Black Forest

The wildflowers are blooming!

June 19, 2009 by Carrie

Wildflowers in Black Forest Regional Park
The wildflowers are in full bloom in Colorado Springs! Some of the best viewing is just to the north of Colorado Springs, in the Black Forest area. These pics were taken at Black Forest Regional Park (close to the Cathedral Pines neighborhood, in which we have a house for sale, by the way!)

We were just in the mountains last week (Cripple Creek, Woodland Park area) and I didn’t see a lot of flowers blooming – yet, anyway. But, much of the Black Forest is a sea of purple, with some pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows mixed in.

The Meridian Ranch neighborhood in Falcon has some beautiful wildflowers and native grasses in the neighborhood landscaping. They’re planted in the center median along the main drives and different varieties bloom all summer long. They’re not native, but they are certainly beautiful!

Wildflowers in Black Forest Regional Park

On the market: 5155 Saxton Hollow in beautiful Cathedral Pines

May 12, 2009 by Carrie

This is Cathedral Pines at its best! This gorgeous home is located on Saxton Hollow in the Cathedral Pines neighborhood. Seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, expansive living areas, a stunning executive office suite, five fireplaces, two laundry rooms, and truly, so much more are spread out over 8,400 square feet of luxury.

You will love the grand entry, with the curved staircase and curved walls turning into the large, open living areas. The entry floor is travertine tile, and the stairs have a gorgeous wood, travertine, and granite design.

The features in this home simply don’t stop! After you’ve toured the entry, dining and living areas, kitchen, pantry, master suite, bedrooms, hobby room, office, theatre room, laundry areas, and six car garage, there’s still a final exclamation point: the indoor endless pool.

The grounds are as lovely as in the inside of the home – you’ll never tire of sitting on your back deck, listening to the wind whisper through the trees and the gentle sounds of your very own waterfall feature.

5155 Saxton Hollow is located in the prestigious Cathedral Pines neighborhood of beautiful Black Forest, just north of Colorado Springs. It’s listed for $2,000,000. MLS#462230

Please visit 5155SaxtonHollow.com for many, many pictures, a video tour, and more. If you’re interested in scheduling a private tour of this home, you can contact Jeremy at 719.231.9043. If you’re thinking of putting your home on the market in Colorado Springs and want to find out about the services we provide to sell your home, please visit the seller’s section on Jeremy’s main site, SpringsRealtor.net.

The “Black Forest Shoe Tree”

February 2, 2009 by Carrie

What’s this? Oh nothing, just looking south down Black Forest Road just north of the intersection with Woodmen Road. It’s a lovely evening, really…

But wait. Is that a shoe hanging from the tree? Yes, yes, it is. It’s actually several pairs of shoes hanging from the tree. At least five pairs that I can count, of all sizes and styles. Does anyone know why these shoes are hanging from this tree?

There’s one pair of shoes that have been hanging there a very long time, probably a year or more. A couple of months ago, I noticed more shoes. The number seems to be multiplying and I’m really, really curious what’s going on with the Black Forest Road Shoe Tree.

Whoops. Somebody’s shoes didn’t quite make it to the tree. Good luck getting them down from there.

Does anyone know what’s going on with the shoes? Is it a some sort of a roadside memorial? An initiation into the Shoe Throwers of Black Forest club? Just a cultural quirk?

5,000+ new homes slated for Falcon/Black Forest area

December 12, 2008 by Carrie

Over 5,000 new homes are slated for the Falcon and Black Forest area northeast of Colorado Springs: a new development called Sterling Ranch recently received the go-ahead from the El Paso County Commission. It covers 1,444 acres; 56 acres of which will be used for commercial, 57 acres allocated to school sites, and 210 acres of parks and open space. No information on a prospective start date. More info in the Falcon Herald.

Elementary Schools in Lewis Palmer District 38

November 18, 2008 by Carrie

As promised, here’s a follow-up to the overview of Lewis Palmer School District 38, highlighting all the schools in the district with a brief rundown of general information about the schools themselves. Hope you find it helpful!

School Type: Public
Overall Academic Performance: High
Academic Growth of Students: Stable
Total Enrollment: 510
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 1, 13:1; Grade 2, 15:1; Grade 3, 16:1; Grade 4, 24:1; Grade 5, 16:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 11
Uniforms Required: No

School Type: Public
Overall Academic Performance: Excellent
Academic Growth of Students: Significant Improvement
Total Enrollment: 492
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 1, 15:1; Grade 2, 14:1; Grade 3, 19:1; Grade 4, 16:1; Grade 5, 18:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 15
Uniforms Required: No

Other Information

Awards: John Irwin School of Excellence in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007

Full School Accountability Report for Lewis-Palmer Elementary (PDF)

School Type: Public
Overall Academic Performance: High
Academic Growth of Students: Significant Improvement
Total Enrollment: 333
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 1, 10:1; Grade 2, 10:1; Grade 3, 11:1; Grade 4, 10:1; Grade 5, 15:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 8
Uniforms Required: No

Full School Accountability Report for Palmer Lake Elementary (PDF)

