Animas High School

We are deeply saddened to share the news of Mikayla Wright's sudden passing on Saturday in a tragic boating accident. Former AHS Humanities teacher Sara Price's daughter, Mikayla graduated from AHS in 2017 and was a well-loved community member. Our hearts are grieving along with Sara, Mikayla's longtime partner Ben Glenn '17 and all of Mikayla's family and friends.

Please help us spread word of the GoFundMe set up to support them at this unimaginably difficult time, and consider donating if you can.

Donate to Help Mikayla's Loved Ones in Their Time of Loss, organized by Libby Cowles In her 25 years with us, Mikayla Wright spread a pure and powerful love a… Libby Cowles needs your support for Help Mikayla's Loved Ones in Their Time of Loss

“It is no wonder that families are interested in charter school options. Charters work because they give schools the flexibility and autonomy to create curriculum that resonates with the students and families in their local community. Not every family will find that charter schools meet their student’s needs, but they value having charter schools as an option.”

Well said, Shane!

‘By almost any measure, charter schools succeeding’ With all the challenges we face in Colorado, it was truly astonishing to see several Denver-area politicians introduce a bill this past legislative session attempting to tear down one of the few thing...

Hey Osprey student-athletes--Sign up now for free Mercy physicals!

The AHS Mountain Biking Team is run through Durango Devo and 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: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fbWYF_01O_ZlWel_RpSf9eadIYFeVxkPk_rzm6AjtBM/edit

AHS students can play on DHS teams, too: Check out https://www.durangoathletics.com/ for all the details about what sports are offered each season, when team practices begin, etc. There will be an all-athlete meeting on Wednesday, August 7 from 2-4:00pm in the DHS Auditorium. This is for Fall, Winter, & Spring sport athletes to review expectations, eligibility, etc. Fall Sports Registration is due August 5; register here and upload a recent physical to ensure you're cleared by August 12, the start date for Football, Volleyball, Softball, XC, Boys Soccer, Boys Golf, Boys Tennis, or Dance/Cheer.

Sign up today for our annual free sports physicals provided by Common Spirit with support of Mercy Sports Medicine! July 29-31 at DHS Impact Center. Go to the link to register - vagaro.com/mercysportsmedicine/book-now or call 970-764-9220

Van Halen and Talon, our two sweet rides, are now fully wrapped and ready to proudly transport Ospreys all around the Four Corners. Thank you for doing such great work for us!

Hands on, minds on!

Not your typical Summer School! In partnership with Pueblo Community College Southwest, we're offering a class this month called Math: The Foundation of STEAM

Yesterday, they traveled to Montezuma Land Conservancy's education hub, Fozzie's Farm, to install a weather station. Their class also includes working with scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR & UCAR) and using CAD design and 3D printing to bring math to life.

How's your summer going so far, Ospreys? Share a photo in the comments to let us know what you're up to!

Osprey Soaring! Rising junior Oliver Compton has headed off to Oakcliff Sailing professional training center in New York to continue to build his skills and feed his passion. So far, he's participated in a race from Stamford, CT around Block Island, RI--a qualifying race for the Newport Bermuda Race. Pretty cool, no?

Another Osprey getting up on stage to share her story through The Raven Narratives this weekend. As a journalist, Jamie, class of 2013, is bound to crush it!

Iron Horse Bicycle Classic round two! Math teacher Ande Lloyd, AHS class of 2015, rode his bike up to Silverton a couple of days ago, supported by Chemistry teacher Madi Neukirch and mom Susie Lloyd. Unfortunately, Ande wasn't able to complete the ride during the Iron Horse as he was one of the cyclists who encountered the tacks somebody spread on the road. We love that he was able to get back on the saddle and make the ride this past weekend!

https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/sabotage-deflates-experience-for-iron-horse-bicycle-classic-riders/

Thanks to the good folks at for making Van Halen look super fly!

It's been an excellent first year of our official Experiential Education program at AHS, with Ashley Carruth at the helm!

Thank you to all the support from local businesses Osprey Packs, Pine Needle Mountaineering, Backcountry Experience, Farm to Summit and 2nd Ave Sports!

https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/animas-high-school-grateful-for-community-support/

That’s a wrap for this outstanding circle of educators as we close out the 23/24 school year! In Osprey style, we finished up with a round of heartfelt appreciations, sharing love and admiration for each other and celebrating the hard work that made a positive difference in the lives of our students. ❤️

This Osprey is on fire! 🔥
So fun watching Riley make his Olympic dreams come true ❤️

Riley Amos dominates UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Czech Republic Durango’s Riley Amos has been unbeatable in UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events this year. The 22-year-old continued his impressive form in Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic this past weekend. Amos ...

Transitional Presentations of Learning--or TPOLs, as we call them--are a unique culminating endeavor in each year at Animas. This year, 9th graders are presenting their growth and learning using a unifying metaphor and their digital portfolios, sophomores are engaging in a text-based seminar about their class' academic identity and juniors are presenting projects and lessons from their 3-week LINK Internships. The stakes are high as Ospreys present to peers and teachers--and sometimes it can be stressful. But what's also true is that Animas students get comfortable with important presentation skills over time, and are ready for Senior Project TED Talks when the time comes!

Founding Humanities teacher Lori Fisher will be performing with her daughter Ava in the Durango Arts Center's 10 Minute Play Festival this weekend. It's an Osprey affair, as their play, "Tell Me a Story," is directed by AHS alumna Primrose Bloom '19!

Tickets on sale now: https://durangoarts.org/programs/theatre/10-minute-play-festival/

Yeeeee haw! A rollicking good time at the Wild West themed Advisory Olympics this year. Check out videos from the best dance off ever in the comments. Congrats to Cameron’s advisory for taking home the overall title, and Erin Skyles’ advisory for claiming the coveted dance off win!

How rad are these Ospreys?!? Animas educator flock, bundled up in Silverton, post Iron Horse Bicycle Classic today. Nothing like biking over two mountain passes the day after graduation—and Genevieve and Andrew even completed the journey on a tandem!

Congratulations to these two AHS Alumni (as of yesterday), who turned their grief into positive social action over the last two years, raising awareness about harm reduction strategies and working to create policies at the local and state level. We're proud of you, Niko and Zoe!

They launched a campaign to protect teens from opioids. Now, it’s time to graduate from high school Two years ago, Zoe Ramsey and Niko Peterson lost a friend to fentanyl poisoning. Through heartbreak and resolve, they realized that more could be done to protect teens in Durango and across Colorado.

There they go…flying out of the Nest!

Animas High School Graduation 2024 Welcome to the Animas High School Graduation live stream, which will broadcast on Friday, May 24th, 2024 at 4:00pm MST. IMPORTANT: In the Vimeo embedded player, press the play arrow to begin the event. Once the event begins, click on the ‘expand full screen’ button to enhance your viewing exp.....

Turnabout is fair play...presenting the 2024 Faculty Impersonations!

AHS Teacher Impersonations 2024

Graduation day! 4pm at the Community Concert Hall

On the eve of graduation, Senior Supper is one of the sweetest traditions at Animas, filled with lots and lots of love. Thank you, junior families, for putting together such a yummy meal!

So much to celebrate at our final NEST Meeting of the year!