Please take a moment to review the following updates:

Animas Welcomes New Faculty

Project Expose

Enrollment and Outreach

9^th Grade Humanities Exhibition

Upcoming Meetings

Humanities/Math Science Help

Animas Welcomes New Faculty

AHS is pleased to welcome Kristi Good to the school’s Math Dept. Kristi will be instructing our morning Geometry classes and we are excited to add her talents and enthusiasm to the team at AHS.

Also joining our team is Rachael Sands. Rachael will be captaining the spring LINK program and will be acting as the school’s internship coordinator. Rachael will also be supporting Gifted and Talented programs here on campus. Cat Lauer will continue her work as a student advisor and provide leadership in Testing and Assessment this fall.

We are enthralled by these additions to our amazing staff. We look forward to introducing you more to our new faculty over the coming weeks.

Project Expose

First Semester is in full swing and teachers have dropped a wide array of interesting project work. Read an overview of teachers’ projects here:

http://animashighschool.blogspot.com/2011/09/colleen-dunning-biology-species.html

Enrollment and Outreach

Animas High School continues to enroll a limited number of students for our 10^th grade class. Students interested in joining the Class of 2014 should contact the AHS Main Office at 970-AHS-AHS

Tours of the AHS campus are are held every Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. Please contact pac@animashighschool.com or the AHS Main Office

9^th Grade Humanities Exhibition

October 6, Strater Hotel, 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Freshman Exhibition for John Fisher's class.

As part of the Durango Heritage Celebration, Animas High 9th grade students will be presenting Identity Masks and essaysexploring their social identities and contrasting their experiences today with Durangoans living at the turn of the last century. The public isencouraged to attend.

Upcoming Meetings

October 6, Animas High School, 6:00 p.m.

Parent Advisory Committee Meeting

September 21, Animas High School, 4:00 PM

SAAC Meeting

Humanities/Math Science Help

Animas High School is committed to academic excellence and we are excited to offer our students numerous opportunities for extra help and support. Every teacher holds weekly office hours after school and we encourage students to access the faculty during these times. Furthermore, AHS will be sponsoring additional extra help sessions on Wednesdays after school in the core classes. Extra Help sessions in Math, Science and the Humanities are scheduled from 3:30 to 5:30 and are facilitated by AHS faculty. No reservations or appointments are required. Please encourage your student(s) to access this valuable opportunity for extra help and support!

Animas High School Values:

• Rigorous academics, where all students are prepared for college success
• Culture of excellence, where students are held to high expectations
• Strong faculty-student relationships, where students are well known
• Engaging learning, where students see the relevance of their education

Semester One Project Expose

Jessica McCallum ***Humanities***

America Deconstructed

The juniors are deconstructing America! They are currently engaged in a series of “historical inquiries,” research assignments designed to explore the complex nature of American History while building the research and writing skills that will be essential to their success in the Humanities in college. These mini-projects are driving toward a two-part semester project in which they will have to design their own inquiry, write a piece of historical analysis, and then re-tell their history creatively in a literary genre of their choosing. Meanwhile, they are keeping blogs of the work that they do. Click here to check out student blogs!

Cathy Eagen ***Math***

Math Analysis students, in their study of sequences and series, will join the ranks of Sierpinski, Von Koch and Menger by defining, creating and analyzing 2-D and 3-D fractal models which follow recursive growth or de

cay patterns.

Geometry projects will introduce students to visualizing 3-D spacial geometry as

they construct models and employ digital technology for research, production and presentation.

Roxy McKnight ***Digital Arts***

DM2: “What is Considered Art?”

Students are researching and exploring Radical Art Movements in European and American History. Students will choose an individual Artist/Era to study and present their research in a PowerPoint, slideshow, or video. Students will design and cr

eate a piece of art with the characteristics of his/her chosen artist or Era to complement their presentations.

DM1: An Introduction to Photoshop

Students start by creating a large poster depicting the face of one of their favorite teachers transposed onto the body of another animal (non-human species). Students will experiment with all the

tools and features of the Photoshop platform resulting in a humorous and visually unique work of art. The project culminates with students demonstrating mastery in Photoshop while generating student IDs for our school community this year.

Becca Katz ***Spanish***

NOT Born in the USA!

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you were born or raised somewhere else? If you had different parents? If you lived in another state? In New York City? In another country? If you grew up speaking a different language? Practicing a different religion? Living in a different socio-economic class?

What would be different? The same? Why? How would you be different?

