POLs and Rec Center Fun Continue. ANIMAS HIGH SCHOOL IS NOT INVOLVED WITH THE CURRENT 9-R/FLC BOMB THREAT INCIDENT- ALL AHS STUDENTS AND STAFF ARE SAFE AND SOUND AND WE CONTINUE WITH OUR NORMALLY SCHEUDLED WED. EXPERIENCES.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
POLs- Everything you ever wanted to know!
POLs Begin Today, Wed. December 16th and will run through Friday, December 18th!
POLs are a formal end of semester presentation, where students are asked to reflect on their learning from the first semester, and create some goals for the second semester. The skills we focus on for this are formal presentation skills, deep and authentic reflection, and using evidence to support their claims.
The dress standards are the same as Exhibition.
Boys: Dress pants (no jeans!), dress shoes (no sneakers!), button up shirt with collar and tie. Suit jackets are strongly encouraged if they have them.
Girls: Slacks with a button up shirt or nice sweater, appropriate skirt or dress, dress shoes. For girls, open toed shoes are okay if they're willing to brave the cold.
With POLs, we work on a mastery based system. Students will repeat the POL until they pass. The vast majority of students pass on either their first or second round. If a student requires more support to pass, teachers will set up a schedule with them to meet next semester and work intensively on their presentation skills before having them redo a third time.
Scoring Guide for 9th Grade Presentation of Learning
1. Timing: 10 minutes for formal presentation, 5 minute panel follow-up questions, 5 minute
1. Timing: 10 minutes for formal presentation, 5 minute panel follow-up questions, 5 minute
deliberation and scoring
2. Sequence:
· Formal Presentation-
i. Student introduces themselves to the panel, and uses an
2. Sequence:
· Formal Presentation-
i. Student introduces themselves to the panel, and uses an
anecdote or hook to get the panel’s attention.
ii. Student must present on two strengths and two goals. The
ii. Student must present on two strengths and two goals. The
strengths and goals will be chosen from our Habits of Mind,
and the list of 21st Century Survival Skills (see lists below).
iii. Student then answers two reflective questions (see questions
iii. Student then answers two reflective questions (see questions
below).
iv. For each section, students must show evidence, either in hand or
iv. For each section, students must show evidence, either in hand or
on their DP.
v. At some point in the presentation, students must talk about
v. At some point in the presentation, students must talk about
each of their four classes.
· Panel Follow-Up Questions- Panelists ask questions of the presenter.
· Deliberation and Scoring- Student leaves the room, and panelists deliberate.
____________________________________________________________
Habits of Mind and Survival Skills
The Seven Survival Skills for the 21st Century
1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
2. Collaboration
3. Adaptability
4. Initiative
5. Effective Communication
6. Independent Research and Learning
7. Curiosity and Imagination
AHS Habits of Mind
1. Perspective
2. Advocacy
3. Perseverance
4. Evidence
5. Refinement
Reflective Questions
1. How is the work that you are doing here relevant to you personally or to your larger goals?
How have your experiences at AHS this year changed the way you see the world?
POL Scoring Rubric
PRE-POL CHECKLIST
Be dressed in professional attire from head to toe
Y
N
Have note cards of outline
Y
N
Have a working and updated digital portfolio
Y
N
SCORING GUIDELINES-
Must score 24 to pass. If you receive a 1 in any category, you will automatically have to redo your POL.
4
3
2
1
Exceeds Standard
Meets Standard
Approaches Standard
Below Standard
PRESENTATION SKILLS CHECKLIST
Professionalism: Student uses professional verbal language and professional body language during the POL.
Eye Contact: The student makes eye contact with all panelists, and uses note cards appropriately.
Vocal Delivery: The student’s delivery is strong, energetic, and easily understood.
PRESENTATION RUBRIC
Scoring Category Performance Criteria Score (1-4)
· Panel Follow-Up Questions- Panelists ask questions of the presenter.
· Deliberation and Scoring- Student leaves the room, and panelists deliberate.
____________________________________________________________
Habits of Mind and Survival Skills
The Seven Survival Skills for the 21st Century
1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
2. Collaboration
3. Adaptability
4. Initiative
5. Effective Communication
6. Independent Research and Learning
7. Curiosity and Imagination
AHS Habits of Mind
1. Perspective
2. Advocacy
3. Perseverance
4. Evidence
5. Refinement
Reflective Questions
1. How is the work that you are doing here relevant to you personally or to your larger goals?
How have your experiences at AHS this year changed the way you see the world?
POL Scoring Rubric
PRE-POL CHECKLIST
Be dressed in professional attire from head to toe
Y
N
Have note cards of outline
Y
N
Have a working and updated digital portfolio
Y
N
SCORING GUIDELINES-
Must score 24 to pass. If you receive a 1 in any category, you will automatically have to redo your POL.
4
3
2
1
Exceeds Standard
Meets Standard
Approaches Standard
Below Standard
PRESENTATION SKILLS CHECKLIST
Professionalism: Student uses professional verbal language and professional body language during the POL.
Eye Contact: The student makes eye contact with all panelists, and uses note cards appropriately.
Vocal Delivery: The student’s delivery is strong, energetic, and easily understood.
PRESENTATION RUBRIC
Scoring Category Performance Criteria Score (1-4)
Introduction
Student provides professional introduction, and draws audience in with an engaging hook/anecdote that sets the tone and themes for the presentation.
Strength
Student has an in-depth explanation of their strength that is supported by evidence. Students must show their evidence to the panel, either in hand or on their DP, and explain the significance of that evidence. Student demonstrates self-awareness, honesty, and deep reflection.
Goal
Student has an in-depth explanation of an area where they need to improve that is supported by evidence, either in hand or on their DP. Student presents a solid and specific action plan to improve in this area next semester. Student demonstrates self-awareness, honesty, and deep reflection.
Question 1
Student responds to all aspects of the question, and provides a well-thought out answer. Student uses strong evidence to support their answer. Student demonstrates self-awareness, honesty, and deep reflection.
Question 2
Student responds to all aspects of the question, and provides a well-thought out answer. Student uses strong evidence to support their answer. Student demonstrates self-awareness, honesty, and deep reflection.
Final Check
All four classes have been discussed in the presentation.
YES NO
Got Sidewalks?
Animas High School freshmen Hannah Williams, Cori Gianniny and Alicia Whiteman sprint down north Main Avenue on Monday afternoon during a lull in traffic to circumvent a stretch of snow-covered sidewalk just north of 22nd Street. Hannah is the daughter of Bruce and Judi Williams; Cori is the daughter of Gary Gianniny and Cynthia Dott; and Alicia is the daughter of Steve Whiteman and Sandra Butler.
Monday, December 14, 2009
AHS Weekly Update- Week of December 14th
Good Morning,
I hope this email finds you all well and fresh from an enjoyable weekend with your family. In this update please review:
POL Schedule
Parent Work Crew
Snowdown 2010 Announcement
POL Schedule
The schedule below is intended to help you plan for this week’s POLs. Please Note, STUDENTS WHO RECEIVING A “PASS” ON THEIR POLs ARE NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND SCHOOL ON FRIDAY. POLs are being presented to teacher and student panels on Wed. and Thurs. WE ARE NOT INVITING PARENTS OR PUBLIC TO SEMESTER ONES’S POLs. STUDENTS MAY WEAR APPROPRIATE ATHLETIC WEAR FOR THEIR DAY OFF SITE AT THE REC CENTER. Questions? Call AHS-AHS4
POLs Wednesday Dec. 16, 2009
I hope this email finds you all well and fresh from an enjoyable weekend with your family. In this update please review:
POL Schedule
Parent Work Crew
Snowdown 2010 Announcement
POL Schedule
The schedule below is intended to help you plan for this week’s POLs. Please Note, STUDENTS WHO RECEIVING A “PASS” ON THEIR POLs ARE NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND SCHOOL ON FRIDAY. POLs are being presented to teacher and student panels on Wed. and Thurs. WE ARE NOT INVITING PARENTS OR PUBLIC TO SEMESTER ONES’S POLs. STUDENTS MAY WEAR APPROPRIATE ATHLETIC WEAR FOR THEIR DAY OFF SITE AT THE REC CENTER. Questions? Call AHS-AHS4
POLs Wednesday Dec. 16, 2009
· All students report to school at 8:15 PM
· Half of the student body will be presenting and paneling.
· Half the student body will be heading off site for scholastic pursuits, important program
work and team building experiences.
· All students will be dismissed at 3:15 PM
· All students will be dismissed at 3:15 PM
POLs Thursday Dec. 17, 2009
· All students report to school at 8:15 PM
· Half of the student body will be presenting and paneling.
· Half the student body will be heading off site for scholastic pursuits, important program
work and team building experiences.
· All students will be dismissed at 3:15 PM
· All students will be dismissed at 3:15 PM
POLs Friday Dec. 18, 2009
· Any student who does receiving passing marks for their Wed./Thurs. POLs are required to
attend Friday POL make-up. ***WE ARE ANTICIPATING STUDENTS WILL NEED TO
PARTICIPATE IN MAKE-UPS ****
· Make-ups will run until all students have a chance to repeat their POL
· Staff will be working a complete day
· If your student does not need to make up their POL, then they are excused from Friday’s
· Make-ups will run until all students have a chance to repeat their POL
· Staff will be working a complete day
· If your student does not need to make up their POL, then they are excused from Friday’s
programming
· The building will be open our usual Friday hours- 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM
· The building will be open our usual Friday hours- 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Parent Work Crew
So our Sunday efforts had to be called on account of snow (blowing sideways I must add…). Thanks to everyone who committed to helping out this past weekend! We are going to try and rally again at 9AM this upcoming Sunday morning. We meet at AHS and any pick-ups, tow trailers or vehicles that can transport materials are appreciated and will help us remove AHS resources out of our storage units on Florida Rd. As always, bring the family, your strong back and positive mental attitudes! One more big push will set us up for success over the holidays. Interested participants should contact the school to sign up for this Sunday’s experience.
Snowdown 2010
“Life’s a Beach” is the theme of this year’s Snowdown Celebration and AHS is planning on entering the parade for the second year in a row. Students are involved with devising float ideas related to the celebration’s theme and we’ll be picking a design immediately following the holiday recess. We are looking for any parents who may have access to a large flat-bed truck or similar type vehicle that we can transform into AHS’s float. Please let HOS Michael Ackerman know if you have any resources that could be extended to AHS for this year’s Snowdown experience! See you on the beach!
