AHS Weekly Update- Week of February 6th, 2012

Animas High School students are participating in and producing amazing work. After a flurry of recent 9th grade exhibition events, we are looking forward to another strong, albeit quieter, week here on campus. There’s always something up next so please make sure you are staying abreast of all the updates:

PAC Happenings
Advisory Surveys
American Math Competition
Power Lunch Today
AHS Winter Dance
AHS Enrollment for 2012-13


PAC Happenings

All-School Cleaning Afternoon
Volunteers are encouraged to join PAC for the second cleaning campaign of semester two at Animas High School. Join parents, students and siblings for an afternoon of cleaning and stewardship at our campus! Bring supplies, a positive attitude and some elbow grease and join us this Friday, February 10th at AHS from 3:30 to 6 PM. Together, we’ll continue to make our school shine! RSVP or Questions to volunteer@animashighschool.com


2nd Annual PAC Sports Sale
Donationsare now being accepted for Animas High School’s 2nd Annual PAC Sports Sale! Drop off any type of sporting equipment at the AHS campus during regular school hours. Questions? Contact PAC@animashighschool.com

Advisory Surveys

This Wednesday during our weekly Advisory class, AHS students will participate in an anonymous survey targeting student health, safety and wellness. Students' responses are anonymous and confidential and their answers will inform health and education providers with key data to strengthen and support programs for youth in our community.

Please let the school know via the Main Office if you would like to excuse your student from taking this survey.


American Math Competition

Twenty-one AHS students will be participating in the American Math Competition on Tuesday, February 7th. Best of Luck to all of our Mathletes!

Power Lunch Today

Power Lunch Today! 11:30 AM in the AHS Physics room with Engineers Without Borders. The Engineers Without Borders (EWB) program at Fort Lewis College travels each summer to Laos andEcuador to construct simple water systems in poor, rural villages. Beyond construction of the water systems, projects also include community development, education, sanitation projects, and water quality testing. The Power Lunch Presentation will include an overview of the EWB FLC program and projects, along with colorful pictures from rural villages such as Ganquis, Ecuador and Songhak, Laos. Refreshments will be served!

AHS Winter Dance

It’s that time again! Grab your dancing shoes and join us Friday, February 10th from 6 to 9 PM at the La Plata County Fairgrounds for AHS’s annual winter dance. Animas High’s Student Government has secured Durango’s own local spin star, DJ Ben K to bump the bass for our student body!

This year’s winter dance is open to all Animas High School students and their guests. Each AHS student may bring one, high school aged guest who must possess a valid school ID. Please consult the AHS Student Handbook for additional rules related to Guests at School Events.

Tickets for the dance are $10.00 and are available for sale in the AHS Main Office and at the door the night of the event. STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN FRIDAY’S ALL-SCHOOL CLEANING AFTERNOON, WILL RECEIVE FREE ADMISSION TO FRIDAY NIGHT’S DANCE! (NOTE: Students must participate in 2hrs. of cleaning/stewardship to receive free admission- tickets will be distributed at the end of the cleaning campaign)

AHS Enrollment for 2012-13

There’s Only 23 Days Left Until Animas High School’s 2012-13 Admissions Lottery to Seat the Class of 2016. Interested in enrolling at Animas High School? Please fill out an intent to enroll form

Animas High School will conduct an Admissions Lottery on March 1st, 2012 for spots in the incoming Freshman Class of 2016. Animas High School is currently enrolling students for spots in next year’s Sophomore (2015) and Junior (2014) classes. Enrollment in the 10th and 11th grades at AHS is available on a first-come, first-serve basis as space allows!

AHS continues to host numerous opportunities for students and their families to learn more about Animas High School.

Thursday Info Night Sessions continue on February 9th from 5 to 6:30 at campus. Campus Tours run Wednesday afternoons at 1:30.

Student Shadow Experiences are available for prospective students on Fridays throughout the month. Shadow space is limited-SIGN UP NOW! Please contact the AHS Main Office at 247-2474 to schedule or with questions and be sure to check out our homepage: www.animashighschool.com for more information.




