Social work program invites applications
Applications are being accepted for the Master of Social Work degree program offered in Durango by the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work Four Corners program, which will begin in the summer of 2016.
The two-year program is offered at a reduced-tuition rate because of a collaboration aimed at better serving rural areas in the Four Corners. A weekend class schedule has been arranged to accommodate the needs of working professionals, and a one-year degree option is available to qualified applicants with a bachelor’s degree in social work.
The two-year MSW program is available to applicants with a baccalaureate degree in an academic discipline other than social work, earned at a regionally accredited college or university. Applicants with a baccalaureate degree in social work may earn the MSW in one year, beginning in summer 2017, through the advanced standing program option.
This program, designed to meet the needs of communities in the Four Corners, combines face-to-face classroom instruction with a mix of technologies including web-based support modules and TV sessions broadcast from Denver.
For more information, call Wanda Ellingson at 247-9773 or email wellings@du.edu.
GED graduation ceremony to be held
The Durango Adult Education Center will hold its winter GED graduation ceremony at 6 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave.
The commencement speaker will be Luke Perkins, 2005 GED graduate and now a senior at Fort Lewis College and the editor-in-chief of the FLC Independent News Magazine. Graduates, their families, friends and the public are invited.
For more information, call 385-4354.
Mountain Middle announces event
Suzanne Jackson’s eighth-grade science class will present “Waves: Optic and Audio Exhibition” from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio.
During this project, students studied various aspects of light and sound. Students created a proposal for an exhibit at the Powerhouse that teaches about light and/or sound.
The exhibit board at the Powerhouse will choose one or more exhibits to be installed at the center. The public is encouraged to attend and vote for their favorite.
Columbine to host Christmas plays
Columbine Christian School will hold Christmas play performances.
The “Itty Bitty Christmas Play,” performed by kindergarten to third-grade students, will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Dec. 16. “A Lamb’s Tale,” presented by fourth- to eighth-graders, will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Dec. 16. A Christmas dessert potluck will follow the performances.
For more information, visit www.columbinechristian.com.
Infant, toddler care training available
The Early Childhood Council of La Plata County will offer a local Expanding Quality in Infant/Toddler Care Training Program.
This 48-hour Colorado Department of Human Services approved training will begin Jan. 20 and end May 11. All classes will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays at the Early Childhood Council Training Center. The cost is $40. Travel stipends and substitute support are available to qualified participants. Providers from La Plata, Archuleta, Montezuma, Dolores and San Juan counties are welcome.
For more information, email Heather Hawk at heatherh@ecclaplata.org, call 247-0760, or visit www.ecclaplata.org.
FLC to live stream winter graduation
Fort Lewis College will host its Winter Commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Dec. 19 in Whalen Gym.
The Winter Commencement address will be offered by Lee Frazer, assistant professor of adventure education and winner of the 2015 FLC Alice Admire Outstanding Teaching Award.
The ceremony will be live streamed on the FLC YouTube channel.
For more information, visit www.fortlewis.edu/graduation.
St. Paul’s Preschool to host celebration
St. Paul’s Preschoolers will celebrate Jesus’ birth with its Family Pizza Birthday Party, including a birthday cake for Jesus, from noon to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 17.
For more information, call 247-1368.
9-R school board to meet Tuesday
The Durango School District 9-R School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the board room of the district office.
Florida Mesa announces events
Florida Mesa Elementary School will host these events:
The Accountability Committee will meet at 8 a.m. Thursday in the conference room.
The Parent Teacher Organization will meet at 8 a.m. Dec. 17 in the conference room.
Florida Mesa Elementary Advanced Choir will play holiday music from 7:20 to 7:40 a.m. Dec. 18 in the school’s lobby. Escalante Middle School’s Orchestra will perform from 9 to 9:30 a.m. Dec. 18 at Florida Mesa. The public is welcome.
Spirit week at Florida Mesa Elementary will take place from Monday to Dec. 18.
Fort Lewis Mesa announces events
Fort Lewis Mesa announces these events:
Fort Lewis Mesa will host its annual Holiday Concert at 6 p.m. Monday.
Roller skating for December has been canceled.
The Accountability Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Jan. 19. The committee needs a non-parent community member to serve on the board. For more information, call 588-3331.