So our Sunday efforts had to be called on account of snow (blowing sideways I must add…). Thanks to everyone who committed to helping out this past weekend! We are going to try and rally again at 9AM this upcoming Sunday morning. We meet at AHS and any pick-ups, tow trailers or vehicles that can transport materials are appreciated and will help us remove AHS resources out of our storage units on Florida Rd. As always, bring the family, your strong back and positive mental attitudes! One more big push will set us up for success over the holidays. Interested participants should contact the school to sign up for this Sunday’s experience.
Snowdown 2010
“Life’s a Beach” is the theme of this year’s Snowdown Celebration and AHS is planning on entering the parade for the second year in a row. Students are involved with devising float ideas related to the celebration’s theme and we’ll be picking a design immediately following the holiday recess. We are looking for any parents who may have access to a large flat-bed truck or similar type vehicle that we can transform into AHS’s float. Please let HOS Michael Ackerman know if you have any resources that could be extended to AHS for this year’s Snowdown experience! See you on the beach!
FROM THE CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM- Colorado 7th friendliest for charter schools
Colorado 7th friendliest for charter schools
By EMILY ANDERSON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Colorado charter school laws are the seventh best in the nation, according to The Center for Education Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based charter school proponent.
The center ranked the District of Columbia and the 39 states that have charter school laws based on how easy it is to found, operate and receive funding for a charter in each state.
Colorado passed its charter law in 1993.
The law sets no limit on how many charter schools can operate in Colorado, and it allows charter schools to operate separately or in coordination with a local school district. Charters don’t have to adhere to school district rules as long as the charters are held accountable for standards and test scores.
School boards or the Colorado Charter School Institute can approve the creation of a charter school and denials can be appealed to the State Board of Education.
The Charter School Facilities Financing Act requires the state to give a portion of state funding to charter schools for capital construction, and the average per student funding at a Colorado charter school is $6,836 — $177.88 more than the per student funding allocated to School District 51 this year.
Caprock Academy, a charter school at 640 24 1/2 Road that opened in 2007, receives as much funding per student as District 51 but has autonomy from the district. Caprock Headmaster Kristin Trezise said the extra paperwork involved in remaining accountable to the state is worth the payoff of running a school with a specific value set. The only major issue with funding that Trezise has encountered is charters have to apply for private bonds when they want to construct a school, whereas traditional public schools can issue public bonds with voter approval.
Trezise said Caprock leaders have attended national conferences for charter schools and learned opening a charter school is often easier in Colorado than in other states.“We are definitely on the upside,” she said.
Colorado was one of 10 states to receive a “B” grade for its charter school law from the Center for Education Reform. The District of Columbia, Minnesota and California received “A” grades and were ranked first, second, and third, respectively. Utah was fourth, Arizona fifth and Michigan sixth.
Eleven states received a “C,” 13 states got a “D,” and three states — Kansas, Virginia and Iowa — failed the center’s test. Eleven states don’t have charter school laws.
By EMILY ANDERSON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Colorado charter school laws are the seventh best in the nation, according to The Center for Education Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based charter school proponent.
The center ranked the District of Columbia and the 39 states that have charter school laws based on how easy it is to found, operate and receive funding for a charter in each state.
Colorado passed its charter law in 1993.
The law sets no limit on how many charter schools can operate in Colorado, and it allows charter schools to operate separately or in coordination with a local school district. Charters don’t have to adhere to school district rules as long as the charters are held accountable for standards and test scores.
School boards or the Colorado Charter School Institute can approve the creation of a charter school and denials can be appealed to the State Board of Education.
The Charter School Facilities Financing Act requires the state to give a portion of state funding to charter schools for capital construction, and the average per student funding at a Colorado charter school is $6,836 — $177.88 more than the per student funding allocated to School District 51 this year.
Caprock Academy, a charter school at 640 24 1/2 Road that opened in 2007, receives as much funding per student as District 51 but has autonomy from the district. Caprock Headmaster Kristin Trezise said the extra paperwork involved in remaining accountable to the state is worth the payoff of running a school with a specific value set. The only major issue with funding that Trezise has encountered is charters have to apply for private bonds when they want to construct a school, whereas traditional public schools can issue public bonds with voter approval.
Trezise said Caprock leaders have attended national conferences for charter schools and learned opening a charter school is often easier in Colorado than in other states.“We are definitely on the upside,” she said.
Colorado was one of 10 states to receive a “B” grade for its charter school law from the Center for Education Reform. The District of Columbia, Minnesota and California received “A” grades and were ranked first, second, and third, respectively. Utah was fourth, Arizona fifth and Michigan sixth.
Eleven states received a “C,” 13 states got a “D,” and three states — Kansas, Virginia and Iowa — failed the center’s test. Eleven states don’t have charter school laws.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Charter School 'Witch Hunt' Defeated
Charter School 'Witch Hunt' Defeated
"It looks like a 'witch hunt' against charter schools,"
-Sen. Lois Tochtrop (D-Adams County)
"It looks like a 'witch hunt' against charter schools,"
-Sen. Lois Tochtrop (D-Adams County)
Senator Tochtrop's comment above was in response to yesterday's attempt by Representative Michael Merrifield (joined by Senators Bacon and Hudak, as well as Rep. Solano) to force a hostile, costly, and unnecessary "performance audit" of all Colorado charter schools through the Legislative Audit Committee. Fortunately, the Colorado League of Charter Schools and a bi-partisan coalition of supporters made sure the audit request was rejected on a 5-2 vote. We applaud the members of the Legislative Audit Committee who voted against this audit request - Sen. Lois Tochtrop, Sen. Kevin Lundberg, Sen. Josh Penry, Rep. Cheri Gerou, and Rep. Frank McNulty.
The League is not opposed to legitimate review of the policies and practices in place across Colorado's charter sector, but this attempt was not the right way to do it. Notably, we have been trying to meet with Rep. Merrifield about this since October.
If you have any questions about this audit request, please contact Sean Bradley at the League at 303-989-5356, ext. 105 or sbradley@coloradoleague.org.
Sincerely,
Jim Griffin, PresidentColorado League of Charter Schools
The League is not opposed to legitimate review of the policies and practices in place across Colorado's charter sector, but this attempt was not the right way to do it. Notably, we have been trying to meet with Rep. Merrifield about this since October.
If you have any questions about this audit request, please contact Sean Bradley at the League at 303-989-5356, ext. 105 or sbradley@coloradoleague.org.
Sincerely,
Jim Griffin, PresidentColorado League of Charter Schools
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Animas High School Weekly Update #2- Week of Dec. 7th
Can you believe we successfully made it through our first snow day? I wanted to update our community on a few more items this week. In this email, please review:
Snow Closure/Delay Procedure and Recap
POL Schedule
Enrollment Update
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Snow Closure/Delay Procedure and Recap
We did very well dealing with our first snow day of the 2009-10 school year. We want to thank everyone for their patience and compliance during yesterday’s closure. To clarify, if 9-R/Bayfield has CANCELLED school because of the weather, then you can safely assume AHS is shut as well. Our students’ safety and the commuting conditions are the primary condtions upon which closure decisions are made.
By 6AM yesterday morning, we had received over 100 hits on the website and blog and over 35 calls to the school’s main number which tells us that our community is accessing those outlets. We also passed along our closure information to local media outlets. However, there was some confusion regarding this morning’s plan.
If 9-R/Bayfield have announced a delay, it’s most likely because of those district’s school buses’ ability to navigate our wintery streets. Since AHS does not provide a bus system for students, we WILL NOT ANNOUNCE A DELAYED START even if other districts have made the decision to do so. As always, we completely understand that the commute to school on morning’s like today can present challenges for families. Although we were not delayed, we are excusing students for arriving late. Your student’s safety is paramount and if you ever have any questions or concerns, please call HOS Michael Ackerman at 970-403-4827 or Director of Student Services Jake Lauer at 970-903-5358.
Please remember, our school’s website- http://www.animashighschool.com/ and our blog- http://www.animashighschool.blogspot.com/ are updated frequently and are always the best source for closure/delay information. Thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding. We did an excellent job working through these difficult conditions together!
POL Schedule
The schedule below is intended to help you plan for next week’s POLs. We want to thank everyone for their patience as we have facilitated our first round of SLCs, Exhibition and POLs ever! With this in mind, please note that we will repeat the same schedule for these events in Semester 2.
POLs Wednesday Dec. 16, 2009
Snow Closure/Delay Procedure and Recap
POL Schedule
Enrollment Update
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Snow Closure/Delay Procedure and Recap
We did very well dealing with our first snow day of the 2009-10 school year. We want to thank everyone for their patience and compliance during yesterday’s closure. To clarify, if 9-R/Bayfield has CANCELLED school because of the weather, then you can safely assume AHS is shut as well. Our students’ safety and the commuting conditions are the primary condtions upon which closure decisions are made.
By 6AM yesterday morning, we had received over 100 hits on the website and blog and over 35 calls to the school’s main number which tells us that our community is accessing those outlets. We also passed along our closure information to local media outlets. However, there was some confusion regarding this morning’s plan.
If 9-R/Bayfield have announced a delay, it’s most likely because of those district’s school buses’ ability to navigate our wintery streets. Since AHS does not provide a bus system for students, we WILL NOT ANNOUNCE A DELAYED START even if other districts have made the decision to do so. As always, we completely understand that the commute to school on morning’s like today can present challenges for families. Although we were not delayed, we are excusing students for arriving late. Your student’s safety is paramount and if you ever have any questions or concerns, please call HOS Michael Ackerman at 970-403-4827 or Director of Student Services Jake Lauer at 970-903-5358.
Please remember, our school’s website- http://www.animashighschool.com/ and our blog- http://www.animashighschool.blogspot.com/ are updated frequently and are always the best source for closure/delay information. Thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding. We did an excellent job working through these difficult conditions together!
POL Schedule
The schedule below is intended to help you plan for next week’s POLs. We want to thank everyone for their patience as we have facilitated our first round of SLCs, Exhibition and POLs ever! With this in mind, please note that we will repeat the same schedule for these events in Semester 2.
POLs Wednesday Dec. 16, 2009
· All students report to school at 8:15 PM
· Half of the student body will be presenting and paneling.
· Half the student body will be heading off site for scholastic pursuits, important program work and team building experiences.
· All students will be dismissed at 3:15 PM
· Half of the student body will be presenting and paneling.
· Half the student body will be heading off site for scholastic pursuits, important program work and team building experiences.
· All students will be dismissed at 3:15 PM
POLs Thursday Dec. 17, 2009
· All students report to school at 8:15 PM
· Half of the student body will be presenting and paneling.
· Half the student body will be heading off site for scholastic pursuits, important program work and team building experiences.
· All students will be dismissed at 3:15 PM
· All students report to school at 8:15 PM
· Half of the student body will be presenting and paneling.
