:20:00 GMT

Peter may be only 17 years old, but he speaks and writes with the eloquence and purpose of an individual far beyond his years. However just before his senior year of high school Peter was diagnosed with large B cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Following Peter's diagnosis, his social worker referred him to Make-A-Wish Colorado for a wish. When wish granters approached Peter, he responded with a thoughtful and heartfelt response about why the opportunity to meet Pope Benedict XVI was his one true wish. Read the full story in the Make-A-Wish Colorado magazine, PLS Make a Wish Srsich.

Book review by Craig Bowman, Class of 1965 and current Board of Trustee member

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:54:00 GMT

September 20, 2012

In secret service of the Sacred Heart

By Craig Bowman *

Born sometime between 1833 and 1848 in Hannibal, Missouri, Julia Greeley was freed during the Civil War although we don’t know if she was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation or if her master set her free of his own accord. All we know of her parents is their first names, George and Cerilda. As for her own name, it is “most likely that Julia took the name Greeley from Horace Greeley, who endeared himself to many black people...by strongly urging Lincoln to emancipate the slaves.”

She had every right to be bitter and angry. An African American ex-slave who didn’t even know her birth year, she endured discrimination all her life. She suffered a lifetime of illiteracy and poverty. Yet, she responded to her life’s hardships with tireless charity and hidden acts of kindness.

Fr. Blaine Burkey, O.F.M.Cap., of St. Francis Friary in Denver, writes a powerful historical documentary about Julia Greeley, “In Secret Service of the Sacred Heart.” It is the story of an old, one-eyed black woman who appeared to be homeless and dressed in shabby clothes. At the same time, the account is naturally interwoven with early Colorado history, including the establishment of Denver’s earliest Catholic churches and parishes, and the work of Colorado’s first three bishops, Machebeuf, Matz and Tihen. The 140-page volume is stuffed with such historical persons, places and events that are familiar to Colorado natives and students of the state’s history.

Yet, even a simple sequence of events in Greeley’s life isn’t simple at all. As with many heroic lives, the legends abound – and that’s the problem. So, about a year ago, Fr. Burkey launched a painstaking effort to separate fact from fiction. For instance, shortly after her death, the “Rocky Mountain News” reported that “Julia came to Colorado with the second Mrs. Gilpin.” As he does throughout the book, Fr. Burkey underlines that passage and notes that Julia “did not come to Denver with Mrs. Gilpin, and Mrs. Gilpin was not the governor’s second wife; he was her second husband.” This fact-checking is important to us as readers because, as we read Julia Greeley’s life, we want to see as accurate a history of the times as possible.

Julia brought herself to Denver between 1878 and 1880. That same year, she lived with and worked for the former territorial governor, William Gilpin and his wife, Julia. The marriage was not a happy one, and Julia Greeley was dragged into the affair during an acrimonious and highly publicized divorce trial.

The rich Colorado history Julia Greeley witnessed barely fits into the book. The Catholic Church in Colorado grew up in front of her. In 1879, St. Elizabeth’s Parish was established, and in 1887, it was staffed by Franciscan Friars. A year later, after Sacred Heart Church was founded and staffed by Jesuits, Julia was received into the Catholic Church by Fr. Charles Ferrari, S.J. On and off, Julia worked as cook or housekeeper for the Jesuits at Sacred Heart Church, and from the day she was baptized to the day she died, she attended Mass there.

Here’s where the historical narrative fades into the background, and a miracle begins. Shortly after her conversion, Julia joined the League of the Sacred Heart, an organization dedicated to prayer and charitable works. One of the basics of her own spirituality was to place all of the day’s activities into secret service of the Sacred Heart. Specifically and intentionally, Julia Greeley performed her numerous acts of charity covertly. Even though she earned only id="mce_marker"5 a month, she gave away all but her rent money. When those funds ran out, she would beg for money or food to help the poor.

More than once, she was subject to scams. When asked why she still trusted people after such fraud, she replied that she would rather take the risk of being defrauded than to neglect even one poor person.

She often provided help to people who would be ashamed to accept help from “one-eyed Julia.” Local artist Isiah McGill depicts Julia Greeley’s secret charity in a scene painted for the book’s cover, capturing its title. A cabin stands in a dark, cold night with a woman holding a sack of potatoes, wondering who put it on her porch. Julia has placed it there but soon realizes that the potatoes might freeze. So, she sends a child to knock on the door and run. “But don’t dast say Old Julia sent ya.” Julia and the child are hiding behind the backyard fence. The fireman’s helmet on the child recalls Julia’s dedication to Denver’s firemen to whom she delivered literature about the Sacred Heart at every Denver station.

Julia Greeley died on First Friday, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, June 7, 1918 on her way to Mass.

Fr. Blaine Burkey, O.F.M. Cap, and others who know Greeley’s story, hope that the recent publication of his historical documentary on her life will “make both her story and cause more widely known.”

Father Blaine Burkey's book, "In Secret Service of the Sacred Heart," is available locally at Gerkins, Erger, and the Tattered Cover bookstores. It is also for sale at the Cardinal Stafford Library and may be ordered at the Julia Greeley website: juliagreeleyguild@gmail.com

Craig Bowman is a Colorado native who grew up in Catholic schools, but taught in public schools in the Denver area for over 30 years. Both his bachelors and masters degrees are in English, the former from Metropolitan State College (1970) and the latter from the University of Denver (1978). At the same time he was teaching, he was writing bi-weekly columns for the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News and later, the Denver Post. Those columns, mostly about reform in the public schools, ran for about 15 years. For a few years, he wrote pieces for the Denver Catholic Register. Craig retired from teaching six years ago, but is back at St. John Vianney Seminary, operating the Writing Center and helping seminarians with writing their papers and theses. Craig also sits on the Board of Trustees for Mullen High School and for the Ridge View Academy.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column.php?n=2302

Kersten Baldwin, Class of 2007, signs on to help with Free to Breathe Denver event in honor of mother

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:38:00 GMT

South Jeffco family supports 5K to honor woman's memory

Columbine Courier, http://www.columbinecourier.com/content/south-jeffco-family-supports-5k-honor-womans-memory

Sept. 30 race in Denver to raise funds for lung-cancer research

By Vicky Gits

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 10:47 am

Renate Rieker Baldwin of Columbine Knolls South was only 47 and had never smoked a cigarette, but she died of lung cancer in 2007 after enduring many different treatments over three years.

Lung cancer is an unforgiving disease that attacks non-smokers as well as smokers, although people tend to think of it as a smoker's affliction. Every year, between 20,000 and 30,000 people who never smoked are diagnosed with lung cancer, representing 10 to 15 percent of all new cases.

To help fund research to find a cure, the National Lung Cancer Partnership is sponsoring the third annual Free to Breathe Denver 5K Run/Walk at Washington Park on Sept. 30.

Renate Baldwin's battle began in July 2004 with a persistent cough. "We were going camping, and she said she was tired, wasn't feeling well and that something was wrong," said her husband of 25 years, Mike Baldwin.

"She said to take the kids and go ahead and get a campsite, and she would go see the doctor. … She had a healthy lifestyle, worked out and was very active. I had a tough time keeping up with her sometimes," he said.

They met when he was 24 and she was 21 and both were working at the same restaurant in Atlanta. He was the manager, and she was a bookkeeper. They were married two years later.

The doctor suggested a chest X-ray, and the surgeon found a small mass on her lung. Soon, Renate was in surgery. The surgeons did a biopsy on the spot and removed the lower lobe. She was only 44 years old, working as an accountant, with a son and a daughter in their teens. She was studying to get a bachelor's degree in accounting.

"We started chemo and radiation and a number of various protocols. We thought it was in remission a few times," Mike Baldwin said. "When she was feeling better, we would do short trips." They went to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, Venice, Fla., and various places around Colorado.

‘To have her name live on’

About 160,000 people die of lung cancer every year, which is more people than are killed by breast, prostate and colon cancer combined, according to the National Lung Cancer Partnership. But lung cancer gets far less funding.

This year, Renate's daughter, Kersten, is the organizer for Free to Breathe Denver, and her father, Mike, will serve as a volunteer at the run/walk.

Kersten Baldwin, a communications specialist for the city of Centennial, joined the Lung Cancer Partnership as an assistant to the event organizer last year.

When Kersten Baldwin was about to graduate from Mullen High School, her mother was so sick that the school decided to stage a graduation ceremony at the house, including speeches, diplomas and about 60 students from her class.

"I was looking for ways to get involved last summer after I graduated from college,” Kersten said. “I found it online. I just reached out to the person who founded the race, and she really needed help. I just took over this year.

"Lung cancer research is terribly underfunded. That's something that needs to change," Kersten said. "I wanted to find something that would help change the current system and have her name live on.”

Proceeds from the event support the National Lung Cancer Partnership's research, education and awareness programs.

To register for the Sept. 30 event in Washington Park or to donate, visit www.FreeToBreathe.org/denver. For information on the disease, visit www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org.

Contact Vicky Gits at vicky@evergreenco.com or 303-933-2233, ext. 22.

Kendall Chase (Class of 2012) continues to impress in rowing competitions

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:18:00 GMT

Here is exciting news as Kendall has been achieving new milestones in the rowing world. Her National Team coaches feel she has the best shot at making the next Olympic games to be held in Rio De Janeiro in 2016!! Great job Kendall!

Here is a good synopsis of Kendall's championship race in Plovdiv ( the full article can be viewed at http://www.usrowing.org/News/12-08-18/U_S_Junior_Women_Take_Three_Silver_and_Make_History_in_Two_Events.aspx)

Leading the whole medal parade was the junior women’s four of Kendall Chase (Evergreen, Colo.), Georgia Radcliffe (Vienna, Va.), Deirdre Fitzpatrick (Cheshire, Conn.) and Ruth Narode (Portland, Ore.). They had taken silver in the first of the junior women’s finals. The U.S. won last year and today captured silver with an entirely new lineup.

Three junior women’s finals, three silver medals.

“This is the result of us being one united team, everyone working together,” said head women’s coach Liz Trond, who oversees the women’s program and coaches the four and coordinates with women’s sculling coach Guenter Buetter, who coached the quad and oversees the women scullers.

“It’s an historic regatta for us,” she said. “Seven of the eight women’s boats were in the A final between the junior team and the senior team.”

The medals performances began with the junior women’s four. They had come into the race as medal contenders but knew the Chinese were fast and were going to be hard to beat and that New Zealand was also going to be tough.

The Kiwis led off the line followed by China and the U.S.

New Zealand held through the first 500-meters, but were then passed by both China and the U.S. Through the second half of the race, the U.S. was able to keep in contact with China but could not get past them, finishing in second in 6:56.44 to China’s 6:53.10. New Zealand was third in 7:01.36.

“That was awesome,” said Radcliffe. “I thought it was our best race of the week, if not the entire time we’ve been together. We just stayed strong the whole time. We all want to compete at this level because we want to race the best and so China came and they were the best and I’m happy.

“I would rather take a silver with one of the best crews in the world here then take a gold when it’s only half as fast. So China’s amazing and we were happy to race them and have a great race.”

Kendall just started Cal Berkeley this fall and we will continue to stay updated on her collegiate career.