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

Durangoans have decent credit; Animas High students survey 600 residents

Article published Feb 5, 2012

Poll: Durangoans have decent credit

Animas High students survey 600 residents

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Photo by: Courtesy of Animas High School

Animas High School students polled Durangoans about their credit card habits in mid-December and compiled the results in a report last month. Locals “seem to be doing quite a bit better with their plastic than the rest of the nation,” the report said.

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By Emery Cowan Herald Staff Writer

Durangoans appear to manage their credit cards better than the rest of the nation, according to a new study coming from an unlikely source: pre-calculus students at Animas High School.

The class found that Durangoans own fewer credit cards per person and almost half have a higher credit score than the national average.

Out of 606 people the students polled, 76 percent had a credit card, compared with the national average of 66 percent and the average number of credit cards owned by locals was 2.15, well below the national average of 3.5.

The high-schoolers decided to poll Durangoans about their credit card scores, usage and debt after a lesson about exponential and logarithmic functions. Credit card debt was a perfect real-life example of those functions, said Jennifer Snead, the class’ instructor.

The Animas High School survey also found that 43 percent of Durangoans have a credit score above 700. The national average is 692.

Just more than half of locals – 54 percent – pay off their balance in full every month, which is the same as nationwide statistics.

More men than women in Durango have been subject to identity theft – 21 percent versus 19 percent – and Durangoans aged 35 to 44 had the highest rate of bankruptcy, a statistic that was in line with the nation.

For a week in mid-December, 10 Animas High School students conducted the survey, hitting locations such as the Durango Public Library, Main Avenue and City Market. The average age of respondents was 42 and the majority were females, students said.

To build the survey, each student chose a national statistic about credit cards and created a question that would produce a similar statistic among Durangoans.

While doing the survey, the class learned the benefits of having a credit card, said student Caleb Darland.

“If you can, it helps your credit score a lot,” Darland said. “Credit is everything.”

Many times, survey takers stopped to share their experiences with credit cards, students said.

It’s better for students to learn about the risks and rewards of credit cards now, before they enter college where they will be bombarded with card offers, Snead said.

“It’s not just a free gift,” she said.

The class’ overall conclusion? Durango may be the worst-dressed city in America, but it has pretty good credit.

ecowan@durangoherald.com

AHS Weekly Update- Week of January 30th, 2012

Happy Snowdown!

Once Upon a Weekly Update…

American Mathematics Competition
Power Lunch
PAC Meeting
Upcoming Exhibition Events
The College Chronicle- An Upperclassmen Update for 2013
2012-2013 Enrollment


American Mathematics Competition

On Tuesday February 7, 2012, twenty AHS students will participate in the American Mathematics Competition AMC-10 for 9th & 10th grade students and the AMC-12 for 11th & 12th grade students.

The AMC is an annual competition, offering students the opportunity to compete among their peers on a national level by answering 25 math questions involving algebra,geometry, probability and trigonometry in 75 minutes.

Students earning a qualifying AMC score advance to the American Mathematics Examination (AIME). The top students from the AIME may be invited to the USA Mathematical Olympiad.

Power Lunch

Next PowerLunch will be Tuesday Feb. 7th at 11:30 AM in the AHS Physics room with Engineers Without Borders. The Engineers Without Borders (EWB) program at Fort Lewis College travels each summer to Laos and Ecuador to construct simple water systems in poor, rural villages. Beyond construction of the water systems, projects also include community development, education, sanitationprojects, and water quality testing. The Power Lunch Presentation will include an overview of the EWB FLC program and projects, along with colorful pictures from rural villages such as Ganquis, Ecuador and Songhak, Loas. Refreshments will be served!