· Half the student body will be heading off site for scholastic pursuits, important program work and team building experiences.
· All students will be dismissed at 3:15 PM
POLs Friday Dec. 18, 2009
· Any student who does receiving passing marks for their Wed./Thurs. POLs are required to attend Friday POL make-up. ***WE ARE ANTICIPATING STUDENTS WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN MAKE-UPS ****
· Make-ups will run until all students have a chance to repeat their POL
· Staff will be working a complete day
· If your student does not need to make up their POL, then they are excused from Friday’s programming
· The building will be open our usual Friday hours- 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM
***Please Note that students will receive their POL schedule this Friday- Please check in with them to see when they are presenting! ***
Enrollment Update
Animas High School would like to thank the many students and families involved with our enrollment efforts this fall. At this time, AHS has closed enrollment opportunities for the 2009-2010 school year. We appreciate all those who participated in the admissions process and we look forward to opening our enrollment for the class of 2014 in January. Questions or concerns can be directed to Head of School Michael Ackerman via email: michael@animashighschool.com
Animas High School Weekly Update #1- Week of Dec. 7th
Good Morning,
I hope this update finds you well and enjoying our first snowy day off! Included in this update:
FLC visit
Finals
Parent Work Crew
Snow Closure Info
FLC Visit
Students in the teacher education program from Ft. Lewis will be observing AHS students and teachers in action! Professor Richard Fulton and his class were scheduled to observe today, December 8th and will re-schedule time with us before the holiday recess. FLC students will be observing and rating the quality of instruction and assessing the 21st Century competencies fostered at AHS. We look forward to the outcomes of this experience and the resultant data that will be generated through their visit. Observations are scheduled for one hour in first period classes.
Finals
Student finals are this week and we proceed with our exam schedule on Wed. Dec. 9th, 2009. Tuesday’s finals will be administered on Wed. We need to stay on schedule with finals so that we are ready to go with POLs next week. Make sure to ask your student about their finals and stay tuned for more info regarding POLs in next week’s update.
Parent Work Crew
We know your student has told you all about the wonderful times spent on Thursday afternoon work crew and we don’t want our parents to be left out. We are looking for parents/guardians who are available to work Sat. mornings over the next two weekends. You’ll meet HOS Michael Ackerman and work from 9 AM to 12 PM attending to some very important projects. Looking for folks with a strong back, positive attitude and some time to give to AHS! Please contact PAC@animashighschool.com with your interest and availability. (we would love some assistance from those of you with pick-ups and trailers) Thanks!
Snow Closure Procedures- please make sure you are familiar with these procedures!
I hope this update finds you well and enjoying our first snowy day off! Included in this update:
FLC visit
Finals
Parent Work Crew
Snow Closure Info
FLC Visit
Students in the teacher education program from Ft. Lewis will be observing AHS students and teachers in action! Professor Richard Fulton and his class were scheduled to observe today, December 8th and will re-schedule time with us before the holiday recess. FLC students will be observing and rating the quality of instruction and assessing the 21st Century competencies fostered at AHS. We look forward to the outcomes of this experience and the resultant data that will be generated through their visit. Observations are scheduled for one hour in first period classes.
Finals
Student finals are this week and we proceed with our exam schedule on Wed. Dec. 9th, 2009. Tuesday’s finals will be administered on Wed. We need to stay on schedule with finals so that we are ready to go with POLs next week. Make sure to ask your student about their finals and stay tuned for more info regarding POLs in next week’s update.
Parent Work Crew
We know your student has told you all about the wonderful times spent on Thursday afternoon work crew and we don’t want our parents to be left out. We are looking for parents/guardians who are available to work Sat. mornings over the next two weekends. You’ll meet HOS Michael Ackerman and work from 9 AM to 12 PM attending to some very important projects. Looking for folks with a strong back, positive attitude and some time to give to AHS! Please contact PAC@animashighschool.com with your interest and availability. (we would love some assistance from those of you with pick-ups and trailers) Thanks!
Snow Closure Procedures- please make sure you are familiar with these procedures!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
DECEMBER 9th- REGULAR START
Animas High School will begin at our normal 8:15 AM start time on Dec. 9th, 2009. Please commute safely and we'll see you when you get here!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Animas High School raises spirits and makes friends
Animas High School raises spirits and makes friends
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Bob Yearout looks over essays and artwork by Animas High School students during a fundraiser for the school Wednesday evening at the Strater Hotel. “They’re incredible. It’s college level stuff,” Yearout said of the essays. At right is artwork accompanying an essay entitled “Socialization and Liberation: Blinded By the Light … Or Not,” by AHS student Cori Gianniny.
It's not often - in fact this is the first time in my experience - I receive an invitation quoting Maya Angelou.
That was consistent, however, with the unique approach Animas High School is taking toward education and life.
Every student has a unique learning style and topics that engage his or her enthusiasm. In a school system working with 1,500 students, teachers don't always have time to figure those needs out and meet them.
Enter AHS, the new charter school with a curriculum based on technology and projects. Every student and parent involved with the school is passionate about the new approach, which is a tremendous recommendation in and of itself.
But I also believe that our society needs every student to reach his or her individual level of excellence to be competitive in the world, and for them to live rich and productive lives.
So when I attended the school's “friendraiser" Wednesday at the Strater Hotel, I was delighted to learn more about how the school works. The event was sponsored by Steve Setka and Hollie Dowd.
On display around the room were pieces from the school's first-ever Exhibition, an event that will be held each semester, where students share what they have learned. Projects about self-identity included powerful and beautiful masks accompanied by essays in which students took a thoughtful look at who they are to the world versus who they are inside. There were powerful philosophical statements on stereotypes, dreams and societal influences on how we think about ourselves.
The first assignment for the students - who began the project thinking they are who they are, all on their own - was to watch videos about feral children on YouTube and write an essay. Needless to say, it was an eye-opener.
Students whose masks were on display include Carly Pierson, Bryan Bauer, Dalton Norris, Cori Gianniny, Daniel Fallon-Cyr, Eli Dickinson, Alicia Whiteman, Hannah Quick, Kinjah Monroe and Jenna Brooks.
Graphic novels exploring ancient Greek motifs, such as Jason and the Golden Fleece and Medea, were also exhibited. In addition to some of the above students, Zachary Marqua's and Tucker Leavitt's work was included.
Ian Bowers and Lily Oswald were far more poised than I was as a freshman in high school. They addressed the room full of adults and shared what they like about AHS so far - which is pretty much everything. Bowers said something that is profoundly necessary for becoming a lifelong learner: He has learned to be proactive in his own education; he is learning to use his time valuably; and most powerfully, he thinks the experience is helping him become who he wants to be.
Oswald likes the smallness of the school - only about 75 students right now - and how the projects relate to real life.
Maureen Fallon-Cyr called herself a “very satisfied customer" because the school is teaching her son, Daniel, in the way he learns most naturally - using the Socratic method. He told her one day that because he was being held to a high standard, he was working on the fourth draft of a project, where in the past he would have turned in his first draft and received an 'A' on it. (He eventually did five drafts.) Fallon-Cyr was impressed by one young man at Exhibition who created an electro-magnetic pendulum that didn't work. (He said he could have done it if he had two more weeks - this one could only be on for 20 seconds or it would start a fire.) The idea of showing an attempt and what was learned instead of only focusing on success stories is an important lesson as well.
Dr. Jim Youssef perhaps expressed the way parents felt about the school before it started.
“We vacillated," he said about himself and his wife, former Durango School District 9-R School Board member Melissa Youssef, “because experiments are concerning, especially when it comes to your children."
The couple's son, Nathan, transferred to AHS after spending the first week of school at Durango High School. Youseff said his son told him, “Dad, the work that I'm doing there is relevant."
The budget for the first year of AHS was predicated on having 100 freshmen enrolled this year, and the school fell a little short of the goal, perhaps because of concerns such as the Youssefs had. In Colorado, the money follows the student, and that means there is a shortfall of about $50,000 for the school to finish the year.
Different committed parents have issued one $8,000 matching grant and two $10,000 challenge grants, so the school is more than half way there. (And if parents are willing to put their money into it, that is a terrific endorsement.) If you would like to support the work of the school, send your tax-deductible contributions to Animas High School, P.O. Box 4414, Durango, CO 81302.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Bob Yearout looks over essays and artwork by Animas High School students during a fundraiser for the school Wednesday evening at the Strater Hotel. “They’re incredible. It’s college level stuff,” Yearout said of the essays. At right is artwork accompanying an essay entitled “Socialization and Liberation: Blinded By the Light … Or Not,” by AHS student Cori Gianniny.
It's not often - in fact this is the first time in my experience - I receive an invitation quoting Maya Angelou.
That was consistent, however, with the unique approach Animas High School is taking toward education and life.
Every student has a unique learning style and topics that engage his or her enthusiasm. In a school system working with 1,500 students, teachers don't always have time to figure those needs out and meet them.
Enter AHS, the new charter school with a curriculum based on technology and projects. Every student and parent involved with the school is passionate about the new approach, which is a tremendous recommendation in and of itself.
But I also believe that our society needs every student to reach his or her individual level of excellence to be competitive in the world, and for them to live rich and productive lives.
So when I attended the school's “friendraiser" Wednesday at the Strater Hotel, I was delighted to learn more about how the school works. The event was sponsored by Steve Setka and Hollie Dowd.
On display around the room were pieces from the school's first-ever Exhibition, an event that will be held each semester, where students share what they have learned. Projects about self-identity included powerful and beautiful masks accompanied by essays in which students took a thoughtful look at who they are to the world versus who they are inside. There were powerful philosophical statements on stereotypes, dreams and societal influences on how we think about ourselves.
The first assignment for the students - who began the project thinking they are who they are, all on their own - was to watch videos about feral children on YouTube and write an essay. Needless to say, it was an eye-opener.
Students whose masks were on display include Carly Pierson, Bryan Bauer, Dalton Norris, Cori Gianniny, Daniel Fallon-Cyr, Eli Dickinson, Alicia Whiteman, Hannah Quick, Kinjah Monroe and Jenna Brooks.
Graphic novels exploring ancient Greek motifs, such as Jason and the Golden Fleece and Medea, were also exhibited. In addition to some of the above students, Zachary Marqua's and Tucker Leavitt's work was included.
Ian Bowers and Lily Oswald were far more poised than I was as a freshman in high school. They addressed the room full of adults and shared what they like about AHS so far - which is pretty much everything. Bowers said something that is profoundly necessary for becoming a lifelong learner: He has learned to be proactive in his own education; he is learning to use his time valuably; and most powerfully, he thinks the experience is helping him become who he wants to be.
Oswald likes the smallness of the school - only about 75 students right now - and how the projects relate to real life.
