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Lakewood, Colorado … Referred to as a “public health icon,” Dr. Mark Johnson, Jefferson County Public Health Executive Director, won the Lifetime Achievement Award from Public Health of the Rockies. He has served in this position for 30 years and plans to retire in June of 2020. Among Johnson’s achievements in his role was helping to write and pass the Colorado Public Health Act in 2008, ensuring that “core public health services are available to every person in Colorado.”

Lakewood Sentinel reported, September 24, on Dr. Johnson’s award and decades-long service. The list of achievements is long. To start with, Johnson helped write and pass the Colorado Public Health Act in 2008, the bill requiring “use of assessments to determine population health and system-wide capacity issues; development of a five-year state and local public health improvement plan based on assessment results; engaging communities in health improvement and increasing the availability and quality of public health services to improve health outcomes. The goal of the bill is to ensure that core public health services are available to every person in Colorado.”

Johnson also worked to establish the Colorado School of Public Health, which includes the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado. According to the school’s website, the university is the first accredited and only collaborative school of public health in the region, as well as one of the top 25 graduate schools of public health in the country.

Commenting to NewsNuggets, Johnson said, “I feel blessed to have been able to work in Jefferson County and contribute to better health for the people.” He regards starting the Colorado School of Public Health as the biggest contributor to the difference in public health.

“When I first came, we had a small number of health departments in a few counties [in Colorado]. After we passed the bill, every county had a department and most had people trained in public health.”

Mark Johnson, member and chair of the vision board of the Boulder Adventist Church, was well prepared to create such a viable health program. He received his medical training at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University and is board certified in preventive medicine and public health.

Hearing about Johnson’s recognition, Ed Barnett, RMC president, said, “What a commendable accomplishment. Healthy living is among the church’s teachings and Dr. Johnson’s contribution in establishing the Colorado School of Public Health as well as the Colorado Public Health Act in 2008 is among the amazing accomplishments of his decades of service.

We all are indebted to such a vision affecting our daily life. Our Conference and its thousands of Seventh-day Adventists are grateful for his work to help our society live in a healthier environment. Congratulations!”

Under Johnson’s leadership, Jefferson County has been one of the healthiest areas in the state. Commenting about the award, Jill Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said “If there was a statewide public health initiative going on, (Johnson) had his feet at the table. To be honest, when I would walk in a room and see (Johnson) is there, I would feel good about it, because I knew we were going to have a good outcome,” she told the Lakewood Sentinel.

“I would call Dr. Johnson a public health icon,” she said.

—Rajmund Dabrowski with Becky De Oliveira; photo supplied.

Denver, Colorado… Mile High Academy’s Fall Festival is one of the most anticipated events of the school year as thoughts turn to falling leaves, pumpkins, apple cider and Mrs. Gerst’s famed corn dogs. On Saturday, Nov. 16, twinkling lights and colorfully-decorated booths welcomed more than 400 guests, including families, alumni and community members, to the campus.

MHA Sophomore Summer Nash moved from Tennessee with her family in January and was excited to experience her first-ever MHA Fall Festival. “I had so much fun seeing all the different booths,” she said. “But most of all I appreciated the opportunity to help staff both the Yearbook and Class of 2022 bead booths. I enjoyed helping the younger kids make their bead animals and having the chance to interact with everyone.”

Fall Festival booths are decorated and staffed by each respective class. The proceeds give teachers a little extra for their classrooms. Prizes are also distributed for the best-decorated booths. The 2019 winners are:

1^st Place: Bead Animals (Class of 2022)

2^nd Place: Indonesian Food (Local Family)

3^rd Place: Nachos & Face Painting (5^th Grade)

Other booths included a maze, decorating Christmas ornaments, pillow fights, face painting, a fishing booth and numerous food items. New this year to the Fall Festival was the 8^th grade class Pie in the Face booth. Teachers and students donned their good sportsmanship smiles while attendees attempted to throw a pie in their face. A little friendly brother rivalry caused many laughs as Athletic Director Walter Weber was pied by his brother, Karl Weber.

“From decorating, providing supplies and staffing the booths, a lot of planning and work goes into the behind-the-scenes that makes Fall Festival such a fun-filled and remarkable event for our school,” said Jocelyn Aalborg, VP of Finance and Development. “We are humbled by the outpouring of support we receive from families, alumni, teachers and staff. And every year new memories and friends are made, which speaks volumes to the special school “family” that forms Mile High Academy.”

—Jocelyn Aalborg; photos supplied

Loveland, Colorado… One of Campion Academy goals in Journalism and Communication class was realized on November 8, when two students’ stories were published in the local newspaper, the Loveland Reporter-Herald.  Ashley Herber’s article about the diversity of Campion’s soccer team and Megan Michalenko’s article about HMS Richard’s students cleaning up trash in downtown Loveland were both in the Friday, November 8 issue.

“I was so excited that my article was published!” exclaimed Herber. “I actually want to be an author one day, so I felt like this was one step towards that goal.”

Each week our students’ stories are not only published in This Week at Campion, but also picked up by the Rocky Mountain Conference newsletter, News Nuggets.  From there, a Campion article is usually selected to be a part of the monthly Union magazine, Outlook.  Previously, we had not been sending regular press-releases to our local newspaper, but this year we are starting to change that.