PAC Meeting

Please join us for the next PAC Meeting, February 6th at 12:30 PM at AHS. The meeting agenda will include discussions on:
Parent Survey Results
STAC update
ALL School Cleaning Day-Feb 10
Sports Equipment Fundraising Sale
Flower Power Fundraising Sale

Upcoming Exhibition Events

9th Grade Rube Goldberg Physics Exhibition
Join our 9th grade physics students for Animas High School's most popular exhibition of the year! Physics students will be presenting their Rube Goldberg projects to the community this Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Durango Discovery Museum!

Model United Nations
Come join us for the 3rd Annual Animas High School Model United Nations Conference. We welcome students, their families and the greater Durango community to AHS to observe 9th graders tackling the world's problems from the perspective of a country they are representing. We will be running two separate simulations this year, one daytime conference on the Palestinian refugee crisis, and an evening conference on Iran and nuclear weapons. We would love you to attend either or both.

Conference #1: Monday, February 6 from 8:15 AM - 11:15 AM Topic: Palestinian Refugees. Location: AHS

Conference #2: Monday, February 27 from 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM Topic: Nuclear Iran. Location: AHS


The College Chronicle- An Upperclassmen Update for 2013

Animas High School is excited to release the College Chronicle Newsletter. The Chronicle has been created to assist the Class of 2013 as they get ready for the college admissions process. Inside the newsletter, students and parents will find a College Admissions Timeline, an update on the AHS College Counseling Dept., an overview of the upcoming LINK program, an extensive listing of Standardized Testing logistics and test prep opportunities. We are excited to provide our Juniors this guiding document and look forward to supporting the Class of 2013 as they work towards post-secondary success! Find the College Chronicle here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/79241341/2013-College-Chronicle

2012-2013 Enrollment

Enrollment for the 2012-13 school year continues at Animas High School. Students and families looking to enroll at AHS should visit www.animashighschool.com and complete an online intent to enroll form. Animas High will hold an enrollment lottery on March 1st, 2012 if the number of interested, in-coming 9th grade students exceeds the school’s enrollment capacity. AHS is also accepting enrollments for a limited number of openings in our 10th and 11th grade classes.

AHS continues to host numerous opportunities for students and their families to learn more about Animas High School.

Thursday Info Night Sessions continue on February 2nd from 5 to 6:30 at campus. Campus Tours run Wednesday afternoons at 1:30.

Student Shadow Experiences are available for prospective students on Fridays throughout the month. Shadow space is limited-
SIGN UP NOW! Please contact the AHS Main Office at 247-2474 to schedule or with questions.




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

AHS Weekly Update- Week of January 23rd, 2012

Please take a moment to review the following updates:

National School Choice Week
Upcoming Exhibition Events
The College Chronicle- An Upperclassmen Update for 2013
2012-2013 Enrollment

National School Choice Week

January 22nd through January 28th is National School Choice Week! Please take a moment to visit the School Choice Week homepage and please consider participating in one of the many hundreds of events and advocacy opportunities. Go to http://www.schoolchoiceweek.com/home to show your support for school choice!

Upcoming Exhibition Events

Model United Nations
Come join us for the 3rd Annual Animas High School Model United Nations Conference. We welcome students, their families and the greater Durango community to AHS to observe 9th graders tackling the world's problems from the perspective of a country they are representing. We will be running two separate simulations this year, one daytime conference on the Palestinian refugee crisis, and an evening conference on Iran and nuclear weapons. We would love you to attend either or both.

Conference #1: Monday, February 6 from 8:15 AM - 11:15 AM Topic: Palestinian Refugees. Location: AHS

Conference #2: Monday, February 27 from 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM Topic: Nuclear Iran. Location: AHS

9th Grade Rube Goldberg Physics Exhibition
Join our 9th grade physics students for Animas High School's most popular exhibition of the year! Physics students will be presenting their Rube Goldberg projects to the community on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Durango Discovery Museum.

