An 8th-grade Colorado Jewish student was called a ‘stupid k***’ while being strangled by a laptop charging cord, in one of many antisemitic assaults by other students described in a Title VI complaint to Boulder Valley Public School District.
Colorado
7 best things to do in Colorado this weekend: Sept. 6-8, 2024
DENVER — Every weekend, Denver7 compiles a list of some fun events you might enjoy. Here are our picks for the 7 best things to do in the Denver metro area and beyond this weekend. Have a fun event you’d like to showcase? Send an email to thingstodo@denver7.com.
1. Love art but don’t want to go to a museum? It’s First Fridays weekend!
Enjoy Denver’s local art scene spread across five art districts: Arts District Santa Fe, Golden Triangle Museum District, the Tennyson Street Cultural District and the RiNo Arts District (Five Points), this Friday. Enjoy music, including the Five Points Jazz Hop, art, food and more.
2. Head out to the second longest running community parade in Colorado
The Arvada Harvest Festival – the second longest running community parade in Colorado – is happening this weekend. The festival features carnival rides, food and vendor booths, a spelling bee, talent show, garden harvest contests, car show, cow chip tossing competition, kid’s parade and activities, and plenty of live entertainment. The festival runs from early morning till sunset each day, from Sept. 6-8. More info. can be found here.
3. Celebrate Celtic culture at the Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival
Get ready to hear the best in Celtic Music, experience an all new 2022 Estes Park International Tattoo, jousting, Irish and Highland Dance, a parade, dogs and fun for the entire weekend for the 47th annual Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival. The event goes on from Sept. 6-8. Info and ticket information can be found here.
4. Take in the last of summer at the Union Peak Festival at Copper Mountain
Squeeze the last of the summer season at the third annual Union Peak Festival, happening Friday and Saturday at Copper Mountain. There will be free, live musical performances by artists Grouplove, Flipturn, Violent Femmes, Spectre Jones, and more. There will also be live art, food, demonstrations and an ultimate celebration of the mountain athlete. Ticket info. and schedule can be found here.
5. Celebrate culture, music and food during Taste of the Middle East in Aurora
Food, music, dance and culture – that’s what awaits you at Taste of the Middle East in Aurora this weekend. Head to the Aurora Municipal Center for performances, henna, delicious food and more. More info. here.
6. Down for a free concert? The Levitt Pavilion’s where you’ll want to be
Levitt Pavilion Denver’s 2023 free concert summer season continues this weekend and will run through early October. Mariachi Sol de mi Tierra (with Fiesta Colorado Dance Company & Baile Caliente) will perform Friday and G. Love & Special Sauce with The Sweet Lillies, will perform Sunday. More info. here.
7. Walk to end Alzheimer’s in Steamboat Springs
Thousands of loved ones, caregivers and supporters of Coloradans living with Alzheimer’s will rally Saturday in Steamboat Springs, sharing their experiences with this tragic disease and raising funds to find an elusive cure. Denver7 is a proud partner of the Colorado Walk to End Alzheimer. More info. on this weekend’s walk can be found here.
7 best things to do in Colorado this weekend: Sept. 6-8, 2024
The ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) has filed a federal civil rights complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging that Jewish Student A was subjected to repeated antisemitic bullying, slurs, and physical assault by multiple fellow students at Southern Hills Middle School (SHMS) throughout 7th and 8th grade.
In one incident, students in Student A’s PE class attempted to play a game called “Jew touch tag” and said Jews were “dirty” and “contaminated.”
In another, in December 2025, a classmate reportedly fashioned a Chromebook charging cord into a lasso, threw it around the student’s neck and dragged him backward from a chair while calling him a “stupid k***.” This was deemed severe enough that the Boulder Police Department was called in to investigate.
Following this particular incident, the Boulder Police Department opened a Juvenile Court Referral for third-degree assault.
ADL says no meaningful action taken by school district over assault
As a result of these incidents, Student A no longer wears a Star of David necklace and does not share his religious identity with anyone.
