Tuesday, March 12, 2013

AHS Weekly Update- Week of March 11th, 2013


Please take a moment to review the following updates:


Ospreys in the News

 Spanish 2 Exhibition Online Now

9th Grade Model UN Simulation

Custom Culture Contest Entries Are In!

 2013 Graduation Information

 Nominate an Outstanding Animas Teacher

 Donate Now for AHS Sports Swap

College Counseling Update

Testing & Assessment Update

LINK Update

State Legislative Update

Registration and Re-enrollment for 13-14

Upcoming Events & Exhibitions

Ospreys in the News

Great News! Animas High School is breaking new ground with two students being invited to participate in the next level of competition as a result of their performance in the February 5th American Mathematics Competition.

Tony Williams and Tucker Leavitt have qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination on Thursday March 14th. For the 2013 AMC 12, students in the top 5% of all scorers were invited to the AIME. Congratulations go out to these two mathletes!

Adding to his recent math success, Tucker Leavitt has also qualified for the 2013 Colorado State Science Fair. His project is mentioned in this recent Durango Herald Article and is titled “Liberating Energy from Water? Investigating Anomalous Water Arx Explosions.” The project is a very interesting examination of a process that seems to release more energy than the energy inputted.  He has identified it as a possible source of power generation. We look forward to supporting Tucker’s efforts at the state fair.

Spanish 2 Exhibition Online Now

¡The Ridiculous Spanish Videos project is being exhibited online NOW! 

Spanish 2 students have created a variety of fantastic videos, from tributes to Justin Bieber to telenovelas to covers of Gangnam Style, from sequels to Green Eggs and Ham to sock-puppet dramas. Each video features a specific tricky grammar concept used A LOT!

Now these videos are being exhibited online. They are displayed by grammar topic, so take time to check them out and enjoy. The students also made worksheets to accompany their videos, so if you've studied Spanish before, you can brush up on your grammar by completing the video worksheets as you watch. The answer keys (CLAVEs) are posted as well, so you can check your work! 

9th Grade Model UN Simulation

Sara Price’s 9th Grade Humanities students will be conducting a Model United Nations simulation on Wednesday March 20th from 5:00-7:30 PM at Fort Lewis College, in Noble Hall room 130

In this conference, students are tasked with learning about and representing another country.  They write and try to pass resolutions based on their country’s perspective, but they also try, as much as possible, to achieve consensus within the conference.  In this conference, students will be debating what to do about the Palestinian refugee issue. 
This conference marks the culmination of several weeks of work in which students research the issue and their country perspective, write resolutions, rehearse and refine speeches and practice running the conference.  The simulation event gives them the opportunity to bring all their knowledge and skills together to solve a world problem. We hope to see you there!

Custom Culture Contest Entries Are In!
Ms. Roxy is ecstatic due to more than 30 student entries submitted to her for the 2013 Vans Custom Culture contest. Custom Culture is a national high school shoe customization contest where schools from all over the United States compete for a chance to win money for their art programs. The grand prize winning school will receive a $50,000 prize for their art program and the chance for their shoes to be produced and sold in Vans' retail stores. For more information about this exciting event CLICK HERE

Unity, color, composition, balance; it’s apparent that the concepts Ms. Roxy explores in all of her AHS art classes have not been lost on our charges. Check out student designs HERE but please no voting…YET! We’ll give our community a chance to weigh in on the final designs after students vote this Wednesday.


2013 Graduation Information

As we move closer to May 24th and Animas High’s first graduation ceremony, our school’s graduation committee will be releasing a plethora of information to students and parents beginning on Friday, March 15th. Students and their families should look forward to receiving logistical information covering: the location and times of the graduation ceremony and reception, ticketing and seating information, invitation and announcement ordering information, cap and gown ordering instructions and student speaker contest information.
We’d like to thank the graduation committee (a collection of student, parent and faculty volunteers) for all of their hard work and their commitment to planning this sure-to-be amazing event! We thank parents and families for their continued support and patience as the committee prepares to distribute this import information this Friday.

Nominate an Outstanding Animas Teacher

Animas High School’s teachers are exceptional and the guidance, support and inspiration they provide our students each day directly contributes to our school’s academic and cultural excellence. Often, the Head of School is asked, “what can I do to appreciate my students teachers?” Please consider taking time to nominate one of our all-star faulty members for the 2013 Polis Foundation Teacher Recognition Awards:

Jared Polis Foundation: Teacher Recognition Awards
The Jared Polis Foundation will award 10 Colorado PreK-12 public school teachers with Teacher Recognition Awards, which include a $1,000 discretionary award for the teacher and a $1,500 teacher-directed school grant. Principals, school employees, students, parents and teacher colleagues can nominate a teacher. The nomination deadline is April 5th. Click here to learn more.

