When I was growing up, the ìdog days of Augustî meant 31 more days of summer vacation.Today, schools all over the country are gearing up for an August start. Falcon School District 49 is back in school Aug. 2. In the 1940s and 1950s, starting school any earlier than Labor Day meant sweltering classrooms. Most schools in the United States did not have air conditioning at that time. Starting school as the temps dropped made sense.By the1980s, many states began adding extra days to the school year. A longer school year allowed for more breaks throughout the year, and an August start meant that end-of-semester exams would be given prior to Christmas; so kids wouldnít have to study during the holidays.Some states have regulations that donít allow schools to start before Labor Day. The tourist industry is mainly behind those regulations because it is prudent to keep the vacationers coming in until the last breath of summer. More money for the state and the business community.August is also National Water Quality Month. Colorado water issues are intimidating, at best. When residents and business owners discovered they didnít have water in Falcon Highlands Water District on July 23, stores like Walmart and Culvers had to close their doors. The district determined that a pump had failed, and they fixed the problem. Water restrictions in the district, however, are still in place as I write this. Echoing one of the affected residents, itís amazing what we cannot do without water.And in June, toxic chemicals seeped into the Fountain Creek watershed and contaminated water for households in Widefield, Fountain and Security.These toxic chemicals, widely used to fight petroleum fires, have been measured at the dangerous level by the Environmental Protection Agency for 63 areas nationwide.Besides water quality, water quantity has been a never-ending issue for Colorado. According to the Center for ReSource Conservation, almost 5 million people lived in Colorado in 2008, and that number will grow to 8.7 million by 2050. Will demand exceed supply? It depends on what we do today.Thinking about all the water that flows through schools, maybe the school year will eventually go back to that Labor Day start and a Memorial Day end, just to save on water?This August we have the Olympics, starting Aug. 5, and I think the summer games will provide a welcome distraction from the gloom and doom we all-too-often see on the news; and, of course, the incessant political chatter.FYI: Angie Morlan is on hiatus this month because she is moving her parents to Colorado from Minnesota, so we do not have a Face to Face for August. We will resume that column in September.Also, the Black Forest Festival is Aug. 13, so be sure to get that on your calendar. Itís always a fun family event, with a slew of activities and arts and crafts.Meanwhile, perhaps we want to take shorter showers, and for sure we need to watch out for kids on crosswalks, at bus stops or kids walking or bicycling to school.See you in September!– Michelle