Colleen Knill, Class of 2007 continues work with African school

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 23:44:00 GMT

Walmer High School, is located in the Walmer Township of Port Elizabeth. The school serves a population of ~1,400 pupils in grade 8-12, 100% of whom speak Xhosa as their mother tongue. To encourage Literacy, last year two Fulbright ETAs restored the school library into a lovely and safe place for learners to read, explore, and study. To continue in the development and organization of the Umthombo Walwazi Library, Colleen Knill and Alice Bator (this year's Fulbright ETAs) hope to develop the Umthombo Walwazi Library Sustainability Fund. To view the video created by last year's Fulbright ETAs, click on the following link, http://www.gofundme.com/12p93k#description

Colleen and Alice, the two current Fulbright ETAs, are continuing the project by helping to raise money for books, netbooks and other services. Click on the link to learn more, http://www.gofundme.com/12p93k#description

Kendall Chase (Class of 2012) wins a national championship in rowing

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 17:12:00 GMT

Click on the link to view the video, http://youtu.be/uW2sv_1buF8

Congratulations Kendall!

Littleton's Ashley Tait making move at Colorado Women's Open

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 17:05:00 GMT

Firing a 4-under-par 68 on Thursday, Ashley Tait is coming on strong like a hurricane at the HealthONE Colorado Women's Open. The professional from Littleton would prefer using a different expression, however.

Tait, who enters today's final round at Green Valley Ranch at even par and four strokes behind leader Joy Trotter, knows all about hurricanes. A Mullen High School graduate, Tait signed with Tulane. But one day before she moved into her dorm room, New Orleans residents were ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Katrina barreled toward the bayou.

After relocating the golf team to SMU for a semester, Tulane decided to suspend its nonrevenue sports. Tait transferred to North Carolina Wilmington and, within a week of her arrival, a Category 1 hurricane crashed into the Carolina coast.

"A lot of rain," she recalled. "I guess I wasn't done with hurricanes."

Tait, 25, has resided the past several months in Arizona to play mini-tours and get ready for the bulk of the LPGA Symetra Tour (formerly Futures Tour) schedule. She's on a hot streak, having won back-to-back Grasshopper Tour (LPGA offseason) events this spring.

After a wind-blown afternoon round of 4-over 76 on Wednesday, Tait roared back Thursday. Her bogey-free 68 included two 15-foot birdie putts and lots of fairways and greens.

"I was hoping to go even lower to get in the final group (for today)," Tait said.

Trotter, a professional from Chino Hills, Calif., and also a member of the Symetra Tour, entered the second round as the co-leader along with amateur Somin Lee of Pepperdine at 69. Trotter maintained her spot atop the leaderboard at 4-under 140 after a steady 1-under 71 on Thursday, while Lee, who played high school golf at Overland, struggled to a 75.

"I always look forward to this tournament," said Trotter, the 2011 runner-up.

Former Littleton High School standout Becca Huffer, a recent Notre Dame graduate making her pro debut, sits two strokes off the lead at 2-under 142. She settled for a 70 on Thursday after beginning the round with birdies on five of her first six holes en route to a 31. Her back-nine 39 included a four-putt double bogey on the par-4 16th.

"Back to reality," said Huffer, runner-up in the 2008 Colorado Women's Open as an amateur.

Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com

Mike Carroll Class of 1982 named as Vice President and General Manager

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:56:00 GMT

Business Briefs; Pueblo Chieftain

Davis Wire Pueblo Corporation, a Heico Wire Group company, recently named Mike Carroll as Vice
President and General Manager.

Davis Wire Pueblo is a manufacturer of steel wire and wire products servicing major industries including
agriculture, construction, manufacturing and the retail/wholesale trades.

Davis Wire acquired CF&I’s wire and nail mill in 1997 and has continued with a time proven reputation
in the wire industry. Its consistant high quality reflects the combined skills and technical knowledge of
many individuals. Davis Wire Pueblo continues to manufacture products with the CF&I brand names and
offers them throughout the United States.

Carroll will oversee all the commercial and manufacturing activities of Davis Wire Pueblo. Previously, he
was Sales Manager for Davis Wire Kent, WA and brings 23 years of experience in the manufacturing and
distribution business. He is very excited about the opportunities at Davis Wire Pueblo.

Mike and his family will be relocating to Pueblo from Auburn, WA and look forward to returning to
Colorado. He and his family are originally from Denver and are excited about becoming part of the
Pueblo community.

Carroll received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wyoming.

Jason James, '08 receives awards for baseball and academics

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:12:00 GMT

Jason James, a 2008 Mullen grad - played baseball here and went on to pitch at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio just graduated and was named All NCAC Honorable Mention as a pitcher and also CoSIDA Capital One Academic All District Team

James Nelson, Class of '60 elected to the board of directors of the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade

Sat, 05 May 2012 20:24:00 GMT

James Nelson, Class of '60 elected to the board of directors of the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade

Amy Steiner, Class of 2008) Named WhiteWave Homegrown Hero

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:53:00 GMT

Release: 12/29/2011 Courtesy: Curtis Snyder, Associate SID
BOULDER – University of Colorado soccer player Amy Steiner has been selected as this week’s recipient of the WhiteWave Homegrown Hero, a partnership between CU and WhiteWave to recognize the state’s homegrown student-athletes.

Steiner finished out her career earlier this fall on the soccer field, playing for the Buffaloes the past two seasons after spending two years at Arizona after prepping at both Fossil Ridge and Mullen High School’s in Denver.

She helped Mullen win the state championship in 2007, earning second-team all-conference as a senior. As a sophomore at Fossil Ridge in 2005, she was a team captain and earned first-team all-conference. She played club for the Colorado Rush and helped that team to two national championships in 2008 and ’09.

At Arizona, she appeared in 34 games, starting nine, and was an integral part of the Wildcats back line, registering one point off of an assist. As a junior at CU in 2010, she started all 19 games and scored one goal. As a defender, she helped the Buffs record five shutouts, including a 1-0 upset over No. 10 UCLA and scoreless ties with Big 12 rivals Texas and Texas A&M.

As a senior, she played in all 19 games for the Buffaloes and recorded seven shots with four on goal. She helped the Buffs record three shutouts, including a 1-0 victory at No. 15 California, which was the Buffs first win over a Pac-12 opponent head to head in any sport.

She will graduate from CU with a degree in speech, language and hearing sciences. Both of her sisters, Liz and Laura, also graduated from CU.

http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205353631&DB_OEM_ID=600

Ron Tanski, Class of 1986, recently signed to Mason and Hamlin Artist Roster

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:13:00 GMT

My album "Dragged You Down" was in the Top 100 Blues albums of 2011 and peaked at #3 on the Blues Radio Charts RMR

Mason & Hamlin welcomes blues pianist Ron Tanski to Artist Roster

Blues pianist and singer, Ron Tanski, has just been inducted into the Mason & Hamlin Artist Roster. A fast-rising new voice in the Blues scene, Ron pays homage to the past but is forging a unique new direction in the Blues, with soulful tunes, lightning-fast piano riffs and astounding vocals. Ron’s Debut CD “Dragged You Down” made it to #3 on the RMR Blues Radio charts and was also in the Top 100 Most Played in 2011 on Blues stations worldwide.

With intensity normally only seen in guitarists, Ron’s live performances leave crowds breathless and his music covers the whole Blues spectrum from Boogie to Deep Blues, Gospel to Swing---music that can be heard in seedy bars as well as places of redemption. Ron’s emotionally charged, ragged but sensitive voice has been described as a combination of Louis Armstrong and Tom Waits, and his piano playing as a brand new, old-fashioned style all his own. Ron's isn’t Blues as usual, but a whole new kind of Piano Blues.

Mason & Hamlin is proud to welcome Ron to our Artist Roster, and Ron says, "I am beyond excited to be a Mason & Hamlin Artist. These have been my favorite pianos since the first time I ever played one. In college, I was told I was only allowed to play the Mason because it was the only piano that could handle me! That’s a true story I’m proud of,” Ron laughs, “I kept knocking the other pianos out of tune!”

Ron is currently recording his follow-up CD and loves that the classic Mason & Hamlin sound will be the piano his fans will be hearing.

http://masonhamlin.com/news/?p=24

For more information about Ron, see his website www.rontanskimusic.com

Sarah Robinson, Class of 2010, returns to Mullen to present The IF Project

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:20:00 GMT

Mullen High School students learn about The IF Project

Program started by former police officer seeks to prevent young people from being incarcerated

Seattle Police Detective Kim Bogucki and Seattle University internist Sarah Robinson team up for The IF Project, a program started in Washington state to help teens and young adults stay out of jail. Photo by Provided by Detective Bogucki through the Seattle Police Department

Today there are 7.3 million people in the U.S. who are incarcerated. That’s 1 in 31 adults who at some time in their life have been involved in the criminal justice system be it being arrested, incarcerated or on probation or parole.

Think about it — do you have a parent, child, relative, or friend who was been arrested or locked up? Do you talk about it or avoid conversation about the subject? What if their life had led down a different path? What if the circumstances were different? What if someone made a difference in preventing them from making a wrong decision?

A classroom full of students from Mullen High School gathered on Thursday, March 29, to hear about The IF Project started in Washington. The program was created by Seattle Police Detective Kim Bogucki, who after many years, was tired of working on the streets arresting young people.

While working in the prison with Girl Scouts Beyond Bars she posed the question to inmates at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, “If there was something someone could have said or done that would have changed the path that led you here, what would it have been?”

To date over 750 answers to this question have been collected. The number one answer was not having a positive adult role model or mentor while growing up. Other answers have included having someone to listen to me, having someone tell me I’m special or I’m relevant, and having someone tell me it’s OK to be me.

“There are about 30 of you in this classroom right now,” Detective Bogucki said, adding, “statistically one of you will become involved in the system at some point in your life. Is there a way to prevent this?”

The IF Project’s main goal is to have someone ask for help prior to becoming involved in the criminal justice system. It’s a collaboration that uses formerly incarcerated people and their stories to reach teens that may be headed down that path.

At Mullen, the students watched a video of inmates from the Washington Corrections Center for Women facility sharing their experiences of their youth, their choices, and what could have been different. These women are ordinary people that made choices that eventually led to the loss of their freedom. Their hope and belief is that through their voices and writings, a documentary, interactive website and class presentations will be created to reach and educate both youth and adults.

Sarah Robinson, a recent graduate from Mullen, contacted several of her former teachers and brought the program presentation to their classes. Robinson is currently a freshman at Seattle University studying Criminal Justice and Psychology. Her work with The IF Project is part of a university internship program which she has passionately embraced.

“This project is not about them, the individuals in the video, or the police officers. It’s about you and them together preventing you from going there,” Robinson told her former school mates.

Detective Bogucki told the students. “If you don’t have a mentor, find one. If you have younger siblings, be a good role model for them. If you or someone you know needs help or is heading down a negative path, reach out to someone. We don’t want you to end up in the back of my patrol car or following in these people’s footsteps.”

At the end of the presentation, the students were presented with the IF question “If there’s something somebody can say or do to prevent you from going down the wrong path, what is it?” The answers were added to the growing number of responses to this question and resources were extended to those who indicated a need for them.

The IF Project is expanding across the United States, talking to teens and adults in a variety of venues working on prevention, intervention and reduction in recidivism. For a short preview video and more information on The IF Project, please contact www.theifproject.com.

http://yourhub.denverpost.com/def-section/what-if-i-had-mentor-teen/QDijNGK2EHEmOhJu2frSnI-ugc

Aurora's growth reflects that African-Americans are finding base in Denver 'burbs - Story features Ryan Ross, Class of 1998

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:19:00 GMT

Ryan Ross, above, plays with son Gavin, 2, in front of their Aurora home. Ross moved to Aurora six years ago. "I love where I live," Ross said. "Every time a friend of mine calls to say they are moving to Denver, I tell them about Aurora." Robert Springer, below, has owned Akente Express on the edge of Five Points for 21 years. "The world is changing," he said. "I've seen my business go down 35 percent over the last six years." (Photos by Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

When Ryan Ross began looking for a home to start a family with his new bride, he knew he was already priced out of the historic black neighborhood in Denver where he grew up.