Donate Now for AHS Sports Swap
Donations are NOW being accepted for the 3rd Annual AHS Sports Sale that will take place on April 20th from 10:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club.
Drop off any type of sports equipment at Animas High School 3206 North Main Avenue during Regular School Hours- Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

College Counseling Update

Be sure to check out this valuable resource for SUMMER PROGRAMS that we’ll be updating throughout Semester 2.

Scholarships, Grants and Financial Aid opportunities abound. Stay current and informed on all funding possibilities by checking in frequently with our College Counseling Department’s Scholarship Webpage.

Junior College Night 
Date: Wednesday, April 3rd @ 6pm
Location: AHS Lodge

Join the AHS College Counseling team for an overview of the college admission process and how to prepare for the ACT and SAT.  We will also have a panel of AHS seniors to answer questions about the process as well as share their experiences as they navigated the world of college admissions. Questions? Please contact Rachael Sands at internship@animashighschool.com.

FLC Concurrent Enrollment Application Workshop
Do you have questions about concurrent enrollment at Fort Lewis College? Do you need help with the application? Then join Ian Ringgenberg, Academic Success Advisor at Fort Lewis College, to learn more about concurrent enrollment at FLC for next fall.

Date: Thursday, April 4th
Time: 12:30 pm- 1:10 pm
Location: AHS Lodge
Questions: Contact Rachael Sands 259-3013 or at internship@animashighschool.com


Testing & Assessment Update

An SAT prep course will start on April 1st!  This course will be for juniors only and will be the last prep course for this school year.  Juniors should have had an opportunity to sign up for this SIG in advisory.  Email kristi.good@animashighschool.com for more information.

As an early reminder:  Juniors will be taking the Colorado ACT at AHS on April 23rd.  So, the month of March will be a great time to take a practice test, review math concepts and English grammar, improve speed reading and quick interpretation of charts and graphs!!!!  This week, juniors can talk to Kristi Good about developing an ACT study plan to follow while on their internship and Spring Break.  


LINK Update

Follow all of AHS’s LINK interns by visiting their LINK PORTFOLIOS HERE!

State Legislative Update

The Colorado Supreme Court has heard final arguments in the Lobato case.

The high court is considering the state’s appeal of the 2011 ruling by a Denver district judge that the state’s school funding system isn’t “rationally related” to the state constitution’s requirement for a “thorough and uniform” public education system. Potentially at stake in the case are billions of dollars in education spending and the shape of the state’s K-12 system.

You can read a summary of the proceedings HERE

Registration and Re-enrollment for 13-14

Registration packets for incoming freshman along with re-enrollment registration forms for current AHS students were sent out Monday, February 25th. All new registration and re-enrollment registration materials are due back to Animas High by Monday, April 1st. Enrollment and registration questions or concerns can be forwarded to the AHS Registrar at enroll@animashighschool.com or contact us via the school’s Main Office at 970-AHS-AHS4

Enrollment for next year’s 9th, 10th and 11th grades continues! Students interested in enrolling at AHS should complete an online intent to enroll form  For additional enrollment information and to view our calendar of upcoming enrollment events, please visit our website

Upcoming Events & Exhibitions
LINK Internships Begin (11th grade only) March 4th  
LINK INTERNSHIP PROJECT EXHIBITION:  Friday, March 22 at the Durango Discovery Museum from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.   The public is encouraged to attend!

2013 Colorado Charter Schools Rally
Thursday, April 11
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Join hundreds of charter school students, parents, teachers, principals and other supporters at the 2013 Colorado Charter Schools Rally on Thursday, April 11 at 11:30 AM. Hear from state legislators who support choice and innovation in education. Also, see your fellow charter schools perform on stage!

2013 marks the 20th anniversary of Colorado charter schools. This year's rally is our chance to show the state's current elected officials the "face" of the 20th wave of Colorado's charter schools students, and thank those responsible for passing the Colorado Charter Schools Act back in 1993. We want to have as many charter school students at the Capitol on April 11 as possible. WE'D LOVE YOUR PARTICIPATION! 

A limited number of travel subsidies are available. Click here to download an application. Additionally, winners of the Colorado Charter School Essay Contest will be honored during the rally. There is still time to submit essays. Click here for more information.


For the 2012-13 AHS School Calendar and additional upcoming events,  CLICK HERE




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