Greetings Ospreys,

That's a wrap on the 2023/24 school year! As we head into a well-earned summer break for students and staff, we're reflecting on the learning and growth we witnessed in our students this year and the successes we've shared over the past 10 months.

This week's Transitional Presentations of Learning included plenty of sweet moments where we heard about the impact of an Animas education from our students. Paired with last week's graduation and yesterday's final faculty gathering, we are closing out the 23/24 school year proud of our accomplishments and grateful for our families, community partners and supporters!

If you weren't able to attend, we invite you to watch this recording of the AHS Graduation Ceremony and view Drew Semel's beautiful photos from graduation day. The AHS class of 2024 is well loved and we are excited to see how they take what they've learned here as they fly on off to their next adventures, prepared for college, career and engaged citizenship. Congratulations to this flock of Ospreys and their families for this milestone moment!

Alumni--we'd love to stay in touch! Email libby.cowles@animashighschool.com to share your contact information!

Our faculty gathered yesterday afternoon for the final meeting of the year, sharing gratitude for one another and appreciating individuals for their unique contributions. We truly are fortunate to have an excellent group of educators at Animas, and while it's always sad to say good-bye when folks move on, we know that the team is strong.

Maureen Truax, Jenny McKenzie, Melissa Machicek, and John Grotenhuis, all beloved members of our staff, contributed over 25 years collectively to our school, and positively impacted hundreds of lives. We will miss them dearly. Still, the stoke is high among Animas faculty, and we are leaving the year feeling optimistic about the future of education and our place in it. Just look at the smiles on the faces of the AHS teachers who made it up to Silverton for last week's Iron Horse Classic bike race!

Student Grades and Course Registration for 2024/25

Students' grades for 2nd semester classes will be visible in Infinite Campus (IC) tomorrow, June 1. We do not email or mail grades out, so please be sure to log in to IC view final grades.

Today is Maureen Truax's last day in the registrar position at AHS, and Heather Prekup will move into the role on July 1. Please be patient with us during this transition time, as we will be a bit slower than usual in responding to questions about student records, schedules and registration. Emails sent to registrar@animashighschool.com will be directed to Heather, but may not receive a response until early July. We promise we will get everyone's registration and course requests processed before the school year begins and we appreciate your understanding!

Current 9th, 10th, and 11th grade families, please be sure that you have completed re-registration using these steps. This helps ensure that we have accurate information on file for your student and family.

2024-25 student schedules will also be visible in IC tomorrow for all who have successfully completed the Course Request Process. Please refer to that link for step-by-step instructions about how to request classes for both current and newly enrolled students. Request electives through IC and Osprey Blocks using the Osprey Block Request Form. View Osprey Block Rosters and use the Osprey Block Add/Drop Form if you'd like to request a change. The Add/Drop form for elective change requests will open later this summer, and there is an add/drop period in the first 2 weeks of school where students can make schedule changes.

Reach out to dean of college and career counseling Erin Cummins-Roper over the summer at collegeandcareer@animashighschool.com for academic advising or information about concurrent enrollment at Fort Lewis College. Again, please be mindful that Erin will not be checking email as frequently during the summer break, but rest assured that you will receive the support you need!

Beyond the Nest: Experiential Education at AHS

Since 2009, AHS has delivered rigorous college and career preparation through project-based learning in a small school environment. While we’ve always infused our curriculum with experiential learning, this school year we launched a more fully developed program that has increased equitable access to all students.

The new Experiential Education Program’s mission is to enhance Animas students’ high school journey through inclusive experiential education opportunities that foster community engagement, leadership and well-being. We do this through the power of wilderness-based, service, and hands-on learning experiences that take place off campus, or as we Ospreys fondly say, “beyond the Nest.”

Program elements included:

• Osprey Block: three-week long courses designed to engage students through academically rigorous, cross-disciplinary, immersive studies that connect classroom learning to powerful, real-world experiences

• Outdoor Industry Career/Technical Education (CTE) Pathways: development of new elective courses including Intro to Avalanche Education though which students received their AIARE Companion Rescue and Level 1 Avalanche certifications

• Sophomore Inspire Week: A weeklong experience where students explore potential career paths and deepen their knowledge of their “Energy Project” curriculum through various energy-related service projects throughout our community

• Animas Wilderness Experience (AWE): an optional one-week excursion to build leadership and an ethos of service

• 9th grade camping trip: a multiday camping trip for the entire ninth grade in the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park

We could not have pulled off these experiences without the support of our community. From ski tuning clinics at 2nd Avenue Sports, to donated backpacking meals from Farm to Summit and equipment donations from our families, every little bit helped! We want to specifically acknowledge Pine Needle Mountaineering, Backcountry Experience and Osprey for their very generous donations of outdoor equipment.

We are also grateful for the support of Verde Brand Communications and the Moniker Foundation, whose generous contributions helped us develop the Experiential Education Program and purchase our very own vans, the first of which has just been freshly wrapped by the good folks at Elements (check out how spiffy Van Halen looks, below!). Without this support, we would not be able to provide these meaningful experiences to our student body.

As one of our AWE students said, “It is better to do hard things with purpose than to meander aimlessly.” Thank you for helping us get our students “beyond the Nest” and engaged in challenging and purposeful outdoor and community-based experiences.

Summer at the Nest

While the Nest will see some activity over the summer break, we do not plan to regularly staff our main office between now and August 5, when faculty return for staff orientation. Campus will be open by appointment only. AHS Summer School, Durango Devo summer programming and a fundraising workshop hosted by the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado are just a few examples of how our beautiful space will be used in the next couple of months.

Email is the best way to connect with staff over the summer. You can find email addresses on the staff page of the AHS website. Thank you for your patience as we will check email less frequently than we do during the school year.

We will send News from the Nest every few weeks. Stay tuned for details about the Summer Yearbook Distribution Party and information about the new teachers and staff joining our team, and don't forget to check in with the AHS Facebook page and Quill Media Instagram feed for occasional updates.

Consider Hosting an Exchange Student

We have enjoyed having international students at AHS over the years, and loved how Inés and Anouk, from Spain and France respectively, positively contributed to our community this year. Now is the time to start considering whether you might be interested in opening your home to a student on exchange for the 2024/25 school year. Various exchange program coordinators reach out to us in the summer months, looking for families to house students from all over the world. One, Aspect Foundation, is already seeking host families. View their website or reach out to their local coordinator for more information. Want to learn more about how it works to host an exchange student, generally? Reach out to dean of enrollment and community outreach Libby Cowles at libby.cowles@animashighschool.com.

Fall 2024 Enrollment

Fall 2024 Enrollment remains open through October 1, with limited seats in each grade and a current waitlist for 9th grade. Reach out to libby.cowles@animashighschool.com with any and all enrollment questions.

We hope you all enjoy the summer break, and that it's filled with all the things that bring you joy. Thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!

Upcoming Events

AHS Summer School: Math: the Foundation of STEAM: Wed. 6/5 through Tues. 6/18

Advancement Committee Meeting: Thurs. 6/6, 2:30pm at Smiley Café

School Excellence Committee Meeting (online): Fri. 6/7, 12pm via https://meet.google.com/ans-bssx-uaw

Community Foundation Fundraising 2.0 Workshop: Wed. 6/26, 9:30am to 3pm at AHS; register here

AHS Board Meeting (online): Thurs. 6/27, 5:30pm via meet.google.com/mma-ipsb-gqv

Faculty Returns to Campus: Wed. 8/7

First Day of School for 9th Grade and Transfer Students: Mon. 8/19

First Day of School for 10th, 11th and 12th Grade: Tues. 8/20