AHS rushes to be ready
Charter school finishing final touches for pupils
by Chuck Slothower
Herald Staff Writer Article Last Updated; Sunday, August 16, 2009
With only eight days until students arrive, Animas High School is taking shape in a last-minute scramble.
Workers and volunteers are painting, wiring and sanding to prepare for students' arrival. Durango's new charter school opens Aug. 24 to about 90 ninth-graders.
Organizers hope to obtain a temporary certificate of occupancy for the building at 3206 Main Ave. by Aug. 24.
"We're moving at a breakneck pace," said Nancy Heleno, chairwoman of the AHS board.
Construction may not be finished by Aug. 24, but the school's first week will be held at Edgemont Ranch regardless, Heleno said.
"We're going to do our best to finish up as soon as we can," she said.
The hurried race to school's first day illustrates the sometimes hectic nature of founding a charter school. Animas High is Durango's first charter school since Excel Charter School dissolved its charter and board of directors in 2006.
Animas High's space, a two-story storefront in a strip mall on north Main Avenue, required an extensive remodel costing an estimated $175,000. Nearly all the materials and labor were donated, so the school's out-of-pocket costs were minimal. Businesses have donated everything from windows to electricians' time.
One volunteer, Bruce Allsopp, spent Thursday painting a hallway. Allsopp said he plans for his 11-year-old daughter to attend AHS when she's old enough.
Animas High has promised volunteer laborers who put in 100 hours to give their children priority when it switches to a lottery for admissions.
School organizers anticipate demand eventually will exceed space, which would necessitate a lottery.
Animas High is opening with only ninth grade in 2009-10. But school officials plan to add a grade each year until the school becomes a four-year, 400-student high school.
During a tour of the building Thursday, Heleno and Head of School Michael Ackerman showed what will be the Digital Media Lab. The lab will be equipped with 25 high-powered desktop computers.
"We will actually have more technological capability than just about every company in the county," Heleno said.
Among students' first tasks will be a community service project with Durango Fire & Rescue Authority. Students will paint fire hydrants and do other work, and in exchange, firefighters will teach a hydraulics lesson.
With grant money in hand, per-pupil operating revenue coming from the Colorado Department of Education and a core group of passionate supporters, the school appears to be on solid ground for 2009-10. Parents looking for an alternative to Durango High School have pushed the school toward a successful opening.
"What I hear the most is the parents and students are looking for an environment where they're not going to be anonymous," Ackerman said.
Animas High is modeled after High Tech High, a San Diego charter school. The model emphasizes technology, project-based learning and individual attention.
Durango's two previous charter schools, Community of Learners and Excel, closed because of inadequate financing and low enrollment. Both schools were authorized by Durango School District 9-R.
Animas' board went another route, obtaining the school's charter through the Colorado Charter School Institute, a state agency. Without 9-R's backing, Animas High's success is up to the institute and the school's board members, staff, parents and students.
"I don't think any of us see it as a comparison," Heleno said, referring to previous charter schools. "I think that this curriculum and this model are so distinct that it makes sense to be our own entity.
"And we view the CSI as our safety net. They're in the business of chartering and supporting charter schools."
chuck@durangoherald.com