Instead, Ross moved to the Saddle Rock Ridge subdivision in southeast Aurora, finding a two-story, three-bedroom home with a large backyard in the Cherry Creek School District.

"I love where I live," said Ross, 31, who is dean of students at the Community College of Denver. "Our neighborhood is great. Every time a friend of mine calls to say they are moving to Denver, I tell them about Aurora."

Ross is part of a migration occurring across the country and in the Denver metro area over the past decade. Young black people are abandoning

Ryan Ross grew up in the Five Points area, then moved to Aurora. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

the inner city and its historic black enclaves for the suburbs.

In the city and county of Denver, blacks were the only major racial and ethnic group that declined in numbers between 2000 and 2010, with about 200 fewer black residents. Denver's population is listed at 600,158.

Aurora, however, added nearly 14,000 black residents over the same span— the largest increase in Colorado.

Now, almost 16 percent of Aurora's 335,105 residents are black, up from 13 percent in 2000.

The change has had a rippling effect, causing historic black districts in Denver to wrestle with how to define themselves, forcing new black transplants to the suburbs to seek a community, and highlighting an increasing disparity of political representation.

"The world is changing," said Ronald Springer, owner of Akente Express, an African novelty and hair/skin-care emporium that has been a hub on the outskirts of Five Points for 21 years.

Springer on a recent weekday stood on the steps of his Park Avenue West shop and pointed to the new buildings that surround it.

"That is a condominium; those are town houses," he said, adding that homes nearby not long ago selling for less than $100,000 now fetch more than $300,000.

"You'd think with all these people coming with their Audis, Porsches and Infinitis, that this place would be happening," he said. "It's not. I've seen my business go down 35 percent over the last six years. They aren't shopping in the neighborhood."

Springer points to the demise of traditional black storefronts in Denver like M&Ds Cafe, Capri Lounge & Fried Chicken and the Hue-Man Book Store.

Not far from his shop is Coffee at the Point — a trendy gathering place in Five Points that offers gelato, lattes and free Wi-Fi. The cafe sits across from the historic Rossonian Hotel that in the 1930s and '40s hosted famous jazz greats like Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker.

Coffee at the Point co-owner Donovan Cobbins says the neighborhood has changed, and businesses must adapt to survive. His cafe has been successful by catering to the wide-ranging clientele.

"It's tough. I have strong opinions about respecting the history of the Points, but you need to look toward the future," he said. "It's about finding that balance."

Jess Peláez (Mencer), Mustang class of 2000 to ride in world's longest horse race in August

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:55:00 GMT

The following story came in from one of our Class of 2000 alumni: I graduated from Mullen in 2000 and went on to get degrees in history and geology. I'm currently living and working in Australia, and will be competing in the world's longest horse race in August 2012. It is 1000km, and is across Mongolia (following Genghis Khan's postal routes loosely). The race is held for charity, and I will be supporting Mercy Corps' work in Mongolia. A press release was just issued about the race, and I am one of the featured riders. The press release is attached to this email as a PDF. I thought this may be of interest to the Mullen community, and I'll be blogging and taking pictures and videos of the whole experience. I want to get the word out to as many people as possible so I can wildly exceed my fundraising goals. Thanks very much for any and all help. When we get information on Jess's blog address, we'll post. Click here to read the press release on the MercyCorp Mongolian Derby.

Joelle Montoya, '09 receives Best Actress honors from The Greeley Tribune

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:41:00 GMT

Theater reviewer Bryan VanDriel looks back at the theater highlights of 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011

By Bryan VanDriel
For The Tribune

Looking back at 2011, I am reminded of the embarrassment of riches we enjoy in our cultural life in the Greeley area. At this time of the year, I get to choose from among these many presentations the best of the year. This also provides the opportunity to remember these powerful, hilarious and moving performances and look forward to upcoming shows.

Here are my picks for the very best of 2011: (Only including Best Actress category)

Best Actress (Play)
Lynsey Ooten and Megan Krusleski both did a remarkable job in UNC’s “The Odd Couple.” Linda Johnston was very good in Stampede Troupe’s “The Philadelphia Story.” But the best was Joelle Montoya, who was spectacular in “Big Love” at UNC.

So there are my top picks for 2011. To the dozens of performers, designers and technicians who spend countless hours in preparation for the short time they spend entertaining us, I say thank you. As long as you keep working hard, I will keep supporting what you do.

Bryan VanDriel lives in Greeley and has been active in the arts for more than 30 years. He can be reached at bvandriel@aol.com.

James Nelson, '60 named a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London).

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:52:00 GMT

To read more on this distinguished organization, click on www.CIArb.org.

Ben Lahn, class of 2010, signs with Creighton University

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:04:28 GMT

Three sophomores from the Lamar Community College men’s baseball team signed national letters of intent to play Division I baseball on Wednesday, Nov. 9th.

LCC head baseball coach Scott Crampton announced that sophomore outfielder Ben Lahn, signed a national letter of intent with Creighton University. Sophomore pitchers Dillon Moritz, and David Leblanc both signed to play at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. Sophomore pitcher Garrett Pape signed with Division II school Regis University, Denver, Colo.

Ben Lahn, a 6-3, 215-pound outfielder from Mullen High School, Denver, Colo. signed after finishing his freshman year batting a team leading .385 with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs. He was selected First Team All-Region after the season.

John Martinez. Class of 1963 helps community over the holidays.

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:08:28 GMT

Thanksgiving dinner offered for those in need.

The fact John Martinez grew up an orphan helped him develop a special feeling for those in need and prompted him to start J.J. & Associates more than 25 years ago to help them.

Again this year, he and organization volunteers will roll out the welcome mat to all who want to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Sheridan High School, 3101 W. Oxford Ave. The event is free and open to everyone, particularly individuals and families in Englewood and Sheridan.

Maria Cortez-Ramariz brought her children to last year’s Thanksgiving dinner.

“I am a single mom and I am raising my stepson and a nephew so things are very tight,” the Sheridan woman said. “We probably wouldn’t have a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving if it wasn’t for this event. We are so thankful for this meal. It is a wonderful treat for us. God bless J J and all the volunteers to help so many needy people.”

Martinez said he knows from experience what many of these people are going through.

“I was hungry at times growing up and I believe with all my heart that children should never go hungry,” he said. “We do what we can to help people in several ways. We gather and distribute school supplies plus, at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, we gather the donations and invite anyone who wants to join us to come and have a traditional meal with all the trimmings. At Christmas, there is Santa and I personally make sure every child receives a present.”

Martinez grew up in St. Vincent orphanage and attended Mullen High School when it was a boarding school.

Kelly Keena, Class of 1993, completes Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Innovation

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:56:00 GMT

Kelly Keena recently completed her Ph.D. in
Educational Leadership and Innovation at the
University of Colorado Denver. Her dissertation
title was Portraiture of a Green Schoolyard: A Natural History of Children's Experiences.

Attached is a picture with my daughter, Skyler, who persevered through the entire four year process! Thanks to Mullen for preparing me for a life in academia!

Littleton Native Colleen Knill, Class of 2007, Receives Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to South Africa

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:55:00 GMT

VILLANOVA, PA (06/29/2011)(readMedia)-- Colleen Knill, a Littleton native and 2011 Villanova University graduate, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to South Africa for the 2011-2012 academic year. Knill will teach English to university students in South Africa and hopes to develop a mentoring program between university students and underprivileged high school students.

During her studies at Villanova as an education and English major, Knill conducted independent research on perceptions of urban youth working with university mentors that was published and also presented at multiple national and international conferences. She has committed her time, energy and talents to improving the education of students in the Philadelphia school system as a teaching assistant and mentor.

After her Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship ends, Knill plans to teach English in a public, urban high school and to pursue a Masters Degree in Urban Education.

Since 1993, more than 965 Villanova University students have applied for national fellowships. Of those, 274 advanced to finalist status while 159 received awards.

For more information about the Fulbright Program, please visit: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/about.html

For more information about Villanova University, please visit: www.villanova.edu

Photo is of Colleen Knill and Alexander Lundy, also from Mullen's Class of 2007, at their Villanova graduation in May.

Alexander Lundy (2011, B.A. Honors/Env Studies) has also been awarded a Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme Fellowship to teach English in Japan for 2011-12.

Click here to view the story.

Hangar 41 and Molly (Baldwin) Blakley, Class of 1999, win architectural design competition

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:33:45 GMT

modern. house. ideas.

To spark a dramatic, even heated conversation about architecture in Denver, the Denver Architectural League (DAL) decided to hold a design competition. (What else? They're architects.) But Modern House Ideas was anything but standard issue. Eligibility was limited to younger architects (students and those practicing or licensed for less than 10 years), who were assigned fictional lots within Denver's real-life Stapleton redevelopment. Each entrant was asked to not so much design a house as adopt an attitude to question the status quo. The invitation set the tone, "While recognizing the questionable notion of the single family home in today's uncertain economic and real estate market, submitters should acknowledge the question: Why would you even consider building a house today?" As juror Joe Poli puts it, "Everybody knows what a house is. We were asking what a house should be."

In answer came 70 entries. From these entries Molly (Baldwin) Blakley, from Hangar 41, was on one of the winning teams of this national competition. Click here to read the full story with photos from MODERN IN DENVER magazine, Summer 2011.

Patrick Hooper, Class of 2004, secures job with the San Jose Sharks

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:32:00 GMT

(Internal announcement from the San Jose Sharks)

Patrick Hooper has been hired by the Digital Media department of the San Jose Sharks as a Digital Content Developer. He will be responsible for content and maintenance for SSE websites as well as playing in integral role in our social media and mobile marketing initiatives.

Patrick Hooper hails from Campbell and is a Johnnie (St. John’s - Minnesota) and a Don (USF, MA Sports Management). His previous experience includes various internships with SSE and the 49ers including both Marketing and Digital Media roles. Patrick studied Communication and English and has writing experience for both online and printed publications. When not at work, Patrick plays Australian Rules Football, enjoys skiing (snow) and is an avid Buffalo Wild Wings fan.

Please join me in welcoming Patrick to our team.

Sharks Sports & Entertainment
San Jose Sharks / HP Pavilion at San Jose

Rachel Keyes, Class of 2010, helps Wyoming upset No. 23 CSU on the volleyball court

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:21:35 GMT

Wyoming Volleyball Upsets No. 23 Colorado State in Five Sets

By: Kari Eakins |

The Cowgirls huddle with Coach Yerty just before the CSU match (Photo by Kari Eakins)

“I just want us to fight,” were the words that Wyoming’s head volleyball coach Carrie Yerty responded with last week when asked what she wanted to see out of her team against Colorado State. “I think they’re beatable, but in order for us to beat CSU we’re going to have to play very aggressively. We’re going to have to serve and pass well and follow our game plan.”

Ask and you shall receive.

“Praise Jesus!” were the words that went through Cowgirl outside hitter Jodi Purdy‘s mind at the moment she realized her team had just come back to defeat No. 23 CSU after losing the first two sets, 15-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22, 18-16.

The first two sets amounted to what most probably expected from the match. CSU hit .410 as a team and amassed 8.0 team blocks. The Rams were so dominant that in the early part of the second set when Purdy surpassed 1,000 career kills, the visiting CSU fans cheered just as loud as the UW fans. Heading into the third set Wyoming was hitting a measly .167 and had only managed to hold serve 11 times.

