THE EAGLE EYE
Adams City High School's Trusted News Source
Commerce City, Colorado
April 25, 2023
Art Show
From 4pm-6pm(4/25), art pieces within the Adams14 school district will be presented at Adams City High School.
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Live paintings will be done by selected artists. Awards will also be given to several artists who truly stand out.
We're Back!
Congratulations to the Boys Basketball Team for winning the 2023 Colorado League Championship!
ACHS Wresting Team Brings Glory
Last week at the State wrestling tournament 12 Wrestlers qualified for state and six earned a spot on the podium. It was great to see all the community members in the Adams City section cheering our kids on! Adams City took 4th as a team. No matter what place these kids finished in, they earned a spot at state and represented our school and community to the fullest! Here are the results
Levi Deaguero - CHAMPION (2x)
Daniel Long - CHAMPION
Seth Deaguero - Runner-up
Maximus Gutierrez- 3rd place
Micah Ortiz - 5th place
Nick Vasquez - DNP
Azaiah Ortega - DNP
Marcos LaCrue - DNP
Andrew LaCrue - DNP
Phoebe Gutierrez - Runner-up
Leyla Jaquez - DNP
Angelica Quintana - DNP
Xavier "The T-Rex" Rodriguez - CHAMPION (2x Unified Champion)
Phoebe Gutierrez looking fierce at the state wrestling tournament.
Daniel Long celebrates a win at the state wrestling tournament
Micah Ortiz celebrates at the state wrestling tournament
2x Unified Champion Xavier "The T-Rex" Rodriguez flexes for the crowd
ACHS Girls' Basketball
Congratulations to Adams City Eagles
Girls Basketball Coach Rogers for being awarded Colorado League Coach of the Year
Maboini Abdikadir- 2nd Team All League
Lou Diaz- 2nd Team All-League
Morgan Williams- 2nd Team All-League.
Adams 14 and English Language Learners Deserve a Better Accountability System
Cecilia Aguilar-Ramirez
The accountability clock is a timer no one wants to see sound the alarm but this district has experienced for decades. This clock is a state structure developed to help schools improve student readiness; however, when schools don’t meet state performance standards on state tests, like the SAT, PSAT, and CMAS, those schools are placed on the accountability clock for 5 years, then the state school board determines what happens next. This means the threat for new management, conversion to a charter, closure, reorganization, or merging with a higher-performing district is always a threat. This system of determining which schools are “failing” and “succeeding” is flawed regarding students that are ELLs (English Language Learners). As the number of ELLs increases in the United States the more it is exposed, yet no permanent solution has been made to resolve this issue.
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The main issue with the accountability clock is standardized testing. These tests are meant to measure student progress, but most data suggests that is not what they actually measure. The research suggests standardized tests are better at measuring race and class than any meaningful prediction of postsecondary academic success . In most cases when you come from a rich neighborhood then the higher the test score, while those who come from a low-income minority community tend to score lower. This causes problems for communities of low income and minorities because these tests often determine if the school’s doors stay open and if a student graduates. There has to be some better way to measure a school's success in teaching students the required curriculum.
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Assessments made for native English speakers have burdened many districts like ours, yet we are labeled as failing instead of getting a system that helps ELLs get the same chances as native speakers. According to Accountability Issues and High Stakes Standardized Assessment, ”Reasons to explain poor performance of ELLs on high-stakes statewide tests are complex but to a great extent are related to having to take tests that are not intended for them but that were designed for native English speaking students and so are not aligned to ELLs’ educational needs…[consequently] with their poor performance, ELLs are often blamed for the failure of schools.” (Farah 4). By being measured this way, it inaccurately takes in the student's progress, making many schools' ability to teach to be misjudged. In addition, this makes some of the schools placed under the accountability clock to be forced into a corner where there is a possibility for closure. Being put through these unruly circumstances is unjust and can take a toll on students, staff, and parents, leaving them all to wonder what happens next.
Arms Around Adams 14 Rally
The Arms Around Adams 14 Rally was a resounding success with students and teachers coming together to advocate for Adams 14 and our community. We raised our voices loud and clear to the local media and the State Board of Education that we want to keep our schools public, local and out of the hands of profit-seeking corporation. Check out our photo gallery from the event below:
Student Voices
Our student voices section features editorials by students and seeks to give voice to students at ACHS. Because everyone talks about us, but sometimes we don't feel heard. We will feature ACHS student writers throughout the year to give voice to the ACHS student experience. This week our editorial team provides commentary on academies, the state accountability system, and linguistic giftedness.