School Type: Public
Overall Academic Performance: High
Academic Growth of Students: Improvement
Total Enrollment: 389
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 1, 11:1; Grade 2, 12:1; Grade 3, 16:1; Grade 4, 13:1; Grade 5, 13:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 11
Uniforms Required: No

Full School Accountability Report for Prairie Winds Elementary (PDF)

School Type: Public
Overall Academic Performance: Excellent
Academic Growth of Students: Improvement
Total Enrollment: 372
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 1, 12:1; Grade 2, 12:1; Grade 3, 14:1; Grade 4, 13:1; Grade 5, 18:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 10
Uniforms Required: No

Full School Accountability Report for Ray E. Kilmer Elementary (PDF)

School Type: Charter
Overall Academic Performance: Excellent
Academic Growth of Students: Improvement
Total Enrollment: 654
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 1, 16:1; Grade 2, 15:1; Grade 3, 21:1; Grade 4, 15:1; Grade 5, 15:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 9
Uniforms Required: Yes

Other Information
Curriculum: Core Knowledge
Awards: John Irwin School of Excellence in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007

Full School Accountability Report for Monument Academy (PDF)

School Type: Public
Overall Academic Performance: Excellent
Academic Growth of Students: Improvement
Total Enrollment: 656
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 6, 15:1; Grade 7, 20:1 ; Grade 8, 16:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 9
Uniforms Required: No

Full School Accountability Report for Creekside Middle School (PDF)

School Type: Public
Overall Academic Performance: Excellent
Academic Growth of Students: Stable
Total Enrollment: 642
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 6, 16:1; Grade 7, 16:1; Grade 8, 17:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 14
Uniforms Required: No

Other Information
Awards: John Irwin School of Excellence in 2007

Full School Accountability Report for Lewis-Palmer Middle School (PDF)

School Type: Public
Overall Academic Performance: Excellent
Academic Growth of Students: Decline
Total Enrollment: 1929
Students Per Teacher Ratio: Grade 9, 18:1; Grade 10, 16:1; Grade 11, 16:1; Grade 12, 17:1
Teachers’ Average Years of Teaching Experience: 10
Uniforms Required: No

Full School Accountability Report for Lewis-Palmer High School (PDF)

School opened for 2008-2009 school year, data not yet available.

Lewis-Palmer School District 38 – General Overview

November 12, 2008 by Carrie

One of the most frequently asked questions by people looking to relocation to Colorado Springs is “how are the schools?” Performance can vary widely by district (or even schools within each district) and there are many differing opinions.

Today, I’m starting a series of posts with the raw data for each district, and each school within the district. [I’ll also do my best to cover the private and homeschool scene.] Let’s get started with Lewis-Palmer District 38, which covers the general area of Monument and Palmer Lake. A follow-up post will contain more information on individual schools within the district.

General Opinion of the Community: Good to great, one of the better districts in the metro area

Open Enrollment: Yes, for students that live both inside and outside the district. Dates for open enrollment next year are January 1-20.

Total Enrollment: 5,800 students

Elementary Schools: Grace Best, Ray E. Kilmer, Palmer Lake, Prairie Winds, Lewis Palmer
Middle Schools: Creekside, Lewis-Palmer
High Schools: Lewis-Palmer, Palmer Ridge
Charter Schools: Monument Academy (preschool through middle school)

Number of Full-Time Teachers: 376 Part-time Teachers: 22
Average Years of Teaching Experience: 11
Average Teacher Salary: $42,236 (state average is $45,831)
Average Administrator Salary: $87,309 (state average is $77,704)

Follow the link for much more information.

Neighborhood Spotlight: Cathedral Pines

November 3, 2008 by Carrie

Peacefully nestled among the tall Ponderosa pines, Cathedral Pines is an aptly-named new custom home community in Black Forest, two miles east of Highway 83 off Shoup Rd. Most homesites are wooded, many with fabulous views of Pikes Peak and the Front Range. You can hear the trees rustling in the wind and… take a deep breath… smell Colorado.

Builders: Various; featured builders include Aspen Valley Custom Homes, Copperleaf Homes, Genesis Custom Homes, Hammer Homes, Hidden Rock Custom Homes, Murphy Custom Homes

Size of Development: 810 total acres, 157 homesites
Lot information: 2.5+ acres starting around $250,000
Homes starting at: around $1,000,000+

Community Amenities: community lodge, hiking trails, open space, water features, paved roads, monitored video security
Gated: No
Covenants: Yes

Distance to Interstate 25: 6.5 miles
Close to: Black Forest Regional Park (picnic pavilions, restrooms, tennis/basketball courts, playground, large playfields, hiking trails – PDF of park map and amenities)

School District: Academy School District 20
Elementary School: Edith Wolford Elementary School (CSAP result: High. Full score.)
Middle School: Challenger Middle School (CSAP result: Excellent. Full score.)
High School: Pine Creek High School (CSAP result: Excellent. Full score.)
Other Nearby Schools: School in the Woods (fourth grade only)

The sales center is located in the community lodge and is open Monday-Friday 9 AM to 5 PM. Open house hours vary; call the sales center at (719) 491-0153 for more information. Existing homes currently on the market include the following:

Other information you may find interesting:

Black Forest residents reject incorporation

Black Forest

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