Colorado State (11-4, 4-1) had swept Wyoming (13-7, 3-2) in three straight sets the last five times the teams met and Saturday could’ve been that same story, but the Rams opened the door for the Cowgirls to make a run. After committing 6 total hitting errors in the first two sets, CSU had 9 in the third. At the same time, UW began finding open court with roll shots and tips. As Wyoming hung around CSU, they gained confidence in their defense and starting digging up balls and getting touches on blocks they had been no where near in the earlier sets.

The match was five points away from over with Wyoming down 16-20 in the third set when Colorado State missed a serve which was followed by two hitting errors. Both teams were trading kills but the Cowgirls realized they had a chance to stay alive when a kill from Purdy tied things up at 23. With the match tightening up the Rams went to their lone senior, Katelyn Steffan, but she hit one ball just long and her next hit bounced on the tape and went barely wide to give the Cowgirls the set.

Wyoming went into the fourth set bursting with enthusiasm. Coach Yerty had moved Calli Miller over to the outside and inserted Emily Rochelle as an opposite hitter in the second set and they were a big part of the spark the Cowgirls turned into a flame.

“Emily was a difference maker for us tonight,” said Coach Yerty. “She is very calm under pressure. Emily’s got a lot of experience in terms of playing in different positions and playing under pressure. She was an awesome addition to our right side today. I’m so proud of her.”

With improved defensive play, Rochelle and Camille Coffman found kills on the opposite side during transition. Through the first two sets they each had 1 kill a piece, by the end of the match they had combined for 18. When CSU rallied toward the end of the fourth set, UW got their final 2 points from Coffman terminating the ball on the right side.

Realizing the match was actually in jeopardy, Colorado State found their earlier rhythm and quickly got to a 9-3 lead in the deciding set. At that point, CSU middle blocker Megan Plourde was near flawless with 2 kills and 2 block assists to go with 3 kills from Dana Cranston and 2 kills from Steffan.

Coach Yerty chose this moment in the match to go to her lone senior, Tamara Kitic, who subbed in on the opposite side and immediately found a cross court kill. The next point went to Wyoming on a hitter error from Brieon Paige. The next two points went to Wyoming on kills from Miller, who was now seeing the block and tooling it frequently.

Cranston and Steffan continued a relentless pounding from the left side, but the momentum was already Wyoming’s and the Cowgirl defense rose to meet the challenge. Libero Becky Stewart picked up 6 digs and Purdy found 5 in the final set alone.

Colorado State did get to match point on a kill from Steffan, but she foot faulted on her serve to tie the match back up at 14. CSU got to a second match point on a hitting error from Miller, but Miller pounded her next hit through the block which tied the match at 15. A third match point went to the Rams on a kill from Cranston, but Wyoming found middle Reese Plante in quick transition to tie it up once more at 16.

Wyoming Cowgirls celebrate with coaches and fans after beating CSU (Photo by Kari Eakins)

The final two points saw Miller hammer hits through the block to give Wyoming a victory over Colorado State for the first time since Nov. 13, 1997. In the last set the Cowgirls hit .387. Before this match, CSU opponents averaged a .170 hitting percentage.

“When it came down the stretch Calli Miller was so aggressive, everybody was so aggressive. It was awesome,” said Coach Yerty.

“Believing they can play, believing in their team and our game plan and that they can actually be a good solid team,” was the difference between the first two and the final three sets according to Yerty. “We’ve been, for the last three weeks, really progressing and improving. We knew that once we got our full roster back and healthy that we’d have a shot to win some big games.”

Setters Rachel Keyes and Whitney Smith contributed 29 and 25 assists respectively as the Cowgirls returned to a 6-2 after losing Smith for three weeks to a wrist injury. Stewart tallied 19 digs after sitting out the opening tournament of the year with a hamstring injury.

Purdy led the Cowgirls with 16 kills, 21 digs and 5 block assists. Three other hitters notched double-digit kills in Miller with 13 followed by Plante and Coffman with 11 each.

“We don’t have one star. We have six solid players that do their role really well,” said Coach Yerty. “Clearly Jodi (Purdy) is a leader in that, Reese Plante has done an awesome job since she’s come back (from Mono). I’ve never been prouder of watching a team battle. Whether we would have won or not, they battled till the end.”

Wyoming will stay at home this week to host two conference matches. The first will be against TCU on Thursday, Oct. 13th, the second will be against New Mexico on Saturday, Oct. 15th. Both matches will start at 7:00 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Wyoming-CSU Match Stats (PDF)

Devin Aguilar, Class of 2007, returns to Colorado for football match-up, Washington vs. CU Buffs

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:19:00 GMT

Devin Aguilar understands what the Buffs are going through.

When the former Mullen High School star arrived on campus at Washington the program was going through some dark days.

Aguilar was one of nine true freshmen that started for the Huskies during an unforgiving 2008 campaign. Washington went 0-12, the only winless team in the country that season, and Tyrone Willingham stepped down as head coach at its conclusion.

"Rebuilding is a lot of trials and tribulations," Aguilar said during a recent interview with the Camera. "Everyone is trying to find a role on the team. You just have to make sure you work hard and set your standards high."

Steve Sarkisian, a former quarterback at BYU and an assistant at USC during the Pete Carroll glory years, was hired before Aguilar's sophomore season.

Washington posted a 5-7 record in 2009 with four wins in Pac-10 play. In 2010, the Huskies started 3-6 before reeling off four consecutive wins to end the season, including a 19-7 upset of No. 16 Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

"It's tough. At first you don't know how you stand with the new coaches," Aguilar said of going through a coaching change. "The last two years we moved up in the standings a little bit. Our motto this season is: One at a time. But we do feel like we are capable of playing with anyone in the conference now."

The momentum from the program's first bowl appearance in eight years seems to have carried over into this season.

Washington, which hosts Colorado on Saturday at Husky Stadium (1:30 p.m., Root Sports), is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-12.

Sarkisian's team beat the conference's other new team -- Utah -- 31-14 victory in Salt Lake City on Oct. 1 before a bye week.

"It was a real motivator for us to go to 2-0 in the Pac-12 and experience a different environment at Utah," Aguilar said. "It was a big win."

During a stellar high school career playing for Dave Logan, the former CU star, Aguilar helped lead Mullen to three consecutive 5A state title games. The Mustangs won two championships and lost to Columbine, which featured current CU offensive lineman Ryan Miller, in the other.

Aguilar, rated as the No. 4 prospect in the state of Colorado by rivals.com as a prep senior, said he was not recruited by Dan Hawkins and the former CU staff.

"It's a big game for me," Aguilar said of playing the Buffs during their inaugural season in the Pac-12. "I've still got friends that are on that team. It's a place I could have ended up, but it didn't work out. ... I wasn't offered (a scholarship)."

Aguilar is the only player from Colorado on the Huskies' roster, but the coaching staff will be mining for more talent in the Centennial State due to the conference's expansion into the Mountain time zone.

"I think it's helpful that if you're going to recruit the Rocky Mountain region ... that a kid knows that there's a chance to be playing in front of his home fans," Sarkisian told the Tacoma News Tribune last week.

Aguilar leads a very balanced Washington receiving group with 58.6 yards per game and a 19.5 yards per catch. The 6-0, 195-pound senior has two touchdowns.

Keith Price has played well as the replacement for Jake Locker, completing 68.3 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns and four interceptions. Seven different players have caught touchdown passes for the Huskies.

Running back Chris Polk, projected as a first-round NFL pick, is averaging 122.2 yards rushing per game.

Colorado and Utah are a combined 0-5 in the Pac-12. The Buffs (1-5 overall), who have lost their last 20 true road games, will be heavy underdogs in Seattle as they were ahead of last Saturday's 48-7 loss at Stanford.

But three years removed from a winless season, the rebuilt Huskies aren't taking anything for granted.

"In the Pac-12 we beat up on each other," Aguilar said. "You never know what team is going to win. That's what I like about this conference."

http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-college-sports/ci_19077518

Jenna McKinlay, Class of 2003, opens Fleur de Lis floral shop

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:25:38 GMT

The Villager Newspaper – Fleur de Lis blooming in elegance – Although Jenna McKinlay is only 26 years old, you wouldn’t know it by browsing around Fleur de Lis.
“Everybody kind of says I’m an old soul and I think the store represents that,” the shopkeeper said. “Everything I’ve done in my branding I wanted to be very classic. It’s a labor of love.”
The 5-month-old Fleur de Lis is as young in business terms as McKinlay is by life’s calendar. Given the store’s old European ambience, passersby might assume the owner to be a transplant from someplace like Florence, Italy.

http://villagerpublishing.com/2011/news/fleur-de-lis-blooming-in-elegance/

Sun Devil To Watch: Junior Onyeali, Class 2010, Defensive End

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:50:00 GMT

Junior Onyeali, for the most part, has flown under the radar during the 2011 offseason as the Sun Devils prepare for UC Davis. True, Doug Haller discussed the possibility of Onyeali having a breakout season in maroon and gold a few weeks back, but Onyeali remains a wild card for this team's front seven.

At only 5'11", Onyeali is a stout defensive end who kicks it into high gear quickly. A four-star recruit out of Mullen High School in Denver, Colorado, Junior found himself involved in every ASU football game in 2010 as a true freshman.

His strongest stretch of play was during weeks 5 through 8 of the regular season, when he amassed ten tackles and four sacks over a four game span.

More importantly, his determination and drive is what makes him special. Onyeali recently told SB Nation Arizona reporter Jose Romero that "nothing was given to [him]," and that working hard for the right to play every Saturday was his main goal.

Now a sophomore, Onyeali figures to play a huge role in the success of Arizona State's run defense in 2011. With the increasing likelihood that more blitz packages will be introduced, Onyeali should break his career-high mark of 6.5 sacks in this upcoming season. As injuries to the secondary continue to mount, Onyeali's contributions become more and more necessary moving forward.

Finally healthy after a year of shoulder problems, we might finally catch a glimpse of what the future holds for Junior.

http://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-st-sun-devils/2011/8/30/2394644/asu-sun-devils-junior-onyeali-defensive-end-breakout

Father Steven Voss, Class of 1997, seeks balance between ministry and business of running St. Joseph Catholic Church and School

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:47:00 GMT

Having faith in system

Question: How long have you been in the priesthood and why did you become a priest?
Answer: I was ordained a Roman Catholic priest by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput on May 12, 2007.I am a two-time cancer survivor and a kidney transplant recipient. I grew up in a very loving and supportive Catholic family. My uncle is a Jesuit priest, and we had warm relationships with our pastors while I was growing up. I began to think about becoming a priest as a fourth grader while attending a Catholic school. I had the great benefit of growing up in a family where faith was a priority, given an education where my faith was nourished, and the privilege of knowing many happy and wonderful priests. I think my various health struggles helped me to know God's love, mercy, and protection in a very real way. Even as a child, I never doubted God's love or providential care for me. Eventually this awareness culminated into a question. I believe it was the voice of Jesus that asked: "Will you love and dignify others in my name?" That invitation gave me joy and a wonderful sense of direction in my life. I love my faith, I love working with people, and I love being a priest.

Q: You currently manage the church and St. Joseph School. How do you manage both?
A: I oversee and coordinate a very dedicated and talented staff in both parish and school. In some obvious ways this looks like a manager of any organization insofar as we have a budget, and personnel issues, and a campus to maintain. So part of my job is administrative. However, I also have the great privilege of setting the spiritual tone on the campus.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: I love working with people, specifically to help them know the inherent dignity they have in the eyes of Christ and his Church.

