Hello Ospreys,
It's been inspiring to witness students engaged in such thoughtful dialogue this week during Presentations of Learning. Socratic seminars for 9th, 10th and 11th graders generated authentic, valuable reflection. We saw plenty of beautiful moments where students felt more fully connected to one another and their school community as they processed the unique challenges of this semester and explored the hard-earned lessons they're learning about perseverance, motivation and compassion. Our seniors presented so many fantastic ideas for Senior Project in their POLs and received, kind, specific, helpful feedback from teachers and peers, setting them up for success next semester when they'll dive in fully. Thank you, Ospreys, for showing up fully, professionally and beautifully for these end-of-semester activities!
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This growth and learning couldn't happen without the hard work of our resilient, dedicated teachers and staff, who continue to go above and beyond this year. We are so very grateful for each and every one of them. This comment, from the midyear student survey, summarizes our appreciation perfectly:
“I would just like to say that the teachers are doing a very good job during this time. They are very supportive and seem to make this time feel somewhat normal and just positive. They make everything we are doing, or learning fun and engaging even when it may be through a computer screen on Zoom from home, which I commend them on. I am very thankful for all the hard work, time, and thought they have put in everything they are teaching and doing for us. It is very nice knowing that they are here for us, and making this all be fun and enjoyable during such a crazy time. I really appreciate it. It makes me less stressed knowing that they are here for us and understand how hard it is for us all during such a crazy historical time!"
Thank you, too, to the families who pulled off a top-secret surprise for our teachers, assembling and delivering baskets filled with gifts, love and appreciation to their homes yesterday!
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iAM Music Winter Student Showcase
Celebrate the start of Winter Break this evening with a little live music! The iAM Music Winter Student Showcase streams on Facebook tonight from 7:00 to 8:30, and will include performances from Ospreys who were enrolled in AHS Music Performance electives this semester. Support our musicians and our community partner by tuning in!
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Osprey Community Charrette: Help us design our new Nest!
Join us next Tuesday evening at 5:00 for the Osprey Community Charrette hosted by AHS Design Advisory Group and Anderson Mason Dale architecture firm. Login via this Zoom link (Meeting ID: 921 7173 8125 and Passcode: 290927) to hear how the plans are developing for our new campus at Fort Lewis College and to add your input to the design process. Students, families, alumni, staff and community members are all welcome!
Curious to learn more about the path we've taken in the past 13 years to move our founders' vision of a new kind of school to where we are today, getting reaedy to break ground this summer on a state-of-the-art building? Check out this blogpost from CharterFolk chronicling the amazing work AHS co-founder Gisele Pansze and head of school Sean Woytek have done to build the trusting community partnerships that got us here.
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COVID Updates
We continue to closely follow local data and public health recommendations as we look towards second semester and consider our return to in-person learning.
We have determined that the best course of action is to remain fully online when we return to school on Tuesday, January 5. As projections are that local COVID transmission rates will remain high through the holiday season and in the weeks that follow, the earliest we will resume in-person learning is Monday, January 25.
Interestingly enough, this is the same conclusion the juniors in Steve Smith's Chemistry class arrived at in their exhibition last week. Junior Alaina Wray's essay "Should AHS be in person after break?" does an excellent job summarizing the complex set of issues at play, written from the imagined perspective of an Osprey Parent.
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World language teacher Susy Raleigh and her AHS alumni offspring, Domi and Grace, live directly across the street from Four Corners Health Care Center, the nursing home that is experiencing a severe COVID-19 outbreak. They have created yard signs expressing encouragement and they'd like to invite the Animas community to join in. Imagine if the signs showing support for the nursing home's residents, staff and loved ones continued to increase, thanks to the Osprey community! To participate, create a sign with a supportive message and swing by Susy's house to add it to the collection at any time. The nursing home is at 2911 Junction Street--look for the house with yard signs right across the street and join us in this show of compassion!
XBlock Credit
TODAY is the deadline to submit XBlock forms!
Click here for full details and links to the forms.
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Be Local Coupon Book
Help support our school while supporting our local economy this holiday season!
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Alumnus Spotlight
Congratulations to Parker Smith (AHS class of 2020), who received a contract to attend nuclear engineering school through the US Navy this fall. He was scheduled to leave for boot camp March 8, but got a call from his Petty Officer recently saying, “Are you ready to go?” Of course, Parker said yes.
Parker's mom, Phelia, wrote to give us the update and thank us for the role AHS played in Parker's journey. "We are all so proud of him not only for choosing to serve his country, but to choose do it in the middle or a worldwide pandemic. Most of all though, we are so proud of who he is and not what he does...He is such a fine young man and I wanted to share with all of you that we couldn’t have raised him alone. It took you all as well. Thank you for walking along side us to prepare him for a dream he had that he wasn’t sure he would be good at and that he got the confidence to step out and go for." We couldn't be more proud to see this Osprey soar.
We hope that all our Ospreys enjoy a restful, safe and healthy holiday season and Winter Break and we look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year!
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Math teacher Julian Springer |
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health consultant Etoile Hening |
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senior Mason James delivers to Main office manger Bridget Stowers |
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HR director and consumer math teacher Christine Imming |
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senior Ainsley Haggart delivers to Spanish teacher Jenny McKenzie |
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Upcoming AHS Events
Winter Break: Mon. 12/21 though Fri. 1/1
Osprey Community Charrette: Tues. 12/22, 5pm
Professional Development Day (no classes): Mon. 1/4
New Student/Family Orientation: Mon. 1/4, 5pm via this Zoom link
First Day of Second Semester: Tues. 1/5
Marketing Committee Meeting: Wed. 1/13 1pm
School Excellence Committee Meeting: Thurs. 1/14 4:30pm
Online Osprey Parent Coffee: Fri. 1/15, 9am
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (no classes): Mon. 1/18
NEST Meeting: Wed. 1/20, 12:35pm
AHS Board Meeting Wed. 1/20, 5:30pm
Information Session for Prospective Families: Wed. 1/27, 5:30pm
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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. We accomplish this through:
Rigorous academics, where all students are prepared for college success
Culture of excellence, where students are held to high expectations
Strong student-faculty relationships, where students are well known.
Engaging learning, where students see the relevance in their education
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