AHS co-founder Dr. Jesse Hutt shares her professional knowledge of anatomy with Biology students Hailey Voss and Jason Caplin during dissection

Greetings Osprey Community,

With just one week of LINK Internships left for juniors, and seniors up against the final deadline for their college-level Senior Project research papers, the nest felt focused and productive this week.  After seniors submit their papers next week, their attention will turn to preparing their TED Talks , which will ask them to present what they've learned to a panel of peers, faculty and community members, defending their thesis by presenting their research and fielding questions.

Humanities teacher Ashley Carruth, loving junior Isabell Krull's creative response to the Happiness and Meaning project

TED Talks will take place on campus April 6 through 12, and they are open to the public.  Our seniors are exploring an amazing variety of research questions, including: What does it take to revolutionize airflow on the modern airplane wing? To what extent does meditation affect people psychologically? What are effective methods communities can use to increase bicycle commuter-ship amongst their citizens? How does competition between employees create tension in individuals' lives? What are the negative impacts of factory farming on the environment? What are the root causes of school shootings in the US, and how can we use this knowledge to prevent school shootings? View the complete Senior Project TED Talk schedule here, and attend as many as you can to see how far our seniors have come over the course of their high school careers.

Next Monday, students interested in exploring medicine as a career path are encouraged to attend a Power Lunch from 11:30-12:10 in Tina Hott's classroom with UC Medical School student Arcadia Paine, who is in Durango doing her rotations.  That evening on campus, we'll host an AHS Information Session for Prospective Students and Families, from 5:30 to 6:30; let your friends who are considering Animas for next year know!

	9th graders Analise Gates and Ashley Carpenter present their advisory's concoction to the judges at Wednesday's Animas Iron Chef competition

Animas families are encouraged to join AHS school counselor Arava Geva and Spanish teacher Susy Raliegh for How to Talk about Drug and Alcohol Use As a Family,  Tuesday evening from 5:30 to 6:30 in Sara Price's classroom.  Arava and Susy will lead a conversation exploring tips for having productive and honest conversations with teens around substance use and abuse.  Please come if you would like to engage in the dialogue about how to best address teen drug and alcohol use in our community alongside Animas families and staff.

As our seniors continue to hear from colleges, they are now beginning the process of making choices for next year.  Wednesday of next week, AHS College Counselor Jess Adams will offer an opportunity for seniors and their families to learn more about how to review financial aid packages and student loan options.  Join her from 5:00 to 7:00 in Ashley Carruth's classroom.

educators from Community Prep School in Colorado Springs visited us this week to learn more about our approach to social-emotional learning after hearing Sean speak at the Colorado League of Charter Schools conference last month

Enrollment numbers for 2016-17 look strong and while we did not trigger a lottery, spaces for new 9th, 10th and 11th graders are limited.  Today, we sent out registration materials to all families with newly enrolling students and we will be sending Re-Registration Packets to current families next week.  We anticipate holding steady at approximately 300 students for the 2016-17 school year, and are pleased to share that we anticipate very little turnover in our faculty and staff.  Our school is financially healthy, stable in its leadership and staffing, and unified in its sense of purpose. It's a good time to be an Osprey!

Looking ahead, please be aware that Monday, April 4 is a Professional Development Day for our staff, which means students won't return to school until Tuesday from Spring Break.  

Many thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!