Q: What are the biggest challenges you face?
A: My biggest challenge is the challenge of every priest: There aren't enough of us to complete all the good work that needs to be done. Every day could be spent meeting with people and listening to their stories and sharing the gospel with them. This is my first love, but there are also the important matters of conducting the business needs of the parish and school. In the end the challenge is finding a balance between ministry and administration and trusting that it all works to the greater glory of God. The same is true with finances. I think most churches know the challenge of seeing the wonderful work that could be done with an adequate set of resources. In the end this always works out through divine providence which manifests itself in the generosity of our parishioners and benefactors, but it does require care and oversight to bring it all together.

Q: What is enrollment at St. Joseph School this year? How does it compare to the past five years?
A: Our current enrollment is 215 students. This is consistent with our enrollment last year but down from recent years. There are many factors that go into our lower numbers including the fact that we no longer offer a ninth grade at St. Joseph School. However, we have added a very successful preschool, and we are attracting a number of new families. We, like any private school, suffer when the economy takes a toll on our families. We remain confident that as the economy rebounds our enrollment will as well. In the meantime we do everything we can to offer a high quality Catholic education to those who seek one for their children.

Q: Your job is pretty much 24/7. How do you find time for yourself and what do you do in your free time? A: I am faithful to a few things that keep me going: I make certain I have time to pray and reflect each day, I spend every Tuesday with my parents in Lakewood, and I maintain solid relationships with friends and coworkers who offer support and encouragement. It helps that I love what I do. When I am taking time to relax I love to work in the yard, either at the parish or at my parents' home. I enjoy walks. I also love to read a good book or catch a good movie. Sometimes the most relaxing thing I can do is to catch up with friends over a nice meal. I am an extrovert, so being with others is a great way to recharge.

Q: How does the transfer of Archbishop Chaput affect your job? A: I first met Archbishop Chaput when I was a senior at Mullen High School in Denver. He had just arrived in Denver and came to the school for a groundbreaking ceremony. I got to hand him a shovel for the groundbreaking, and after the ceremony was complete he asked me and a number of other senior boys if we had ever thought of becoming priests. It was very inspiring to meet such a charismatic archbishop. Over the last 14 years I have come to see him as a spiritual father and a mentor. I was ordained by him so it goes without saying that his transfer is personally very significant. It is very difficult to see him leave. Despite missing him, though, my job doesn't change. I would be remiss if I didn't add that I'm certain that our future Archbishop will provide a wonderful witness particular to his own talents and gifts, and I look forward to that.

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20110905/BUSINESS/109050321/Having-faith-system?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

Frank Stanley, Class of 1987, passed away while on a hike up Bison Peak

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:57:00 GMT

No additional information is currently available. The following story is from the Denver Post.
Family of missing Colorado hiker grateful for help from his students, parents

Frank Stanley was gone for two weeks before someone reported he had disappeared after a hike up Bison Peak.

But the delay wasn't because the math teacher and soccer coach wasn't missed.

Stanley, 44, set out to summit the 12,431-foot peak July 25. He sent a text message to a friend from the top but has not been heard from since.

Friends and family, worried that they could not contact him, reported Stanley missing Aug. 11. His blue jeep was found at the Lost Park Trailhead in the Pike National Forest.

There has not been a formal call for volunteers, but since the search along the trail began, Stanley's students — past and present — and their parents have been combing the landscape alongside Park County Search and Rescue teams.

"My family is so overwhelmed by the outpouring of help and calls," said his sister, Helen Stanley Baker.

As Baker was hiking Bison Peak on Saturday, she passed a family coming down the trail. They began to chat and realized they were on the mountain for the same reason.

They shared hugs, tears and stories on the trail about their friend, mentor and brother.

"Everyone we meet tells us the most heartwarming, fabulous stories about Frank and how he's been a part of their lives," Baker said.

She said her brother loves to be in the mountains as much as he loves his students at the Ricks Center for Gifted Children at the University of Denver.

"If you called him, you had to bank in another 20 to 30 minutes so he could tell you all about the teams and the kids," she said.

When she stopped by Stanley's house in Englewood, she saw a parent of one of his students hanging a yellow ribbon on his front door.

Stanley coaches soccer and is the first to volunteer to chaperone an extracurricular event, said Jennifer Winkel Thompson, whose child attends Ricks.

"He is one of those teachers who really cares about kids," she said. "You don't always find that."

Longtime friend Ben Brewer was invited along on the Bison Peak trek but had to beg off because of work.

Stanley text messaged him from the summit to proclaim victory.

"All I responded was 'jealous,' " Brewer said.

The short correspondence is typical for the friends who have known each other since the fourth grade.

Brewer said Stanley is a savvy hiker and that he knows he was prepared for the trek. What worries him is the potential that a storm forced Stanley to a side of the mountain he had not intended to be on.

"Above the treeline, there is the most beautiful but frightening landscape in this situation," Brewer said. "In a search situation, there are so many possibilities with rock overhangs, probably caves and big boulders, and nooks and crannies in the boulders."

Another challenge the rescue effort is facing is a 3-mile hike into the area where search dogs last seemed to detect a scent, Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said.

Stanley's family is working to arrange a helicopter to assist in the search, as well as a team of horses to transport human searchers into the area.

"My people aren't going to give up," Wegener said.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18713648#ixzz1VU1PLaf8

Richard Steighner (Class of '03) is part of Urban Method, will be a contestant on this season's "The Sing-Off"

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:53:00 GMT

NBC’s hit a cappella talent-show series The Sing-Off has announced the 16 groups that will compete in its third season. Hosted by Nick Lachey, the series will premiere on Sept. 19 with returning judges Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman alongside singer Sara Bareilles, replacing Nicole Scherzinger (who’s now a judge on Fox’s The X Factor). The contenders are:

Afro-Blue A nine-person ensemble from Howard University
The Cat’s Pajamas An energetic all-male group based in Branson, Mo.
The Collective Nashville troupe formed by season-two contestant Jeremy Lister (Street Corner Symphony)
Dartmouth Aires 15 quirky guys from the New Hampshire Ivy League school
Delilah An L.A.-based all-female group including members from the first two Sing-Off seasons
The Deltones Co-ed ensemble from The University of Delaware
Fannin Family An octet of relatives from the Midwest
Kinfolk 9 A professional group out of L.A. with members who all have the ability to share lead vocals
Messiah’s Men Liberian refugees on a mission to serve God through music
North Shore A Boston-based streetcorner ensemble tackling music from the ’40 to today
Pentatonix Five-member group from Arlington, Tex., with eclectic musical tastes
Sonos Well-known professional a cappella group who have collaborated in the past with Bareilles
Soul’d Out Co-ed high school club from Wilsonville, Ore.
Urban Method Newly-formed act from Denver including a rapper
Vocal Point All-male ensemble from Brigham Young University
The YellowJackets Contemporary crew from the University of Rochester known for wearing yellow blazers

The winning act will score $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/08/16/the-sing-off-season-3-contestants/

Ryan Ross, Class of '98, Denver's Role Model for Promoting Inclusiveness

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:51:27 GMT

To read the full story from the Denver Urban Spectrum, August 2011 publication, click here.

Rick Egloff, Class of 1963, was a legendary athlete at Mullen High School in Denver

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:07:00 GMT

This is certain to rekindle the passion from the old Denver Parochial League and the competition between Mullen and Regis Jesuit high schools: Rick Egloff of Mullen might have been the best athlete to ever play in that conference.

For that matter, Egloff should be mentioned in any discussion about the best high school athlete in state history.

Egloff earned 11 varsity letters while competing for the Mustangs from 1959-63 in football, basketball, baseball and track and field.

He went on to play quarterback for the University of Wyoming and led the Cowboys to a 10-1 football season in 1966, including a 13-0 victory at Air Force in the opener and a 28-20 victory over Florida State in the Sun Bowl.

Egloff looks back at his time at Mullen, when he played sports year- round, as joyful.

"It was at a time when we went from one season to the next," Egloff said. "We didn't have a lot of kids, so everybody ended up playing just about every sport. I know I went from playing in a baseball game to competing in a track meet."

While he participated in several sports, football was where Egloff made his mark. He played for coach Frank Rino, who was as tough as a Marine drill sergeant.

"He was tough," Egloff said, "but he made us tougher and better football players."

Egloff can't talk about his high school days without mentioning the Mullen- Regis Jesuit rivalry.

"Anytime we beat Regis it was a pretty big deal," he said. "My senior year we beat them in football and basketball. Those were the only times we beat Regis while I was at Mullen.

"I just thought that I couldn't go three years and not be on a team that beat Regis."

Egloff was selected as the all-metro quarterback, finishing ahead of candidates from the other high school teams in the Denver area. He also was an outstanding basketball player, averaging nearly 25 points a game one season.

When it came time to choose a college, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Egloff struggled to make a decision between Colorado and Wyoming.

"I wanted to stay close to home, but Colorado was coming off some issues left behind by Sonny Grandelius," Egloff said. "I heard from coach Bob Devaney at Wyoming and made my commitment. It was a good move for me."

Grandelius coached CU to a 9-2 record in 1961, including an Orange Bowl berth, but the Buffaloes were put on NCAA probation.

But before Egloff could play for the Cowboys, Devaney left Laramie to coach the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Lloyd Eaton took over at Wyoming.

Egloff has good reason to remember his senior season at Wyoming, when he passed for 1,181 yards and 13 touchdowns. In the Sun Bowl against Florida State, Egloff scored a touchdown on a 15-yard run and threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jerry Marion. He completed 9-of-16 passes overall for 135 yards and directed an efficient ground game led by halfback Jim Kiick, who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns against the Seminoles.

Wyoming's only loss that season was 12-10 to archrival Colorado State, which beat the Cowboys in Fort Collins with the help of a trick play. Larry Jackson, a CSU halfback, threw a touchdown pass. Rams coach Mike Lude told Jackson to let a lateral bounce pass to him stay on the ground before picking up the ball and throwing it for the decisive points.

Egloff's last hurrah with football came in 1968. After spending a year on the Oakland Raiders' taxi squad, he was traded to the Broncos. But when Egloff came to training camp, he was told that Steve Tensi would be guiding the Broncos' offense.

Leaving football behind, Egloff went into teaching and later became a member of the faculty at Mullen. He now operates a restaurant in Evergreen.

And his ties to the Mullen-Regis Jesuit rivalry remain strong.

"The rivalry hangs on," Egloff said. "When we get together, it doesn't take long for the chatter to start."

Click here to read the full story in the Denver Post.

Egloff bio

Born: Nov. 12, 1944, in Denver

High school: Mullen

College: Wyoming

Family: Wife Peg, daughters Lisa and Tammy, sons Eddie and Brandon

Hobbies: Fly-fishing, nine grand- children

Wish: Be in attendance when the Broncos return to the Super Bowl and when the Rockies return to the World Series

Joe Eubanks, Class of 2007 returns to DU soccer

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:30:20 GMT

Pioneers add two soccer players.

UC Santa Barbara transfer Joe Eubanks and Christian Volesky of Henderson, Nev., will join the University of Denver soccer team this fall.

Eubanks, a product of Mullen High School, earned his undergraduate degree in business but has two years of NCAA eligibility because of injuries his freshman and sophomore years. He played in 11 matches at UCSB in 2011, scoring three goals.

Volesky, a four-time state champion from Foothill High School, scored a state-high 32 goals and was voted the most valuable player of the Southeast Region.

From the Denver Post.

Tait succeeding at pro level

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:33:01 GMT

Denver Post staff and wire services

Posted: 06/24/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT

Littleton's Ashley Tait , a former three-time Colorado prep golf champion from Mullen High School, on Thursday used a late birdie in the final round to win the Texas Women's Open at Eastern Hills Country Club in Garland.

