Boy Scout brings disc golf to Mountain Vista
HIGHLANDS RANCH – When Mountain Vista High School (MVHS) freshman Joshua Romine began researching disc golf courses for his Eagle Scout project last Spring, he was pleasantly surprised to discover an active disc golf community in the area. Joshua, a member of Boy Scout Troop 873, realized that a disc golf course in Highlands Ranch would be a great addition to the community.
The project was sparked by the PE teachers at MVHS and Mountain Ridge Middle School. During disc golf units, it was necessary to haul out portable baskets or use trees or poles as targets. A couple of teachers asked Joshua to look into the possibility of creating a course for his Eagle project, and Joshua took it from there.
After mapping out the course in the field behind the school, Joshua began fundraising for the project, estimating the cost to be approximately $3,600. Joshua sought sponsors for each hole of his 9-hole course, offering each hole sponsor the option to name a hole.
Once the funds were in place, Joshua began seeking approval from various entities in order to begin construction, including Douglas County School District.
“Xcel Energy, Centennial Water and a couple other utilities had to approve all my dig sites, since we were digging 19 2’ deep holes with an auger,” Joshua said.
With approvals in hand and disc golf baskets ordered, Joshua began the actual execution of his project, recruiting volunteers and planning details. In all, Joshua had over 50 volunteers assist with the project.
“We worked about five hours on day one and five hours on day two. Things went very quickly, since I had so many helpers,” he said.
The final step came on October 30th, when Joshua and some teachers and friends dropped the baskets into the sleeves and locked them down. After playing a trial round of disc golf, the course was deemed ready to open.
The Vista Ridge Disc Golf Course is now available for the use of students and faculty from MVHS and MRMS during school hours. The course is open to the community after school and on weekends. It takes about 45 minutes to complete a round.
District News
High school students across Douglas County, and many students in respective feeder schools, are once again learning that a little kindness can go a long way. Again this year, our high schools hosted Wish Weeks to make dreams come true for Make-A-Wish Foundation beneficiaries.
The Douglas County School District (DCSD) Board of Education has named Thomas S. Tucker, Ph.D. as the sole finalist to lead our 68,000-student district as superintendent on a unanimous vote.
The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) has certified Sagewood Middle School as a Recognized ASCA National Model Program (RAMP). A prestigious honor, Sagewood is now the only middle school in the state of Colorado to have gained this certification. Schools must receive a near-perfect score on ASCA’s scoring rubric, which outlines guidelines for building and maintaining student achievement, behavior, counseling curriculum, school culture, and several other factors, in order to become certified.