Maureen Fallon-Cyr called herself a “very satisfied customer" because the school is teaching her son, Daniel, in the way he learns most naturally - using the Socratic method. He told her one day that because he was being held to a high standard, he was working on the fourth draft of a project, where in the past he would have turned in his first draft and received an 'A' on it. (He eventually did five drafts.) Fallon-Cyr was impressed by one young man at Exhibition who created an electro-magnetic pendulum that didn't work. (He said he could have done it if he had two more weeks - this one could only be on for 20 seconds or it would start a fire.) The idea of showing an attempt and what was learned instead of only focusing on success stories is an important lesson as well.
Dr. Jim Youssef perhaps expressed the way parents felt about the school before it started.
“We vacillated," he said about himself and his wife, former Durango School District 9-R School Board member Melissa Youssef, “because experiments are concerning, especially when it comes to your children."
The couple's son, Nathan, transferred to AHS after spending the first week of school at Durango High School. Youseff said his son told him, “Dad, the work that I'm doing there is relevant."
The budget for the first year of AHS was predicated on having 100 freshmen enrolled this year, and the school fell a little short of the goal, perhaps because of concerns such as the Youssefs had. In Colorado, the money follows the student, and that means there is a shortfall of about $50,000 for the school to finish the year.
Different committed parents have issued one $8,000 matching grant and two $10,000 challenge grants, so the school is more than half way there. (And if parents are willing to put their money into it, that is a terrific endorsement.) If you would like to support the work of the school, send your tax-deductible contributions to Animas High School, P.O. Box 4414, Durango, CO 81302.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
AHS Weekly Update- Week of Nov. 3oth
Please excuse the delay in distribution of this week’s email update. It’s been a crazy couple of days as we get ourselves back into school mode and shake off the Thanksgiving recess. Hopefully your holiday and time off was filled with all the joy and blessings of this holiday season.
Exhibition/Retrospect
A huge thank you to all who participated in Animas High School’s Fall Exhibition and Retrospect experiences! The feedback from these events has been stellar and the staff is incredibly pleased with our students’ performance. It’s interesting to note that our ninth graders will participate in seven more Exhibitions before they graduate and based upon this first experience, they have definitely set the bar high for themselves in the future. We excitedly look forward to seeing more beautiful work from the Class of 2013 in semester two.
POLs
POLS (End of the Semester Presentations of Learning) and in-class final exams are coming up the week of Dec. 14th. Stay tuned for more information regarding POLS in next week’s update and make sure
to check-in with your student regarding their finals schedule.
Animas River Clean-Up Day
AHS Sustainable Schools SIG and AHS students will be participating in this weekend’s Animas River Clean- Up Day. Participants will meet at AHS on Saturday, December 5th at noon to head out to the clean up. We are excited to give back to one of Durango’s most important natural resources. Students should wear comfortable clothing and sneakers that can get wet and bring along a water bottle and snack. Any questions concerning this experience can be forwarded to colleen.dunning@animashighschool.com
PAC Meeting
The next meeting of Animas High School’s Parent Advisory Council will be next Monday, Dec. 7th at noon at AHS. We look forward to your participation at this upcoming event. Questions or concerns can be forwarded to PAC@animashighschool.com
Have a fabulous week!
Monday, November 23, 2009
NY Times- White House Begins Campaign to Promote Science and Math Education
White House Begins Campaign to Promote Science and Math Education
By KENNETH CHANG
Published: November 23, 2009
To improve science and mathematics education for American children, the White House is recruiting Elmo and Big Bird, video game programmers and thousands of scientists.
“You know the success we seek is not going to be attained by government alone,” Mr. Obama said kicking off the initiatives. “It depends on the dedication of students and parents, and the commitment of private citizens, organizations and companies. It depends on all of us.”
Mr. Obama, accompanied by students and a robot that scooped up and tossed rocks, also announced an annual science fair at the White House.
“If you win the N.C.A.A. championship, you come to the White House,” he said. “Well, if you’re a young person and you’ve produced the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.
“Scientists and engineers ought to stand side by side with athletes and entertainers as role models, and here at the White House, we’re going to lead by example. We’re going to show young people how cool science can be.”
The campaign, called Educate to Innovate, focuses mainly on activities outside the classroom. For example, Discovery Communications has promised to use two hours of the afternoon schedule on its Science Channel cable network for commercial-free programming geared toward middle school students.
Science and engineering societies are promising to provide volunteers to work with students in the classroom, culminating in a National Lab Day in May.
The MacArthur Foundation and technology industry organizations are giving out prizes in a contest to develop video games that teach science and math.
“The different sectors are responding to the president’s call for all hands on deck,” John P. Holdren, the White House science adviser, said in an interview last week.
The other parts of the campaign include a two-year focus on science on “Sesame Street,” the venerable public television children’s show, and a Web site, connectamillionminds.com, set up by Time Warner Cable, that provides a searchable directory of local science activities. The cable system will contribute television time and advertising to promote the site.
The White House has also recruited Sally K. Ride, the first American woman in space, and corporate executives like Craig R. Barrett, a former chairman of Intel, and Ursula M. Burns, chief executive of Xerox, to champion the cause of science and math education to corporations and philanthropists.
Dr. Ride said their role would be identifying successful programs and then connecting financing sources to spread the successes nationally. “The need is funding,” she said. “There is a lot of corporate interest and foundation interest in this issue.”
Administration officials say that the breadth of participation in Educate to Innovate is wider than in previous efforts, which have failed to produce a perceptible rise in test scores or in most students’ perceptions of math and science. In international comparison exams, American students have long lagged behind those in much of Asia and Europe.
But some education experts said the initiatives did little to address some core issues: improving the quality of teachers and the curriculum.
“I think a lot of this is good, but it is missing more than half of what needs to be done,” said Mark S. Schneider, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research, a nonprofit research organization in Washington. “It has nothing to do with the day-to-day teaching,” said Dr. Schneider, who was the commissioner of education statistics at the Department of Education from 2005 to 2008.
Dr. Holdren said the initiatives, which are financed almost entirely by the participating companies and foundations and not the government, complement the Race to the Top program of the Department of Education, which will dispense $4.35 billion in stimulus financing to states for innovative education programs. The Race to the Top rules give extra points to applications that emphasize science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the so-called STEM subjects.
“The president has made it very clear it is a big priority,” Dr. Holdren said.
In April, Mr. Obama, speaking at the National Academy of Sciences, promised a “renewed commitment” that would move the United States “from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math over the next decade.”
To achieve this goal, Mr. Obama talked of “forging partnerships.” Monday’s announcement contains the first wave of such partnerships, officials said.
David M. Zaslav, the president and chief executive of Discovery, said Mr. Obama’s words about science education inspired Discovery to come up with the idea of two hours of programming, a mix of old and new content, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays on the Science Channel. The idea is that students coming home from school will have a ready means to learn more science.
The lack of commercials is “a big statement by us that it’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about reinforcing the importance of science to kids and inspiring them.”
The programming is to begin next year; the date has not been set yet.
The foundation of Jack D. Hidary, an entrepreneur who earned his fortune in finance and technology, worked with the National Science Teachers Association, the MacArthur Foundation and the American Chemical Society to create a Web site, nationallabday.org, that matches scientists willing to volunteer their time and teachers describing what projects they hope to incorporate into their classes.
For example, Mr. Hidary said, a project could involve students’ recording of birdsongs and comparing them with others from elsewhere. “That’s actually scientifically useful,” he said. “Kids can actually perform useful science.”
The projects are to culminate in National Lab Day, which schools will hold the first week of May, but the projects will typically spread over several months. Mr. Hidary said students learn better with hands-on inquiries.
“We are not about one-offs,” he said. “We’re not looking for bringing in a scientist for a day.”
After the chemical society joined the effort, other scientific organizations also signed on, Mr. Hidary said, adding, “Each one is coming, upping the ante.”
For the video game challenge, the idea is to piggyback on the interest children already have in playing the games. “That’s where they are,” said Michael D. Gallagher, chief executive of the Entertainment Software Association, a trade group and one of the sponsors. “This initiative is a recognition of that.”
Sony is expected to donate 1,000 PlayStation 3 game consoles and copies of the game LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community organizations in low-income areas. Part of the competition will consist of children creating new levels in LittleBigPlanet that incorporate science and math. The other part will offer a total of $300,000 in prize money to game designers for science and math games that will be distributed free.
“We’re finding extraordinary engagement with games,” said Connie Yowell, director of education for MacArthur. If the engagement is combined with a science curriculum, she said, “then I think we have a very powerful approach.”
Some of the initiatives were already in the works and would have been rolled out regardless of the administration’s campaign. “Sesame Street” already planned to incorporate nature into this year’s season, but has now decided to add discussions of the scientific method in next year’s episodes.
“We’ve really never kind of approached it that way before,” said Gary E. Knell, president and chief executive of the Sesame Workshop.
Time Warner Cable had already decided to devote 80 percent of its philanthropy efforts to science and math education before Mr. Obama’s speech in April. But the company adjusted its project to fit in with the others.
“Being part of a bigger effort,” said Glenn A. Britt, the chief executive, “increases the chances that the effort will be successful.”
By KENNETH CHANG
Published: November 23, 2009
To improve science and mathematics education for American children, the White House is recruiting Elmo and Big Bird, video game programmers and thousands of scientists.
“You know the success we seek is not going to be attained by government alone,” Mr. Obama said kicking off the initiatives. “It depends on the dedication of students and parents, and the commitment of private citizens, organizations and companies. It depends on all of us.”
Mr. Obama, accompanied by students and a robot that scooped up and tossed rocks, also announced an annual science fair at the White House.
“If you win the N.C.A.A. championship, you come to the White House,” he said. “Well, if you’re a young person and you’ve produced the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.
“Scientists and engineers ought to stand side by side with athletes and entertainers as role models, and here at the White House, we’re going to lead by example. We’re going to show young people how cool science can be.”
The campaign, called Educate to Innovate, focuses mainly on activities outside the classroom. For example, Discovery Communications has promised to use two hours of the afternoon schedule on its Science Channel cable network for commercial-free programming geared toward middle school students.
Science and engineering societies are promising to provide volunteers to work with students in the classroom, culminating in a National Lab Day in May.
The MacArthur Foundation and technology industry organizations are giving out prizes in a contest to develop video games that teach science and math.
“The different sectors are responding to the president’s call for all hands on deck,” John P. Holdren, the White House science adviser, said in an interview last week.
The other parts of the campaign include a two-year focus on science on “Sesame Street,” the venerable public television children’s show, and a Web site, connectamillionminds.com, set up by Time Warner Cable, that provides a searchable directory of local science activities. The cable system will contribute television time and advertising to promote the site.