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This weeks article features a piece by are own Angel Garcia; explaining the problems with charter schools and why they just aren't right for Adams 14.
Announcing the "Arms Around Adams 14 Campaign"
THE EAGLE EYE
Adams City High School's Trusted News Source
Our goal when relaunching the Eagle Eye Organization at the beginning of this school year was to give a voice to students who are too often drowned out by negative narratives in the media and by a State Board of Education who would force us to reorganize or turn us into charter schools based on an unjust accountability system. In our continued fight to reclaim the narrative and keep our schools local and working for the whole community, we would like to offer our whole-hearted endorsement and support of the "Arms Around Adams 14" Campaign and Rally on November 18th. Join us this week for American Education Week and for the rally on Friday.
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-The Eagle Eye Editorial Board
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SD14 Classroom Teachers’ Association and Together Colorado
Partner to Launch Community Campaign to Stop the Reorganization of Adams 14 School District Teachers and community leaders of Commerce City band together with parents and students to put their “Arms Around Adams 14” COMMERCE CITY, CO
(November 9, 2022) School District 14 Classroom Teachers’ Association (SD14 CTA) is partnering with multi-faith community organization, Together Colorado, to launch “Arms Around Adams 14,” a new community campaign to stop the reorganization of Adams 14 and shift the false narratives around the district. These organizations have come together to put their “Arms Around Adams 14” in an attempt to reclaim Adams 14 schools and stop the State Board’s forced reorganization of the district. The campaign unites parents, teachers, youth and community leaders around the shared belief that Commerce City students are more than their test scores, and that legacy-making right now means standing up against this unfair state accountability system–to build schools that work for the whole community, not just a few.
No matter our faith, language, or background, everyone in our community deserves the chance to thrive. And right now, the students in Adams 14 are fighting for their right to keep their schools open and public. On May 10, 2022, the Colorado State Board of Education voted to remove Adams 14’s accreditation and begin the process of reorganizing, the first vote of its kind in the state’s accountability system. The decision was made due to alleged low academic performance from the district, largely based on standardized testing. The system as-is penalizes 56% of Adams 14 students who face the double challenge of only being tested in English while they are also classified as English Language Learners (ELLs). Standardized tests do not help students get college ready. Research shows us that these tests maintain racial inequity and unfairly harm students whose first language isn’t English. “On a national scale, standardized testing has been found to “mirror and maintain racial inequities,” per Ember Smith, research analyst for the Center on Children and Families in Economic Studies. “Standardized tests are better proxies for how many opportunities a student has been afforded than they are predictors for students’ potential,” her colleague Andrew Perry adds.
The reorganization process may result in the closing of schools, shifting of boundaries and the forced management by another district, and consequently, loss of funding. The Arms Around Adams 14 campaign urges decision-makers to prioritize classrooms over corporations. We need authentic, community-rooted public schools that prioritize all students, as opposed to charter schools that research shows can further marginalize students from communities of color.
Teachers and parents have worked too hard for too long to let corporate interest supersede the children’s needs and education. “In Adams 14, our students are facing inequitable funding and racially biased standardized testing - but we won’t leave them behind,” said Jason Malmberg, an
orchestra teacher at Kearney Middle School . “We became educators to nourish and encourage the next generation - and we’ll step up to protect our students.” Neighboring school districts passed resolutions opposing reorganization. “The Colorado State Board of Education has been advised that its efforts to reorganize Adams 14 will fail,” the district stated in a press release, “.. All neighboring school districts agree that reorganization of Adams 14 is not in the best interest of our students, parents, community, and neighboring districts.” Reorganization must have local school board and community input, per state law. This will be a change of pace for most Commerce City parents, as the Colorado State Board of Education has excluded them from decision making processes by initially failing to offer consistent Spanish translation at board meetings (despite more than half of the district’s students being English Language Learners).
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This is why SD14 Classroom Teachers Association and Together Colorado have joined together to put their “Arms Around Adams 14” and stop the reorganization. They are making every effort to ensure that Commerce City children have access to equitable education without having to travel away from the area they live in so they can envision a future for themselves right at home. “Commerce City is strongest when it is united,” said Derene Armelin, SD14 CTA member and A14 parent. “When we come together, nothing can stop us. The State Board of Education thinks it can make decisions about our schools without us, but we’re going to show them that they are wrong. We’re going to come together to put Arms around Adams 14 and take back our schools.”
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About SD 14 Classroom Teachers Association
The School District 14 Classroom Teachers Association represents Adams 14 educators and is
a local of the Colorado Education Association, Colorado’s largest labor union. The Colorado
Education Association is the voice of 39,000 educators, working together to ensure all students
get the exceptional public schools they deserve, in every neighborhood across the state. To
learn more about SD14 Classroom Teachers Association, visit
https://www.facebook.com/sd14cta.