ADL and the family allege that the school took no meaningful action despite being informed of the situation on multiple occasions. For example, the complaint says the school failed to enforce the no-contact order between Student A and the classmate involved in the Chromebook assault.
The complaint also says that the burden was consistently placed on the victim, such as reassigning his study hall class rather than restricting the aggressor, forcing him to miss a school trip, and asking him to leave class early to avoid crowded hallways.
“The record here is overwhelming: written pleas from the student’s parents, formal school reports, and a police investigation all point to the conclusion that antisemitic harassment at Southern Hills Middle School was pervasive, escalating, and severe,” said James Pasch, ADL Vice President of Litigation.
“Despite the family’s pleas for help to stop the harassment, the school district failed to effectively address it, a clear violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. No family should have to fight this hard to ensure a Jewish child’s safety at school, and certainly no Jewish student should face the threat of assault or harassment because of their Jewish identity.”
Susan Rona, ADL Mountain States Regional Director, noted that 167 antisemitic incidents were recorded in Colorado in 2025, a “stark reminder that antisemitism is not something abstract – it is showing up in our communities, in our neighborhoods and even in our schools.”
ADL is requesting that the US Department of Education require the district to take steps to comply with Title VI and ensure that this student and all Jewish students feel safe and protected.
Boulder Valley School District said that while it does not comment on ongoing legal matters, “we take all allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously.”
“We continue to focus on improvements to our policies, reporting systems, practices, and education efforts – all with the goal of ensuring every BVSD student feels safe, welcomed, and a strong sense of belonging.”
When you walk inside the Conoco station at the corner of University Boulevard and Bonnie Brae Boulevard in Denver, you can’t help but notice the history on the walls.
“Here’s the 40s. The 50s and my dad and uncle in the 70s,” says owner Ken Wilson pointing to the pictures on the wall.
Ken is the third generation of the Wilson family to own the gas station and service center.
“Grandpa Ken started to lease this out in 1942. My dad bought the business from my grandpa and my uncle worked his whole career here for my dad and for me,” Ken recalls.
In all, the Wilson family has owned the Conoco station for more than 80 years.
“I started working here in 1978 when I was 12, just part time in the summers. I worked through high school and through college and then did my own thing, and I’ve been back here about 15 years,” said Ken.
“It means so much to our family. It’s been a great business.”
But Ken is the end of the road for the Wilson family ownership. In February, a for sale sign went up at the Bonnie Brae Conoco.
“We’re just looking now. We’re not in a rush. It’s not like we’re going to sell and be done this year. We’re going to get a price we want to get, and if it takes us years to do that’s okay,” he said.
Wilson has seen a lot of change during his time working at the station and service center.
“There aren’t a lot of garages anymore. They used to be everywhere. There were four of them on this block when I was a kid, he said.
When asked what he’ll miss most, Ken points to his relationship with his customers.
“I’ve had customers now where I actually waited on their grandparents. And then their parents. And now them.”
As for what his grandpa would say if he could see the place now, Ken says, “I think he’d say he was really proud of what we’ve done. Both my father, my uncle and myself. Hopefully he’s still hanging around here once in a while.”
The Colorado Buffaloes are still putting the finishing touches on their 2027 class over the next few months, but their 2028 recruiting plan continues to take shape.
Earlier this week, Deion Sanders’ staff extended an offer to one of the top prospects in the class of 2028, composite five-star wide receiver Jaylen Addai. Addai now holds 43 offers, including one from nearly every blue-blood program in the country.
247Sports’ Composite currently ranks Addai as the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2028 class, the No. 3 overall wide receiver and the top player from the state of Texas.
At 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, the Pearland, Texas native fits the mold of the modern-day receiver. He seems likely to fill into his frame given his youth. Addai is a multiple-sport athlete with elite athleticism on the field, on the basketball court and on the track.
Given how early it is in Addai’s recruitment, several teams are in contention for his commitment, with Notre Dame and Ohio State leading the way early. When the 2028 cycle picks up later this year, who really has a chance should come into focus, especially when visits begin.
Colorado’s 2028 class does not have any commitments yet, but has offers out to 28 different wide receiver prospects.
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