Dental Implants in Aurora, CO

Sign up for our free monthly newsletter Beyond High School to get the latest news about college and career paths for Colorado’s high school grads.

On a recent October day, Roddrick Marshall wore a wide-brimmed hat decorated with red and blue pipe cleaners with a yellow sign that said: “Vote Roddrick & Dejanae.”

Around his neck he also showcased a sign declaring that the pair would “stand on BUSINESS for YOU!” a campaign slogan they hoped would convince fellow students to elect them as co-class presidents of The Excel Center high school in Aurora.

Running for student body elections wouldn’t have happened when he was a 17-year-old getting into trouble, Marshall said. But decades later, at 50, he is getting the chance.

At the Excel Center, run by Goodwill of Colorado and the first high school building in the state dedicated just to adults, Marshall and other adults without a diploma are getting the opportunity to learn in a more traditional type of school setting at no cost to them.

Marshall’s wife first told him about the school and also enrolled him.

“I jumped right on it,” Marshall said. “It’s in person and it’s free, and it’s more of an educational environment where you really get a chance to learn one-on-one with the teacher.”

Statewide, estimates show that over 300,000 Coloradans didn’t finish high school. Despite that high number, Colorado was the last in the nation to begin funding adult education when it did so in 2014.

In 2023, state lawmakers increased annual funding for adult education from $1 million to $3 million a year. They also set aside $5 million to help create the Excel Center.

The plan was to provide the specialized program in an area with great need. Goodwill, which brought the idea to lawmakers and lobbied to open the adult high school, chose Aurora because more than 30,000 adults in the area over the age of 25 never graduated.

The school fits into Goodwill of Colorado’s mission — to help educate, train, and place residents in jobs that help them increase their economic mobility and independence.

The adult high school building opened on Aug. 5, and school officials hope to someday enroll as many as 350 students as they work to finish their high school education.

The 26,000-square-foot building, located in an Aurora strip mall complex owned by Goodwill, will have most of its dozen classrooms nearly half full soon — with 58 students enrolling in the first eight week session and about 150 expected in the second session.

Most of the current students have a ninth grade education, although students who are learning English tend to have a lower education level, said James Sanchez, a Goodwill of Colorado director.

Some students are expected to graduate quickly — such as those who dropped out in their senior year. Sanchez expects the school’s first graduation in December for those who only need to earn a few credits.

Students with a ninth grade education might need to stay enrolled up to 18 months, Sanchez said. And students who are learning English take remedial classes first.

Sanchez said the school is very clear that it isn’t just recreating a high school environment. Adults have much busier lives than when they first attended high school, meaning they require more resources.

The program offers onsite day care for students’ kids over the age of 2-and-a-half, gives them bus passes and gas cards, screens students for learning disabilities such as dyslexia, and has flexible class schedules. The school also caps classes at 24 students.

“We really try to get them individualized support,” Sanchez said.

The Aurora Excel Center is part of a network of 41 other Goodwill schools in nine states across the nation. The first school was started in 2010 in Indianapolis.

Although Goodwill has a history of offering this program, Sanchez said there still have been challenges starting something new in Colorado.

It has been difficult to find teachers, and most of those who’ve taken jobs at the center were previously retired. The school also doesn’t offer students the opportunity to earn as many industry certificates as leaders had hoped, though they’re working on more partnerships that will help students pursue higher paying jobs after graduation.

English language arts teacher Lizzie Louis agreed building something new for adults in the area can be difficult. But the students make it easy.

She said part of teaching them means respecting their life experiences.

She ensures students’ kids have a play space with toys in the corner of her room. And she focuses on encouraging students to pursue their long-held education dreams.

“We get to build community and create a safe place to learn for them,” Louis said.

Marshall said he’s felt the support throughout the building as he tries to earn the high school diploma he’s wanted for years.

On the day he campaigned in his brown hat to become co-class president, Marshall brought his five children with him to school, including his twins. Although they were a rambunctious crew, they’re welcome at the school.

“My kids are in school, but it’s times like this when they’re out for fall break, or some type of break, and I still have class that the day care is helpful,” he said.

Marshall, a custodian, wants to study HVAC after he gets his diploma and increase his potential for higher earnings. He also wants his kids to see him succeed.

“It’s good for them to see their parent continue their education and see how important it is to get their high school diploma,” he said. “They’ll get theirs the first time.”

Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.

Posted

and last updated

The northern lights were spotted all across Colorado and the rest of the United States last night. They could be seen as far south as Alabama and Georgia. From Woodland Park to Lamar, the northern lights lasted throughout the night. It was visible with the naked eye and gave the sky a pink hue. Through a camera though, bright pinks and greens could be seen across the state.

Many of our viewers sent in photos of the spectacular display.We got to see the Aurora dance across the sky with bright pink hues and earthy greens. If you missed last night's display, we could have another chance in 2025.

The Space Weather Prediction Center monitors solar flares from the sun. The sun goes through cycles when producing these flares and we are seeing an increase in activity because of where the sun is at in this cycle. This is good news for those who love to catch this rare opportunity because we could see more solar flares going into 2025. During solar storms we can see these flares happen, and when the come in contact with Earth that's when the Space Weather Prediction Center will issue geomagnetic storm warnings.

This specific storm was considered a G4 and this scale ranges from 1 (a minor event) to 5 (an extreme event that could effect power systems). The sun doesn't always produce these powerful storms, and sometimes we don't even notice them. With this specific flare being so strong, that's why we were able to see it this far south.