Tait, who turned pro last spring after finishing a college career at North Carolina-Wilmington, shot a tournament-low 64 in Wednesday's first round. She was tied with Texas' Katy Harris late in the final round but birdied No. 16 while Harris bogeyed before both players parred out the round.

Tait, who won the $4,300 top prize, next will play in the Michigan State Open, where she finished fifth last year.

Click here to connect to the story.

Patrick Hooper publishes story for San Jose Sharks magazine

Fri, 13 May 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Patrick Hooper, Class of 2004, recently published a story in www.sjsharks.com about Steve Shields. Patrick was the SJSHARKS Publishing intern for the summer. He's currently attending the University of San Francisco and pursuing a master's degree in Sports Management.

Click here to read the article.

Spotlight: Stan Vaughan, Class of 2010, returns to tennis

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:41:00 GMT

A 2010 graduate of Mullen High School, Stan Vaughan hoped he could make a big impact on the Liberty University tennis squad. Instead, he found himself fighting for his life after developing Guillain-Barré Syndrome in October.

Spotlight: Stan Vaughan (in ColoradoTennis, Spring 2011)
Story by DENNISHUSPENI

As Golden’s Mike and Stefania Vaughan looked down on their now-completely paralyzed son, they tried not to imagine a world without Stanislav.

Stan was like a Russian Kodiak at 6-foot, 3-inches, 190 lbs. With a big serve and big smile, it was hard to see him bed-ridden. Just a week before that terrifying day late last October, Stan was playing doubles for Liberty University against some of the best Division I tennis players in the nation.

“When he attacks the net it’s pretty intimidating,” said his father, Mike.

Then doctors put the tube down Stan’s throat when his lungs could no longer draw in air unassisted. The hospital room was filled with 10 members of the Liberty tennis team. Like Vaughan, none of them could speak. But they prayed.

Stan moved the only part of his body he could, his right “tennis” arm.

“I kind of hand gestured to my dad, like ‘Are you OK?’” he said. “He started to choke up a little as if I don’t want to see my son like this. …That was definitely the hardest part for them.”

Vaughan—a 2010 Mullen High School graduate and standout tennis and soccer player—had become a productive member of the Liberty Flames, taking the court at the ITA Indoor Regionals in Charlottesville, VA.

Now Vaughan lay in a hospital bed, being crippled by his own body—which was struck with a rare nervous system disorder called Guillain-Barré (according to WEBMD.com, pronounced “ghee-YAN bah-RAY”).

“Essentially the immune system starts to attack the perioral nervous system,” Mike explained.

Stan wondered whether he’d ever play tennis again. Mike and Stefania worried about their son’s life.

“We were bracing for the worst.”

Vaughan, some say miraculously, has fought his way through recovery faster than any but he could have imagined. He’s actually played a few matches—won one—and is trying to help the team in any way he can.

Tennis is his lifeline.

PROMISING LATE-BLOOMER

“He got a late start, but his rankings and his results belied his true talent level,” Zodin said.

“He was a hard-worker and very mature, beyond his years in a lot of ways.”

Vaughan didn’t start playing tennis competitively until he was 12 or 13-years-old. But he caught up quickly, flashing “big serve and a big forehand” skills with a contagious smile that made him popular with the girls and boys at Mullen, Zodin said.

Mike remembers the time Stan delivered a farewell speech to the seniors at the end of the season banquet. A standing ovation ensued.

“He focused on the challenge of how everyone should lead their lives. About how discipline was needed in our lives; what the school meant to him and how his parents had raised the bar for him; how not to be a partier and not to screw around with drugs or gals. Tennis became a real discipline. And health-wise to stay on track with commitments to your class and yourself,” Mike said.

Zodin recalls Vaughan at his fiery best during a Denver City Open match where Vaughan dropped the first set, but won the next two to advance.

“He’s definitely a guy that would stay out there with you and fight all day,” Zodin said.

Stan’s dream was to play D1 tennis. The University of Northern Colorado wanted Vaughan to be a Bear and offered him a full ride. But he passed for an opportunity at Liberty, the largest private Christian university in the nation, even though it wasn’t a full-ride.

“Liberty was a good personality fit for him,” Mike said.

That fighting spirit would help Vaughan more than he could know when leaving Colorado for Lynchburg, VA.

One of Vaughan’s coaches at Mullen, Andy Zodin, described the team’s former number one as “a phenomenal athlete.”

LIKE A TON OF BRICKS
Vaughan had just returned from the regionals when he felt ill. Zodin said he never knew Vaughan to miss any matches because of injury, other than an ankle roll here or there.

“He was healthy as a horse and in great shape,” Zodin said.

Vaughan tested positive for mononucleosis—which can sometimes trigger GBS—and started downing antibodies immediately.

It didn’t work.

Just four days later, Vaughan’s resident assistant in his dorm rushed him to the emergency room.

“He got hit with a ton of bricks,” Zodin said.

The call went out.

“As parents, to receive that call you hope you never get

—that something bad has happened to your son and you must get here as soon as possible,” Mike Vaughan said.

The numbness started in Vaughan’s face and feet. Soon he couldn’t walk. Then he couldn’t even lift himself up from bed.

“It wasn’t until I was completely paralyzed that I wondered if I would ever hit the ball again,” he said. “The people around me were more scared about me playing tennis than I was. … But it didn’t really hit me, what had happened to me, until a couple of weeks after.

It all happened so fast, my brain couldn’t wrap itself around it in time.”

After 13 days in the Intensive Care unit, Vaughan finally began treatment. It was a nervewracking week considering they didn’t know if the treatments would work. A third of GBS sufferers die, a third have residual injures and the final third recovers completely, doctors told Mike Vaughan.

ROAD TO RECOVERY
Vaughan made it home for Thanksgiving when he was transferred to Craig Hospital for the rehabilitation phase of his ordeal. He had taken leave of his classes at Liberty and wondered if he’d be able to recover in time to return for the spring semester. He dropped 30 lbs.

“I got depressed when I thought ‘Wow. I have so far to go.’ I was just playing tennis at almost the highest level, and now I’m here with a bunch of 80-year-old stroke victims doing physical therapy,” Vaughan said. “That was the hardest part for me.”

No matter what he felt inside, he didn’t show it.

“One of the most amazing things is that not once through this entire time did he say ‘poor me’ or complain. He said there’s a reason for this. Let’s all learn something,” Mike said. “I was pretty shocked. Not too many people could maintain that. I thought his mind would be an emotional wreck at the thought of not being able to play tennis. It is such a big part of his life.”

But he did respond to the treatment and recovery came relatively quickly after that, considering doctors had told Vaughan it would be at least six months to a year before he could even pick up a racquet.

First it was a few steps. Then he began inching along with a walker, graduating to a cane.

“I had a lot of trouble moving,” he said. “I basically felt like I had been lying in bed for two months straight doing nothing.”

He dragged his numb feet across the court during Christmas break, next to some juniors who Vaughan said must have thought “this guy is just learning how to play.”

It was likely Vaughan’s super-conditioning helped muscle memory, which made rebuilding easier.

“Before I was doing 20-25 pull-ups and benching 200 pounds,” he lamented.

He made it back to school January 10, flying east on his own.

With persistence and that fighting spirit, the Russian-born Vaughan has earned his way back on the team. He’s just waiting to see if he can perform well enough to keep his spot on the roster and avoid the red-shirt. He’s grateful to have come this far. In either case, he knows he’ll be stronger and faster come next season.

“Stan has been very blessed in how quickly he’s recovered,” Mike Vaughan said. “He’s been an inspiration to both me and my wife, for such young person to rally and not ever once feel sorry for himself. He just let his passion for tennis motivate him to work hard and get out on the court again.”

As crazy as it sounds, Stan said he’s actually grateful for the experience.

“You know now that I’ve gone through it, I’ve gained a whole new perspective on winning and losing,” he said. “The bad days aren’t so bad anymore.”

http://www.coloradotennis.com/cta/news/pdf/COTNS%20SP11.pdf

Colleen Knill, Class of 2007, awarded Fulbright Scholarship in English through Villanova

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:44:00 GMT

Education Finalists for Postgraduate Fulbright English Teaching

Colleen Knill and Mary Kulhowvick (pictured at left with Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Arlene Ackerman) have been selected as finalists for postgraduate Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships. If accepted, Colleen Knill will be traveling to South Africa and Mary Kulhowvick to Indonesia. Both women are English and Education double majors currently student teaching at Germantown High School in Philadelphia, PA. Knill hails from Littleton, CO, while Kulhowvick is from Essex, VT.

The two candidates already boast exceptional credentials in the field of education having worked in various urban Philadelphia schools as well as abroad—Knill in Ghana and Kulhowvick in London. Both women cite the challenges and incredible rewards that have accompanied their teaching experiences in urban schools as their motivation for exploring education outside of the U.S.

Knill and Kulhowvick credit their education professor Dr. Jerusha Conner and the Villanova academic community with inspiring them to apply for the grants. Knill previously held a research fellowship position under Dr. Conner, and their work together encouraged her to pursue her interests in urban education. Further, Kulhowvick notes that it was Dr. Conner’s Diversity and Inclusion course that ignited her passion for teaching in urban education settings.

On campus, Knill and Kulhowvick participate in a variety of activities. Knill, a former Villanova pole vaulter, is currently a member of the Blue Key Society and has been involved with a number of mentoring programs sponsored by the Department of Education and Human Services. Kulhowvick serves as Villanova Ambassador and has traveled on a Villanova Habitat for Humanity service trip. She is also involved with education mentoring programs.

As for the future, both Knill and Kulhowvick would like to continue their education and obtain Master’s degrees in either English or Education. They also plan to continue their work as teachers in urban education.

The Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) Program places U.S. students as English teaching assistants in schools or universities overseas, thus improving foreign students’ English language abilities and knowledge of the United States while enhancing their own language skills and knowledge of the host country. Competition for grants is particularly fierce, yet Villanova ranked second among institutions receiving awards at the Master’s level for the 2010-2011 year. The Fulbright committee will be making their final decisions before June 2011.

http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/education/news/fullbright.html

Maurice Greer, Class of 2005, to play for Colorado Ice football team

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:12:13 GMT

(Fort Collins, CO) - The Colorado Ice are proud to announce that Running Back Maurice Greer (34) and Defensive Back Josh Morris (6) have signed with the team for the remainder of the 2011 season.

Greer is a 5'10", 215 lb running back from Troy University. Greer played his high school football at Mullen High School in Denver and spent time with both the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the past NFL season.

During his two year career at Troy, Greer ran for 440 yards and 5 touchdowns on 66 carries; giving him 6.67 yards per carry. Greer also had 8 receptions for 74 yards and 403 kick-off return yards. Before his time at Troy, Greer played at Garden City Community College, where in his sophomore season he ran for 778 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Morris is a 6'0", 190 lb corner from Weber State University, who was rated as the 42^nd best corner prospect in the 2010 draft. NFL projections slated Morris as a 5^th round selection; he received interest from 11 NFL teams that wanted to bring him in as a free agent. Morris ended up signing a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles only days after the draft ended.

During his career at Weber State, Morris accumulated 126 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 19 pass break ups, and 7 interceptions. During his senior season, which saw Morris being mostly avoided by many offensive attacks, he registered 38 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 5 pass break ups, and 2 interceptions.

Morris has been an asset to the Ice since being signed on March 8^th. He has 11 solo tackles, 3 assists and two key interceptions.

The Colorado Ice are proud members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). All home games are played on Majestic Roofing Field at the Budweiser Events Center located in Loveland, Colorado.

You can listen to the radio broadcast on ESPN 870 AM KJMP, Fort Collins; ESPN 1480 AM KRAE, Cheyenne and KREO 105.3 FM, Pine Bluffs, WY. The radio broadcast is also available via online streaming, just go to the Colorado Ice home page and click on the link. You can watch the Ice "LIVE" on the B2 Network or follow the play-by-play stats on Poinstreak.com, our Facebook page, and Twitter (TheColoradoIce). All can be accessed from www.TheColoradoIce.com, the Colorado Ice official homepage.

http://www.noco5.com/Global/story.asp?S=14411751

Beau Martin leaves CSU-Pueblo football program for Boise State

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:32:07 GMT

The Curse of the Too-Talented Freshman struck again at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Beau Martin, a defensive end out of Mullen High School who earned Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rookie of the year honors, has left the football program.

"Beau always kind of thought he was a Division I player so he's going to try and walk on at Boise State and give it a shot," CSU-Pueblo head football coach John Wristen said. "We wish him well. If a kid wants to take a shot like that, you hope he's successful. If not, Beau's always welcome to come back here."

Martin, a second-team all-RMAC performer as a true freshman, led the team and finished second in the conference with 7 sacks. That mark is second in CSU-Pueblo school history. He helped the Pack lead the conference in scoring defense at 15.6 points per game.

Wristen said that despite the defection of Martin, the defensive line is one of the stronger, and deeper, areas through five spring practices.

"We are bigger and stronger, and even quicker, in that area than ever before," Wristen said. "We have developed some quality depth along the defensive front."

Martin isn't the first CSU-Pueblo student-athlete to leave the program after earning RMAC rookie of the year honors. Katrina Selsor, a standout wing on the women's basketball team, left after her freshman season and transferred to rival Mesa State.

Fluidity is common in Division II, Wristen said.

"We obviously go after the best players we can, but if they don't want to be here, then that's a big problem," he said. "You just move on and go with the ones who do want to be a part of your program."

Spring practices continue this week and next with the annual spring game set for April 23.

SUPER SERIES: The ThunderWolves face a big series in baseball this weekend at Colorado Christian. The Pack, a .500 club at 15-15 (10-10 in the RMAC), plays four must-win games against the Cougars (1-18, 5-24).

"To be honest, we have to sweep," CSU-Pueblo coach Stan Sanchez said. "We're chasing teams now and we've got to stay out of the loss column. We have to get healthy here (record-wise) in these next 12 games or so."

The ThunderWolves are hitting a collective .300, own a team slugging percentage of .456 and an on-base percentage of .392. They average nearly seven runs a game.

The problem, and it's a considerable one, is pitching. CSU-Pueblo's team ERA is 7.48. Four of the team's losses are by two runs or less and the T-Wolves have allowed double-digit runs in eight games.

"It's going to come down to if we can stop people," Sanchez said. "Timmy Pomierski (1-1, four saves, 3.00 ERA) is as good as it gets to close the door but we haven't been able to bridge between our starters and Timmy. We lost three games this past weekend (to Nebraska-Kearney) but had leads, leads deep into games, in two of them.

"Our pitchers, not just our starters but all of our pitchers, need to raise up their games a little bit with 20 left."

WISE GUYS: Three Pack wrestlers earned academic all-RMAC honors, including two brothers on the first team. Justin and Trevor Grant were part of the RMAC's 10-member first unit. Justin is a senior pre-med major with a 3.35 GPA and Trevor is a redshirt freshman biology major with a 3.68 GPA.

Mitchell Mueller, a sophomore from Swink, was named to the second team. He is a liberal studies major with a 3.32 GPA.

http://www.chieftain.com/sports/local/rmac-s-top-rookie-leaves-csu-pueblo/article_e11ea426-6011-11e0-ae59-001cc4c002e0.html

Erik Smith earns All-Tournament Team at Denver University Lacrosse Classic

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:09:40 GMT

DENVER - University of Denver men's lacrosse junior Alex Demopoulos (Canton, Conn.) was named the Face-Off Classic MVP after he posted an 11-goal, four-assist performance for the Pioneers in their two wins of the 11th Annual Face-Off Classic. Along with Demopoulos, junior Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario), sophomore Chase Carraro (Louisville, Ky.) and freshman Jamie Faus (Lakeville, Conn.) were all named to the All-Tournament Team for their performances over the weekend. Matthews finished the weekend with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points, while also tying the DU single-game record for most points in a game. Carraro finished the weekend winning 32-of-43 face-offs for a 74.4 win-loss percentage. Faus finished the weekend logging 82:08 minutes in goal, making 15 saves and allowing only eight goals. The freshman finished with a 65.2 save percentage and a 5.84 goals against average.

Denver finished the Classic with a 2-0 record, while Air Force and Jacksonville both posted 1-1 marks. Manhattan lost both of its games.

DU Face-Off Classic All-Tournament Team
Alex Demopoulos (MVP) - Denver
Mark Matthews - Denver
Chase Carraro - Denver
Jamie Faus - Denver
TJ Kenary - Jacksonville
Bobby Stockton - Jacksonville
Tanner Gard - Jacksonville
Tommy McKee - Air Force - freshman
Erik Smith - Air Force - freshman
Tyler Jarvis - Manhattan

At the end of the weekend, the Pioneer Face-Off Classic all-tournament team was announced, including a pair of Falcons. Freshman Tommy McKee (Holt, Mich.) earned a spot on the all-tourney team after scoring six goals in Air Force’s 16-10 win over Manhattan on Saturday, while Erik Smith (Fr., Golden, Colo.) was also honored, with two goals, four assists, 14 groundballs and a .633 face-off win percentage for the weekend.

Ryan Ross - 40 under 40 winner

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:17:14 GMT

Ryan Ross
Title: Executive director, Education Opportunity Center

Company: Community College of Denver
Age: 29
Key civic affiliations: Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Denver Partnership, Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

Ryan Ross doesn’t take education lightly. After years of higher education, he’s back studying for his doctorate in educational leadership and education at the University of Colorado Denver.

But he never really left college.

Ross is executive director for the Education Opportunity Center and talent-search programs at the Community College of Denver.

He works with the TRIO programs — a set of federally funded college opportunity programs to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue college degrees.

He’s passionate about helping kids get to college and succeed. Ross co-founded the Kappa League Junior Ambassador program to prepare high school boys in the Denver area for college through community service and monthly workshops on such subjects as interview skills and networking.

Jonny Miller, Making an Impact: SU in the Community

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:47:00 GMT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Greeted with cheers by about 60 Bellevue Middle School students Syracuse University football student-athletes Dan Vaughan, Jonny Miller and Clay Cleveland entered the school cafeteria to visit and have lunch. The trio spoke with the eighth-grade students about the importance of education in a question-and-answer session before having lunch with the middle schoolers as part of a University program designed for college students to experience a day in the life of an eighth-grader last week.

“I think one of the big things for these kids is to help them understand that they can do it,” said Miller, a freshman quarterback for the Orange. “Some come from poverty stricken areas and they just need to know that if you work hard and are committed to what you want to do, you can achieve your goals in life.”

read more...

Sarah Moran, Class of 2005, shares stories from Africa

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:31:00 GMT

The refreshing spring of grace

By Sarah Moran

“They’re singing about grace,” whispers a fellow teacher.

Denver native Sarah Moran teaches a class at St. Peter Claver School in rural South Africa.It’s morning assembly in the dusty schoolyard of St. Peter Claver School in rural South Africa. I stand in a line of teachers facing 200 Basotho students assembled in rows. Their smart, hunter-green uniforms and rousing harmonies create a stark juxtaposition against the backdrop of dilapidated schoolrooms and ramshackle dwellings of corrugated iron visible just beyond the school grounds.

The students begin swaying and stomping rhythmically, in unison, to the traditional hymn’s chorus. “O mohau wa Modimo ke kwetsa e kakang. Na esale o mphihlela ke maketse feele,” they sing. It means, “The grace of God is like a refreshing spring of water. Since I found it, I have been amazed.”

Six months after graduating from Regis University, I arrived in this grace-filled place, a township called Maokeng, just outside the town of Kroonstad. Maokeng remains a vestige of the apartheid era, wherein native Africans were forcibly removed from legally-designated white towns, creating informal settlements or “townships” on their peripheries. Though that era has long since ended, roads remain unpaved, electricity sporadic, water impure, people largely unemployed, and HIV/AIDS prevalence high. Yet even as it tells of South Africa’s heartrending past and complex present, Maokeng brims over with the vibrant culture and profound faith of the Basotho tribe, and St. Peter Claver School is no exception.

“Good morning Sister Sarah,” is the greeting I receive from students as I walk to my first class. Until this year, any white person teaching here has been a religious sister, so it has nearly proven futile clarifying the distinction between sister and volunteer. This week, I’ve been teaching seventh-grade English and social science.

My role as the school’s substitute teacher has kept me well occupied, since serious illness among faculty is as common as it is among students. Next week, my role will change entirely.

A few days ago, a fellow teacher, native to a neighboring African country, learned that his work visa was not renewed. As he must return to his home country immediately, the sisters in the school’s administration, their congregation being the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, have requested that I take over his courses: eighth- and ninth-grade economics, mathematics and mechanical science. A proud English major, I am anxiously optimistic that the foundation of a broadly-based Catholic high school (J. K. Mullen High School) and undergraduate education will to come to my aid.

Teaching St. Peter’s students, who ensure that their uniforms are immaculately clean despite living in poverty, who speak and write three languages (Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English) with ease, who never fail to notice an uncrossed “t” or an undotted “i” on the chalkboard, is nothing less than a privilege. Most days, my grinning muscles are seriously overworked. But at night, when all is still and the weight of a long day hangs heavy on my shoulders, the question of how best to follow and love like Christ is close to my heart. How should I respond when another student loses a parent to AIDS? How should I instruct when, on Monday mornings, the students slouch in their desks, unable to concentrate because their last substantial meal was a free school lunch they received on Friday?

In moments such as these, I pray for deeper compassion and increased faithfulness, if only for tomorrow. I recommit to being a loving, firm teacher who holds these students to the remarkable standards they have set for themselves despite the inequities of wealth, health and opportunity that affect. The Christian formation and education they receive at St. Peter’s can be a step toward a more hope-filled future for them, and I am grateful to be a part of this extension of the Church’s mission, even just for a few years.

So today, we befriend the rats in the classrooms. When the pigeons in the rafters create a distracting cacophony, I nominate a student to catch them (and he is thrilled to do so, often retrieving one in each hand in a matter of seconds). And the wisdom of the students’ song reminds each of us, in the daily mission of our own vocations, to revisit that “refreshing spring of grace.”

Sarah Moran graduated from J.K. Mullen High School (2005) and Regis University (2009). She wrote this column last July. She is teaching in South Africa with Notre Dame Mission Volunteers. Moran’s column first appeared in Regis University Magazine. It is reprinted with permission.

Denver Catholic Register, Feb. 10, 2011

Serena Unrein '99 publishes article in The Arizona Republic

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:41:00 GMT

Options exist to fund expansion of light rail
by Serena Unrein
The Arizona Republic

Before the Metro light rail started operating in December 2008, media and elected officials often speculated if light rail could be successful in the Valley.

Since its inception, the system has proven to be enormously popular with Arizonans, with ridership numbers continuing to increase this year. The initial success of light rail has generated enthusiasm for future expansion, but the economic downturn has delayed the planned extensions and there is uncertainty as to whether some of the extensions will be built.

