Greetings Ospreys,

In this season of gratitude, we are thankful that AHS alumni keep coming back to the Nest, often just for a visit, but sometimes to complete internships with us or join our faculty. This fall, Faith Mewmaw, class of 2019 interned with our dean of student wellness, Erin Skyles as part of her final semester at Fort Lewis College. She'll graduate in just under a month with a Sociology degree and next it's on to graduate school. Judging by the love she received at her goodbye lunch today, it's safe to say she's already a pro at building relationships with students and providing a thoughtful, supportive perspective. We're going to miss having her around! (By the way, it's pretty sweet to see Ellis McNichol '17 featured in a video on the FLC Sociology page in their Undergraduate Scholar Series.)

Math 10 teacher Ande Lloyd, graduated from AHS in 2015, and has been on our faculty since 2020, raising up the next generation of Ospreys. He welcomed his 12 year old homeschooled cousin Ewen to the sophomore Rocketry Exhibition last week. Ande had been working with Ewen on weekends to help design and build a rocket and Ewen ended up taking 2nd, reaching a height of 301 feet. Congratulations to Alex Gonzalez, Roman Thomson and Orion Perry for taking 1st place and breaking the school record to boot, with a height of 376 feet.

AHS founding Humanities teacher Lori Fisher is in Boston this week attending the National Council of English Teacher's annual convention. Ideally, teachers keep learning and growing alongside their students, inspiring lifelong learning, developing their craft and deepening their subject area knowledge. Lori models this for us all. She's at the conference with her husband John, also an AHS founding teacher, who was recently named Distinguished Teaching Chair at San Juan College. Lori reports, "It’s so great- we’ve been talking about teaching all day. Nerd power!"

'Tis the season where our families gather together to organize the Staff Appreciation Luncheon, a beloved tradition at Animas where families share their gratitude for our faculty by organizing and serving a delicious meal in a beutiful setting. The Luncheon will be Friday, January 10 this year.

The TWIGS Buds are seeking volunteers to help with food, decorations, set up, serving and donations for gifts. Please use the sign ups below to contribute:

• Staff Appreciation Lunch Sign-Up: Volunteer Time
• Wish List for decorations
• Staff Appreciation Lunch Sign-Up: Donate Food 
• AHS Donation Page to donate funds for teacher gifts; choose “staff appreciation luncheon”

Coming Next at the Nest

Students and staff return to the Nest on Monday, December 2 after the Thanksgiving Break. There are jthree weeks of regular classes left in the semester and end-of-semester Presentations of Learning will take place after Winter Break on January 6-9. Look for more details coming soon.

Ninth graders will have Career Site Visits the morning of Wednesday, December 4, traveling to two locations in one of five groups based on their interests. The goal is to expose students to a range of jobs beyond those they know about already from their personal networks, broadening their understanding of options available to them as they imagine future career paths. Thank you to these community partners for hosting the class of 2028:

• Durango La Plata County Airport and the SunUte Community Center
• KDUR and Center for Southwest Studies
• Purgatory Resort and Black Diamond Lodge
• Durango Emergency Communication Center and Durango Fish Hatchery

On Thursday during lunch, 9th graders will connect with their Bridge Program mentors, who are all juniors and seniors. Students received their mentorship pairings in Humanities 9 this week, and the Bridge Program Club will organize monthly gatherings and activities throughout the year to provide supportive mentorship for our youngest Ospreys.

The final TWIGS Coffee of the semester is on Friday, December 6. Join us at 8:30 in the Commons. December 6 is also the deadline for juniors and seniors to apply for the Denver Youth Advocacy Trip, which will take place January 27-30. Libby Cowles and Ashley Carruth will take 10 juniors and seniors to Denver to attend the Charter School Advocacy Day, as well as meet with other schools and organizations engaged in meaningful youth advocacy and policy work. 

Noel Night, a community-wide celebration kicking off the holiday shopping season and encouraging folks to shop, eat, and love local during the holidays, is on December 6. There will be two opportunities for Osprey sightings in the wild in Downtown Durango during the festivities. Drew Semel's Digital Photography class will host an exhibition of their work at the upstairs gallery in the Smiley Building from 5 to 7pm. Over in the Main Mall, AHS Student Council will be joined by Student Ambassadors to sell cookies and AHS merchandise to support the school.

Enrollment

Second semester enrollment is now open for 9th, 10th and 11th grade students interested in transferring to AHS. We offer seats as they become available in each grade in the order that families complete the Intent to Enroll Form. Fall 2025 enrollment opens January 7 and the Enrollment Lottery will be on March 3.

Sign up for a Campus Tour to visit and reach out to libby.cowles@animashighschool.com with questions.

May you all find moments of gratitude, connection and joy over the Thanksgiving Break, just as Sarah Brockett's juniors did at their banquet table this afternoon. We're grateful for our Osprey community, and for the support each of you provides to our school. Thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!

Upcoming Events

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

Advancement Committee Meeting: Mon. 12/2, 9am

Career Site Visits (9th grade): Wed. 12/4

Bridge Program Lunch (9th grade plus mentors): Thurs. 12/5

Digital Photography Exhibition during Noel Night: Fri. 12/6, 5-7pm @Smiley Building

StuCo Cooke Sales at Noel Night: Fir. 12/6, 5-7pm @Main Mall

Denver Youth Advocacy Trip Applications Due: Fri. 12/6

iAM Music Winter Student Showcase: Sun. 12/8, AHS bands on stage 5-7pm @Durango Arts Center

FAFSA Night (12th grade): Tues. 12/10,

Osprey Theatre Company presents Through the Looking Glass: Tues. 12/17, 7pm @Durango Arts Center

Winter All School Exhibition: Thurs. 12/19, 5-7pm

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

2nd Semester Begins: Mon. 1/13

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.