Good morning, friends, and happy Super Bowl Sunday to those who observe.
I grew up in Longmont at a time when high tech was just getting its footing and the farms closest to town were gradually giving way to office and industrial parks and homes for the people who worked in these new-to-us industries. Agriculture was still part of the social and economic narrative writ large, but aside from us kids making up stories about a terrifying creature that haunted the barn at the end of my block, it wasn’t really part of my education. I guess I had a teacher who was a grain buyer for Coors in the summer, but beyond that, well, I didn’t know much about where my food and drink came from, let alone try my hand at producing it.
That’s probably why I found this week’s cover story by Tracy Ross so appealing. She’s spent time at schools urban and rural where learning about agriculture is a specialty and a path to promising, interesting careers.
Dana Coffield
Editor
The Cover Story
Food is not an “us and them” issue
Gianni Montoya shoots a video in the greenhouse in Vida building at CSU Spur on the National Western campus in Denver. (Rebecca Slezak, Special to The Colorado Sun)I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m feeling pretty anxious about how things are going in America right now. Most of my anxiety is coming from the extreme “us and them” part of it — whoever your “us” is, whoever your “them.” It feels like every conversation has a new kind of tension, that topics “us” and “them” could once approach are now more volatile. And what are we to make of the possible dismantling of the Department of Education?
So it seems fitting that the past few weeks have also been when my schedule cleared enough that I could dive into a deeply reported story about an agriculture-focused charter high school in Commerce City (pretty urban) and two inherently agricultural high schools in communities on the Eastern Plains (really rural).
Why? Because urban and rural communities in Colorado each have some pretty strong biases. But history has also shown that young people can be a vehicle for bridging our differences, especially if they are given the right tools.
That’s where the agriculture educators at The STEAD School, in Commerce City, and those in the Lone Star K-12 district in Otis and Holyoke High School come in. All three are doing essentially the same thing — teaching kids about food, food systems, growing food, food’s role in the world, and how food forms us. Maybe if you know something about agriculture, you also know the connotations of “regenerative” (pretty liberal) and “production” (pretty conservative) agriculture. Both are a little loaded. Which is why I’m glad I reported this story. Because each catchword became a little less fraught for me.
Maybe the same will happen for you when you read how these three schools approach teaching their students about agriculture differently, and how they’re also welcoming each other into what they’re teaching.
READ THIS WEEK’S COLORADO SUNDAY FEATURE
Tracy Ross | Reporter
The Colorado Lens
When ICE agents started their raids Wednesday morning, a demonstration at the Colorado Capitol against the Trump administration’s policies toward immigrants and vulnerable groups had already been on the calendar for days. And by the time the actual protest got going, thousands of people — including walkouts from nearby high schools — took over downtown. Photographer Alyte Katilius was shooting for The Sun as one of the journalists capturing the faces (and signs) of the protest in this roundup of shots from around the dome.
Attendees wave Mexican flags during a demonstration Wednesday at the Colorado Capitol protesting mass deportations and other Trump administration policies. (Alyte Katilius, Special to The Colorado Sun) Demonstrators dance at the bottom of the West Steps of the Capitol. (Alyte Katilius, Special to The Colorado Sun) Demonstrators hold hand-lettered signs. (Pete Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance) Delmis Delgado, left, holds a poster that reads “My father works harder than your president” in Spanish. Many of the demonstrators said they were there on behalf of older relatives too fearful to speak out. (Alyte Katilius, Special to The Colorado Sun) Giana Limon, 18, stands on a post and holds a Pride Mexican flag during the demonstration at the state Capitol. “I’m here to support my family that couldn’t be here,” Limon said. (Alyte Katilius, Special to The Colorado Sun) Demontrators carrying signs and waving American and Mexican flags stop traffic on Lincoln Street in Denver. (David Zalubowski, AP Photo) Armando Ponce, 14, top, sits with his siblings Guillermo, 10, left, and Rodrigo, 7, right. “They wrote them out themselves. We talked about it, trying to teach them about what’s going on,” their mother, Salina Ponce, explained about their signs. (Alyte Katilius, Special to The Colorado Sun)Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
Flavor of the Week
Six Colorado love languages
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)You’ve taken the Love Language® quiz, right? The one where you answer a bunch of weirdly repetitive questions to discover what says ooh là là to you?
My wife and I clicked through it, and learned that we are utterly unmotivated by gift-giving. Now, Valentine’s Day is a bargain! Cancel that Amazon delivery! Our particular Love Language® — quality time — is a Colorado specialty. Point us toward the mountains and we go all gooey.
