the Osprey Regatta at Navajo Lake

Greetings Osprey Community,

We revived the AHS tradition of the Osprey Regatta at yesterday's junior retreat, where students were split into small groups and asked to use teamwork, innovation and problem-solving skills to design the most lake-worthy craft possible, with a goal of getting every member of their team safely through the course as quickly as possible.  It was a beautiful day, and the juniors appreciated the break in their routine and the opportunity to play together.  Many thanks to all the families who contributed materials for the boats and snacks for the students! 

StAC election speeches at PEAK Meeting

The results are in!  The following students have been elected to  Student Advisory Council, and will help StAC President Lyle Bryson and Vice-President Gabe Garcia represent student voice in their work of creating positive school culture at AHS: Amaya Holliday and Acacia Bryson (9th grade), Jason Caplin and Izzy Simpson with Clay Kinder as alternate (10th grade), Hailey Redding and Kody John (11th grade) and Becca Schaldach and Drew Allsopp (12th grade).

the Hiking XBlock crew taking a break

With the first student projects of the year beginning to wrap up, we have our first two public Exhibitions next week.  Exhibitions allow students to demonstrate their learning with an authentic audience, and they are a key component in our project-based model.  We require students to wear professional dress for Exhibitions as a way of emphasizing the importance of these performance-based assessments and celebrations of learning.  On Thursday of next week in the AHS Commons from 5:30 to 7:00, sophomores in Tina Hott's Biology class will share biodiversity data they gathered during their recent field work at Weaselskin Equestrian Center, where they have explored the root causes of a growing dead zone.  Students will also lead interactive activities to demonstrate ecological testing methodology. That same evening, our juniors will be at the La Plata County Fairgrounds Extension Building from 5:30 to 7:30 for the Voices from the Animas Junior Humanities Exhibition.  Read on below to learn more about this exciting community project. We encourage you to attend as many AHS Exhibitions as possible and all are welcome.

senior Keenan DesPlanques' stunning documentary about his Rotary Exchange experience in Italy last year--"Travato (Found)"

photo by Charlie Malone a quiet moment of reflection atop Animas Mountain during last Friday's Senior Retreat

On Tuesday of next week, Amanda Kuenzi from Mountain Studies Institute will share her experiences working in the environmental science and conservation fields during Power Lunch in Steve Smith's classroom.  In addition, there will be an AHS Board Meeting on Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 7:30.

Finally, our students are very appreciative of all the donations of healthy food when they forget their lunches (granola bars, microwavable noodles and other nonperishable, single-serving items work best).  Our stash is almost depleted and we would be grateful for more donations. Please bring them to the Main Office so students can focus on schoolwork and not rumbling tummies.

Thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!