The College Chronicle- An Upperclassmen Update for 2013

Animas High School is excited to release the College Chronicle Newsletter. The Chronicle has been created to assist the Class of 2013 as they get ready for the college admissions process. Inside the newsletter, students and parents will find a College Admissions Timeline, an update on the AHS College Counseling Dept., an overview of the upcoming LINK program, an extensive listing of Standardized Testing logistics and test prep opportunities. We are excited to provide our Juniors this guiding document and look forward to supporting the Class of 2013 as they work towards post-secondary success! Find the College Chronicle here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/79241341/2013-College-Chronicle

2012-2013 Enrollment

Enrollment for the 2012-13 school year continues at Animas High School. Students and families looking to enroll at AHS should visit www.animashighschool.com and complete an online intent to enroll form. Animas High will hold an enrollment lottery on March 1st, 2012 if the number of interested, in-coming 9th grade students exceeds the school’s enrollment capacity. AHS is also accepting enrollments for a limited number of openings in our 10th and 11th grade classes.

AHS continues to host numerous opportunities for students and their families to learn more about Animas High School.

Thursday Info Night Sessions continue on January 26th from 5 to 6:30 at campus. Campus Tours run Wednesday afternoons at 1:30.

Student Shadow Experiences are available for prospective students on Fridays throughout the month. Shadow space is limited-
SIGN UP NOW! Please contact the AHS Main Office at 247-2474 to schedule or with questions.




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

AHS College Chronicle- An Upperclassmen Update for 2013

2013 College Chronicle

AHS Weekly Updatep Week of January 16th, 2012

We've had an excellent start to semester two here at school! Please take a moment to review the following updates:

AHS Student Happenings & Events

Power Lunch

2012 Project Week Postponed

Animas High on the Airwaves

AHS Enrollment Continues

AHS Student Happenings & Events

Model United Nations Conference I- The first of three 9^th grade MUN conferences will take place Monday, January 30^th

9^th Grade Rube Goldberg Physics Exhibition- Join our 9^th grade physics students at the Durango Discovery Museum on Thursday, February 2^nd.

AHS Student Art Exhibit- Showing Now at Raider Ridge Café in Durango

AHS Student Digital Portfolios are up! See them here:

9^th grade: http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~rmcknight/Mastered/2011%202012%20Freshmen.html

10^th grade: http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~rmcknight/NewHorizon1-0/digitalportfolios.html

11^th grade: http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~rmcknight/purpleseries/purpleseries/digitalportfolios10th.html

11^th Grade Chemistry Students will be participating in field work on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 as part of their work with the Riverwatch program monitoring Junction Creek. Chemistry students will also be participating in labs this Friday, January 20^th at FLC.

Power Lunch

Our next Power Lunch is scheduled for Wednesday, January 18th at 11:30 in the Physics Room. Our guest speaker is avalanche guru, Andy Gleason, who will give a presentation on local snow science and the basics of avalanche awareness. And yes….refreshments will be served. See you there!

2012 Project Week Postponed

Due to the incredible amount of constructive feedback from students, staff and families, Animas High School is postponing 2012 Project Week. The school received much input concerning our inaugural Project Week in 2011 and there is much work to be done to refine this week-long program. Animas High School staff and directors are considering substantive changes to the Project Week model and we will share these modifications and enhancements with the community later this year. The week that was formerly scheduled for 2012 Project Week in April (April 2-6, 2012), will be a normal week of instruction and classes here at campus. Spring Break remains unchanged by these developments and will take place the following week. (April 9-13, 2012)

Animas High on the Airwaves

Listen to Head of School Michael Ackerman talk about Animas High School, CO education reform and the US charter school movement on Achieving Your Dreams in a Crazy World; A national talk show airing each week on WebTalk Radio with Dr. Murray Nabors. Listen to the episode here:

http://webtalkradio.net/2012/01/16/achieving-your-dreams-in-our-crazy-world-%E2%80%93-charter-schools-a-format-for-educational-success/

And be sure to listen to Michael on K P T E Durango 99.7-99.3 FM tomorrow afternoon (1/19) from 4 to 5 pm.

AHS Enrollment Continues

Pot shops near schools in hot seat

California-style crackdowns come to Colorado dispensaries

By P. SOLOMON BANDA
Associated Press

Article Last Updated: Thursday, January 12, 2012 9:15pm

DENVER – Federal officials on Thursday began a California-style crackdown on medical marijuana businesses in Colorado – targeting those located near schools.