The White House has also recruited Sally K. Ride, the first American woman in space, and corporate executives like Craig R. Barrett, a former chairman of Intel, and Ursula M. Burns, chief executive of Xerox, to champion the cause of science and math education to corporations and philanthropists.
Dr. Ride said their role would be identifying successful programs and then connecting financing sources to spread the successes nationally. “The need is funding,” she said. “There is a lot of corporate interest and foundation interest in this issue.”
Administration officials say that the breadth of participation in Educate to Innovate is wider than in previous efforts, which have failed to produce a perceptible rise in test scores or in most students’ perceptions of math and science. In international comparison exams, American students have long lagged behind those in much of Asia and Europe.
But some education experts said the initiatives did little to address some core issues: improving the quality of teachers and the curriculum.
“I think a lot of this is good, but it is missing more than half of what needs to be done,” said Mark S. Schneider, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research, a nonprofit research organization in Washington. “It has nothing to do with the day-to-day teaching,” said Dr. Schneider, who was the commissioner of education statistics at the Department of Education from 2005 to 2008.
Dr. Holdren said the initiatives, which are financed almost entirely by the participating companies and foundations and not the government, complement the Race to the Top program of the Department of Education, which will dispense $4.35 billion in stimulus financing to states for innovative education programs. The Race to the Top rules give extra points to applications that emphasize science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the so-called STEM subjects.
“The president has made it very clear it is a big priority,” Dr. Holdren said.
In April, Mr. Obama, speaking at the National Academy of Sciences, promised a “renewed commitment” that would move the United States “from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math over the next decade.”
To achieve this goal, Mr. Obama talked of “forging partnerships.” Monday’s announcement contains the first wave of such partnerships, officials said.
David M. Zaslav, the president and chief executive of Discovery, said Mr. Obama’s words about science education inspired Discovery to come up with the idea of two hours of programming, a mix of old and new content, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays on the Science Channel. The idea is that students coming home from school will have a ready means to learn more science.
The lack of commercials is “a big statement by us that it’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about reinforcing the importance of science to kids and inspiring them.”
The programming is to begin next year; the date has not been set yet.
The foundation of Jack D. Hidary, an entrepreneur who earned his fortune in finance and technology, worked with the National Science Teachers Association, the MacArthur Foundation and the American Chemical Society to create a Web site, nationallabday.org, that matches scientists willing to volunteer their time and teachers describing what projects they hope to incorporate into their classes.
For example, Mr. Hidary said, a project could involve students’ recording of birdsongs and comparing them with others from elsewhere. “That’s actually scientifically useful,” he said. “Kids can actually perform useful science.”
The projects are to culminate in National Lab Day, which schools will hold the first week of May, but the projects will typically spread over several months. Mr. Hidary said students learn better with hands-on inquiries.
“We are not about one-offs,” he said. “We’re not looking for bringing in a scientist for a day.”
After the chemical society joined the effort, other scientific organizations also signed on, Mr. Hidary said, adding, “Each one is coming, upping the ante.”
For the video game challenge, the idea is to piggyback on the interest children already have in playing the games. “That’s where they are,” said Michael D. Gallagher, chief executive of the Entertainment Software Association, a trade group and one of the sponsors. “This initiative is a recognition of that.”
Sony is expected to donate 1,000 PlayStation 3 game consoles and copies of the game LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community organizations in low-income areas. Part of the competition will consist of children creating new levels in LittleBigPlanet that incorporate science and math. The other part will offer a total of $300,000 in prize money to game designers for science and math games that will be distributed free.
“We’re finding extraordinary engagement with games,” said Connie Yowell, director of education for MacArthur. If the engagement is combined with a science curriculum, she said, “then I think we have a very powerful approach.”
Some of the initiatives were already in the works and would have been rolled out regardless of the administration’s campaign. “Sesame Street” already planned to incorporate nature into this year’s season, but has now decided to add discussions of the scientific method in next year’s episodes.
“We’ve really never kind of approached it that way before,” said Gary E. Knell, president and chief executive of the Sesame Workshop.
Time Warner Cable had already decided to devote 80 percent of its philanthropy efforts to science and math education before Mr. Obama’s speech in April. But the company adjusted its project to fit in with the others.
“Being part of a bigger effort,” said Glenn A. Britt, the chief executive, “increases the chances that the effort will be successful.”
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
For Immediate Release
To the Animas High School Community,
It is with great sadness that I inform our school community of a
horrific tragedy that occurred earlier this week. Many of you
may know Jason Hotchkiss, Director of Durango’s Four River Institute
and the father of one of our ninth grade students. Jason's wonderful
wife, Cassandra, was killed in a car accident on Monday night. In the car
with her were three of Jason and Cassandra’s five children. All three children were airlifted from Durango to Denver on Monday evening and remain in very serious condition.
Our school community will be rallying in support of the family and we
plan on sending cards, gifts and well wishes from the school up to
Denver the end of this week. Condolence cards for Jason and his family
can be sent directly to:
Jason Hotchkiss
1718 Mariposa Drive
Durango, CO 81301
With such a crazy week here at school (Exhibition, Retrospective et
al), our advisory groups took time out yesterday to check in with
students about this incident. These discussions led to some amazing
dialogue concerning grief and loss. As always, in addition to our
faculty advisors, AHS has professional counseling contacts we can
employ should any student express the desire or need to further
process this tragedy. Please direct any and all questions or concerns
related to this incident to our Head of School.
Thanks again to everyone who has already shared their condolences with the
school and we have and will continue to pass on your well wishes to
Jason, his 9th grader (not involved in the accident) and his family.
Cassandra was a wonderful mother, a wonderful wife, and a wonderful human being,
and she will be dearly missed by everyone who ever made her acquaintance. Please continue to keep the entire family in your thoughts and prayers.
Respectfully,
Michael Ackerman
Monday, November 16, 2009
AHS Weekly Update 11-16
It’s a BIG WEEK here at Animas High School. Please take note of the following:
Save the Date
This Wednesday, November 18 from 6-7:30 PM, Animas High School will be hosting its first ever STUDENT EXHIBITION at AHS. This is a must make event for anyone connected with a student at AHS. We look forward to your participation and thank you in advance for all the encouragement, recognition and support of our students
Save the Date
This Thursday, November 19 from 6-8 PM, Animas High School will be hosting our FALL RETROSPECTIVE at Durango REC CENTER. Retrospect is a multi-media slide presentation which will take us on a visual overview of our community’s journey this year. From a look back at summer events through this week’s Exhibition, this is one presentation not to be missed!
To enhance our time together at this Thursday’s RETROSPECTIVE, we are asking our community to participate in a Potluck Dinner. Items and areas of need have been delegated out by PAC based upon “last names” Thank you for whatever contribution you can make to this special evening event.
POTLUCK PLAN: If your last name begins with…..
A-D a meal item (vegetarian items are welcomed and appreciated)
E-G finger food or appetizer
H-L salad items
M-P drinks and bread items
R-S dessert items
T-Y utensils, plate, napkins, cups
Thanksgiving Break
I’m sure our students will not let you forget our Thanksgiving Recess. School will be closed from November 23-27 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. School will resume Monday, November 30th.
A DAY AT ANIMAS HIGH - The Durango Herald
Read the story on the Herald Website Here: Durango Herald News,
New charter school focuses on projects
New charter school focuses on projects
A day at Animas High
by Chuck Slothower
Herald Staff Writer
Monday, November 16, 2009
The differences
In addition to its curriculum based on projects, Animas High School differs from regular public schools in other ways:
❂ Classes are smaller. Hannah Quick’s classes Nov. 6 had 10 to 16 students, which allowed them to inter ject during lessons or seek help from teachers during projects.
❂ Animas High offers no traditional sports or after-school activities, so stu dents go to Durango High School for those. By law, DHS has to allow char ter school students to participate, but that doesn’t make it any easier for AHS students socially.
Hannah played on the Demons junior varsity volleyball team this year, but she was the only player who did not attend DHS.“I definitely got some flak on that, but it wasn’t that bad,” she said.
The same goes for other extracur ricular activities. Boone Grigsby, anoth er Animas freshman, participates in DHS’ theater program. He has a part in “A Christmas Carol.”
“It’s a big transition,” he said.“Here, we don’t have anybody above us to call us freshmen.”
During a game of capture the flag at Animas High School, student Hannah Williams decided the rules didn't make sense. So she went to Jake Lauer, the staffer who was running the game, and told him.
Lauer agreed, and halted the game to tell the players of the rule change.
It's a depth-over-breadth kind of approach. We don't cover as much, but we go deeper.
- John Fisher, humanities teacher
At some schools, such flexibility might be unusual. Not at Animas.
"It's basically how our school is," said Williams, 15. "Everything's like that."
A public, charter high school, Animas opened in August, offering an innovative curriculum based on student projects.
Animas allowed a reporter to spend a full day at the school Nov. 6 to observe classes and interview students and teachers without restriction.
To gauge the experience of a typical student, Animas chose one to be followed throughout the day: Hannah Quick, 14, an avid volleyball player who one day wants to be a surgeon. She is one of three girls named Hannah at AHS. This is what her day was like.
Period 1 - Digital Media Hannah arrived at Animas before the 8:15 a.m. start of class. She was dropped off by her mother to the school at 3206 Main Ave. Music played on speakers before class time.
Hannah settled in front of one of 20 desktop computers in the school's computer lab. Animas High also has laptops for students to use, or they may bring their own. It's a common sight to see students on laptops in any AHS classroom.
Roxanne McKnight, a part-time teacher at Animas, began class with 15 students in attendance. The school does not use bells, giving the day a less-hurried feel.
Students were absorbed in a project to create their own student ID cards and a related poster using Adobe Photoshop, a complex software program. McKnight talked them through the process using her own computer.
Inevitably, students ran into situations where they were using the wrong tool or had missed a step. McKnight encouraged her students to help one another.
"Remember my rule: Ask three before me," she said.
When Hannah selected the wrong brush tool to manipulate her image, McKnight thanked her for making the mistake "so other people won't," instead of chastising her.
Soon, Hannah got it right, closely cropping the photo of herself taken in nearby Animas City Park. Some students who had fallen behind were asked to return during lunch to catch up.
Hannah said she enjoys the class because it incorporates programs like Photoshop and Dreamweaver.
"I really like how we're learning that stuff," she said.
Period 2 - Math and physics Math specialist Josh Dalley spent most of second period balancing precariously on chairs as he stretched to reach the white board mounted above his head.
Dalley is another of Animas' part-time teachers. He also coaches for Durango Nordic Ski Club.
