Greetings Ospreys,

Our faculty has returned to the Nest and excitement is definitely building for the 2024/25 school year!

We begin our year with Student Orientation, designed to help Ospreys begin the academic year connected to their school community and ready to dive into learning.

School starts for all incoming 9th graders and new 10th, 11th and 12th graders on Monday, August 19. Returning students begin on Tuesday, August 20. Students should arrive by 8:25 and will be released from campus at 3:25 unless otherwise noted below.

Monday, August 19

• 9th grade on campus for full day
• Transfer students on campus 8:25-12:00; early release from AHS at noon

Tuesday, August 20

• Senior Sunrise 6:45-7:45am
• 9th graders to Lake Haviland
• 10th through 12th grade on campus for full day

Wednesday, August 21

• 9th and 12th grade on campus in the morning and to Santa Rita Park after lunch; release from Santa Rita or take Hub Bus from Santa Rita to DHS
• 10th and 11th grade to Vallecito Reservoir

Thursday, August 22

• Academic classes begin, following our regular daily schedule

As we will be taking students off campus during Student Orientation, all AHS families must complete the AHS Universal Field Trip Permission Slip as soon as possible. Print, complete, scan and send to andrew.allison-godfrey@animashighschool.com. We will distribute paper copies on the first day of school, in case you are not able to print at home.

Please note that Tuesday morning begins bright and early for seniors, who will meet at 6:45am at the base of the ABC trailhead (also known as the Centennial Trail), located at the corner of E. 10th Street and 6th Avenue. They will head up the trail to the chapel at the south edge of Fort Lewis College’s campus for Senior Sunrise, a very special tradition for our school, before joining the rest of the AHS student body back on campus for the day.

During Student Orientation, all students will be asked to sign the AHS Student Contract, which outlines important expectations that support our school’s culture. Please review this together at home as well.

Please be sure that we have accurate health information about your student along with any necessary forms or medications before school begins so we can help keep them safe and healthy. Refer to the AHS Medication and Administration Policy and this letter from our nurse, Justine Powell to review our policies.

Transportation

Our two newly wrapped passenger vans, Talon and Van Halen, are looking quite spiffy! Look for them about town, as we'll use them regularly to transport students when taking our learning beyond classroom walls.

Although AHS is not part of the Durango 9R School District, our students may use Durango 9R transportation to get to and from school free of charge. Students can ride their neighborhood route to Durango High School in the morning, then transfer to the AHS Hub Bus to arrive at school in time for classes. At the end of the school day, the Hub Bus takes students from AHS to DHS. Please note that unlike Durango 9R schools, AHS does not have early release on Mondays, and families must arrange alternate transportation. Register here if your student will ride the Hub Bus this year. The Hub Bus will begin service on Tuesday, August 20. Students will need to have their school IDs to ride the bus as they will contain a chip that must be .

Student parking is a privilege at Animas High School and is limited. It will be awarded on a first come, first served basis with 30 parking spots to seniors and 30 parking spots to juniors. Students must park in the designated student parking area in their designated numbered parking spot on the AHS campus. Parking in the fire lane, staff parking area or along the entrance road is not allowed. No parking will be allowed anywhere on Fort Lewis College’s campus. FLC parking enforcement is in effect and tickets will be issued for illegal parking of AHS students on AHS and FLC's campus. Students must complete the Student Parking Registration Form to receive parking stickers, free of charge.

We encourage students to consider sustainable transportation options including carpooling, biking and using the trolley. The Durango Transit fixed route system operates 7 days a week from 7am to 8:30pm, year round. See full route and schedule info for more details. An annual Student Pass is $30 and those who qualify for free/reduced lunch can receive a free transit pass through the AHS main office.

Meal Service

Breakfast and lunch service will begin on Thursday, August 22. We work with local restaurants for our catered lunch program. Students must order lunch online via the AHS website by 9am; we will show new students how to do this during orientation.

AHS is excited to participate in the Healthy School Meals for All program approved by Colorado voters, which provides free, nutritious breakfast and lunch for all students. As in previous years, families should continue to provide household income information by filling out the AHS Meal Benefit Application. While meals will be provided for free to all students, it's important to gather this information in order to receive full access to federal funding, which helps us cover costs. Families who qualify receive other fee waivers. All household income information provided is strictly confidential and protected. Only one form is required for all students in the household and immigration, migrant, citizenship or refugee status is not required when completing the form. 

We are seeking regular volunteers to help serve lunch! If you think you might be able to commit to joining us once a week midday for about an hour, please reach out to Heather Prekup at registrar@animashighschool.com. It's a fun way to get to know students and support our school!

