senior Finn Stowers delivers his POL, describing his plan for Senior Project, where he'll research sustainable alternatives to the fast fashion industry

Dear Osprey Community,

 

Thanks to those who attended this week's junior Chemistry and Humanities exhibition. If you were unable to be there in person, you can still listen to the podcasts Sara's students created exploring contemporary labor issues  here; there are so many compelling interviews and perspectives in them!

Presentations of Learning  have begun for our seniors, and all other grades have begun preparing for these unique end-of-semester exhibitions of learning. POL times are scheduled between teachers and students and students are responsible for communicating home about when they present and when they need to panel, if applicable. Attendance next week is required for POL preparation, POLs and paneling, but students do not need to be on campus times other than these responsibilities. 

T oday is the final day of regular classes and grades close next Wednesday. We will run the Hub Bus to and from DHS every day next week, and catered lunch will be available on Monday and Tuesday, but not Wednesday through Friday. Please be sure that your student has his or her AHS Student ID when riding the Hub Bus or XBlock Bus or they will not be allowed to board. We are grateful for our partnership with Durango 9R School District, which allows us to use their buses; please help us be good partners to them by reminding students to carry their IDs at all times.

our teachers love feeling appreciated for their hard work and support of students! Stephen Sellers and Kat Jackson dive into the cake former AHS Humanities teacher Matt Dooley had delivered today

The Fundraising Committee meets Monday morning 8:30 to 9:30 at AHS, and the Board of Directors meets Wednesday evening from 5:00 to 6:00 at R Space. Immediately following the Board Meeting, we invite all parents and community members to join us at the R Space for a Building Design Community Input Meeting from 6:00 to 8:00, where Eric Grebliunas from Humphries Poli Architects will lead stakeholders through a hands-on activity to explore different configurations for the design of our permanent school facility. All are welcome and your input is valued in this exciting school design process!

We are inviting our alumni back to campus next Monday for an Alumni Panel and Holiday Coffee, with the panel at 10:00 and coffee at 10:30. Parents are welcome to attend, though space will be limited as the panels will be attended by all sophomores and juniors as part of their POL preparation. We can't wait to see our Ospreys flying on back into the nest!

The Staff and Board Appreciation Luncheon, organized by Osprey parents Ceci McQuinn and Lucy Bryson, is next Friday at noon. For several years now, Ceci and Lucy have spearheaded this much appreciated tradition that acknowledges the extraordinary work of our staff. Ceci and Lucy's youngest kids are graduating this spring, so in addition to looking for parents to help make and serve food this year, we're searching for parents to step in and take over in coming years. Please review the Staff and Board Appreciation Lunch Sign Up and choose a way that works for you to pitch in, whether it's creating gift bags, making cookies, buying ingredients or decorating the Commons. We are always so honored by the support our parents show teachers, creating a very special event for them at the end of an intense week of POL paneling. If you are interested in talking with Ceci or Lucy about possibly taking over coordinating the luncheon next year, please reach out to Libby.

	Student Council co-presidents Ethan Holst and Alma Wolf delivering CandyGrams

The coffee has arrived, and our  Desert Sun Coffee Holiday Fundraiser was a great success, raising over $3000 for our school! Please be sure to pick up the coffee you ordered from the Main Office so you can distribute it to those who made purchases and thank you so very much to all who participated!

Our Russian exchange student, Vlad, is looking for a place to stay December 21 and 22 while his host family is out of town. Please contact Bridget in the main office if you are able to host him for these two nights.

AHS Student Council's  Holiday Party for students is tonight from 7:00 to 9:00 here on campus. We will be decorating cookies, watching the holiday film Elf and wrapping gifts for the Durango family we adopted through Project Merry Christmas. We are truly overwhelmed by the generosity of our community--our PMC family will be receiving every item on their holiday list and much, much more!

We hope to see lots of community support at Osprey parent and Bread bakery founder Rob Kabeary's celebration of life Saturday at 2:30 at Miller Middle School. Rob was a larger-than-life, generous and spirited pillar of the Durango community and we know that many in our community have been impacted by this loss. Please consider attending the service to show your support.

We hope you have a good weekend and thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!