As you’re driving through Highlands Ranch, take a moment to remember a community hero. This week, the street signs along Lucent Boulevard are being changed to Kendrick Castillo Way.
“As founder and chairman of the Kendrick Castillo Memorial Committee, I believed it was very important for our community to turn tragedy into triumph and elevate the name of one of our greatest heroes, Kendrick Castillo, as a beacon of courage and heroism to all who come to Douglas County,” said Commissioner Abe Laydon. “Kendrick Castillo Way is more than a street sign; it is a way of life. Running into the danger and the unknown to save others, sacrificing your life to save someone else – that’s the highest expression of who we can be as humans and as Coloradans.”
As part of the ongoing mission to memorialize Kendrick – who was killed May 7, 2019, during his senior year of high school, having sacrificed his own life to save fellow students amid a school shooting – the Kendrick Castillo Memorial Oversight Committee requested a street name change, which the Board of Douglas County Commissioners approved earlier this year.
Now, your mapping application and the street signs will reflect this important change. The entirety of Lucent Boulevard, about 2 miles from County Line Road to South Broadway, is officially Kendrick Castillo Way.
A total of 30 signs will be changed, including at the major intersections of Kendrick Castillo Way with County Line Road, Plaza Drive, Town Center Drive, Highlands Ranch Parkway and Broadway. The Colorado Department of Transportation will replace signs along C-470 in the near future.
Sign installation is occurring from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through Wednesday, Nov. 27. During this work, you can expect to see crews in bucket trucks and some intermittent lane closures. No significant traffic delays are expected.
A public ceremony to honor Kendrick will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the corner of Kendrick Castillo Way and Plaza Drive. A street sign will be available for members of the public to sign for Mr. and Mrs. Castillo.
Originally named Highlands Ranch Boulevard, the street’s name changed to Lucent Boulevard in 1997 when Lucent Corporation located its regional headquarters there. Lucent Corporation was purchased and moved out of the space in 2006.
Formed in 2022 and made up of family and friends of Kendrick, representatives of local government and community organizations, the Kendrick Castillo Memorial Fund and Oversight Committee has also organized the naming of a robotics lab after Kendrick, a memorial in Civic Green Park, and a scholarship fund in Kendrick’s name.
You can contribute to the legacy of Kendrick Castillo in Douglas County by donating through the Douglas County Community Foundation.