Podcast

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of injury and death among teens nationwide. While smartphones get much of the blame, the reality is that distractions can come from anywhere — friends in the car, music, emotions, and even overconfidence behind the wheel.

To help us understand what really happens on the road and in emergency rooms, we are joined by HCA Healthone Skyridge hospital’s Trauma Nurse Coordinator and Injury Prevention Specialist Kathy Myers, RN, who has seen firsthand the consequences of distracted driving. In this discussion, she shares ways families can reduce risk and better prepare not only drivers but also passengers to ensure everyone gets to their destination safely.
 

The Sweeney Family Business is all about caring for and building up people. Over the last decade, it’s become even more focused on helping, specifically through education. What started with Kiera Sweeney becoming a Sierra Middle School teacher, soon became three members of the family, with her father, Sean, and then her sister, Delaney, also becoming teachers. In fact those two teach at the same school, Bear Canyon Elementary in Highlands Ranch. Soon another member of the family will be added by marriage. In this episode, we’re going to hear from the tight-knit, fun-loving and fully supportive Sweeney family about how much teaching means to them -- and how much they care about Douglas County.
 

At ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch, Brad Johnson is a mainstay as a history teacher and state-championship winning coach. His daughter, Annabeth Johnson, also teaches history and coaches at ThunderRidge. The father and daughter teachers are at opposite ends of their careers but both are all about making a difference in students’ lives through education. In this episode, Mr. Johnson and Ms. Johnson talk about their unique working relationship, how they inspire and mentor each other, and how much they appreciate the ThunderRidge community.

Dr. Matt Hadeed, chair of pediatrics at HCA HealthONE Sky Ridge, shares his expertise on what kids really need when it comes to sleep, nutrition and daily habits — and how parents can set up their children for success both in and out of the classroom. Whether parents are navigating picky eating, bedtime battles, or just want to make healthier choices as a family, this conversation is full of practical, science-backed guidance.

Zoe (Class of 2016) and Liv (Class of 2021) are now fully embarked on their respective careers, and in this conversation they tell us how AVID helped prepare – and push – them as they chased their goals and dreams. 

Liv and Zoe talk about why they needed the AVID program, how it gave them tools as well as a supportive community so they could grow as students, how it prepared them for college and careers, and how every day they still use what they learned several years ago. 

Listen to this episode, and you’ll hear about resilience, collaboration, perseverance, confidence, achievement and so much more.

AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a highly regarded, comprehensive educational program which has been used in schools all over the U.S. for 45 years. 

In one DCSD feeder system, students can learn AVID-based skills throughout their K-12 journey: first at Franktown Elementary, then Sagewood Middle School and Ponderosa High School.

In this episode, the principals from all three of those schools talk about how AVID makes a difference for all ages of students – plus parents, teachers, and principals building an identity for their schools. 

In the first of a 3-part series, we’re going to learn about AVID - Advancement Via Individual Determination - by starting at the 10,000-foot view. DCSD’s co-director of the program, Gordon Mosher, tells us the why, the how and the what of this program which can literally change the course of a student’s life – from someone who does OK but could achieve so much more if they were equipped, challenged and guided to embrace their potential.

This conversation with the founder of YANA (You Are Note Alone) is all about why finding community matters, how schools can help foster those connections, and simple steps parents can take to feel more supported — right here in Douglas County and beyond.

In August, DCSD’s team of mental health professionals earned a rare accreditation after a long and thorough process. The 10-year accreditation is retroactive for the 2024-25 school year and is one of the final steps required for doctoral students to attain their degree. 

There are approximately 782 psychology internships in the country with only 17 school district internship programs. There are only two in Colorado, and the only one in the Denver Metro area is in DCSD. 

This episode is highlighted by the leader of the district’s mental health team and originator of the newly accredited program, as well as a doctoral intern and his experienced mentor, a school psychologist at Cresthill Middle School.

In any school district, student engagement and involvement can be seen as a three-legged stool of academics, activities and athletics. In DCSD, two of those three legs are supervised by our guests Derek Chaney and Brad Wiidakas.