Greetings Ospreys,

That's a wrap on the 22/23 school year, with graduation and Transitional Presentations of Learning completed and Ospreys flying out of the Nest for summer break and life beyond high school!

You can view a recording of the very sweet graduation ceremony here, or see photos here. Prints and digital copies of the photos, taken by our digital arts teacher Drew Semel and his team, are available for purchase through June 19.

We are so grateful for all the ways our families provided support in this final stretch of the year. Thank you, in particular to junior parents Johanna Winkler, Paulette Dugas, Gretchen Dubit and Liz Olivier for taking the lead on organizing a festive and delicious Senior Supper!

The thoughtful reflections we heard from students in their TPOLs this week underscore the value of an educational approach at Animas that prioritizes critical thinking, community engagement, authentic relationships and the pursuit of academic excellence. We were impressed by the creative metaphors and evidence 9th graders used to summarize their learning, rigorous sophomore seminars that grappled with the role of collaboration and connection in achieving intellectual excellence, and connections juniors made between their LINK internships, their recent class camping trip and their plans for school leadership and life beyond high school. Ospreys are asked to take the work of reflection and growth seriously through TPOLs, and we are left feeling excited for the ways they will bring lessons learned to their sophomore, junior and senior years next fall.

AHS Summer Events

We miss Ospreys when they leave the Nest, and summer events are one way to help keep our community connected. Got an idea of a summer get-together you'd like to see? Reach out to [email protected].

On Saturday, June 10 at 5pm, we will host an AHS Alumni Gathering, starting with a tour of the new campus and followed by an informal gathering at 11th Street Station downtown. With eleven classes of AHS graduates now, there are literally hundreds of AHS Alumni out in the world doing interesting and amazing things! We just sent the Alumni Gathering invite out yesterday, and have already heard some great updates from a handful of Ospreys:

• Samantha Duncan '16, is working locally at Bank of the San Juans and stage managing for theater troupe Merely Players.
• After managing the bar in a top 50 restaurant in New Zealand, Gabe Garcia '17 is living in Ventura, California where he's completed his tattoo apprenticeship and is working as an artist, tattooing and painting--work he began exploring in his LINK Internship and Senior Project!
• Liam Foster '18 just wrapped his first year of a PhD program in Physics at UC Berkeley--he reports that this summer he'll be investigating viability of a new channel to measure charm quark.

Please help spread the word, as we don't have current email addresses for everyone, and tell folks to RSVP here, even if they can't attend the Alumni Gathering so we know where they are and how they're doing.

Stay tuned for more information on the timing of our Summer Yearbook Release Party in June, and a possible TWIGS Happy Hour as well.

2023/24 Student Schedules

All new and returning students should complete course requests through Infinite Campus by June 15, as outlined in the Instructions for Making Course Requests Letter sent out earlier this week. Don't forget to choose first choices and alternates for all elective periods, as well as first choice and alternate fall Osprey Blocks.

In response to some staffing shifts and student input, we have made the following changes to the 23/24 Course Catalog and 23/24 Elective Schedule this week:

• added Spanish 4 in 6th period
• added French 1 in 5th period
• moved Music Performance from 1st period to 2nd (offered 6th and 7th as well)
• moved Advanced Algebra from 7th period to 2nd

We may continue to make some slight changes to elective offerings between now and the start of the fall semester. Students can make edits to course requests in Infinite Campus at any time until June 15, when we will begin building student schedules. There is also an Add/Drop period for two weeks at the start of each semester. We will email in June once student schedules have been created and are visible in Infinite Campus.

Our Registrar, Maureen Truax is available to answer questions about Infinite Campus, how credits transfer to AHS from other high school programs and fulfilling AHS graduation requirements. You can reach her at [email protected]. Dean of Career and College Counseling, Erin Cummins-Roper can field individual questions about concurrent enrollment opportunities or how course selection connects to college or career goals. Contact her at [email protected].

AHS Summer School

For math or science credit recovery, students can attend a two-week program at AHS. June 20-30, an instructor from Pueblo Community College will be on site Monday through Thursdays 9am to 3pm and Fridays 9am to noon to teach an Advanced Manufacturing course that will include CAD (Autodesk Fusion 360), Intro to 3D Printing, Intro to CNC and Intro to Robotics. Space is limited; contact [email protected] if interested. Students who need language arts or social studies credit recovery will need to pursue an online option. Reach out to Rebecca for more information.

Annual Parent/Caregiver Survey

Finally, today is the deadline to complete the Annual AHS Parent/Caregiver Survey. Thank you for your feedback--we appreciate it!

AHS Summer Schedule

Our staff will gather one last time for this school year next Tuesday. While the AHS campus will be closed over the summer break and our teachers and staff will step away for some well-deserved rest and relaxation, we will be available to answer questions and provide support as needed. Bridget Stowers will check the main office voicemail and email accounts regularly and can help direct your questions to the appropriate person. Our enrollment and academic advising team--Erin Cummins-Roper, Maureen Truax and Libby Cowles--will check email weekly to address questions about course selection, transcripts, registration steps, etc. Head of School Rebecca Ruland and Dean of Students Dave Farkas will check their email weekly. Classroom teachers will not be checking email regularly until they return in early August. We appreciate your patience if it takes a bit longer to receive a response!

We hope that you all enjoy the summer break and we look forward to welcoming our new and returning Ospreys to the Nest in August!

Upcoming Events

Last Day of School: Tues. 5/30

Southwest Rural Philanthropy Days at AHS: Wed. 6/7 (Nonprofit Fair) and Fri. 6/9 (Wellness in the Workplace Retreat); more information here

Alumni Reunion: Sat. 6/10, 5pm at AHS then 11th Street Station; RSVP or give us an update here

AHS Summer School: Mon. 6/20 through Fri. 6/30

AHS Board Meeting: Thurs. 6/29, 5:30pm

Development Committee Meeting: Fri. 6/30, 1;30pm

Staff Orientation: Wed. 8/9 through Fri. 8/18

First Day of 23/24 School Year (all grades): Mon. 8/21

Fall Osprey Blocks: Mon. 8/28 through Fri. 9/15