U.S. Attorney John Walsh said 23 dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools have until Feb. 27 to shut down or face federal penalties, which can include asset seizure or forfeiture of property. The warning letters dated Thursday were being sent to dispensary owners and their landlords.

He said the letters were a first step and prosecutors were looking for medical marijuana businesses to target near schools. Walsh’s office declined to release a list of targeted businesses, saying they do not make public individuals under investigation.

State regulations prohibit medical marijuana businesses within 1,000 feet of schools, but grand-fathered in those businesses already in existence before regulations were passed last year.

The city of Durango has restricted marijuana medical businesses from being within 500 feet of schools. At least two local dispensaries, the Durango Healing Center, 473 E. College Drive, near Park Elementary School, and Rocky Mountain High, 129 E. 32nd St,, near Animas High School, appear to be close or within the 1,000 feet exclusion area.

A representative for Durango Healing Center said the store had not been informed of any violation as of Thursday. He believed the store to be far enough from Park but was uncertain of the distance.

A representative for Rocky Mountain High said the dispensary was safe for legal reasons because nearby Animas High School, a charter school, is located in a storefront and is not in a school zone.

Sixteen states have passed laws allowing medical marijuana, beginning with California in 1996. Unlike California, Washington and Montana, where federal officials have cracked down on businesses sanctioned by the state, Colorado’s industry is heavily state-regulated. A ballot measure is pending to make it legal for recreational use, and state officials have asked the federal government to recognize the plant as a medicine.

“When the voters of Colorado passed the limited medical marijuana amendment in 2000, they could not have anticipated that their vote would be used to justify large marijuana stores located within blocks of our schools,” Walsh said.

Colorado’s medical marijuana industry began its boom after a September 2009 memo by then-Deputy Attorney General David Ogden that said federal prosecutors should not focus investigative resources on patients and caregivers complying with state laws. But faced with dispensaries and states passing laws regulating medical marijuana, Ogden’s replacement, James Cole, in June issued another memo that took a tougher stance and said state medical marijuana laws do not provide immunity from federal prosecution.

He said commercial enterprises that sell or profit from marijuana sales should be a priority. He reinforced that cancer patients and caregivers shouldn’t be targeted.

Colorado’s attorney general, John Suthers, who opposed regulations under the argument that they legitimize an illegal enterprise under federal law, said he long warned lawmakers of the clash between state and federal law.

“I would expect the federal government, having jurisdiction, to do what they think is necessary to limit drug problems in the state of Colorado,” Suthers said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “I’m not going to oppose it.”

Colorado has more than 600 retail shops, 900 cultivations and 230 infused-product manufacturers operating under state law, according to the state revenue department. A spokeswoman for the department’s Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division did not immediately return a call Thursday.

Samantha Beckmann manages a dispensary across from a high school, with the school’s baseball fields on the other side of a crosswalk of a busy street. She said the U.S. attorney’s action is discriminatory because it singles out certain dispensaries.

“We will move. We will make it happen,” she said. “If they’re going to do anything, they should shut everyone down. They shouldn’t discriminate.”

Outside the Colorado state Capitol, about three dozen marijuana activists rallied as Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper gave his annual State of the State address.

The governor did not mention pot, though he signed a marijuana regulation law last year and his administration recently joined other states in asking the Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify marijuana so it could be considered a medical treatment.

A community organizer at the marijuana rally said he wasn’t surprised by the crackdown. He blamed state authorities and the state’s larger marijuana businesses for setting up elaborate rules for how medical marijuana can be bought and sold.

“They set up all these rules, and now they’re coming back to pinch them in the butt,” said Miguel Lopez of The Denver 4/20 rally, which attracted 20,000 people last year. Lopez favors full legalization for the drug, not Colorado’s system of dispensaries regulated by the state Department of Revenue.

Herald Staff Writer Jim Haug contributed to this report.