If you are wondering how this phenomenon happens, it's due to a strong solar flare from the sun. When this radiation interacts with Earth's atmosphere it creates this colorful display. Usually, we see this happen closer to the North and South Poles because these particles will follow the magnetic field.

You might also be wondering what determines the color of the northern lights. It has to do with the type of gases that are floating around in our atmosphere. When there's nitrogen present, we will get more of a blue and purple glow. Oxygen will produce those greens and reds that you see. Looking at the aurora last night, we can see that this radiation was interacting with both nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere.

Thank you to everyone that sent in pictures, and you can still send yours in to weather@koaa.com for a chance to be featured.

_______

Have a question or story idea you would like the First Alert 5 Weather team to consider? Email: weather@koaa.com

Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Report a typo

If you’re visiting Aurora, CO, with your dog (or if you live there and are a dog parent), you’ll want to know a few places to take your pup for a good romp. Romping is a little more difficult while on a leash, though, which makes off-leash areas the way to go. And one of the best areas to take your pet for a bit of off-leash fun is a park!

Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of dog parks in Aurora that offer off-leash options, but there are four you and your favorite canine can check out. Take a look below to get all the information you need about these parks, such as where they’re located, when they’re open, and more!

The 4 Off-Leash Dog Parks in Aurora, CO

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Heather Walk (@ladypoki)

Conclusion

While there aren’t a lot of dog parks in Aurora, CO you can go to and let your dog play off-leash, there are a few. And a couple are extremely large, leaving your dog with all the room it needs to play, run, and have a fabulous time!

Some also feature separate areas for small and large dogs, which is excellent if you’re worried about your tiny pup’s safety. No matter which park you choose, though, each one has something fun to offer you and your favorite four-legged pal!

See also:

Featured Image Credit: Jesper Brouwers, Unsplash

AURORA, Ill. (CBS) -- The all-boys Marmion Academy in Aurora announced Tuesday that it is going co-ed.

The Catholic college-prep high school in the Fox Valley has been an all-boys institution since it was founded in 1933.

School leaders announced Tuesday that the school will welcome girls as early as the fall of 2026. The Marmion Abbey of chapter of monks voted to make the change this past weekend.

"Throughout our long history, Marmion Academy has implemented changes in its structure, while remaining true to our values of academic achievement, spiritual formation, and character development for our students," Abbot Joel Rippinger, OSB, said in a news release. "After a year of intense study, discernment and prayerful reflection, we've determined that it was the right time to make this change. Our values, rooted in the Catholic Benedictine tradition, will remain at the heart of our mission."

The plan calls not for co-ed classes throughout all students' four years of high school, but for boys and girls to attend single-gender classes as freshmen and sophomores, then co-ed classes as juniors and seniors.

The school said the co-ed setting will better prepare students for life in a "diverse, interconnected world" after graduation.

Over the past 50 years, numerous previously all-boys Catholic high schools in the Chicago area have gone coed—including St. Ignatius College Prep in 1979, St. Viator High School in 1987, Fenwick High School in 1992, Loyola Academy in 1994, and Marist High School in 2002.

But Chicago's Mount Carmel High School, after considering admitting girls beginning in the fall of 2023, remains all boys after the school's board rejected the proposal.

Adam Harrington

Adam Harrington is a web producer at CBS Chicago, where he first arrived in January 2006.

Hi there.

Conservatives, liberals and none-of-the-above all agree that without a solid, realistic view of the world we individually and collectively face, we’re lost.

The concept of not just that need, but that right, of every American to have a clear understanding of what our elected leaders say and do is so critical to our government and our lives, it’s enshrined in the Constitution as the First Amendment.

“Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy,” iconic journalist Walter Cronkite famously said.

Americans only have to look to nations and governments that have limited the rights and abilities of journalists to clearly see how tenuous, and precious, American freedoms truly are.

This critical foundation of American liberty has been under direct-attack by president Elect Donald Trump and his allied extremists in an effort to undermine trust in the free press. What started with “fake news” reports Trump and his allies dislike has evolved into threats to use the government to silence American journalism.

It’s a deliberate effort to weaken the power of accountability and transparency in government and advance a campaign of misinformation, disinformation and outright propaganda.

Only a robust free press can combat such a dangerous scheme.

This is not a partisan or political issue. Savvy and honest Libertarians, Republicans, Democrats and the majority of Americans who have distanced themselves from partisan politics agree that the nation’s unique free and unfettered press is the only power that truly holds everyone accountable.

The Sentinel and every independent and reputable news media source in Colorado, and across the nation, need your support as a new Trump Administration becomes reality.

Your ability to be confident in the news you hear and read is at stake, locally, across the region, across the country, and across the globe.

Please take the mere seconds needed to click below and contribute to the non-profit, community-based Sentinel, serving you for more than a century, or contribute or subscribe to another trusted news media you depend on.

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SENTINEL

The Sentinel, and all of American journalism needs you now to do your part so we can continue doing ours.

Thank you.

Dave Perry, Sentinel Editor and Publisher

The Sentinel not only cares deeply about bringing our readers accurate and critical news, we insist all of the crucial stories we provide are available for everyone — for free.

Like you, we know how critical accurate and dependable information and facts are in making the best decisions about, well, everything that matters. Factual reporting is crucial to a sound democracy, a solid community and a satisfying life.

So there’s no paywall at SentinelColorado.com. Our print editions are free on stands across the region, and our daily email E-ditions are free just for signing up, to anyone.

But we need your help to carry out this essential mission.

Please help us keep the Sentinel different and still here when you need us, for everyone. Join us now, and thank you.

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE