38 minute read
The Animas Quill
Animas High School animasquill.org April, 2022
AHS Sophomores Get Inspired Through Week of Connection and Service
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Sophomores Caitlin McCullough, Haley Hurst, Porter Bleu, Nora Olivier, Niko Peterson, Gisella Hughes, Brayden Harms, Mia Macon, and Zoell Lhomi are all smiles after their service week at the Juniper School. Photo courtesy of Lori Fisher Story continued on page 4
By Maddie Tharp, Illyria Brunner, Bella Rodriguez, and Mia Macon
Another amazing Sophomore Inspire Week is in the books! During the week of March 7-11, instead of going through their usual class schedule, the sophomore class delved into an exploration of future college and career options. They did this by participating in a variety of meaningful community service projects with local organizations. The week was focused on introducing students to prospective careers, their own aptitudes, and how these align with their interests. The first two days were spent educating the students about options after graduation as well as looking at possible career choices. Over the following three days, the students broke up into several groups and headed off for their community service immersion. The purpose of these experiences was to give students a chance to test the waters of careers and internships, to find out what they like and don’t like, and to give back to the community. The week was planned and executed by the sophomore teaching team and College Counselor Erin CumminsRoper, who focused on the outreach for the community service projects. Erin explained, “Sophomore Inspire Week was super successful. We were able to complete five projects and touch on a variety of different ways to engage with the community. Students seemed to have a really good time and they learned a lot. I was really stressed leading up to it that it wouldn’t fall into place and work out, [but] the magic of Animas came to life, and it turned out to be this really amazing thing.” Erin took her group of sophomores to the Durango Early Learning Center (DELC) to design and build a mud kitchen and fairy houses for their playground. The first morning they got to know the little ones, playing and collecting feedback about design ideas and how the preschoolers wanted everything to look. After spending time at DELC, sophomores consolidated all of the ideas and made a list full of supplies they would need to make the children’s ideas come to life. With help from a volunteer parent, some of the students were able to build a professional mud kitchen, while also learning how to properly use power tools. While some worked on the mud kitchen, others worked on building and beautifying tiny fairy houses, full of magical touches for the little ones. They took a trip to the Humane Society thrift store and got little pots and pans along with cooking utensils and measuring cups for the children to play with. They then loaded up the houses and mud kitchen and delivered it all to the DELC, much to the amazement of their new little friends. DELC Director Becca Trefry remarked, “The best part of the experience was seeing the connections made between the AHS high schoolers and the DELC students. The children’s faces seeing the final products of the mud kitchen and fairy houses was pure delight! I love that our children were able to have role models in ‘the big kids’ that came to visit!” Bennett, age 5, offered, “I liked playing the zombie game with the teenagers. We were trying to eat one of them!”
The Way of the Osprey
Since our last issue came out, AHS has endured a tremendous amount of loss. We are still in the stages of grief after the sudden death of one of our classmates and the departure of some pivotal teachers. The winter months were dark for us, but we are beginning to emerge into the light. Because of the pain of these losses, the Ospreys have grown more resilient, much like the bird for whom we are named. During the Missionary Ridge Fire, the osprey population of Vallecito found resilience within each other. Instead of leaving their nests and trying to escape, they hunkered down and stayed together to weather the storm. Likewise, during our traumatic times, the AHS Ospreys were able to lean on each other and the community for strength. There is always beauty to be found in darkness, and I think that there was a lot of unruly beauty to be found in the loss we had. We are also coming out of the darkness of the pandemic, as local cases are plummeting. It’s refreshing to see some of the faces behind the masks again. We have also begun to recover from the feral state that many of us had sunken into during hybrid and online learning. To address the ailing school culture, a group of students led us in cultural reset day to reestablish “The Way of the Osprey.” Students and teachers were able to address the issues and come up with potential solutions to strengthen our culture and reconnect with each other. The student leaders worked vehemently to come up with ways to reinvigorate us with inspiration. So although second semester began on a difficult note, it has pushed our community to become stronger and support one another. Ospreys rise out of the fire together, stronger.
Roses and Thorns
How present we are with each other when we put our phones away!
After two years of pandemic cancellations, we get to have a prom again.
Scarlett’s Quill Media video edits lighting Instagram on fire.
Taking the SAT means we have to miss a week of Steve’s gymnastics X-block. Feeling some painful nostalgia after another canceled Osprey Week.
