Lorelai Brunner and Lyric Kent working on their Identity Masks

Dear Osprey Community,

We had a strong turnout at our Osprey Parent Coffee this morning and it was great to hear so many reporting that their kids are feeling known, connected and engaged at school. Local architect Connie Gordon joined the group to give an update on the master planning process and AHS co-founder and board member Jesse Hutt shared her perspective on why parent involvement is so critical to our school's success. We'll host our next Osprey Parent Coffee in late January--but, of course, we welcome your input at any time!

With just two weeks of academic classes left in the first semester, students are working hard to wrap up projects and prepare for exhibitions in many of their classes. Next Tuesday evening, our 9th graders will host the Identity Mask Exhibition at the Durango Public Library from 5:00 to 7:00, where they will showcase reflective writing and handcrafted masks they've created in Humanities classes that communicate how their personal identities have been shaped by the many forces of socialization.This project serves as a key introduction to students' Animas experience and we encourage our whole community to join us as it is a powerful way to get to know our youngest Ospreys.

On Thursday, juniors in Jessica McCallum's Humanities class will host their Rhetoric and Ideology Exhibition at the La Plata County Fairgrounds from 5:30 to 7:30 where they will showcase the skills they've learned through a study of nonviolent communication and Rogerian argumentation to facilitate meaningful, respectful dialogue about the issues in our nation that often divide us. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

members of the AHS rocketry team, the CloudBusters, Simon, Grady, Henry, Sage and Taylor, in the studio at 99.7 the Point; tune in Saturday at 3:00 to hear about their work with the Team America Rocketry Challenge

The AHS Board of Directors meets Wednesday evening and the Marketing and Communication Committee meets Thursday; both meetings begin at  5:30 at AHS and agendas and minutes will be posted here.

Order forms and cash/checks for the AHS Desert Sun Coffee Holiday Fundraiser are due next Friday, December 7. Remember that if each student were to sell just 10 bags, we would raise $12,500 to close the funding gap for our school. Parents are encouraged to help students sell this delicious locally-roasted coffee. Need a new order form? You can access that here.

If you shop at Nature's Oasis, please be sure to bring your grocery bags with you for the month of December and ask for a token at the register so you can place it in the AHS bucket. The more tokens, the bigger the donation we receive and every little bit helps!

	Hussai Torralba, Payton Vaughn and Alyssa Nicoly performing at our Thanksgiving Desert; catch them Sunday at the iAM Music Winter Student Showcase!

Finally, there are a couple of great opportunities this weekend to support Ospreys in the performing arts. Our community partner the Merely Players Theatre Troupe premieres their youth production of the play "Our Town" this evening in the AHS Commons, with tickets just $5 at the door. Showtime is 7:00 tonight and tomorrow night. On Sunday, the  iAM Music Winter Student Showcase runs from  2:00 to 7:00 at the Durango Arts Center. AHS Bands Prosty and 24 Passengers, made up of students in the Music Performance elective, go on at 6:00. My Heart Sienna, also made up of Ospreys, goes on at 4:30. We'd love to see lots of support for our student musicians at the show, which is free and open to the public, with light refreshments provided.

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!