FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3-21-13
Animas High School Selects Twin Buttes as their New Location
After careful consideration and years of planning, the Animas High School Board of Directors has selected Twin Buttes as the location for the school’s long term home. AHS Executive Head of School Michael Ackerman shares, “We’re honored to establish a home at Twin Buttes. Their mission and values align seamlessly with AHS’s educational approach and unique project-based learning curriculum. We are incredibly excited to use the trails, open space, gardens and livestock in support of our programs of excellence.”
For the 2013-14 school year, AHS will move from their current location on North Main Ave to a short term site on Hwy 160 at the base of the Twin Buttes project, while funding and infrastructure are completed for a permanent location. “We have consistently been working to bring Twin Buttes to market over the last two years, and bringing AHS into the project right away is something that we all are really excited for!” states project developer Eric Flora.
Moving to Twin Buttes has been the unspoken milestone that the school’s leadership team has focused on for many months. But in order to make the transition, AHS needed to secure the necessary financing for the move. “When your primary source of revenue is tied directly to the actions of the state legislature, it can be difficult finding financial partners willing to take a risk,” explains AHS Board President Melissa Youssef. AHS exhausted every avenue for lending that Colorado charter schools traditionally use. “Our efforts to find a lender willing to weather the sometimes unpredictable landscape of public school funding and charter school facilities did not unfold well. Just when it appeared that our school was out of options, another hero from our community stepped forward,” Youssef adds.
Kent Curtis, CEO and President of First Southwest Bank, and Shawn Candelaria, the bank’s Durango Market President, demonstrated a strong interest in AHS’s mission, vision and values. The two recognized that AHS’s programs have a significant positive impact on public education in Durango. Public funding streams, facility challenges and state politics prevent most charters from collaborating with lenders, but First Southwest embraced AHS’s situation as a call to action. Ackerman continues, “First Southwest is the fiscal lynchpin in our transition plan. It’s visionaries like Kent, Shawn and their team who realize educational choice and scholastic options are part of what makes this community great.”
With the short term site secured, AHS is now raising money to build a permanent, LEED certified, 21st Century School building at Twin Buttes. The new building will include state of the art network capabilities, top quality science labs, music and art studios and a Commons area for students and community members to gather. The school has applied for a multi-million dollar BEST grant, which will be awarded this summer. If AHS wins the BEST grant, it must raise matching funds totaling $2.3 million by year’s end.Schools must pass a rigorous review process before submitting an application for BEST money. “BEST gave AHS very positive review feedback, so we need to publicly kick off our fundraising immediately to meet our deadline. We’re incredibly thankful for the extremely generous lead gift pledged by Marc & Jane Katz. Now we’re asking others to join us by pledging to donate if we win the BEST grant,” explains AHS’s Development Director Heather Barr.
In addition to AHS’s keystone partners Eric Flora, Glenn Pauls and the Twin Buttes team, Kent Curtis and Shawn Candelaria at First Southwest Bank, there are many others who have played a significant role in the school’s transition plans. AHS wishes to acknowledge the hard work, guidance and patience offered by the City of Durango, especially City Planners Nicol Killian, Greg Hoch and Vicky Vandergriff, who have worked tirelessly throughout this entire process. Jim Horn and the Colorado Department of Transportation have been valued partners in this endeavor. The professionals at Durango Fire and Rescue, specifically George Surmi and Karola Hanks, have been instrumental in advising the school on safety and security. AHS wishes to recognize all the good will offered by School District 9-R and Superintendent Dr. Dan Snowberger. Finally, the school reserves its deepest appreciation for the students, parents, staff, families, community partners, local businesses and professionals that have been committed to AHS from the beginning.
“Animas High School’s existence is a direct result of our community answering a call to action for additional scholastic options at the secondary level. We’re inspired by the momentum this project continues to garner and we’re excited to leverage our track record of success and the robust support of our local partners in continuing to expand educational excellence here in Durango,” states Ackerman. Youssef adds, “AHS’s vision has always been about establishing choice and options so that every young adult in our community can identify a path for realizing success. Moving our school via such extraordinary community collaboration supports the vision that Durango is uniquely positioned to serve as a beacon of excellence and a model for our state, as well as our nation.” With the school’s transition to a new home at Twin Buttes, AHS’s leadership is confident that the final pieces are in place to continue to refine an already amazing project.
For additional information/media outreach, please contact:
http://www.AnimasHighSchool.com
Michael Ackerman
michael@animashighschool.com 970-247-2474
www.twinbuttesofdurango.com
Marc Snider
marc@twinbuttesofdurango.com 970-250-3883