Ski season is ending and wildfire season is beginning.
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Mya Oyler
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Scarlett Moore and Zoe Ramsey
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Maya Olivier
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Jai Fallows
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Jessica McCallum
Original Bathroom Art by Gavin Davis
Ospreys Overheard
Teacher Edition
“The electron went boop. Why did it go boop, Christine?” “You all are responsible for the lack of space whales.” “Maybe I just have wants and needs and value, intrinsically, and shouldn’t be stabbed.” “I don’t mind if you cry, but if all you’re doing is crying then we’ve got a problem.” “Look up ‘government cheese caves.’ Or ‘big government cheese.’” “I, too, am addicted to the scroll. I, too, think TikTok is hilarious.” “We’ve gotta get our galactic game on. Come on, humans!” “No, you should be stressed. Very stressed. Unhealthily stressed is what we’re going for. Toxic levels.” “Are you doing math in my class?! That means Ande wins!” “I love how many times you were able to call Harold a goober in this seminar. Props. Extra credit.” “All I want is a long beard, a robe and a staff.”
Reporters
Zander Albers Amelia Baca Molly Bachman Za Barrett Caleb Bates Nizhoni Benally Illyria Brunner Rio Edmondson Bryan Gnehm Adrian Griffith Roan Harvey Cy Holt Mia Macon Scarlett Moore Bella Rodriguez Jack Tescher Madalynn Tharp
Dear Homegurl. Gas prices have gotten so high that my parents have stopped giving me gas money. But I still need to get to school, so this morning I poured canola oil in my gas tank, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best! I am almost out of oil now. Any ideas of what else might be safe to use??? It’s still too cold to compost, so should I put that stuff in there? Like a biofuel? How about sugar or some coffee grounds? Those give people energy, so cars too? - Desperate Driver
Dear Desperate Driver. Gas prices are getting outrageous, I too am facing this problem. Did your car actually make it to school today? Most cars don’t normally run on biofuels. I asked Steve Smith about the sugar and coffee grounds, and he just laughed for a long time in that way he does, so I’m guessing it’s all good. I am not sure though, so I put it in his car first and will let you know what happens. SCIENCE! :) Another great, more eco-friendly solution for this is using public transportation, carpooling with friends, or riding a bike or skateboard to school. No matter how you get to school, just be sure to curse Vladimir Putin the whole way there. Peace and blessin’s, Homegurl
World News Haiku
By BGnehm and JMac
World Cup qualified! Despite loss to the ticos Go Team USA!
Russian oil worthless Oligarchs yachts being seized What is the long game?
Did y’all know? Questlove Won Best Documentary Right after the slap
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The Animas Quill strives to be an exceptional and relevant source of news and student perspectives, connecting the Ospreys of Animas High School to the Four Corners community and the world beyond.
Picture this: it’s April 2020. Spring has come in full swing and you take daily long walks to absorb the crisp air. The smell of sugar and vanilla fills your kitchen as you attempt new baking endeavors, a creative outlet you never of oil now. Any ideas of what else might be safe to use??? It’s knew you needed. Despite the dire circumstances of the early days of the pandemic, the hecticness of our working and educational lives was replaced with a slower pace for a while. Covid showed us the benefits of freeing up more time in our lives. In a workaholic, grind-driven culture, the idea of parting with the 40 hour work week may sound counterproductive to some; however, there is evidence to show that there is more productivity to be found with shortened hours. An eight hour day stretches our ability to focus and it was found that on average in 2015, employees spent 2.5 laughed for a long time in that way he does, so I’m guessing hours per day doing off-task online activities. In a study conducted by the BBC in Iceland, 2,500 working citizens and will let you know what happens. SCIENCE! :) Another reduced their weekly hours from 40 to 30-36 and kept the same pay. It was found that this increased productivity for many employees. This has led to a cultural shift where skateboard to school. No matter how you get to school, just now roughly 80% of the working population in Iceland has shifted to working fewer hours. AHS Humanities teacher Lori Fisher discussed the discrepancies between our work model and such in various different countries. “The United States is not the norm for the educational and work model among Western, industrialized nations.” she concurred. “In the United States our teaching load is typically 30 hours a week of face to face instructional time. When you look at Scandinavian countries you’re looking at closer to 18-20 hours per week.” In schools, students and teachers face the challenges of burnout that lessens the quality of their work. We often find ourselves wasting time in the day doing unimportant tasks that don’t contribute to our overall productivity. Lessening the instructional hours would be beneficial for the quality of