Merriam Webster defines culture as "The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also: the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time culture> culture>." Cumbersome as it may seem, cultural identity has many pieces, both abstract (values, worldview, social norms) and concrete (food, daily routines, clothing, lifestyle, hobbies). Your cultural identity is shaped by forces outside of your control: by your friends, by where you live, by local, national, and federal politics, by choices your parents have made and opinions they've expressed, by experiences. Your cultural identity is also a product of decisions and choices you have made: of the activities you've decided to pursue, of friends you have made, of lessons you have learned.

Imagining yourself born into OTHERNESS requires perspective. This perspective requires:

* A deep understanding of yourself and your own cultural identity.

* A detailed awareness about another culture.

Your task is to delve into the lifestyle, foods, social/family structures, school systems, hobbies, careers, traditions, and other details of daily life that shape your own cultural identity and those of a culture of the Latin American country of your choosing (see the list of countries from which you can choose below) to write two, side-by-side children's stories en español (¡Por supuesto!/Of course!):

Cuento 1: Un día en mi vida en Durango -- A day in my life in Durango

Cuento 2: Un día en mi vida en __pueblo/ciudad__, ___país____ (town/city, country)

Países de los cuales puedes escoger: Bolivia, Guatemala, Chile

John Fisher ***Humanities***

Sociology and Identity Project

Students are studying the basic principles of sociology, and applying those principles to their lives and to the history of Durango. Students will be creating and then exhibiting identity masks and essays exploring their social identity Thursday, October 6 at the Strater Hotel in conjunction with the

Durango Heritage Celebration. The public is encouraged to attend.

Steve Smith ***Chemistry***

Chemistry is Life

Why should we study chemistry? It’s just the study of what electrons do. How important can these electrons be? They only have a mass of 0.000000000000000000000000000000911 kg, they have an infinitesimally small volume and we’re never even sure where they are at any given time. If fact, they are so odd that we don’t really know whether they are a wave or a particle. Can they really influence our lives?

The answer is obvious, not only can they influence our lives they do influence every aspect of our lives. To consider for a minute all of the ways chemistry, the behavior of electrons, influences our lives consider the following. Aluminum used to be more expensive than gold until 1888 when Charles Hall developed a method to isolate aluminum using electrolysis and now we are given sheets of aluminum foil to wrap up a few left over French fries from

our dinner out. Or consider the evolution of portable vessels to contain water. Two hundred years ago people may have carried water in a leather flask. Five years ago they may have carried it in a Lexan bottle and now they may be carrying their water in an aluminum bottle that is lined with BPA and Phthalate free polymer. Our consumer products are constantly improving as our knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of materials progresses. These chemical and physical properties result from the microscopic behavior of atoms. How these atoms behave individually and collectively can be predicted from know just a few things about their electrons and their locations on the periodic table and sometimes their collective behavior is nothing like their individual behavior. As an example, table salt also known as sodium chloride, is the combination of two elements that independently are a poisonous gas and a metal that violently reacts with water. Not exactly what you would want to put on your potato chips!

You task is to improve a consumer product that plays an important role in your life by changing the elements, compounds or molecules that compose it. Then you will write and mail a letter to the engineering division of the company that makes the product explaining the benefits of your proposed changes. In this letter you should clearly articulate the current composition of the product, its physical and chemical properties and how these current properties can be understood based on the microscopic interactions and the periodic locations of the constituent elements. Then you should explain your proposed new composition for the product. You should follow with a discussion of the chemical and physical properties you expect from your altered composition and why you expect these properties again based on the microscopic interactions and periodic locations of the constituent elements. Lastly, you must make the case for why your proposed composition really is an improvement. Possible rationales include improved performance characteristics, cost savings, health and environmental benefits, public relations and manufacturing considerations.

Colleen Dunning ***Biology***

Species Management Plans

Biology students are currently conducting field research on the Durango Nature Studies property to determine amphibian populations and habitat quality. Students will use their research to write a Species Management Plan that will suggest ways that DNS can promote native leopard frog populations and eliminate the presence of the invasive bullfrog. Exemplary Species Management Plans will be submitted to Durango Nature Studies for review. Students will present their plan to a panel of Biologists and community stakeholders.

Dave Heerschap ***Physics***

Rocking Rockets

Animas High School students have been asked by the US government to design a replacement rocke

t for NASA’s recently retired space shuttle. Due to the increased demands for alternatively fueled vehicles, NASA expects the students to design water-based propulsion systems. A former NASA engineer will assess student designs and the top designs will be recommended for contract approval with the government!