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About Together Colorado
Together Colorado is a non-partisan, multi-racial, multi-faith community organization that
organizes to place human dignity at the center of public life. Together Colorado is comprised of
220 congregations, schools, clergy and faith leaders across the state and is a member of the
national network Faith in Action which has 1,000 religious congregations in more than 200
cities and towns through its 45 local and state federations. To find out more about Together
Colorado, please visit https://www.togethercolorado.org/.
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Community members are invited to show their support!
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Attend the upcoming Arms Around Adams 14 Community Rally on Friday November 18th at 3:30pm to 5:30pm, launching during American Education Week.
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Community Rally
Friday, November 18th
72nd and Quebec
sidewalk in front of ACHS
3:30-5:30 PM
Bring your own sign or use one of ours
The 2022 Adams City High School Treat Street Sponsored by The Student Council and teacher Erin Cisneros was a resounding success, with nearly 2,000 children and families passing through the halls of Adams City High School to participate in trick-or-treating, games, face paining, and photo booths hosted by the schools clubs, sports teams, and academic departments.
ACHS Treat Street 2022
ACHS Theatre Department Presents: Night Chills
The Adams City High School Theatre Department just wrapped up 2 weeks of performances of the play "Night Chills", based on 4 of Edgar Allen Poe's famous stories: "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Murders at the Rogue Morgue."
Our own Redic Martinez recently sat down with Mr. Phelps to discuss the production of this most recent play by the theatre department at ACHS, the value of local theatre, the effects of the pandemic of high school theatre and much more.
CAST LISTS (BY SHOW)
The Tell-Tale Heart
Jess Stark - Ken Rodriguez
Lorna Stark - Emily Hernandez
Nathan Zolka - Sam Ortiz
Kristin Holub - Kai Luna
Metti Holub - Ashley Torres-Ramirez
Brannaman - Trystin Gallegos
The Fall of the House of Usher
Roderick Usher - Sam Ortiz
Flora - Chanel Castorena
Rachel - Mari Benitez-Rios
Jacob - Hugo Acevedo-Medina
Andrew Blake - Jenny Martinez-Pinedo
Madeline Usher - Perla Martinez
The Cask of Amontillado
Fortunato - Leo Servin-Pena
Lita - Ashley Torres-Ramirez
Bernadina - Emily Hernandez
Vittori Montresor - Trystin Gallegos
Helena - Kai Luna
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
Madame Jeanne L’espanaye - Jenny Martinez-Pinedo
Camille - Emily Hernandez
Henriette Duval - Sam Ortiz
Pauline Aubourge - Leo Servin-Pena
C. Auguste Dupin - Perla Martinez
Robert Roche - Chanel Castorena
Adolphe Le Bon - Ken Rodriguez
Pierre De Monte - Hugo Acevedo-Medina
Academies, The Accreditation Dilemma, and the Path Forward for ACHS.
Our own Angel Reyes and Reddic Martinez sat down for an interview with Principal Garcia on the school's state turnaround status, the loss of accreditation, establishing academies, the path forward we fight for at Adams 14 and much more.
Click "Read More" read the full article in our "School News" section
Breaking: Adams 14 School District Accreditation Restored
Sept. 14, 2022, COMMERCE CITY, Colo.— On Wednesday, the Colorado State Board of Education reinstated the accreditation of Adams County School District 14 (Adams 14) in a 6-1 vote during its monthly meeting. Adams 14 leadership welcomes the restoration, and the district will continue its efforts to improve the educational quality students deserve.
Adams 14 Chief Legal Counsel Joe Salazar said despite this good move, the state board will continue to pursue reorganization of the district.
“Little by little, the state board is understanding that its heavy-handed order has had unintended consequences on the children of Adams 14. We are pleased with this recent development, and we hope this further builds on a more positive relationship between the state board and Adams 14.” Salazar said. “Alongside other Adams County school districts, we will oppose any efforts to reorganize the district because we know it will only harm the community.”
“Commissioner Anthes reached out and we discussed her intention to recommend to the state board the reinstatement of our accreditation due to its negative impact on our students’ learning and our ability to recruit teachers. This is a great move for our students and our community,” said Dr. Karla Loria, Superintendent of Adams 14.
Boys Volleyball
Anyone interested in a Boy's Volleyball club let us know! Unfortunately, it would only be a club this year, playing against other clubs, but next year it can be an official sport against other schools!