work and productivity for both teachers and students. Lori backed this sentiment adding, “[a shortening of instructional hours] leaves teachers more time to plan curriculum and carry out more thorough assessments and meet with students.” She continued, “This would benefit not only the work-life balance of teachers but also heighten the quality of interactions between teachers and students.” Students, especially those who participate in extracurriculars, feel the same sense of burnout and distraction at school. Our existing school week is 35 hours and once you allot time for sports, extracurriculars, and homework, we face up to 50 hours of dedicated work time. A 2014 study conducted by Stanford University shows that productivity significantly plummets after 50 hours a week which means many students are facing perpetual stress and burnout; something that significantly contributes to the mental health crisis of our youth. There are many benefits to our wellbeing that can be found in a shortened work week. Lori highlighted the luxuries we assumed during the height of the pandemic that allowed us more time to focus on our wellbeing. “While teaching online was kind of soul sucking and less enjoyable than in person teaching, I had the space in my day where I could work out, pick up hobbies, go for walks and that was really lovely.” Many people experiencing lockdown felt this same sense of increased time making the shift to full time work and learning difficult. Lori added, “Coming back to this very regimented schedule was a cold shock to the system. All of that space and additional time is gone.” Shortening the work week would reallocate time for these self care intentioned activities to be more permanent in our lives. Many European countries have been able to make the shift to a shorter week while American schools and companies are still moving towards it. Recently the Bayfield school district announced that next year, they will be moving to a four day school week, cutting Friday out. This switch is likely not motivated by the benefits the shorter week has but rather for financial reasons. However, to make up for lost time, they are extending the school day by an hour so the weekly hours are not being changed. Colorado leads the nation in terms of schools with shortened school weeks. In Colorado, schools are required to have 1080 hours of face to face instructional time per year, and cutting down the school week could make the hours too low for state regulation. Lori explained this dilemma adding, “Schools hands are somewhat tied in this situation because of the mandated hours, so for there to be a change in the structure of our work week, there needs to be statewide political action.” Animas High School has begun to move towards a shortened school week by experimenting with modified schedule for Juniors. On Wednesdays, students go to their core classes during the morning periods and spend the afternoon with their advisors and getting physical education credit through X-Block. Instead of attending morning classes, Juniors with above a 75% in all their classes were given the morning to work from home only required to attend a short Google Meet in the morning. For those with below a 75%, they were required to come to school to do their work which allowed them time to work individually with teachers and get the support they needed. AHS Junior Julia Earley supported the workblock and
Story continued on page 5
STEM Starcast
By Dave “Deep Thoughts” Farkas
Aries
The night may feel like a safe time to put on a Unicorn onesie and run through the local city streets, however, some may oppose your freedom. The life of a party you most certainly aren’t this weekend.
Taurus
Don’t believe anything you read today. The number of times you walk into a door today will cause you to seek out new ways of thinking. Comb Overs will suddenly attract you this week as you attempt to get a hospital appointment for an eye problem.
Gemini
Exciting developments may be keeping you up at all hours, but everyone needs a break…so get off TikTok and do something!! Stop running through the halls complaining to everyone!
Cancer
You might be a bit confused this month Cancer, due to how often you fall in love with just about everything. Don’t let the gravitational force of attraction formula (F=G(m1+M2)/D2) deter you from your current path.
Leo
Feel free to match your plaid pants with your paisley shirt, Leo. Let the oddball within you shine brightly! Here at AHS, we celebrate everyone by letting our freak flags fly :) Just be careful around town, they’re a different breed out there.
Libra
The future is what you make of it - and if it’s anything like what you made of the rest of your life, I’d consider buying materials for the nuclear winter. I’d start investing in a Roth IRA. They have huge returns, and based on your current path and future income…you’ll need it.
Capricorn
You love to be told how wonderful you are…and sometimes you are :) But most of the time you aren’t, and we’re saying that to get you to stop talking about yourself. It’s ok though, we’ll accept and support you through your journey.
Scorpio
Share your innermost secrets with your entire family and network of friends. They will adore you for your spectacular honesty and may only exclude you from everything they say or do for the next decade.
