Greality: Bowling tourney raises $28,000 for Special Olympics

March 05--The Time to Spare bowling tournament fundraiser bowl-a-thon Feb. 24 almost doubled its haul for the northeastern region of Special Olympics Colorado.

Teams filled all 32 lanes, bowling for a little over an hour at the Highland Park Lanes, 1900 59th Ave. This was the fourth year for the event, and more than $28,000 was raised with more still trickling in, said Debbie Panter, who headed the 13-member committee to put on the tournament.

This year, big donation came from Atmos Energy, Hensel Phelps, RockSol Consulting Group, Abra Auto Body, Greeley Subaru and DCP Midstream, all donating $1,000 for the event. Nine more companies donated $500; one anonymous donor, Panter said, showed up the day of the event and wrote a check for $3,100.

"We were very fortunate, and merchants around town donated items for the silent auction," Panter said. "Everything ranging from golf packages to spa packages, hockey tickets. So we raised quite a bit from that. And we also sold raffle tickets throughout the event, and merchants around town gave us gift cards to restaurants."

Rudy's Country Store and BBQ, 2473 28th St. in Greeley, catered the event for free.

The funds will first go to the Special Olympics bowling team, the Greeley Panthers. The rest of the money will be split by northeast Colorado Special Olympics teams. Last year, the event raised $16,000, Panter said.

The Colorado League of Charter Schools on Friday honored Greeley-Evans School District 6 Superintendent Deirdre Pilch as the 2018 Outstanding Charter School Authorizer during the organization's annual conference in Denver.

The organization asked for nominations from 51 entities that authorize charter schools, as well as the 250 charter schools in the state, according to a District 6 news release.

"In our qualifying conversations, the directors of charter schools authorized by District 6 and other community leaders spoke very highly of the dynamic leadership, inclusive style and commitment to all kids and families that you have brought," League of Charter Schools President Benjamin Lindquist wrote in a notification letter to Pilch, according to the release.

There are six charter schools in District 6: Frontier Academy, University Schools, Union Colony Preparatory and Elementary, Westridge Academy and Salida del Sol.

Pilch, who started her tenure in District 6 in 2015, said she's humbled by the recognition and grateful for the support of charter school leaders.

"We are all District 6, regardless of whether we are traditional or charter schools," Pilch said in the release. "These are all our children, and we share responsibility for their learning and success."

Eight Aims automotive students to compete at state SkillsUSA competition

Eight Aims Community College students recently advanced to a statewide SkillsUSA Challenge competition centered on the automotive industry after competing successfully at an event at the Automotive and Technology Center in Windsor in late February.

Twenty-nine Aims students competed in Windsor, and eight will compete in the state competition in April in Colorado Springs, according to an Aims Community College news release.

Kaiden Brier of Windsor won the post-secondary collision competition; Frank Dabbiero of Berthoud took second; Romon Figuero of Holyoke took first in post-secondary refinishing; Nicolas Moeller of Greeley placed in post-secondary total loss and damage appraisal; Jo Boden of Loveland won the secondary collision category; Anahi Najera of Greeley took first in secondary refinishing; Raul Salazar of Greeley took second in secondary refinishing.

The secondary category refers to Aims concurrent enrollment students -- high school students who take classes at Aims and earn certificates while still in high school to get a head start on their careers and education, according to the release.

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