Math class was fairly traditional by Animas' standards. Dalley worked through inequalities while his 10 students listened, although they frequently interjected with questions.
At one point, Dalley realized that an equation had gone awry.
"OK," he said. "I kind of botched this example."
Second period was split between math and physics. After an hour, Hannah and her classmates went downstairs for physics. Animas is a small school, and the distance between classes often is only a few feet. The 77 students often carry little from class to class.
Hannah spent the five-minute break between math and physics in the alley behind the school hitting a volleyball in a small circle of classmates. Others tossed a football.
It was in a seventh-grade science class at Miller Middle School that Hannah decided she wanted to be a surgeon when she and a partner dissected a fetal pig.
"It is so much fun," she said.
Her partner dug pliers into the pig's eye, causing the organ to explode.
"We didn't know where it went," Hannah said with delight.
In physics, students were assembling clocks from precut wooden pieces. The project was typical of Animas: There was no lecturing on Newton's laws of motion, but plenty of hammering. But, Hannah said, they were learning about the periodic motion of pendulums, proportions for the motion of gears, kinetic and potential energies and simple machines.
Hannah's usual teacher, Colleen Dunning, was sick, so Cathy Cullicott, another science teacher, led the class.
Matthew Longwell was in a group trying to make a clock resembling a longneck turtle. To show what a longneck turtle looks like, he pulled out an iPod touch and used Google to find a picture.
Physics is not one of Hannah's favorite subjects.
"I don't care why things fall," she said, "but I understand why you need to learn it."
Lunch Animas, which lacks a cafeteria and a kitchen, does not participate in the federal lunch program. Students may bring their own lunch or pay $6 a day for meals catered by local restaurants.
On Nov. 6, the Mexican restaurant Cocina Linda provided tamales. Hannah ended up with vegetarian tamales, much to her disappointment.
"I like meat," she said.
Zia Taqueria, East by Southwest, Homeslice Pizza and J Bo's also participate in the program.
Longwell went without a lunch.
"I can't afford lunch every day here," he said.
Sometimes, Longwell said, he brings Reubens. But not on this day.
During lunch, Akeem Ayanniyi, a Nigerian drummer who lives in Santa Fe, played for the students. Ayanniyi was in town to lead workshops at Durango Arts Center. He played two songs while students clapped along.
Other groups of students played football in Animas City Park or lounged in the hallways.
Period 3 - Humanities In Lori Fisher's humanities class, students critiqued one another's graphic novel sections. The novel is based on the story of "Medea," an ancient Greek play by Euripides that Fisher's students have studied.
Students were paired based on who wanted to draw and who wanted to write. Each group took up a section of the story, and the sections will be combined into one graphic novel. The 16 students in attendance filled out comment forms on their peers' work.
Hannah said the class was well-designed so all the activities are meaningful.
"You can tell how everything comes together to go into that project," she said.
Fisher and her husband, John, who also teaches humanities, moved to Durango from San Diego, where they taught at High Tech High, a charter school that serves as a model for Animas. The Fishers train other Animas teachers in the High Tech High model.
Unlike many charter schools, Animas pays its teachers on a par with the local school district. Animas teachers design projects that address state standards. Much of the time, projects reflect teachers' own interests.
"Teachers teach what they're excited about, and what they're passionate about and what they're experts in," said Lori Fisher.
At Animas, one project follows another.
"It's a depth-over-breadth kind of approach," said John Fisher. "We don't cover as much, but we go deeper."
Period 4 - X-Block Twice a week, students have X-Block, a twist on traditional physical education. Yoga, field games and aikido are among the activities available to students.
"What we're trying to do is help people find ways that they really enjoy to be physically active," said Lauer, director of student services.
Instead of traditional gym class activities, students get outdoors for pastimes they hopefully will love for a lifetime.
"It's just kind of a get-out-and-do-it kind of thing," Hannah said.
On this day, the students voted to play capture the flag in Animas City Park. Another group played disc golf.
Hannah guarded the flag for most of the game, which was won by Lauer's side, called the Squirrels. The winning team was awarded small packets of M & M's.
After the game concluded with the end of school at 3:15 p.m., students walked across 32nd Street with the help of a crossing guard and filtered out into the afternoon.
chuck@durangoherald.com
New charter school focuses on projects
New charter school focuses on projects
A day at Animas High
by Chuck Slothower
Herald Staff Writer
Monday, November 16, 2009
The differences
In addition to its curriculum based on projects, Animas High School differs from regular public schools in other ways:
❂ Classes are smaller. Hannah Quick’s classes Nov. 6 had 10 to 16 students, which allowed them to inter ject during lessons or seek help from teachers during projects.
❂ Animas High offers no traditional sports or after-school activities, so stu dents go to Durango High School for those. By law, DHS has to allow char ter school students to participate, but that doesn’t make it any easier for AHS students socially.
Hannah played on the Demons junior varsity volleyball team this year, but she was the only player who did not attend DHS.“I definitely got some flak on that, but it wasn’t that bad,” she said.
The same goes for other extracur ricular activities. Boone Grigsby, anoth er Animas freshman, participates in DHS’ theater program. He has a part in “A Christmas Carol.”
“It’s a big transition,” he said.“Here, we don’t have anybody above us to call us freshmen.”
During a game of capture the flag at Animas High School, student Hannah Williams decided the rules didn't make sense. So she went to Jake Lauer, the staffer who was running the game, and told him.
Lauer agreed, and halted the game to tell the players of the rule change.
It's a depth-over-breadth kind of approach. We don't cover as much, but we go deeper.
- John Fisher, humanities teacher
At some schools, such flexibility might be unusual. Not at Animas.
"It's basically how our school is," said Williams, 15. "Everything's like that."
A public, charter high school, Animas opened in August, offering an innovative curriculum based on student projects.
Animas allowed a reporter to spend a full day at the school Nov. 6 to observe classes and interview students and teachers without restriction.
To gauge the experience of a typical student, Animas chose one to be followed throughout the day: Hannah Quick, 14, an avid volleyball player who one day wants to be a surgeon. She is one of three girls named Hannah at AHS. This is what her day was like.
Period 1 - Digital Media Hannah arrived at Animas before the 8:15 a.m. start of class. She was dropped off by her mother to the school at 3206 Main Ave. Music played on speakers before class time.
Hannah settled in front of one of 20 desktop computers in the school's computer lab. Animas High also has laptops for students to use, or they may bring their own. It's a common sight to see students on laptops in any AHS classroom.
Roxanne McKnight, a part-time teacher at Animas, began class with 15 students in attendance. The school does not use bells, giving the day a less-hurried feel.
Students were absorbed in a project to create their own student ID cards and a related poster using Adobe Photoshop, a complex software program. McKnight talked them through the process using her own computer.
Inevitably, students ran into situations where they were using the wrong tool or had missed a step. McKnight encouraged her students to help one another.
"Remember my rule: Ask three before me," she said.
When Hannah selected the wrong brush tool to manipulate her image, McKnight thanked her for making the mistake "so other people won't," instead of chastising her.
Soon, Hannah got it right, closely cropping the photo of herself taken in nearby Animas City Park. Some students who had fallen behind were asked to return during lunch to catch up.
Hannah said she enjoys the class because it incorporates programs like Photoshop and Dreamweaver.
"I really like how we're learning that stuff," she said.
Period 2 - Math and physics Math specialist Josh Dalley spent most of second period balancing precariously on chairs as he stretched to reach the white board mounted above his head.
Dalley is another of Animas' part-time teachers. He also coaches for Durango Nordic Ski Club.
Math class was fairly traditional by Animas' standards. Dalley worked through inequalities while his 10 students listened, although they frequently interjected with questions.
At one point, Dalley realized that an equation had gone awry.
"OK," he said. "I kind of botched this example."
Second period was split between math and physics. After an hour, Hannah and her classmates went downstairs for physics. Animas is a small school, and the distance between classes often is only a few feet. The 77 students often carry little from class to class.
Hannah spent the five-minute break between math and physics in the alley behind the school hitting a volleyball in a small circle of classmates. Others tossed a football.
It was in a seventh-grade science class at Miller Middle School that Hannah decided she wanted to be a surgeon when she and a partner dissected a fetal pig.
"It is so much fun," she said.
Her partner dug pliers into the pig's eye, causing the organ to explode.
"We didn't know where it went," Hannah said with delight.
In physics, students were assembling clocks from precut wooden pieces. The project was typical of Animas: There was no lecturing on Newton's laws of motion, but plenty of hammering. But, Hannah said, they were learning about the periodic motion of pendulums, proportions for the motion of gears, kinetic and potential energies and simple machines.
Hannah's usual teacher, Colleen Dunning, was sick, so Cathy Cullicott, another science teacher, led the class.
Matthew Longwell was in a group trying to make a clock resembling a longneck turtle. To show what a longneck turtle looks like, he pulled out an iPod touch and used Google to find a picture.
Physics is not one of Hannah's favorite subjects.
"I don't care why things fall," she said, "but I understand why you need to learn it."
Lunch Animas, which lacks a cafeteria and a kitchen, does not participate in the federal lunch program. Students may bring their own lunch or pay $6 a day for meals catered by local restaurants.
On Nov. 6, the Mexican restaurant Cocina Linda provided tamales. Hannah ended up with vegetarian tamales, much to her disappointment.
"I like meat," she said.
Zia Taqueria, East by Southwest, Homeslice Pizza and J Bo's also participate in the program.
Longwell went without a lunch.
"I can't afford lunch every day here," he said.
Sometimes, Longwell said, he brings Reubens. But not on this day.
During lunch, Akeem Ayanniyi, a Nigerian drummer who lives in Santa Fe, played for the students. Ayanniyi was in town to lead workshops at Durango Arts Center. He played two songs while students clapped along.
Other groups of students played football in Animas City Park or lounged in the hallways.
Period 3 - Humanities In Lori Fisher's humanities class, students critiqued one another's graphic novel sections. The novel is based on the story of "Medea," an ancient Greek play by Euripides that Fisher's students have studied.
Students were paired based on who wanted to draw and who wanted to write. Each group took up a section of the story, and the sections will be combined into one graphic novel. The 16 students in attendance filled out comment forms on their peers' work.
Hannah said the class was well-designed so all the activities are meaningful.
"You can tell how everything comes together to go into that project," she said.
Fisher and her husband, John, who also teaches humanities, moved to Durango from San Diego, where they taught at High Tech High, a charter school that serves as a model for Animas. The Fishers train other Animas teachers in the High Tech High model.
Unlike many charter schools, Animas pays its teachers on a par with the local school district. Animas teachers design projects that address state standards. Much of the time, projects reflect teachers' own interests.