School Supplies and Laptop Computers

AHS does not distribute school supply lists as different classes require different materials. Teachers will share expectations in the first week of school, but students should plan to arrive with a notebook and pen, along with a personal laptop if they have one. Each student at Animas High School is required to have a laptop computer and can expect to use it daily for accessing web-based resources and teachers' Digital Portfolios, working with Google Suite, checking school email, ordering lunch, etc. Using a phone in place of a laptop computer does not work in an educational setting and it’s important for all students to have access to a computer at school and at home. Our students use a variety of laptops, including PCs, Macs and Google Chromebooks.

Students who do not own a laptop can borrow one for the year from AHS through our laptop loaner program. Find the Yearly Loaner Laptop Agreement on the AHS website under the Our Families > Forms tab. Once the Laptop Agreement is completed by a parent/guardian, students may pick up their yearly loaners from Heather Prekup’s office, room 257. Each classroom also has two laptops available for times when students' computers are out of service.

Student IDs

All students will receive new AHS Student Identification Cards within the first week of school. Students need to carry their IDs daily to enter the school building and to ride buses for XBlock classes and field trips. There is a $10 fee to replace a lost Student ID.

Student Schedules

Login to Infinite Campus (IC) to view 2024/25 student schedules.

• Contact our registrar Heather Prekup at registrar@animashighschool.com if you're having any difficulty logging into IC. New students will receive their IC login information during orientation.
• Email Heather if you don't see a fall Osprey Block
• Students will select XBlock classes once school begins; this will fill the whole you see now in student schedules on Wednesday afternoon.
• Students may request course changes by using the Add/Drop Form beginning Monday, August 19

Ninth graders and transfer students will have a chance to meet teachers and find classrooms through a shortened walk though of their schedules on Monday, August 19.

We've added a new elective, which students will be able to request through the Add/Drop Form. Zac Robinson is joining us this year as a student teacher through the PEBC Teacher Residency program, and will be developing his teaching chops alongside Physics teacher Julian Springer. He's offering Intro to Electronics and Robotics in the fall and Intermediate Electronics and Robotics in the spring. View the Elective Schedule for a reminder of which classes are offered when. Use the Add/Drop form to switch into this new course.

Student Athletics

Many Ospreys are student-athletes who ride with the AHS Mountain Biking Team, play on Durango High School teams, or participate in sports teams in other home districts. View the DHS Athletics website for all the details about what sports are offered each season, when team practices begin, etc. DHS Fall Sports Registration has passed, but you can see information about registering for winter and spring sports here.

The AHS Mountain Biking Team is run through Durango Devo. The team is open to all level riders. Practices are Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and races are on weekends, organized by the Colorado High School Cycling League. The season starts with a potluck meeting on August 20, and registration happens through Devo. Read more here.

The ties between AHS and Devo run deep, and Devo's base of operations in in our building. Devo co-founder Sarah Tescher is mom to two AHS alumni (Dylan Williamson '17 and Jack Tescher '22). AHS Board Member Cara Kropp is a Devo coach, and our Dean of Experiential Education Ashley Carruth has coached in the past, too. Many AHS students have gone on to race at highly competitive levels, including Ainsley Haggart, Stephen Davoust and Keiren Eagen, to name a few. We love Devo for the way they support healthy youth development!

We are feeling particularly proud of Osprey Riley Amos, whose 7th place finish in Paris was the best-ever finish for a male US rider in the 28-year history of cross country mountain biking in the Olympic Games. Riley rode for our team for 4 years, and his dedication to his sport has led him on a wild ride. Last year, he placed 4h in the U23 Mountain Bike World Championships, and this year, he came into Paris on a World Cup winning streak of five U23 events. All this is amazing, of course, but what we appreciate most about Riley is his kind heart and generous spirit.

We'd love to see the AHS Mountain Biking Team grow this year and encourage all students to consider signing up--you never know where it might take you!

Back-to-School Open House

Save the date: we will host our Back-to-School Open House on Thursday, August 29 at 5pm for all families, with a chance to hear from faculty about grade-level projects, Osprey Blocks and more.

We look forward to seeing you all soon. Thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!

Upcoming Events

AHS Board of Directors Annual Retreat: Sat. 8/17 at Reed Library, Fort Lewis College

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

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

1st Quarter XBlocks Begin: Wed. 8/28

Back-to-School Open House for Families: Thurs. 8/29, 5pm

Labor Day Holiday (no classes): Mon. 9/2

Professional Development Day (no classes): Mon. 9/16

Osprey Blocks: Tues. 9/17 through Thurs. 10/3

Fall Break (no classes): Fri. 10/4 through Mon. 10/7

Animas High School prepares all students for college and postsecondary success by creating critical thinkers and engaged citizens through an innovative, student-centered, project-based curriculum.

Educational programs, activities, and employment opportunities at AHS are offered without regard to disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family composition, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry or need for special education services.