Aquarius
Your curious and creative nature is going to get you into a lot of hot water, so be on the lookout. Avoid temptation and stay away from peer pressure. It’s never as bad as you think it is. Remember to smile…
Virgo
You could be missing out on ordering others around and taking credit for it. The Moon-Jupiter tug of war helps you establish why “me” is more important than “we”. Go through your A-list of favorite supporters, then delete the rest. You don’t need them. You’re in charge…do it your own way.
Sagittarius
It’s all about you!!!! And you know it. You light up the room when you enter…that’s if your head will fit through the door. People accept your arrogance as enlightenment and humor you while you boast about your accomplishments. Don’t worry, you’re well liked and accepted by all.
Pisces
Does it always feel like you’re going nowhere, just banging your head against the dam? According to the BLM, the dam has a shelf life of 500 years, so hang in there and maybe some of your offspring will make it. Until then, keep your head up and watch out for the eagles.
Zoell Lhomi, Brayden Harms and Niko Peterson conduct a focus group with Juniper School 5th graders to gather input on designs for the sensory garden. Sophomore Service, continued from Page 1 Photo courtesy of Lori Fisher Humanities teacher Lori Fisher’s group worked with The Juniper School to plan and design a sensory garden to be constructed in the fall. The Juniper group began by observing and getting to know the 4th and 5th-grade classes. Ms. Andrea, a 5th-grade teacher from Juniper, reflected, “It may be called Sophomore Inspire Week, but it really inspires the 5th graders. They were really excited to work with older students as mentors and teachers.” In addition to designing the garden, Animas students planned and taught lessons relating to the wildlife and plants of Colorado. The interaction with the students allowed the sophomores to gain communication and leadership skills while having a larger product in mind. Niko Peterson reflected, “Seeing the little kids so excited to learn gives me hope for the future because knowledge is power, and their enthusiasm was electric. I also have a newfound respect for teachers who plan and execute lessons.” Throughout the week the Animas students worked together to design, market, and plan ways to create the sensory garden that incorporated all five senses. The garden is designed to foster an interactive experience so the students will have a new nature element. The result of this week will allow for a beautiful, fun experience for everyone who comes to the garden! Lori’s student teacher Katherine Pamplin rallied her group to design and create a beautiful large mural for the Rainbow Youth Center at the Commons Building near Albertsons. They created the mural on one of the walls in the office building hall to brighten up their community. The students painted an Earth with a rainbow rocket coming out of the 4 corners area, and they let their imaginations run wild embellishing the space around the Earth. All supplies were donated from parents, Animas, and Handcrafted House who generously donated paint. The mural can be seen outside the office of the Rainbow Youth Center and all that visit the Commons building. After three days of hard work, the people of the Commons now have something beautiful to see every day. Katherine shared her perception of the experience: “It went really great. I left all of the design and work up to the students, and I was pleasantly surprised with the result. They were able to add their own inspiration to the mural, which left us with a beautiful final product.” Physics teacher Madi Neukirch took her group of sophomores to Weaselskin Farm and Equestrian Center to work with horses and learn more about conservation with
Shea Davis shares a bonding moment with Tigger.
Photo by Lana Bodewes
Mae Loebig, Teo VanTyn, Tristan May, Julian Dugas, Toby Philipp, and Quinn Gaver pose proudly with their Free Little Library.
Photo courtesy of Ande Lloyd Shortened Week continued from Page 3 explained how it worked for her. “As a student that’s taking concurrent enrollment classes and studying for the SAT, I use the workblock to take the day to prepare myself for success.” She continued, highlighting how it benefits students’ wellbeing. “I’m also usually able to sleep in a bit which allows me to be energized for X-Block and Advisory. Because of the morning check in, I’m able to set goals for myself and prioritize what I need to get done.” An ideal schedule would be to give Wednesday morning workblock to all AHS students, but there are precautions that need to be taken to ensure that students are using this time accordingly. Lori explained this dilemma adding, “The level of independence and agency that it will take for students to execute this is high, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable. Teenagers are certainly capable of way more than what we ask them to do, but we need to critically think about how we teach students how to do this.” This type of reflection on time management and study skills could be promoted in advisory, particularly sophomore and freshman year. With an emphasis on this type of education, a shortened work week at Animas High School could be accomplished. Lori concluded with the sentiment, “In an ideal world, we should all have a four day work week and have time to spend with our families and have time to have hobbies, and time to pursue things that are not just working to grind and survive.” The Covid pandemic has been incredibly indicative of the need for change, so we must take small steps in our society to reach the goal of a shortened work and school week.
