HELP US DESIGN OUR PERMANENT CAMPUS AND FACILITY!

Master Planning Process Underway

We are very excited to announce that Animas High School is beginning the Master Planning process, the first step towards our new permanent facility. The goal of the Master Plan is to develop a realistic and workable plan for our new campus, designed to actively promote our Mission of preparing all students for college and post-secondary success by creating critical thinkers and engaged citizens through an innovative, student-centered, project-based curriculum. We aim to design a campus that aligns with the Values that support our Mission:

  • Rigorous academics, where all students are prepared for college success
  • Culture of excellence, where students are held to high expectations
  • Strong faculty-student relationships, where students are well known
  • Engaging learning, where students see the relevance of their education

We have hired Humphries Poli Architects (HPA) to guide us through the Master Planning process. Over the next three months the design team with HPA will conduct several Community Meetings to gather input from all Animas High School stakeholder groups including students, staff, administration, parents and the AHS Board of Directors. The goal of these interactions is to understand the needs and desires of each stakeholder group as they pertain to a new permanent facility. The design team at HPA will also be conducting a facility assessment and educational programming and space planning analyses for our school. With this information they will generate several options for the community to consider, evaluate and refine. Once a preferred option has been selected, HPA will create preliminary site plans and floor plans for our new facility and present these plans along with cost estimates to the Board of Directors.

They are two primary ways we are currently seeking involvement. The first is participation in Community Meetings . The community meetings are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 2 7 and Tuesday, December 18 . Locations and times will be announced shortly.

The second avenue for participation is being a member of the Design Advisory Group (DAG) . The DAG is comprised of representatives from each stakeholder group. Currently the DAG consists of Head of School Sean Woytek, School Board President Jeff King, School Board Vice-President Tom Morrisey, staff member Steve Smith and Student Council Representative Wyllow Hildner. We are seeking 1-2 additional staff members, 1-2 additional students, 2 parents and a community member with ties to AHS to complete the DAG. The members of the DAG are the recommending body who will be working most closely with the design team at HPA. The DAG will also be working as conduits to accurately convey the needs and desires of their stakeholder groups. DAG members will be expected to attend the Community Meetings along with the "Mind-breaking" kickoff meeting on Tuesday Tuesday, November 12 . Additionally, DAG members will receive training to help them accurately capture and convey information from stakeholders to the design team. Finally, DAG members may be asked to hold listening sessions with community members in a variety of contexts such as Exhibitions, parent coffees etc.

If you are interested in being involved with the DAG please contact steve.smith@animashighschool.com , sharing why you are interested in joining and what you believe you can contribute to the DAG. The current members of the DAG will review all submissions and notify applicants by Monday, November 11 .

This is a very exciting time for Animas High School and we look forward to working with our community to create a permanent home for our school!