Students will be exhibiting their water rockets after school (date TBA) according to a student-designed l

aunch schedule that our blast engineers must adhere to! The ultimate test of students’ rockets is their launch. The rockets MUST fly with a payload as high as possible and then deploy a "friction device" to slow their craft’s reentry. A complete understanding of Newton’s Laws, kinematics and materials science is necessary to complete this objective. Students will also be preparing a pamphlet and marketing information as part of their project presentation. The government’s contract will be awarded based upon initial designs, flight tests and a successful marketing campaign. Get ready to BLAST OFF!

Lori Fisher ***Humanities***

The Truth of War

Over 100 million people have been killed in wars in the 20^th century. In this century, our world has been devastated by two World Wars, as well as innumerable smaller conflicts between and within nations. Despite the well-documented horrors of war, the phenomenon continues. As you read this, the United States is embroiled in ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is engaged in a NATO coalition in Libya. However, in the nightly news we tend to see a high-level analysis from people who may or may not be on the ground fighting in these conflicts. This provides us with a one-dimensional understanding of war.

Soldiers in wars throughout history have struggled to make sense of their experiences in many ways, and to communicate those experiences to a public who may not be immediately able to connect with the intensity of war. In their literary works, these authors use all of the tools at their disposal to communicate the truth of their experience of war, in hopes that their audience will understand the effects of war in a more personal and visceral way. In a time when warfare continues unabated, it is critically important that we gain an understanding of the experiences of war from the perspective of the people who fight them.

As we read literature of war from two pivotal modern wars (WWI and WWII), students will consider the following question: What is the truth of war for a soldier? After examining this question from a number of different perspectives, students will craft a project that attempts to answer this question in a carefully constructed piece of writing that is inspired by one of the novels we read and another form of their choosing.

Please take a moment to review the following updates:

Test Prep Class

River Run for Orphans

Volunteers

College Road Trip

Chaperones Still Needed!

Upcoming Meetings

Test Prep Class

We had a very strong turnout at last week’s test prep class. The class runs for six weeks and meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. AHS is excited to sponsor this opportunity and will be hosting additional test prep classes in semester two. Questions related to the test prep class should be forwarded to kristi@animasacademics.com

River Run for Orphans

Please join AHS is supporting the 2011 River Run for Orphans event, this Saturday, Sept. 17^th Registration for the 5k run/ walk opens at 9 AM or online at riverrunfororphans.org. There will be a concert and events immediately following the race including Michael Ackerman in the event Dunk Tank! A small donation gives you the chance to try and soak the AHS Head of School!

A group of Animas students have stepped up to help organize this event. The students are still looking for event sponsors, donations and more runners! If you’d like to participate, donate or have questions, please contact AHS student coordinator Cayton Ferguson at CaytieChu@gmail.com or contact River Run Event Coordinator Gerry Geraghty at 970-375-2882

Volunteers

Thank you AHS volunteers for logging 390+ hours of service so far this year! Animas High relies heavily upon our family and community volunteers to help with programs and initiatives here on campus. The school has needs year round and we appreciate all of your efforts to date. But there’s much more to be done and we’d love to talk with you about volunteering your time at AHS. Please contact volunteer@animashighschool.com regarding volunteer and service opportunites.

College Road Trip

AHS Juniors are invited to travel together on Sunday, Oct. 9^th to a regional college fair in Aspen. Students wishing to join us on this college road trip adventure must sign up with the AHS College Counseling Dept. immediately! Participants will receive specific details regarding the road trip in future mailings

Chaperones Still Needed!

*** We received only two replies to last week’s chaperone blast- Can you help our Chemistry students get to Silverton? ***

The 11th grade chemistry classes will be taking a field trip to Silverton on Tuesday September 27 and Wednesday September 28 as part of their Environmental Chemistry unit. The classes will be working with the Mountain Studies Institute to learn about acid mine drainage and evaluate current mediation efforts. While in Silverton, students will also be visiting several study sites, taking field measurements and collecting soil samples for later lab analysis. The class is in need of parent volunteers to drive the students to and from Silverton and to accompany them during the entire field trip. We plan on leaving Animas High School at 8:15 and returning by 3:15 on the date of the trip. It is recommended, though not required, to have 4WD to access several of the sites being visited. Please contact Steve Smith at steve.smith@animashighschool.com if you can help provide transportation for either of the days.

