Mercury awards grant to Big Brothers, Sisters
Mercury will participate in the Adopt-A-School program for the 2013-14 school year with a $5,000 grant.
Mercury’s support will help the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ School-based Program – known as Study Connection – at Durango School District schools.
Study Connection is an after-school mentoring program in which Big Brothers Big Sisters staff members match children with mentors to improve students’ academic achievement, school attendance and self-esteem.
Students and mentors meet on site once a week for an hour throughout the school year. They do school work, play games or talk.
For more information, call 247-3720 or email info@bbig.org.
Whistle-blowers documentary to be shown at powerhouse
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango will present a free screening of the documentary “War on Whistle-blowers: Free Press and the National Security State,” at 6 p.m. Aug. 21 at Durango Discovery Museum’s Powerhouse Theater, 1333 Camino del Rio.
The documentary, directed by Robert Greenwald, highlights four cases in which whistle-blowers noticed government wrongdoing and took to the media to expose the fraud and abuse.
The film exposes the worsening and threatening reality for whistle-blowers and the press. The screening will be followed by a community discussion. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.
Medical society offers college scholarships
La Plata Medical Society will offer three college scholarships for the 2013-14 school year.
Available are a $500 scholarship for a college freshman pursuing a degree, a $1,000 scholarship for a college junior or senior pursing health-care degree and a $1,500 scholarship for third- or fourth-year medical student with emphasis in primary care.
Applicants can apply at www.laplatamedicalsociety.org and should be from Southwest Colorado. La Plata, Montezuma or Archuleta counties will be given priority. The application deadline is Aug. 20.
The scholarship recipients will be honored at the annual meeting of La Plata Medical Society on Sept. 11 at the DoubleTree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio.
Guitar camp available for girls at Katzin Music
“Girls & Guitars Boot Camp,” led by singer/songwriter Jill Holly, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 6 and 7 and Aug. 13 and 14 at Katzin Music, 1316 Main Ave.
Holly will host a four-day event for girls and young women who want to learn and boost their skills on guitar while learning to accompany themselves. The cost is $100. There will be one scholarship available. Participants must bring their own guitar.
For more information or to reserve a spot, call 259-2211.
Animas High School announces events
Animas High School announces these events:
The main office is closed for the summer. The school’s summer switchboard will handle all inquires and messages at 247-2474.
Parents are asked to attend these mandatory parent-orientation nights from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 130 of Noble Hall at Fort Lewis College: Ninth grade, Tuesday; 10th grade, Aug. 8; 11th grade, Aug. 13; and 12th grade, Aug. 15. Participants should bring their son or daughter. During the event participants will meet AHS faculty and staff members, learn about the College Counseling Department and curriculum, review AHS policies and procedures, and more. Parents who have more than one student at AHS, should try to attend each appropriate event as some information will be grade-specific.
Film about dyslexia to be shown Aug. 10
The Durango Office of the Rocky Mountain Branch of the International Dyslexia Association will present “The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia” on Aug. 10 at Durango Discovery Museum, 1333 Camino del Rio.
The movie follows a dyslexic high school student who pursues admission to a leading college. People will see the dyslexic experience through the eyes of children, experts and noted leaders at the top of their fields. A question-and-answer session will follow the film.
Pre-showtime entertainment will be held at 10 a.m. on the plaza. The film will begin at 11 a.m. and the question-and-answer session will take place at noon. There is a suggested donation of $10. All proceeds will benefit The Liberty School.
For more information and reservations, email durango.rmbida@gmail.com or call Mimi Thurston at 759-1778.
Financial program available to youth at rec center
Know Your Dough Inc., a nonprofit organization supporting teen financial literacy, will host “Financial Literacy Education for Teens” from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 5 to 8 in the Sunset Room at Durango Community Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave.
Youth ages 14 to 18 are welcome. The $50 program includes lunch each day and will feature The Money Game, a proven way to learn strong personal finance habits. Participants will receive completion gift certificates and draw for a free iPad.
Students will learn about earning, saving, budgeting, credit choices and being a savvy consumer. Instructors will be Allison Andersen of Durango Personal Financial Coaching and local professionals. Scholarships are available.
To register by today, call Kathy Walker at 385-1002 or email Kwalker@gervaiscpas.com.
Durango schools’ first day will be Aug. 19
The first day of school for Durango School District will be Aug. 19.
Professional Learning Communities have moved from Fridays to Mondays, which means the first day of school will be an early release day.
Bell schedules will soon be posted on www.durangoschools.org.
Durango schools open for registration
Durango School District staff members will be back in their buildings today and will be actively enrolling new students.
For more information, visit or call the neighborhood school.
Durango school board to meet Tuesday
The Durango School District 9-R School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Administration Building, 201 E. 12th St.
Durango board seeks to fill six vacancies
The Durango School District 9-R Board of Education will hold an election Nov. 5 to fill six board vacancies.
The election process will begin Aug. 7. To be eligible for a school board seat, candidates must have lived in the school district for the last 12 months, be a registered voter for the last 12 months and be a current resident within district boundaries.
Boundary maps are available at www.durangoschools.org by clicking on the “Board of Education” tab and selecting “Board Director Maps.”
For more information, call Jane Schold at 247-5411, ext. 1448, or email jschold@durango.k12.co.us.
Family engagement conference slated
The “Family Engagement: The Essential Element is You!” conference will be held Aug. 17 at Fort Lewis College.
This one-day conference is being organized by the Southwest Native American Educational Alliance, which is a coalition of four school districts including Ignacio, Durango, Montezuma-Cortez and Bayfield, two tribes including the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute and the Equity Assistance Center.
For more information, visit www.msudenver.edu/eac/eacevents/parentconference-aug2013.
To register, visit http://eacregion8.wufoo.com/forms/family-engagement-the-essential-element-is-you.
DHS health center closed for construction
The School Based Health Center at Durango High School is closed because of construction.
The facility is being expanded to serve more children. It will open shortly after the start of school.
Until the center reopens people may access the health center at Florida Mesa Elementary School, 216 Colorado Highway 172.
For more information, visit durangoschools.org.
Herald Staff
