Sophomore Inspire Week, paired with family conversations about life after high school during SLCs, provided a chance for students in the AHS class of 2023 to step back from their coursework this week to focus on their hopes for the future and what they might need to do to achieve them. Students spent time with college counselor Jess Morrison and their core teachers engaging in activities designed to help them learn about career and college pathways. Sophomore families who were unable to Sophomore College Information Night on Wednesday can view Jess' presentation here.

As a reminder, 9th, 10th and 11th grade students will take the PSAT or SAT at school on April 13. We will provide academic advising after break for all students to review credits earned, make sure they are on track for graduation and consider choices for 2021-22 electives that best align with career and college goals. Our plan is to have next year's course catalog published by mid-April, with students requesting courses before LINK Internships begin for juniors in late April.

Last year at this time we were just wrapping up Osprey Week, having spent time together skiing, paddling, peddling, traveling, making music, making connections, making memories. Students and staff returned safely to the Nest from locations far and wide to the news that we might need to extend Spring Break just a little bit.

At first it was just two days...then we announced campus would need to remain closed a bit longer. On April 1 Governor Polis closed schools through April (amidst hopes it was all just an April Fool's joke) and ultimately we came to terms with the fact that we wouldn't be returning at all. The words "Mask Project" took on a whole new level of meaning for Ospreys and we didn't see each other again in person until graduation, held outside, drive-in style, at the Vaughn family ranch. Now here we are, a full year later, wondering what graduation for the class of 2020 might look like (senior families--save the date for a Graduation Meeting on March 31 at 5:00 to brainstorm ideas!)

At the same time, we've seen an increase of COVID cases and exposures among teens in the Durango community--fortunately none that have required quarantining AHS pods this time around! As we head into Spring Break we want to encourage everyone to avoid becoming complacent and continue to diligently practice COVID safety guidelines outside of school hours.

Please note that our new schedule, with 2 FULL in-person days a week extended from 8:25 to 3:25 goes into effect Tuesday March 23.

We will continue to have 9th and 10th grade on campus Mondays and Tuesdays and 11th and 12th grade on campus Thursdays and Fridays. The Hub Bus will be available to bring students from AHS to DHS at the end of the extended day and we will resume catered lunch service.

Having most of our faculty fully vaccinated by the end of Spring Break is an important milestone for sure, but we still need to make sure our students are safe and that learning isn't disrupted. After the break, we will examine the possibility of moving to 4 days a week of in-person classes and will communicate to our families about where we are in our decision-making process. It may be that we stick with 2 days of in-person learning through the end of the year. Being in school 2 days a week compared to 4 has allowed us to have fewer students quarantined than we would have otherwise, thereby minimizing disruptions. As we make final decisions about the schedule for the 2020-21 school year, we are weighing many factors including community input, local transmission data and student wellbeing. We know that multiple scheduling shifts can be challenging for students, families and staff alike and we are grateful for everyone's ongoing input, flexibility, patience and and support in this process.

Here is how we can help keep students safe, keep cohorts in school and keep schools open to in-person learning:  

Please refer to the CDC Know Your Travel Risk page if you plan to travel for Spring Break. Particularly if your travel plans fall into the "even less safe" (direct flights, long distance train or bus travel, car trips with people outside of your household) or "least safe" (flights with layovers, cruise ship) categories, please follow CDC guidelines for what you should do upon returning home:

We know that COVID fatigue is real--a year is a long time! Social connections are a critical piece of our wellbeing and we will all, as individuals and families, be comfortable with various levels of personal risk. Following the guidelines outlined above will help our teachers and students spend as much time as possible together in person between now and the en of the school year. We appreciate your continued cooperation!

Spring Break (no classes): Mon. 3/15 through Fri. 3/19

Professional Development Day for Staff (no classes): Mon. 3/22

Marketing Committee Meeting: Wed. 3/24, 1pm via meet.google.com/edo-ngye-kvt

School Excellence Committee Meeting: Wed. 3/24, 5pm via https://zoom.us/j/372955370

AHS Information Session for Prospective Families: Thurs. 3/25 5:30pm via meet.google.com/iod-tzkm-scx

Graduation Meeting (12th grade families): Wed. 3/31, 5pm via meet.google.com/yno-vbjx-fun

Osprey Parent Coffee: Fri. 4/2 via meet.google.com/uwo-dbav-fia

AHS Reunión Informativa En Línea en Español: Wed. 4/7 5:30pm via meet.google.com/drv-kmdq-pss

PSAT8/9, PSAT10 and SAT (9th, 10th and 11th grade): Tues. 4/13

Spring Blood Drive hosted by Student Council: Fri. 4/19

CMAS Science Test (11th grade): Wed. 4/21

LINK Internships (11th grade): Mon. 4/26 through Fri. 5/14

Professional Development Day for Staff (no classes): Fri. 4/30

Graduation: Fri. 5/28

Last Day of School: Fri. 6/4

As a reminder, if you do online shopping with Amazon, please consider signing up for Amazon Smile and designating Animas High School as your charity of choice! It's quick and easy and means AHS gets a donation when you shop, at no extra cost to you!

Rigorous academics, where all students are prepared for college success

Culture of excellence, where students are held to high expectations

Strong student-faculty relationships, where students are well known.

Engaging learning, where students see the relevance in their education