"Teachers teach what they're excited about, and what they're passionate about and what they're experts in," said Lori Fisher.
At Animas, one project follows another.
"It's a depth-over-breadth kind of approach," said John Fisher. "We don't cover as much, but we go deeper."
Period 4 - X-Block Twice a week, students have X-Block, a twist on traditional physical education. Yoga, field games and aikido are among the activities available to students.
"What we're trying to do is help people find ways that they really enjoy to be physically active," said Lauer, director of student services.
Instead of traditional gym class activities, students get outdoors for pastimes they hopefully will love for a lifetime.
"It's just kind of a get-out-and-do-it kind of thing," Hannah said.
On this day, the students voted to play capture the flag in Animas City Park. Another group played disc golf.
Hannah guarded the flag for most of the game, which was won by Lauer's side, called the Squirrels. The winning team was awarded small packets of M & M's.
After the game concluded with the end of school at 3:15 p.m., students walked across 32nd Street with the help of a crossing guard and filtered out into the afternoon.
chuck@durangoherald.com
Newsweek- The Decline of Western Innovation
The Decline of Western Innovation
Why America is falling behind and how to fix it.
By Daniel McGinn | NEWSWEEK
Published Nov 16, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Nov 23, 2009
Only a slight breeze blew across the plains of Inner Mongolia on a recent afternoon, but the giant turbines at the Huitengxile Wind Power Field were spinning steadily. This facility, 200 miles northwest of Beijing, has 550 turbines churning out enough juice to power a small city, and inside a monitoring station, plant manager Zhang Jianjun points to a wall chart showing the 11 different suppliers of the high-tech windmills. Four are Chinese companies, but when Zhang is asked to pick his favorite, his nationalism is trumped by a desire for quality. "General Electric," he says, citing its reliability. "I'm excited when all of the turbines are working."
GE's roots lie in Thomas Edison's Menlo Park lab, the site of some of the most significant innovation in our history. Today millions of Edison's spiritual descendants—engineers, geneticists, programmers, entrepreneurs—are toiling in basic research across the country. But amid a profound economic slowdown, Americans have real doubts about their ability to maintain their edge in innovation, even as they agree that technological innovation is more important than ever.
Those insights, gleaned from the NEWSWEEK-Intel Global Innovation Survey, inspired us to consider what it will take for Americans to once again believe they are at the forefront of technological innovation. Funded by Intel and conducted by the polling firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, the survey—an online questionnaire administered to 4,800 adults in the United States, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom—set out to compare their views about the innovation race. NEWSWEEK had editorial control over the survey questions, as well as the interpretation of the results.
On some issues there is widespread agreement: two thirds of respondents believe innovation will be more important than ever to the U.S. economy over the next 30 years. But the survey shows some striking contrasts as well. Eighty-one percent of Chinese believe the U.S. is staying ahead of China on innovation; only 41 percent of Americans agree. To find the next big breakthrough, Americans are focused on improving math and science education, while Chinese are more concerned about developing creative problem-solving and business skills.
Around the globe, there are signs that the recession may be easing—and as it does, people of all nationalities will resume their hunt for the best products, the best investments, and the best jobs. As the world's economy speeds back up, regaining our faith in our ability to innovate will be critical. View the NEWSWEEK-Intel Survey highlights here.
Find this article at
http://www.newsweek.com/id/222979
Why America is falling behind and how to fix it.
By Daniel McGinn | NEWSWEEK
Published Nov 16, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Nov 23, 2009
Only a slight breeze blew across the plains of Inner Mongolia on a recent afternoon, but the giant turbines at the Huitengxile Wind Power Field were spinning steadily. This facility, 200 miles northwest of Beijing, has 550 turbines churning out enough juice to power a small city, and inside a monitoring station, plant manager Zhang Jianjun points to a wall chart showing the 11 different suppliers of the high-tech windmills. Four are Chinese companies, but when Zhang is asked to pick his favorite, his nationalism is trumped by a desire for quality. "General Electric," he says, citing its reliability. "I'm excited when all of the turbines are working."
GE's roots lie in Thomas Edison's Menlo Park lab, the site of some of the most significant innovation in our history. Today millions of Edison's spiritual descendants—engineers, geneticists, programmers, entrepreneurs—are toiling in basic research across the country. But amid a profound economic slowdown, Americans have real doubts about their ability to maintain their edge in innovation, even as they agree that technological innovation is more important than ever.
Those insights, gleaned from the NEWSWEEK-Intel Global Innovation Survey, inspired us to consider what it will take for Americans to once again believe they are at the forefront of technological innovation. Funded by Intel and conducted by the polling firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, the survey—an online questionnaire administered to 4,800 adults in the United States, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom—set out to compare their views about the innovation race. NEWSWEEK had editorial control over the survey questions, as well as the interpretation of the results.
On some issues there is widespread agreement: two thirds of respondents believe innovation will be more important than ever to the U.S. economy over the next 30 years. But the survey shows some striking contrasts as well. Eighty-one percent of Chinese believe the U.S. is staying ahead of China on innovation; only 41 percent of Americans agree. To find the next big breakthrough, Americans are focused on improving math and science education, while Chinese are more concerned about developing creative problem-solving and business skills.
Around the globe, there are signs that the recession may be easing—and as it does, people of all nationalities will resume their hunt for the best products, the best investments, and the best jobs. As the world's economy speeds back up, regaining our faith in our ability to innovate will be critical. View the NEWSWEEK-Intel Survey highlights here.
Find this article at
http://www.newsweek.com/id/222979
Monday, November 2, 2009
AHS Weekly Update- 11-2-09
Happy November!
Student DPs Going Up on the Web
• Congratulations to Matthew Longwell, the first Animas High School student ever to post his AHS Digital Portfolio online. Look to see all of our students DP’s uploaded to the internet over the next two weeks. Make sure you ask your student if there pages are ready to drop!
Snow Closures
• We were excited and surprised by last week’s wintry weather and wanted to let our community know that in the event of school closure due to inclement weather, the following communication steps will be enacted:
o By 6:00 AM, AHS’s voice mail message, accessed by calling 247-2472 (AHS-AHS4) will reflect the school’s decision to delay/cancel school. If you call the main number and do not hear a cancelation message, then school is open.
o By 6:00 AM, AHS will have contacted the media and added our delay/cancelation to the on air closing lists broadcast on the stations of
Four Corners Radio: Durango/La Plata County 90.1/89.5
Southern Ute Tribal Radio Ignacio/Bayfield 91.3
Durango’s 99.7 The Point
o By 6:15 AM, AHS’s website (www.animashighschool.com) and HOS Blog (www.animashighschool.blogspot.com) will have cancelation messages on the top of each home page.
Fundraising Letter
The Parent Advisory Committee has sent out a fundraising letter to the families of AHS students. Letters were mailed on Saturday, October 31st and should arrive home the beginning of this week. We’d like to thank all those families who have already contributed to AHS this year! We understand that requests for financial assistance can be met with surprise and/or confusion. However, as we approach the traditional season of giving, here are some important points to consider when thinking about how you can support all the terrific students here at Animas High School:
• AHS currently has 77 terrific students but we need additional financial support, much like other school districts across the country. Our enrollment continues to grow steadily!
• AHS receives funds from the state but is not eligible for financial support for its facility! AHS faces that additional financial obligation after constructing a beautiful and safe campus for our students.
• As AHS adds a grade each year, the school's financial health will be strong and we are confident that our financial model is reliable and secure.
• This first year is the toughest financially as there are fixed costs (facility, staff salaries) and our 9th grade class reflects the smallest enrollment the school will ever have.
• AHS Board of Directors continue working to raise funds for our first year of operations and to raise capital for the construction of a permanent campus.
• Monthly operations currently cost $1600 more per student than AHS has received from the state
• AHS has been extremely conscientious in cutting back spending, while remaining committed to providing excellent educational instruction!
• AHS has received over $500,000 in grants from public and private sources and continues to work to generate grant related funds.
Head of School Meeting Times
• AHS Head of School Michael Ackerman will be out of the office starting Wednesday, Nov. 3rd through Friday Nov. 13th. Please call 247-2474 to schedule a meeting with Michael or send him an email at michael@animashighschool.com . We are currently scheduling HOS meetings for the week of Nov. 16th and we are happy to find a time for you to meet with Mr. Ackerman. As always, please contact our teachers and/or your student’s advisor with any academic or programmatic concerns or questions you may have.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
AHS Weekly Update 10-27
It’s a busy week here at Animas High School. Some important things to note:
• Thank you all for your attendance and participation in last week’s Student Led Conferences. I hope you were as impressed with our students as we were! Many parents have requested follow up meetings/check-ins with our teachers and I want to encourage you all to reach out to our faculty. We are always available to update you on student performance and hope you’ll access us in regards to your student’s progress. Contact info for AHS staff can be found at the bottom of this email.
• Speaking of SLCs, I wanted to thank all the volunteers who prepped, cooked and provided our faculty with food on the night of conferences. Nothing like hot lasagna, fresh salad and chocolate cookies to really win over a teaching team. A special thank you to Michelle Stowers for coordinating volunteer efforts and food donations last Tues. evening!
• Reminder- NO SCHOOL THIS FRIDAY OCTOBER 30th- AHS will be closed so teachers can participate in professional development and in-service training. We will however be celebrating Halloween on Thurs. and we encourage students to dress up!
• NO LEFT TURNS! I want to remind our community that during drop off and pick up times at AHS, PLEASE do not try and take a left out of our school’s front parking lot. We have committed as a school to following a traffic flow and the Dept. of Transportation is watching! If we do not honor the traffic pattern we had approved with CDOT, we jeopardize future use of the front lot. Please, we understand that it may be easier at times but must insist we all follow the rules. The alley behind school is always a good option as it leads out to 33rd st. and provides an easy left turn onto Main Ave. Questions? Please get in touch.
Head of School, Michael Ackerman Internet Technology,
michael@animashighschool.com it@animashighschool.com
Director of Student Services, Jake Lauer Business Office
jake.lauer@animashighschool.com business@animashighschool.com
Coord. of Exceptional Student Services Math Specialist, Josh Dalley
Jeff DiGiacomo josh.dalley@animashighschool.com
Jeff.digiacomo@animashighschool.com
Humanities Team A, Lori Fisher Spanish, John Sheedy
lori.fisher@animashighschool.com john.sheedy@animashighschool.com
Math/Science Team A, Colleen Dunning Parent Advisory Council (PAC)
Colleen.dunning@animashighschool.com PAC@animashighschool.com
Humanities Team B, John Fisher
John.fisher@animashighschool.com
Math/Science Team B, Cathy Cullicott
Cathy.cullicott@animashighschool.com
Digital Media/Art, Roxanne McKnight
Roxy.mcknight@animashighschool.com
Monday, October 19, 2009
AHS Weekly Update 10-19-09
I hope this note finds you well and I hope you and your family had a relaxing and enjoyable autumn weekend. Please allow me a quick second to update you all on AHS happenings this week:
Student Led Conferences Tomorrow Night!