owner Jennifer Thurston. Each day started with the students helping Jennifer and her assistant with feeding and watering the horses and cleaning the pens. Interspersed with working with the horses, Jennifer shared her plentiful knowledge and wisdom with the students, teaching them about business as well as her philosophy of handling horses. She reflected, “Our group worked very well! It was nice to see a different kind of career path represented and learn about what goes into agriculture. It was nice to connect with community members involved to see agriculture specific to this area.” The first day ended with Jennifer walking the students around the property she has been working to conserve over the past few years. She explained the ecological, archaeological, and cultural significance of the space and the amazing fact that the land hadn’t been disturbed for nearly 1000 years. The second day was slightly derailed by a freak snowstorm that hit. Instead of spending the day working on the organic garden, the class learned how to handle, walk, lunge, and harness horses. Although gardening wasn’t possible on the second day due to the weather, by Friday enough snow had melted to move large pieces of fencing and survey where a new irrigation system would eventually be placed. The last few activities of the internship included fencing with swords, as Jennifer is a Pentathlon coach, and reflecting on the activities and what the students had learned. Math teacher Ande Lloyd’s group gave back to the community by building and distributing Free Little Library Boxes to be placed around Durango. They spent a few days drafting designs for the boxes, which they would be building themselves. The group stayed at Animas to build the boxes shaped like little houses, allowing students to learn how to use power tools and work with wood. After painting and other refinements to the library boxes, the group was able to collect a plethora of books to be placed in the boxes. They finished three libraries to be placed at choice locations. Ande shared, “It was really cool for the
Cash Lettieri and Hudson Curry joyously assemble the Free Little Library in the AHS Makerspace. Photo courtesy of Ande Lloyd kids because they got to create something to benefit the community. It was great to come together and make something for other people that they can use and enjoy.” It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has strained this community and the interconnectedness of the whole world. It has been hard to function as a school, let alone a city and a society. However, after these difficult times, many individuals are coming together stronger than ever. Sophomore Inspire Week has been a chance for students to contribute to their community and see themselves as young adults in the world, learning about their own skills. This year, not only did the sophomores get to discover new things about themselves, but they were also genuinely involved in strengthening and rebuilding lost connections in the community as a whole. Animas students have the power to rebuild this community after such a global challenge, and Sophomore Inspire Week is a spectacular example of how this school can contribute.
Wilderness Self Rescue Class Imparts Survival Skills
Kyle Edmondson’s Economics of the Stock Market class is all the rage at Animas this year. After years of working to prototype it, students have finally completed a self-contained stock market simulation game and all AHS students were given the opportunity to participate. According to Kyle, “Four classes have had a hand in designing, coding, and testing this simulation. This marks the final stage where we get to see how well it can model real markets.” The game currently includes 40 players, with 46 different stocks. Each player starts out with $150,000 in cash and stocks. After two months, the player with the most money will win a $50 gift card. Kyle’s students are not the ones playing the game; instead, they help the participants understand and play. They oversee the entire project, fixing the game’s spreadsheet when it breaks and making sure people don’t cheat. “This game allows students to interact with the stock market,” Kyle described, “thus being able to see firsthand the complex topics around the stock market. By building a
self-contained market, our players will be able to manipulate our market in ways similar to what is done by large players in the real stock market: hedge funds, brokerage firms, etc. We will know we have succeeded if we can simulate the kind of bubbles, crashes, and speculative frenzies that have characterized Wall Street trading.” The stock market class has allowed students to learn about the market itself in order to simulate it. They started by playing a game where they could purchase, sell, and trade stocks. The students also researched how companies have been doing over the past, in order to know what trades to make. Kyle explained “I started by having students play a regular stock simulation, MarketWatch, that tracks prices in reality. I coupled that with research and discussion of recent market events, like the Gamestop shorting scandal from last year. These anomalies cannot be recreated in MarketWatch, as the students’ trades do not impact the pricing of real stocks, and so the need for our self-contained market was apparent.” Through taking this class, students have learned strategies to effectively trade and to understand market manipulations, which they can then try to replicate in their simulation. Creating their own stock game has allowed students to see firsthand how the actions that players in the game make affect the stock market like they would in a real life scenario. At All School Exhibition on May 19, students will reveal a final winner, demonstrate the inner workings of the code, Freshperson Kira Lemley analyzes the stock market simulation spreadsheet. Photo by Cy Holt and reflect on how well the simulation was able to replicate reality.