Light rail creates a number of public benefits in the Phoenix metro area, including reducing congestion and pollution. It also provides a transportation option for those who do not wish to or cannot drive, which will be increasingly important as the population ages. In addition, the new transit system has encouraged economic development in the area and received praise from small-business owners along the line.

Carl Unrein '72 quoted in The Denver Post

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:29:00 GMT

St. Joseph Hospital Foundation Helping Uninsured
by Kyle Glazier
The Denver Post

. . . "You're not a number, you're a person. That's the key," said St. Joseph Hospital Foundation chief executive Carl Unrein.

Unrein said the slow economy has resulted in a surge of uninsured and underinsured patients who need the foundation's help.

"Our role has become more critical," he said.

There are four charity Care Clinics on St. Joseph's campus. These include a family-oriented general practice, a general surgery clinic, a clinic focusing on obstetrical and gynecological medicing, and a midwifery practice.

Beau Martin named RMAC Freshman of the Year

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:40:00 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Nov. 16, 2010) - Two ThunderWolves were named first-team all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and additionally, freshman defensive end Beau Martin (Fr., Littleton, Colo.) earned RMAC Defensive Freshman of the Year honors, the RMAC announced Tuesday.

Martin, who finished second in the RMAC in sacks with 7.5, which was the second-most sacks in a season in CSU-Pueblo school history, helped lead a defense that finished first in the RMAC for least points allowed with 15.6. He also earned second-team All-RMAC honors, as well.

The ThunderWolves netted two first-team selections - tailback Jesse Lewis (Jr., Loveland, Colo.), the top-ranked running back in the conference and third-ranked in the nation, and the RMAC's leading tackler, Lee Meisner (Jr., Sterling, Colo.).

Additionally, CSU-Pueblo had eight second-team selections and four third-team selections, making for a total of 14 ThunderWolves earning all-conference selections.

Hayley Thompson recognized as part of the Colorado State Women's Basketball team

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:22:00 GMT

By Danielle Marshall
Athletic Media Relations
From October 13, 2010

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The Colorado State women’s basketball team was selected to finish eighth in the Mountain West Conference’s preseason poll. The standings were released Wednesday as part of the conference media day at The Mtn. studios.

TCU, which finished first in the regular season, was selected to repeat as the top team with 16 first-place votes. Defending conference champion San Diego State was picked to finish second (three first-place votes), followed by BYU (two), Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and UNLV. Air Force was picked to finish in the ninth spot.

Head Coach Kristen Holt and the Rams finished 13-17 in 2009-10 en route to building their program of excellence, improving numbers in the win column by three from 2008-09, and nine since Holt took over the helm. Junior Kim Mestdagh was awarded with three conference Player of the Week honors. A second-team selection, she received the team’s first all-conference honor since Melissa Dennet in 2004-05.

This season CSU returns all but one letterwinner for the 2010-11 campaign. Captain Sara Hemmings leads the squad in her senior season along with Bonnie Barbee and Zoi Simmons. The junior class is led by Mestdagh, the leading returning point scorer in the Mountain West, followed by Meghan Heimstra and Chatilla van Grinsven. The sophomore class features fast-paced players Chantel Kennedy and Meixandra Porter.

The Rams bring in five newcomers, including four freshmen and junior transfer forward Kelly Hartig from Virginia. Hartig will be eligible to play beginning with the Rams’ contest Dec. 20 vs. South Dakota after having to sit out per NCAA transfer rules. The CSU opener vs. Colorado Christian on Nov. 5 will feature Hayley Thompson (Mullen High School), Sam Martin (Chaparral High School), and also twin sisters from Peaster, Texas, Amber and Mandy Makeever (Peaster High School).

ASU's Junior Onyeali Named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:10:00 GMT

by Doug Haller - Nov. 1, 2010 07:23 PM
The Arizona Republic

He reminds Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson of former TCU standout Jerry Hughes, who played in last season's Fiesta Bowl.

Hughes, a first-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL draft, was undersized, quick and disruptive.
Just like ASU's Junior Onyeali.

"Obviously he's not there yet," Erickson said of Onyeali. "(But) he's a defensive end that's a little undersized, maybe not even a little undersized, but he can run around and fly."

Onyeali on Monday was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week. He's the first ASU true freshman to earn such an honor since Anthony Parker did so in 1984.

In Saturday's 42-0 win over Washington State, Onyeali, a speed rusher standing 5 feet 11 and 233 pounds, had four tackles, including three sacks. He also forced two fumbles. Entering Saturday's Pac-10 contest at USC, Onyeali, after just three starts, is fourth in the conference in sacks.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Appoints Daniel Maguire '85 to Yolo County Superior Court

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:02:00 GMT

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Daniel P. Maguire to a judgeship in the Yolo County Superior Court.

Maguire, 43, of Davis, has been a deputy legal affairs secretary for the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger since 2005. Previously, he was a sole practitioner from 2001 to 2005. Maguire served as an associate attorney for Orrick Herrington and Sutcliffe from 1997 to 2000 and Holme Roberts and Owen from 1993 to 1997. He was a law clerk for the Honorable Andrew Kleinfeld, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 1992 to 1993. Maguire earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas E. Warriner. Maguire is a Republican. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Daniel P. Maguire to a judgeship in the Yolo County Superior Court.

Maguire, 43, of Davis, has been a deputy legal affairs secretary for the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger since 2005. Previously, he was a sole practitioner from 2001 to 2005. Maguire served as an associate attorney for Orrick Herrington and Sutcliffe from 1997 to 2000 and Holme Roberts and Owen from 1993 to 1997. He was a law clerk for the Honorable Andrew Kleinfeld, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 1992 to 1993. Maguire earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas E. Warriner. Maguire is a Republican.

Veterans Honored during J.K. Mullen Football Game

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:27:13 GMT

On Friday, October 1, veterans and active military were invited to participate in a halftime tribute at Brother Bernard Kinneavy De La Salle Stadium in southeast Denver. The match-up was against J.K. Mullen and Bear Creek, two undefeated powerhouse teams. After two grueling quarters, the attention turned to respect and a thunderous standing ovation for the approximately twenty men, women and their family representatives who walked on to the field for the tribute. Both sides of the stadium were filled with about 7,000 cheering fans. Once on the field, the announcer asked for a moment of silence for all the wounded, fallen and safe return of those who are currently serving.

Each year, J.K. Mullen hosts a tribute during one of the home football games to recognize our nation’s veterans. All veterans from the community are welcome to attend and are given free admittance, a meal pass and a small packet of tokens in appreciation of their service.

Of the group that came out onto the field, there were J.K. Mullen faculty members, alumni, parents of alumni, and members of the community. J.K. Mullen High School thanks the many veterans and active military who have, or are, serving for our great nation.

J.K. Mullen High School is a private, co-educational school which provides a Catholic, College-Prep curriculum since 1931. Our Lasallian philosophy of educating is dedicated to exemplary teaching, scholastic rigor and outstanding care for all students.

Abby Keese ‘06 now sharing her talents as softball coach

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:59:00 GMT

Abby Keese a former Mullen High School graduate recently graduated from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN with a Bachelors degree in Psychology. As a four-year starter for the Lipscomb “Lady Bison” Softball team, she was a member of Head Coach Kristen Ryman’s inaugural recruiting class. A team that went from a record of 25-28-1 their first year to a record of 50-13, the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, and an automatic bid to the NCAA Region Tournament where they lost the championship game to #1 Seed Alabama in her final year.

As a four-year starter at Lipscomb, Abby played in 224 games with 673 at bats culminating with a four-year batting average of .343, slugging percentage of .633 and 51 career homeruns. Abby was named to the first team All-Freshmen team (2007), Second Team All-Conference (2008, 2009) and First team All-Conference her Senior year (2010).

Abby is currently a Graduate Assistant for the Fairfield University Women’s Softball team, where she is pursuing a Masters Degree in Communication.

Tommy Watson '92 returns to Mullen to share this story: Part 2

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:58:00 GMT

Kids succeed when adults believe
By Tina Griego
The Denver Post

Tommy Watson, as I told you Saturday, is the son of heroin addicts who were habitual criminals. His mom's record dated back to when she was 18. She died several years ago. His dad, according to Watson and other family, was a top high school student in Little Rock, Ark., but after the family moved here, he went down another path, "and we know that path only ends in destruction," his sister told me.
The union of these two produced three children. Watson, the J.K. Mullen High School athlete turned scholar turned high school principal; his younger sister, a solid citizen who is a school bus driver; and, between these two, a brother. He's in a federal penitentiary. Law enforcement identified him as a high-ranking gang member involved in a drug distribution ring. The three were raised with half-siblings, two of whom followed their parents into lives of crime or addiction.
Same environments. Different outcomes.
How did Tommy Watson make it? I asked Saturday. I've met a number of young people who have overcome obstacles most of us could not imagine, and I always ask the question. There's never a pat formula and even if there were, human endeavors do not come with guarantees.
Watson wrote a book called "A Face of Courage." I haven't read it, but you can find it on Amazon. The book's subtitle poses the question: "How did he survive?"
Watson starts with this. He asked me if I was familiar with the "Friday the 13th" movies. His parents, he says, were his Jason, and he ran like hell from them.

Watson had guts. He had wits. He had determination. He was never a follower. He had within himself the characteristics necessary to succeed. He's an example for every angry, every neglected, every struggling kid out there. Dig deep. Make no excuses. Do not engage in self-pity. Do not indulge in entitlement.
But Watson also had the Coach, the Nun, the Grandma and the Auntie — at least four adults who guided him. All of them shared similar qualities. They were demanding but loving. They were strong when he was weak. They never pulled their punches. "What should I do?" he asked his auntie before boarding the bus that would carry him away to college. "Go," she said. "What should I do?" he asked his coach. "Go," he said. "There is nothing for you here."
They knew Tommy Watson had it in him, and he sensed that because kids always know who's a true believer and who's going through the motions.
And so Watson's story is also a reminder to every adult out there. Every parent. Every teacher — and I don't just mean those in the classroom. Our young people need us. They need us to love them and instruct them and make them feel safe. They need us to provide structure, to teach them discipline, to hold them accountable. They need us to show them a larger world and its possibilities. None of this comes easy. We are big people dealing with little people, and such lessons require patience, generosity, sacrifice and self-discipline, and, I don't mind saying, I struggle with all these as a mom.
A couple weeks ago, I was in a school auditorium full of adults who were thanking their former choir director for managing this balance. I must have overheard 50 people tell Mr. John Van Epps that he changed their lives. After that column ran, I heard from more of his Horace Mann Junior High students, and almost all used the exact words: "He believed in me."
What did that mean? Not just that John Van Epps believed they could succeed. No, something more fundamental than that. He believed they wanted to.

OK, so Van Epps was a little short on patience. But he got the rest of it right. I've known others who have done the same. Jim Schrant, former North High teacher, comes to mind. High demand, high caring, is what Tommy Watson calls it.
Van Epps told me part of what he thought his students learned from him, and what he learned from them was "that there is a life outside ourselves, outside our neighborhoods, and that everybody is the same: We all want to be somebody."
A couple weeks later, I sat across from Watson, and he told me the same thing. "We all want to make a difference. We all share that. That's not a message about being black or about being poor. It's a message of humanity."
Watson told me that he sees too many adults who are afraid of young people and too many young people who don't believe adults think they can succeed. End up surrounded by fear and doubt long enough and it works on a soul, weakens it. Watson never forgets that.
His school in Minnesota is full of kids from low-income families, poor kids, minority kids. Any one of them could be another Tommy Watson.