From the looks on students’ faces this morning, there’s definitely some anxious anticipation for tomorrow night’s SLCs. Students are busy readying there Digital Portfolios and rehearsing their presentations. Parents/guardians should already know what time their student is scheduled to present. There also is an SLC update included in the most recent Head of School update that went out on Friday. Please consult the update and the letter that teachers sent home regarding SLCs if you have any questions. Never saw a letter or update on SLCs? This information is available online and teachers are available via telephone or email. We are looking forward to Tues. evening and we’re excited for your participation in Student Led Conferences.
Speaking of the Head of School Update, below is the link to the most recent AHS news. Please make sure to check out all the great happenings at Animas High School at:
http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=1461767&da=y
Staff In-Service
There will be no school on Friday, October 30, 2009 so Animas High School staff can participate in a full day of faculty in-service and professional development. Please note this scheduling update as we continue to work hard enhancing our curriculum and refining our school’s programs. Please direct any questions or concerns related to teacher in-service to Head of School Michael Ackerman
I cannot wait to see all of you tomorrow evening and I hope you are as excited as we are. Our students have been performing brilliantly and we are excited for them to share their performance with you. Have a great week and thank you all for your continued encouragement and support!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
AHS WEEKLY UPDATE 10-12 to 10-16
Greetings Animas High School Families!
I want to personally thank everyone who showed up at this week’s PAC meeting and shared feedback and continued ideas for improvement with the school. We work hard every day to make Animas High School better and your assistance with this effort is valued and appreciated. As part of this commitment, it is our desire to send out Monday email blasts to families so that you can stay abreast of everything ahead in the coming week(s). With school being closed this Monday, we are sending this note out a few days early. As always, please feel free to contact the school at 970-AHS-AHS4 (247-2474) or reach me personally at 970-403-4827 or michael@animashighschool.com
• DON’T FORGET- Monday, October 12th, Animas High School will be closed for Indigenous People’s Day (Columbus Day) recess. We love our students but they’ll be quite lonely if they decide to attend school on Monday!
• MATH UPDATE- We’ve increased our math specialist work to include two staff members. Josh Dalley is now facilitating both remedial and advanced math instruction at AHS while Carla Rossi continues to be available for afternoon tutoring and specialized instruction. This blend better accommodates our teacher’s schedules and makes the most sence logistically for AHS. Look for more about Josh and his accomplishments as a teacher, athlete and professional engineer in the next HOS update.
• SUPPLIES, SUPPLIES, SUPPLIES- We continue to accept any supplies that help support our school’s day to day programming. Items such as paper towels, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, trash can liners, hand soap, as well as pencils, pens, printer paper, etc. are always appreciated. The next time you are in the grocery or office supply store and there’s a two for one offer…Think AHS!
• SAVE THE DATE- “Children of the Dump” Life portrayed through the photographs of children living in a Tijuana garbage dump. Join filmmaker and AHS Spanish teacher John Sheedy for a photo exhibition and learn more about the Tijuana Project and AHS’s pen pal program with Mexican students. Opening reception is Friday, Oct.16th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM and refreshments will be served. The photos will be hosted at Animas High School through the 15th of November and we hope our community can stop by, see John’s great work and learn more about Animas High School’s involvement with this project.
• SAVE THE DATE- Student led conferences will be held October 20th from 3:30 to 7:00 PM. Students will be practicing their presentations for SLC’s next week and we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of conference particulars in the next HOS update. This is a mandatory event for all Animas High School students and we’ll begin scheduling the evening next week. Each family will need to commit to a half hour time slot. We’re looking forward to our students sharing their work and their excitement about their academic performance with our community.
Wishing You All a Safe and Enjoyable Three Day Weekend!
Regards,
Michael Ackerman
Thursday, October 8, 2009
AHS in the News
Inside Animas High School
Durango’s new charter school is off and running
Animas High School freshman show off their “Identity Masks,” reflections of the influences of society upon their personalities, early this week. The new charter high school has been offering a “21st century education” for the past six weeks at its location off North Main Ave./Photo by Stephen Eginoire
by Anna Thomas
The new Animas High School is quietly taking shape, sandwiched between a Chinese buffet and a SCUBA shop in an unassuming Durango strip mall of all places. The renovated space, formerly a maze of partitioned medical offices, is now home to 10,000 square feet of classrooms – classrooms in which 75 freshmen are being exposed to a new kind of education.
The high school features an innovative curriculum of “project-based” learning and community involvement. The curriculum is modeled after that of the highly successful High Tech High, in San Diego. HTH boasts 15 percent higher scores on standardized tests than traditional high schools, with 99 percent college acceptance upon graduation.
“I have moms come up to me in tears at City Market,” says head of school Michael Ackerman. “They say, ‘Little Johnny actually likes school! Whatever you’re doing, it’s working!’”
The Animas High students’ most recent project involved Durango Fire and Rescue. Fire Marshall Tom Kaufman put on a “Hydraulics 101” course at the school, in which students learned the science behind the water pressure of the city’s hydrants. The students then painted 200 hydrants around town, color-coding them according to pressure, thereby making the engineer’s job easier by knowing at a glance which hose to pull in a fire.
In the course of such a project, says Ackerman, the students not only receive a physics lesson, but get firsthand exposure to the value of community service. One of the founding principles of this model is the integration of technology into the learning process.
“Education has historically been sluggish to react to technology,” says Ackerman. The incorporation of technology, such as laptops, digital media and the internet, is vital in “making our country competitive in the global climate,” Ackerman claims.
A walk through the school’s digital media lab offers insight into the school’s unique approach to education. Atop the “Tinker Table” is a dismantled fax machine, with a note from one of the teachers telling students to “see me if this really interests you.” Even after school lets out, students huddle around the computers, updating their “digital portfolios,” or individual webpages, on which all school-related work is posted.
Downstairs, formerly a parking garage, there is a laptop for every student in Cathy Cullicott’s math and science room. A quote by Jackie Chan on the wall urges kids to “Study with all your might … and never stop fighting to reach your dreams.”
While the students are currently learning about Newton’s First Law on a planetarium website, Cullicott’s background as a geologist will be influencing their next assignment. Standing in front of a poster of an erupting volcano and corresponding seismograph, Cullicott says, “The eruption of Mount St. Helen’s was a turning point in my life.” The next project? Studying the physics of waves, amplitude and frequency through the lens of seismography. One of her students is the daughter of a Fort Lewis College geology professor who has volunteered to contribute his expertise to the project.
Next door, in the humanities room, kids work on “identity masks.” The project calls for students to create a plaster of Paris mask reflecting society’s influence on identity while concurrently writing an essay on the same topic. Freshman Sam Kater’s mask advertises cogito ergo sum on its cheek. “‘I think, therefore I am,’” explains the teen-ager, who adds, “It’s Descartes.”
Humanities instructor and High Tech High transplant John Fisher oversees the activity.
“You get to teach your passion,” Fisher says, echoing Cullicott’s enthusiasm. The next project stems from Fisher’s love of the book Gates of Fire, about the battle of Thermoplyae, upon which the movie “300” is based. The kids will construct “artifacts,” write historical fiction stories, and use Photoshop to design characters that would have lived in an ancient civilization of their choosing.
Students take in a math class at Animas High, where the focus is on innovative problem solving/Photo by Stephen Eginoire
When projects like the identity masks are finalized, they are presented to the public at a community exhibition. The students are required to display their work and be on hand to answer questions. The experience of public presentation and critique exposes kids, says Fisher, to the social pressures of the real world.
In addition to classroom projects, the curriculum incorporates electives and physical education activities suggested by the students. Reflecting the unique social environment of Durango, students get the opportunity to go rock climbing, practice yoga, make a documentary and learn about beekeeping.
Parents, says Ackerman, often express concern over whether or not Animas High’s model addresses the standards. And, in the absence of traditional, test-based assessment, if their son or daughter will be prepared for the CSAP.
Ackerman explains that all the state standards are met, but with a different approach.
“Getting used to this type of educational model is like driving a new car,” says Ackerman. “You still get there the same way, it’s just going to feel a little different.”
As for the CSAP, students also receive education on test-taking strategies, important for standardized, multiple-choice tests like the CSAP.
But times they are a changing at the Colorado Department of Education. Traditional, grade-based standards are being modified to incorporate what Ackerman defines as “21st century skills.” These skills are defined by the Department of Education as “problem-solving, information literacy and innovation” and “the ability to take responsibility for additional learning, self direction and interaction with others to learn new information quickly and more naturally.” The emerging approach bears remarkable similarity to that of the educational model upon which Animas High is based.
As Ackerman puts it, “Learning is not just about attaining information, but what you do with it once you’ve got it.”
At the core of the approach, says Fisher, is accountability. “If kids are having a hard time with a project, they are held accountable to advocate or modify their project.”
As to the student perspective, Freshman Sergio Verduzco asserts, “I’ve never been so engaged in learning.”
This mentality stretches across educational bounds and into the social lives of students. Mathew Longwell, who admittedly let his grades slip at the beginning of the year, has since improved his performance. Of the culture of social acceptance, Longwell says, “There is no room for
That the melting pot of expected high school cliques allows for such a culture of tolerance is a source of pride for Ackerman. “We have 13-year olds using ‘I’ statements!”
Next fall, this year’s students will enter their sophomore year, as a new crop of freshmen take their place. The school has plans for more teachers, and more classrooms, to accommodate a new class each year, up to a maximum of 400 students. After that, Ackerman expectantly declares, “We’ll just build another school!” •
Monday, October 5, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Animas High Tweets!
Animas High School is excited to announce the creation of our own AHS TWITTER account. Follow all the tweets online at twitter.com/AnimasHigh
Monday, September 7, 2009
PROSPECTIVE STUDENT OPEN HOUSE
Prospective Student Open House- September 9, 2009 from 6 to 8 PM
at Animas High School 3206 North Main Ave. Durango, CO.
Call 970-AHS-AHS4 or email jake.lauer@animashighschool.com for more details
at Animas High School 3206 North Main Ave. Durango, CO.
Call 970-AHS-AHS4 or email jake.lauer@animashighschool.com for more details
End of August Head of School Update
Happy Labor Day! Please follow the link below to view the most recent update from Animas High School in PDF format:
http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=1365362&da=y
A JPG version report is available below:
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