By Nizhoni Benally
Animas Students have had an opportunity this semester to learn important survival skills and mindsets in Ande Lloyd’s Wilderness Self Rescue (WSR) elective. WSR is an outdoor class meant to teach students how to make good decisions while in the backcountry, as well as how to respond in the case of an emergency. Although it does not end in any type of certification, the class is meant to help further their knowledge in the mountains and backcountry. Ande explained, “I’ve always loved being in the mountains… but like anything, there’s risk involved… I wanted to give back to the younger generation and teach them how to be safe and respond when things do go wrong.” This class is covering three main courses over this semester: Avalanche Rescue, Wilderness First Aid, and On Rope Skills. Ande continued, “It feels really important to me that I’m teaching these kids something they can use in their [outdoor] pursuits.” Avalanche Rescue and Wilderness First Aid started with lessons and demonstrations on the gear that could be used during rescues and instruction on what to do in certain situations. In Avalanche Rescue, students practiced finding beacons buried in the snow and went through every step that was required of them to find the victim effectively and safely. At the end of the unit, they had an exam where they had to follow all the steps to a rescue and find a beacon in under 10 minutes. Wilderness First Aid taught students to determine if a situation is safe or not, how to run through patient assessments, how to fill out Subjective, Objective, Assessment Plan (SOAP) notes in order to determine what would be their best plan of action for rescuing a patient. The final practicum was a full patient assessment where they had to follow all the steps to rescue the patient and get them out of the situation safely. Ande explained that the goal of On Rope Skills is to teach students how to “transport a patent from [point] A to [point] B through difficult terrain.” On Rope Skills will follow the same structure as the previous two units with lessons, practice and a final exam to demonstrate what the students learned from the unit. WSR had a guest speaker during the First Aid unit, Leo Lloyd. Mr Lloyd spoke to the class about his experiences in the backcountry and situations that have happened in the backcountry, situations where you would need to act quickly, and common mistakes someone may make and could cost someone their life. Mr. Lloyd believes that the new class will “give a student something to think about and help them make good decisions when they’re presented with specific hazards related to being in the mountains here.” Wilderness Self Rescue is sure to be a class that will help the AHS students better enjoy the outdoors while still being safe and making good decisions.
Ande Lloyd instructs the students in his Wilderness Self Rescue elective on avalanche rescue techniques. Photo by Scarlett Moore By Porter Bleu It’s not like anyone notices when I’m not picking up my weekly deli sandwich and pack of cigs. Well, maybe the fat old guy who works at the convenience store around the block. I shouldn’t be so mean- he’s actually not so bad, every time I leave he yells, “give me a smile baby”. And on the rare occasion that I do leave my apartment complex, I always try and look my best. I mean if I’m going to have to socialize with average middle-class Americans, then I mustn’t let them think that I’m anything similar to them. So that means- “wipe the f*#$ing drool off your chin, Veronica because we have to go pick up our prescription.” There’s just nothing chic about looking like a troll in public... even if you’re wearing Saint Laurent, money can’t buy you sanity. Somehow, after every single one of my outings I still manage to come home tired, like, didn’t I just sleep for 48 hours?! Honestly, this must be a sign from God confirming that I truly am just the best dressed Anthropophobe (afraid of people) in the entire world! You must think I’ve got my life all figured out, right? Like, you must think I am super like- innovative and smart. C’mon, tell me that’s what you’re thinking… please? If I wasn’t- I mean, I shouldn’t have to work so hard just for you to not believe me. Why don’t you believe me? Here we go again.
