Greetings Ospreys,

We closed out our week with a high-energy concert and dance party in the Commons from Zimbabwean musician Blessings Chimanga, in town for a show at the Durango Arts Center tonight. It's sold out, but boy, if you can find a ticket, definitely go check him out! Thank you to iAM Music for bringing the joy on a Friday afternoon.

Yesterday's Student-Led Conferences provided a chance for our families with 9th, 10th and 11th graders to connect a bit more formally than they do around the dinner table, checking in on how the school year is going so far. We appreciate the thoughtful mid-semester conversations and know that SLCs are an important tool for helping students suceed. Thank you for making time for them.

Monday is a Professional Development Day for staff, with no classes for students. We'll look forward to welcoming students back to the Nest on Tuesday.

With eight weeks of classes remaining in the semester, students are fully immersed in projects and classes and Exhibitions of Learning will be here before we know it.

• Our Sailing and Reservoirs Osprey Block crew will exhibit projects they've designed and constructed to demonstrate learning about the benefits and drawbacks of reservoirs at Fort Lewis College Water Week next Wednesday, October 23 at noon.

• Sophomores will launch the water bottle rockets they're designing and building in Math 10 and Physics at the Rocketry Project Exhibition on Wednesday, November 6.

• The Digital Photography Exhibition will be Friday, December 6 at the Smiley Building.

• Students in all grades will present projects from core classes and electives at Winter All School Exhibition, on Thursday, December 19.

As a reminder, this year, we have moved Presentations of Learning (POLs), our end-of-semester formal presentations, to January 7-10, after winter Break, in order to keep the semesters more balanced in length.

Coming Next at the Nest

Best of luck to our AHS Mountain Biking Team members who qualified for State Championships in Glenwood Springs this weekend! Jake Sandau, Joseba Izaguirre and Delyla Kroenung will be facing off against top riders from across the state in the Varisty Boys, JV Boys and JV Girls categories, respectively. Delyla is heading into States as point leader in our region, winning every race this season. Ride strong and have fun, Ospreys!

Next Wednesday, all juniors will take the PSAT/NMSQT in the morning in place of regular core classes.

Student Leadership Opportunities

Ospreys seeking leadership roles at our school have a couple of great opportunities coming up. Animas High School’s Student Council serves as a platform for all students to bring about attainable and recognizable change within the school in cooperation with faculty, students, the Board of Directors and the community. In addition, StuCo organizes and leads activities and initiatives that build positive, connected school culture. Elections are on Friday, October 25, and now is the time to declare candidacy for those wanting to join student government as class reps. Interested student should contact StuCo president Hannah Storm at h.storm25@animashighschool.com by Tuesday.

The mission of the Student Ambassador Team is to cultivate student leaders who share their experiences with prospective students, families, visitors and community members. Responsibilities include leading Campus Tours, helping with Online Information Sessions, attending community outreach events and supporting new students. Interested Ospreys should keep an eye out for the Student Ambassador Application coming via email next week, and plan to attend a Lunchtime Student Ambassador Information Session on Tuesday, October 29.

Ospreys Mate for Life!

Big sweet news! While climbing at East Animas last weekend, math teacher Ande Lloyd (AHS class of 2015) popped the question to chemistry teacher Madi Neukirch! Ande's mom Susie was at the top of the climb along with fellow Animas teachers Kyle Edmondson, Cameron Elder and Oliver Kennedy. Cameron's sister, professional photographer Jordon Elder of Ponderosa Portraits, caught the moment beautifully.

Madi shared that clearly Ande "must have done a lot of POLs," as evidenced by his eloquent use of metaphor in describing why the ring, which is a figure eight knot in gold, perfectly represents their love and commitment to each other.

We couldn't be happier for these two lovebird Ospreys!

Winter Weather

Snow is forcasted for this weekend in the mountains, and while it may not make it down to our elevation, it's a good time for reminders about impacts of inclement weather:

• Leave extra time if you use the "front hill" up to our campus. East 8th Avenue gets closed in the winter when conditions are slippery. Closures are usually posted on the Fort Lewis College Police Facebook page.

• Although we are not part of the Durango 9R School District, we generally follow their lead when making decisions about weather-related delays and school closures since we share transportation.

• In the event of a delay or closure, families will receive notification through Infinite Campus. Please be sure your settings coincide with the way you'd like to be contacted.

Enrollment

Second semester enrollment is now open. We will offer seats as they become available in each grade in the order that families complete the Intent to Enroll Form. Sign up for a Campus Tour to visit and reach out to libby.cowles@animashighschool.com with questions.

Have a great weekend and thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!

Upcoming Events

Professional Development Day (no classes): Mon. 10/21

AHS Campus Tour: Tues. 10/22, 5:30pm RSVP here

PSAT/NMSQT (11th grade): Wed. 10/23: see 2024/25 Testing Letter for full details

PSAT/NMSQT Make Up Date (11th grade): Wed. 10/23

Student Ambassador Information Session: Tues. 10/29, 12pm

2nd Quarter Clubs and XBlocks begin: Wed. 10/30

TWIGS Event: Communicating Effectively with Your Teen: Wed. 10/30, 6pm

Advancement Committee Meeting: Mon. 11/4, 9am

Rocketry Exhibition (10th grade): Wed. 11/6, 1:40-3:25pm

TWIGS Parent Coffee: Fri. 11/8, 8:30am

Student Ambassador Applications Due: Fri. 11/ 8

AHS Board Meeting: Wed. 11/13, 5:30pm

TWIGS Happy Hour: Wed. 11/20, 6pm at Ska Brewing

Thanksgiving Break: Sat. 11/23 through Sun. 12/1

Digital Photography Exhibition: Fri. 12/6, 5-7pm at the Smiley Building

Winter All School Exhibition: Thurs. 12/19, 4-7pm

Winter Break: Sat. 12/21 through Sun. 1/5

Professional Development Day (no classes): Mon. 1/6

Presentations of Learning: Tues. 1/7 through Fri. 1/10

Animas High School prepares all students for college and postsecondary success by creating critical thinkers and engaged citizens through an innovative, student-centered, project-based curriculum.

Educational programs, activities, and employment opportunities at AHS are offered without regard to disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family composition, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry or need for special education services.