But our lovely state is reluctant to hug us back. A recent survey by casino.org showed that 11% of Coloradans have never been the first to tell a partner: “I love you.” That means that 660,000 of us need a serious kick in the romantic pants.
Try these Colorado Love Languages® on for size. Then shop for an engagement ring. Or at least change the sheets. You may have company soon.
SEE THE SIX LOVE LANGUAGES PETER MOORE SPEAKS FLUENTLY
Peter Moore | Illustrator
❤️ Roses are red, violets are blue. What does Colorado mean to you? Send a valentine to our state by telling us what you love about Colorado. We’ll share some of our favorite reader responses.
SunLit: Sneak Peek
In “Louise and Vincent,” a conflicted narrator prepares to share her story
“‘Vincent’s time in Auvers was inextricably bound up with my own, so you will need to hear my story first. And I have no tangible proof that any of what I’m about to tell you is true, other than my words. You’ll have to make up your own mind. Is that agreeable to you?’”
— From “Louise and Vincent”
EXCERPT: Louise Renoux voices the ultimate literary disclaimer, admitting to her interviewer at the beginning of “Louise and Vincent” that she can’t really back up her story. But it’s the perfect launch point for Diane Byington’s historical novel looking at famed artist Vincent van Gogh through eyes that see his death — largely believed to be suicide — in a very different way. And it paints both van Gogh and his innkeeper/lover in profoundly human terms.
READ THE SUNLIT EXCERPT
THE SUNLIT INTERVIEW: As an amateur painter herself, with a style that reflects her fascination with van Gogh, Byington tells us she learned more about painting during her research of the famous artist than she imagined. But she also found him an elusive personality to capture in her book.
SunLit: What were the biggest challenges you faced in writing this book?
Byington: The absolute biggest challenge was in trying to find the character of van Gogh. It seems that everyone in the world thinks they are experts on the artist, and I tried to approach him without any expectations. The more I read about him, the less I liked him, frankly.
READ THE INTERVIEW WITH DIANE BYINGTON
LISTEN TO THE SUN-UP PODCAST WITH THE AUTHOR
Kevin Simpson | Writer
Sunday Reading List
A curated list of what you may have missed from The Colorado Sun this week.
Aquatic biologists Guilio Del Piccolo measures frozen fish heads turned in by anglers competing for $10,000 in prize money while also helping Colorado Parks and Wildlife reduce the population of lake trout that feed on kokanee salmon, a species the agency hopes to increase in Blue Mesa Reservoir. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)? Just as the General Assembly begins consideration of a bill that would make it easier to collect fees from all workers in unionized workplaces, whether they are members or not, King Soopers workers walked off the job at a lot of Front Range stores and University of Colorado Medical School residents and fellows are agitating for representation.
? Wednesday was busy on the immigration beat, starting around 4 a.m. with a campaign of enforcement actions traversing Aurora and Denver that purported to target known members of the Tren de Aragua gang. ICE as of Friday still had not said how many people were picked up in the raids, whether they faced criminal charges or if they were members of the Venezuelan gang. Jennifer Brown and Olivia Prentzel have been keeping close tabs.
? Colorado could become one of the first states in the nation to allow churches to construct housing on their property, regardless of the zoning. Brian Eason has the details.
? It’s taken almost five years of community effort to complete, but when the Precourt Healing Center opens in Edwards in May, Vail Health believes it will deliver significant relief to clinicians struggling to provide mental health care in the central mountains. Jason Blevins took a tour of the nearly-done 28-bed inpatient treatment center.
? Spurred by a group of frustrated farmers from southeastern Colorado, 900 tractors rolled into Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 1979, demanding higher prices for crops. The offspring of some of those same Lower Arkansas River Valley farmers have turned their attention westward, focusing on blocking huge new neighborhoods in Colorado Springs that would draw more water from their parched corner of the state, Jerd Smith reports.
? People seem to like taking the Ski Train between Denver Union Station and Winter Park. Jennifer Brown took a ride as part of reporting into whether the train is popular enough to extend the line on to Steamboat Ski Resort.
Dana Coffield | Editor
Thanks for checking in, team! We appreciate your time and raise a chicken wing in your honor. If you know someone who should be invited to the Colorado Sunday party, please point them in the direction of coloradosun.com/join.
— Dana & the whole staff of The Sun
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