Park Elementary to offer holiday show
Park Elementary School will host its annual holiday program at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Park Café.
The program will feature third-grade students and orchestra students.
Animas Valley hosts food drive
Animas Valley Elementary School will host a food drive to benefit Project Merry Christmas through Dec. 16.
Nonperishable food items will be collected. Food items can be sent with a child or dropped off at the school office.
Discipline workshop to be offered
Durango School District 9-R will host the Kagan workshop “Win-Win Discipline” on Jan. 23.
This one-day workshop will help educators develop discipline solutions where students and teachers win.
Participants will learn how to identify the four types of disruptive behavior, recognize the seven positions from which they spring and what to do in the moment of disruption. Educators from surrounding districts are invited to participate.
For registration or more information, visit www.durangoschools.org.
Animas High School announces programs
Animas High School will offer these programs:
Students in Brian Morgan’s ninth-grade physics class will exhibit their Rube Goldberg machines from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in the AHS Commons.
The Morality and Politics of Justice Coffee House Community Dialogues will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Durango Joe’s in Town Plaza. Ashley Carruth’s 11th-grade humanities students will discuss their proposals for how the government should resolve various political issues based on what is morally and politically just.
The AHS Board of Directors will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. For more information, visit http://animashighschool.com/board-meetings. All are welcome.
Using a spreadsheet they created to help seniors and their parents understand the total cost of college and loans, statistics students in Kyle Edmondson’s class will offer college consulting sessions to AHS families Thursday by appointment at AHS. AHS College Counselor Jess Adams will offer more support from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the AHS Commons for a session about scholarship opportunities and strategies.
AHS will follow a special schedule Friday, which will include a screening of the documentary “Most Likely to Succeed.” The film will serve as a segue to AHS student Presentations of Learning, as it profiles how AHS and High Tech High use an educational model that prepares students for post-secondary success. Students will prepare for presentations Monday and Tuesday, and presentations will be scheduled from Dec. 16 to 18. There will be an early release for all AHS students at 2:15 p.m. Monday.
Enrollment for the 2016-17 school year will open Jan. 4. For more information, visit www.animashighschool.com.
Youth leadership camp available
La Plata Electric Association invites high school juniors to participate in the Colorado Electric Education Institute Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp – an all-expenses paid educational/leadership camp set for July 17-22 at Glen Eden Resort outside of Steamboat Springs.
The deadline for application is Jan. 6.
LPEA will host an informational open house for people with questions about the camp and the application process from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the cooperative’s headquarters, 45 Stewart St.
LPEA will sponsor up to four high school juniors, one from each school district within its service territory (Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio and Pagosa Springs). All area high school juniors who receive their electric power from LPEA are eligible to participate, including home-schooled students.
To be considered, students must complete the leadership camp application and submit it to LPEA, along with a 500-word essay reflecting the student’s personal perspective on leadership. Applicants should have a strong academic record, be interested in enhancing their leadership potential and have an interest in meeting new people.
Applications are available for download at www.lpea.coop, from high school counselors or at the LPEA’s Durango and Pagosa Springs offices.
For more information, email Jeannie Bennett at jbennett@lpea.coop or call 382-3505.
High school juniors sought for youth tour
La Plata Electric Association, in partnership with The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, is seeking high school juniors to be a part of the National Rural Electric Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., from June 9 to June 16.
The application deadline is Jan. 6. All high school juniors whose households receive electricity from LPEA are eligible to apply. LPEA will host an informational open house for those with questions about the Washington D.C. tour and the application process from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the cooperative’s headquarters, 45 Stewart St. No reservations are required.
The youth tour features a look at the federal government and the nation’s capital, including museum and monument tours, as well as interaction with Colorado’s elected representatives.
Social activities are also part of the trip. LPEA seeks to sponsor one student from each municipality within its service territory (Durango, Bayfield, Pagosa Springs and Ignacio). Home-schooled students also are eligible.
To be considered, students must complete the D.C. Youth Tour application and submit it to LPEA, along with an essay of 500 words or less about any aspect of the electric energy industry. Applications are available at www.lpea.coop, from high school counselors and at the LPEA offices in Durango and Pagosa Springs.
For more information, call Jeannie Bennett at 382-3505 or email jbennett@lpea.coop.
Herald Staff