By Christine Howe Find a distraction. An autumn cold spell forged its way across the western part of the country, rearing its head above the mountains. Each morning for the past three days, the golden aspen leaves around my little cabin in the woods sparkled with a glaze of frost, illuminating the biting morning air with a rejoicing exclamation of late September. It gilded the light wood of the log outer walls of the 20 by 20 ft. building and coated the windows in a silvery curtain. It glimmered on the poles of the corral, massing in delicate strings on the long whiskers of the palomino mare who stood within it. All this I observed from the window above the steel sink. Clancy, his black and white border collie body still clumsy from sleep, sat at my feet looking up at me. His front feet kept sliding forward on the polished oak floor, bumping against my socked foot. I sipped black coffee from my only mug, the turquoise one my mom gave me for my 20th birthday–Happy Birthday Chrissy, love Momma was inscribed on the bottom in steady italics. I cradled the mug in both hands close to my face, and the steam curled around my shoulders like my momma’s warm arms enveloping me. I folded around it as if to contain every sliver of warmth from the steam and memory before venturing into the chill outside. I recoiled from a wave of nostalgia, shaking myself and beginning to don the many layers that would protect me from the cold, the armor that would apprehend backward glances. Don’t remember.
By Sophia Prestipino Fingers with the texture and shape of sunflower petals Wrapping around a bottle, the way sunflowers close up for the winter Wood chipped off the old steps when sacred energy still holds within the center like the sight of a crackling fire. Why are you sitting out here alone? The clouds hovered over their head as they responded “This is where we used to sit.”
With the attacks on Ukraine by Russia, many people in Durango, although quite far away, are worried about the safety of people in Ukraine. Over 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes; there have been over 3,000 casualties, and at least 45% of the population there are in danger of going hungry. Citizens of Durango are acting upon their concerns, in particular, Alena Yaremchuk and Vladimir Koshevoy, both originally from Ukraine, are taking up the call for action. Vladimir has lived in the US for a while, but his wife, Alena has only lived here for about a year. They both still have many family members and friends back in Ukraine who are now in direct danger, and Alena is fiercely passionate about helping the people still in Ukraine. In recent weeks, Alena has led a group of concerned local residents to meet and discuss actions that can be taken on the matter. Alena first organized a gallery with purchasable art donated by local artists. “This money will go to support people great[ly]! We have family in this place [Ukraine] and now it is really dangerous,” she explained. “My brother must sleep in the bomb shelters, so we are trying to help raise money for [the] creation of bomb shelters.” Alena next planned to hold a march downtown. Instead a small fundraiser was held in the Durango Rug Company. And she has held many more fundraisers and events since then. For more information about how to get involved, contact Alena on Facebook Messenger at Intellectual Leadership - Ukraine Forever. These aren’t the only actions that Durango community members are taking. If you walk through Downtown Durango, you will see little cans painted with the bright blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag for donations. Not only this, but some AHS students are interested in doing a fundraiser. Junior Za Barrett is one of the students workshopping ideas, though there’s nothing solid yet. “There are so many things we could do! I was thinking maybe a craft fair. I want everyone to be involved in this!” Za exclaimed. She already has a few other students on board and they are currently brainstorming what exactly they want to do. There have been conversations about working with the AHS Student Council as well. Supporting Ukraine has become even more key as the situation spirals downward with already 10 million refugees fleeing the country or internally displaced. And the number of people in danger grows day by day. Ukranians need support from us from home to try to make their situations a little more bearable; there are many charities local and international that are taking donations now, the international rescue committee (help.rescue.org) and the UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) are just a few.
Sophomores Shea Davis and Maddie Tharp are part of a group of locals working to provide a helping hand to Ukraine. Photo courtesy of Maddie Tharp
Très Chic! Le Projet de la Mode Française
By Maddie Tharp and Roan Harvey
The AHS French class is moving into the final days of their fashion project, Le projet de la mode. They have been creating original fashion designs sourced from materials from the thrift store and their own closets. The goal of this project was to repurpose and upcycle the clothing into something new and tres chic, with a bit of original flair from each of the students. The final project will be putting their designs into a fashion magazine, the second issue of Sa, Son, Ses, a publication of the AHS French 2 class. The magazine is due to be finished and printed by late April. Each of the students have spent the last three weeks creating and photographing their own collections and designs. “We had so much fun taking fashion photos with our friends to display in our magazine, even though it was very cold!” said étudiante Lucy Donnaway. The students will also be writing short articles, both in
French and English, about bumping against my socked foot. I sipped black coffee from their fashion collections, what inspired them in the curation of their designs, and random fashion-related events and things around Animas and in the world at large. Some of the articles that can be expected are: AHS Fashion Dos and Don’ts, Fashion and Fencing, and Finding Sustainable Fashion in a world of “fast fashion.” The creation of outfits and the magazine is the second phase of the project. First semester, the French students learned how to draw “croquis” and design outfits while also learning the vocabulary to describe the outfits and looking into the work of famous French designers such as Coco Chanel. The students now have the opportunity to apply what they have learned while they sew and write about their projects. “We have been working on the fashion project since the beginning of the semester. We shopped, we sewed and we styled! Now we are in the thick of creating our final magazine!” exclaimed French teacher Susy Raleigh. Come check out their work at All School Exhibition on May 19, where the designs will be on display along with copies of the magazine.