Upcoming Meetings

The Parent Advisory Committee will meet today, September 12th at 12:30 pm on campus.

The AHS Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, Sept, 12^th at 8:15 am at campus

AHS Weekly Update- Week of September 5th, 2011

Tuesday evening’s College Night was a well attended, valuable opportunity for our parents and students to plan, prepare for and discuss the college admissions journey. Remember, any additional questions or concerns related to college preparedness should be forwarded to our CollegeCounseling Dept at college@animashighschool.com

Please take a moment to review the following updates:

Testing at AHS

Extreme Chaperones Needed

Upcoming Meetings

Comings and Goings

Testing at AHS

Standardized Testing Schedule

Animas High School will be administering college admissions exams during the 2011-2012 academic year. Taking these tests at AHS gives students a chance to test in familiar surroundings, and fosters a college-bound culture. For more information about registering and preparing for these tests, please contact Cat: cat.lauer@animashighschool.com

2011-2012 AHS test dates:

PSAT October 15, 2011

ACT February 11, 2012

SAT March 10, 2012

SAT June 2, 2012

NWEA Dates

Animas High School utilizes longitudinal assessments from Northwest Evaluation to guage student progress throughout the year and best inform our faculty on the effectiveness of their instructional strategies. To this end, 9^th and 10^th grade students will take their first round of NWEA assessments the final week of Sept.

2011-12 NWEAs AHS 9^th Grade:

Sept 27-30

Jan 2-5

May 7-11

2011-12 NWEAs AHS 10^th Grade:

Sept 27-30

May 7-11

CogAt

The CogAT will be administered on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct 5 for previously identified GT students. Please contact Cat Lauer at cat.lauer@animashighschool.com

with questions or concerns.

PSAT Test Prep Class

PSAT Test Prep classes start this Thursday, Sept, 8th from 3:30 to 5:30 at AHS. Students will be required to purchase a testing workbook as part of this class. (Available at Maria's Books in downtown Durango) Sign ups have been vigorous and we are expecting quite a full group on Thursday evenings. The class is sponsored by AHS and will be facilitated by our programming partners at Animas Academics. Please contact Animas Academics at 970-946-3015 or info@animasacademics.com with any questions regarding this class. Additional sign-ups, please contact Testing Coordinator Cat Lauer.

Extreme Chaperones Needed

The 11th grade chemistry classes will be taking a field trip to Silverton on Tuesday September 27 and Wednesday September 28 as part of their Environmental Chemistry unit. The classes will be working with the Mountain Studies Institute to learn about acid mine drainage and evaluate current mediation efforts. While in Silverton, students will also be visiting several study sites, taking field measurements and collecting soil samples for later lab analysis. The class is in need of parent volunteers to drive the students to and from Silverton and to accompany them during the entire field trip. We plan on leaving Animas High School at 8:15 and returning by 3:15 on the date of the trip. It is recommended, though not required, to have 4WD to access several of the sites being visited. Please contact Steve Smith at steve.smith@animashighschool.com if you can help provide transportation for either of the days.

Upcoming Meetings

The Parent Advisory Committee will meet at 12:30 pm on Monday, September 12^th at campus.

The School Assessment and Accountability Committee will be meeting at 4:00 pm on Sept. 21^st at campus

The AHS Board of Directors will meet next on Tuesday, Sept, 12^th at 8:15 am at campus

Comings and Goings

I want to thank everyone for adhering to the transportation/pick-up and drop-off guidelines as articulated in the AHS Parent/Student Handbook. Things have been operating smoothly during arrival and dismissal times. Please remember the following:

• Campus opens for students at 7 am every morning. Campus is open for students until 4pm each day. Students working with faculty and/or involved in evening events at campus are welcome to stay post 4 o'clock.

• When dropping your student(s) off, please pull all the way forward! We want to avoid traffic stacking on 550 south of our lot entrance. Please respect the needs (and safety) of all drivers and pull as far forward into the lot when dropping off/picking up students.

• NO LEFT TURN- There’s a sign reminding all of us of our commitment to not turning left when leaving the AHS lot. We have promised the City of Durango and the CO Dept of Transpotation that our parents/drivers will not turn left out of the lot. We understand that turning right adds 30 seconds on to your driving logistics but honoriong the “No Left” rule will ensure that the school remains compliant an in good standing with our local and state government agencies! If you must turn left, please use the alley behind school for pick-up and drop-off which will funnel drivers out to 33^rd st. giving drivers the ability to go left.