In addition to the academy news, Michalenko has been dedicated to writing a story covering events at HMS Richards each month for our church newsletter.  “I work at HMS, so I get to see a lot of the events that I get to write about. I love that I get to help HMS be able to reach out more to the community with what I write,” she commented.

Having a small but dedicated Journalism and Communication class has really amped up our ability to share the positive stories that are happening at Campion Academy.  Those who have been dedicated readers of our weekly e-newsletter may have noticed that the student team has recreated our format, increased our feature articles, and added more graphic ads for our upcoming events.

The class has featured a variety of guest speakers who are professionals in the communication field.  We started locally with Ardis Stenbakken, communication director at the Campion Church, and Darcy Force, Campion’s Director of Development and Alumni.  We are reaching out more into the community and have had Erik Stenbakken, professional photographer, and will have Jean Boonstra, Executive Producer of Discovery Mountain, and Carina Julig, reporter at the Loveland Reporter-Herald, joining our class this semester.

The guest speakers and students in the class have certainly added some fresh ideas and creativity as we seek to improve our communication department, and it has been a pleasure to watch their skills continually develop.

–Jill Harlow, text and photo

Casper, Wyoming… What already is an annual event, the Casper Adventist Church again has pledged to help our community, our members in need, and a couple of other organizations, such as Joshua’s Storehouse and La Vida Mission, with non-perishable foods.

On November 2, the first Saturday afternoon in November, we dropped off large paper bags in the neighborhood adjacent to the church. The following Sabbath, we collected the bags, and then met at the Mountain Road Christian Academy gym to sort all the food and prepare it for delivery. “The fellowship was incredible, and the snacks, the apple cider and the hot chocolate were delicious,” said one of the organizers. “Another successful family-friendly community event in the books!”

The church leaders expressed their gratitude to all who planned this event, to all those who participated, young and old, and to all who have given to those in need! Coming together in the season of giving as individuals, communities, and organizations we express a commitment to open hearts and wallets to help those in need. It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year!

—Gabriela Vincent; photos by Tom McDonald

Pueblo, Colorado… Joining the community of Pueblo, Seventh-day Adventists issued a statement regarding the planned bombing of Temple Emanuel, the Jewish temple in Pueblo, and delivered it to the synagogue leadership on Friday, November 8.

At sunset, a dozen Adventist church members and leaders attended the Shabbat Eve Service in solidarity with the Jewish community. Rabbi “Birdie” Becker led out during this gathering of the largest congregation in Pueblo since Temple Emanuel’s opening in 1900. The synagogue that can accommodate 180 people, had standing room only with many of the supporters standing in the foyer and outside.

“We stand in solidarity with you and the city of Pueblo in condemning the attempt to take lives and cause a deep wound in the fabric of our city,” stated Anton Kapusi, pastor of the Pueblo First Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Federal authorities in Colorado have arrested a man who is being accused of plotting to blow up a synagogue in Pueblo, the second oldest synogogue in Colorado, and listed on the National Register of Historical Places. The suspected bomber used several Facebook accounts to promote violence and show support for the Holocaust, writing in a private message in July, for example, that he was “getting ready to cap people,” the federal documents said. He is in custody and charged with a hate crime.

The Adventist statement expressed rejection of hate and planned violence toward the Jewish community, and was addressed to the Rabbi of the Temple Emanuel and its members.

“We, at the Pueblo First Seventh-day Adventist Church, a part of the Rocky Mountain Conference in Colorado, Wyoming, and northern New Mexico, are deeply disturbed by the hate and planned violence this week on our fellow brothers and sisters in Pueblo’s Jewish community here in Colorado.”

The statement continued, that “as Christians and followers of Jesus, we stand with Him in condemning white supremacist groups that spread racism, violence and fear.”

“We pray that divine protection and peace would abide in you all, your homes and your synagogue and we pray for the day when all of God’s children, of all races, would treat each other with love and respect, rejecting bias and hate,” Kapusi wrote.

“It was a blessing for our church to express our solidarity with many different Christian denominations and religions. It was a joint social statement against hatred to stand with many others from our Pueblo community. Temple Emanuel undoubtedly lived up to its name ‘God With Us!,’ Kapusi said after the Friday meeting.

–RMCNews with Anton Kapusi; photo by Tom Kai.

Denver, Colorado… The Mile High Academy Lower School (LS) has partnered with the Denver chapter of Project Linus. Project Linus is a non-profit that teams with organizations across the United States to provide new, handmade blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, in hospitals or may have other needs.

As part of the CHERISH Core Values Program, LS students worked in groups of various grade levels and began making more than 17 no-sew fleece blankets. Students prayed over each blanket, asking that God’s blessings and love reaches the child who will receive it. Some students used their own money to purchase fabric and make more blankets at home.

“Each month, our Lower School students engage in an on-campus service project that serves local and global communities. Our students are recognizing the value of looking beyond self and to a world in need,” said Denae Yuros, MHA fourth grade teacher.

“Forming this partnership with Project Linus lines up with Mile High Academy’s CHERISH Core Values, and we are very excited about this ministry,” she added.

Plans are to continue making blankets through the school year.

—Denae Yuros, with Karrie Meyers; photo supplied