Julia Glotfelty (above) in a repurposed romper. Lucy Donnaway (right) sports a balaclava made by Julia Glotfelty.
Photography Portraits
By Amelia Baca
Photography students exhibited their talent in this year’s Portrait Project. The task was to experiment with value, color, focus, design, and space, and the students are finding success and joy in this independently-designed project. “Class is very different this year, after coming back from COVID we did not receive the hands-on experiences we have now. We have so much work to show this year and I know we are all so proud, ” shared senior Olivia Gilden. Although the class has had some difficult times this year after the departure of their teacher, they have risen to the challenge of creating beautiful work. Senior Roxy Ladin reflected, “This has given us a time to grow and get to use our knowledge of photography. Each and every person in our class produced a beautiful project.”
Above: “Home” by Roxy Ladin Left: “How She Kills Me” by Maya Olivier Below: “Crown of Flowers” by Kenzie Galloway
Junior Chloe Sturm embodies the Animas ethic of speaking your mind and exploring your passions. As a visual artist, her personal style could be recognized by her experimentation with color schemes and high contrast lighting. She plays around with a lot of different media, but her favorites include charcoal, water color, and oil pastels. “My favorite thing about exploring new techniques is when it works out and I produce something I am proud to show.” Chloe often derives inspiration from scrolling the pictures on her phone. According to Chloe she has around 20,000 photos in her phone’s camera roll. She loves rendering images of human beings because she is fascinated by their anatomy. She prefers to draw and paint subjects to whom she has a connection. Chloe said, “I find inspiration from the beauty around me and my friends. When I create art of people I care about, it inspires me to perfect the work because I want them to see the beauty that I see in them.” Chloe’s main artistic inspirations are her older sisters, Lily and AHS class of 2018 alum Maddie. When they were young, they played around with storytelling and creative dramatics, including performing plays, dance routines, and homemade films and animations. Chloe said, “My sisters inspire me because they are the most artistically talented in my family. They both pursued it past high school, and they have found successes in the real world beyond art class.” Chloe strives to translate her passion for art into her future career. She aims to be a tattoo artist, so right now she is practicing her skills in realism. She shared, “I feel excited about continuing my career in tattoo artistry because I want to love the work I do, but I don’t want to be left with pennies. I feel passionate about entrepreneurship so a tattoo studio feels like a good way to satisfy my wants as an artist and my needs as a consumer.” She and her sisters talk about opening a tattoo studio that would also sell other artistic merchandise, such as graphic T-shirts with original artwork. She doesn’t let many people see her art. Most of the time she gives it to her dad to hang up in his room, or it is sitting in her own room. But you can check out her work on Instagram at @manicpixiedreamgirldoesart and her portfolio website at chloesturmart.weebly.com.
Portrait of the Artist: Chloe’s talents stretch across many genre. Photo by Katie Rydz
Little Ballerina (Acrylic on canvas) Image courtesy of Chloe Sturm Desert Scene at the Wedding (Oil Pastel) Image courtesy of Chloe Sturm Allison (White Charcoal) Image courtesy of Chloe Sturm
Upcoming Events
Creativity Festivity: A Celebration of Children’s Art
What: Grand Opening and Artists Reception When: April 7th, 5:30-7:30pm Where: Durango Arts Center
Eight students from Britt Blasdell’s Studio Arts classes were accepted to show their work this year: Asher Rehman, Kristina Bodewes, Chloe Sturm, Savanna Templeton, Porter Bleu, Col Hinds, Haley Hurst, and Eila Lance. The exhibition will be ongoing from April 5th-April 30. Original Art by Porter Bleu (left) and Kristina Bodewes (right)
10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse
What: Osprey Theatre Company’s Spring Play When: April 28th, 7pm Where: Animas High School Commons
AHS All-School Exhibition
What: A Celebratory Extravaganza of Projects from the year When: May 19th, 4:00-7:00pm Where: AHS Campus, 271 Twin Buttes
