Big Picture High School selects badger as mascot
After a schoolwide vote, Durango Big Picture High School faculty and students have selected the badger as the school’s new mascot.
The new logo featuring the badger includes the school’s motto, “One Student at a Time,” which is the basis for the educational model used by Big Picture schools.
Using a model that allows for student-led learning, students can achieve the same excellence in academic standards through the support of advisers, mentors, community businesses and peers.
The school’s mission is to empower students to use their interests and passions to drive their learning through real-world application and experiences to reach their personal, social and academic goals.
For more information, visit bigpicture.durangoschools.org.
University Women to host presentation at FLC
Amy Blackwell, an executive board member with the American Association of University Women and a Denver businesswoman, will give a presentation at 5 p.m. today in the Vallecito Room at Fort Lewis College.
Blackwell will address the opportunities offered by the association, including grants, fellowships, conferences and more.
Blackwell owns and operates a marketing and communications company, Blackwell Communications LLC, and has served in positions of leadership in the association’s national, state and branch organizations. She is a member of the AAUW Colorado eNetwork Virtual Branch. She is a certified facilitator of the $tart$mart workshops, which help young women who are entering the workforce learn the art of negotiating salaries.
An informal gathering with Blackwell will take place at The Lost Dog Bar & Lounge after the presentation. All with an interest in higher education are invited.
For more information, email Katherine Burgess at kaburgess@durango.net.
Animas High to re-enact 1944 Supreme Court case
Animas High School’s 11th-grade humanities class will re-enact a Supreme Court case from 8 to 11 a.m. or from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the La Plata County Courthouse, 1060 East Second Ave.
The re-enactment is free and open to the public. The students will re-enact the case Korematsu v. U.S. (1944) about the constitutionality of Japanese internment camps during World War II.
Student-exchange program seeking host families
World Heritage Student Exchange program, a public-benefit organization, is seeking local host families for high school boys and girls from Spain, Germany, Thailand, Norway, China, Russia, France, Denmark, Italy, Sweden and more.
Host families are asked to include the student as a member of their family. Couples, single parents and families with and without children at the home are encouraged to host.
Hosts can choose a student for a semester or for the full school year. Each student is fully insured, brings his or her own personal spending money and expects to contribute to his or her share of household responsibilities, as well as being included in normal family activities and lifestyles.
For more information, call (866) 939-4111, visit www.whhosts.com or email info@world-heritage.org.
Liberty School to host Visitors Day on Jan. 23
The Liberty School will host a Visitors Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 23 at the school, 215 E. 12th St.
The school also is now accepting dyslexic, gifted or twice exceptional (both gifted and dyslexic) students for current year enrollment.
For more information, call 385-4834.
Fort Lewis College to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
The annual Fort Lewis College tradition of celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy will be held Jan. 20.
The community is invited to join in the day’s free activities. The traditional peace and unity march will begin the celebration at 12:20 p.m. People who want to participate should gather at the Center of Southwest Studies. The march will wind through campus, ending at the Student Union where an open mic and choir performance will take place.
The documentary “White Like Me” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Student Union Ballroom. A panel discussion about the film and the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be held afterward with FLC faculty and staff members Carey Vicenti, Emma Salazar, Yohannes Woldemariam and Jennifer Stollman.
For more information, call Nancy Stoffer at 247-7170.
DHS to host student financial-aid help session
A hands-on help session for completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. today in the Durango High School library.
This event is only for DHS seniors and their families. People who attend should do the following:
Apply for a student and parent personal identification number before the event by visiting FAFSA.ed.gov. A personal identification number is an electronic signature. The student and the parent, who will be listed on the application, must each have a number.
Bring a tax return. People who have not filed their 2013 tax return by this event, should bring their 2012 tax returns to use as a guide to estimate 2013 figures.
Students should bring their 2013 W-2’s, if they have any.
Financial aid staff members from Fort Lewis College will be on hand to help complete the application online.
Durango school board to hold meeting Jan. 21
The Durango School District 9-R School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21 in the board room of the Administration Building, 201 E. 12th St.
The school highlight will be Durango High School.
Durango High announces Wish Week activities
Students at Durango High School will host Wish Week from Monday to Jan. 17.
They will raise money to support a young boy, Brady, who has leukemia. His dream is to go to Disney World.
Students will collect money for Pie a Teacher. The largest donators for Pie a Teacher will be able to throw the pies at volunteer teachers during an assembly.
Students also will raise money in these ways:
On Jan. 13, students will be able to purchase hot chocolate before school or eat at Zia Taqueria, which will donate a portion of its Dish for a Wish profits to Wish Week.
Jan. 14 will be Twin Dress Up Day.
Jan. 15 will be Fake an Injury Dress Up Day, and there will be a dodge-ball tournament.
Jan. 16 will be Preppy Dress Up Day, and the winter sports assembly will feature Pie a Teacher and Miracle Minute.
On Jan. 17, a raffle will be held.
The Winter Formal will be held Jan. 18 at the DoubleTree Hotel.
Community round table to discuss district budget
Durango School District 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger will host a round table to continue discussions about the district budget from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Escalante Middle School library.
At this session, the district would like to hear about programs people do not want supported and how money supporting those programs could be better used.
Durango boys conference committee to meet
Durango School District is working with the community to develop an eighth-grade boys transitional program, similar to the Girls to Women conference run by the Women’s Resource Center.
The goal of the conference is to support students in their efforts to build positive self images, strong relationships with others and a sense of self-advocacy, which will contribute to their success in high school and beyond.
A committee is currently working to develop the conference, which will be held May 8. The next conference committee meeting will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 31 in the district office conference room, 201 E. 12th St.
Community members who are interested in hosting a workshop or volunteering are invited to attend.
Boettcher teacher program receives grants
Public Education & Business Coalition, a nonprofit that works with teachers, schools and districts to cultivate effective kindergarten to 12th-grade educators, has been awarded grants from the Boettcher Foundation and Colorado Department of Education totaling $6.47 million to support its Colorado Boettcher Teacher Residency initiative during the next five years.
The residency program recruits, selects, trains and retains people to become effective teachers by providing a residency teacher training program, combining master’s level coursework with hands-on learning in a classroom.
The grants will support the residency’s expansion into current and new partner districts that have historically struggled to recruit and retain new teachers including: Durango School District 9-R, Ignacio School District 11-JT and Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1. These districts were selected based on poverty level, interest and geographic location in southern Colorado.
For more information, visit www.pebc.org.
Communications contest taking student entries
Colorado Press Women, the state affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women, is holding a communications contest for Colorado high school students.
Students currently enrolled in grades nine to 12 are eligible to enter their work published between March 1, 2013, and Feb. 14, 2014, in any of 20 categories. First-place entries automatically advance to the national contest.
The cost for the first entry is $10, and $5 for each additional entry. Entries must be received by Feb. 14, and can be mailed to Karen Petersen, 4145 Ames St., Denver, CO 80212.
Students may submit only one entry per category. Categories include: Editorial, Opinion, News Story, Feature Story, Sports Story, Columns, Feature Photo, Sports Photo, Cartooning, Review, Graphics/Photo Illustration, Single-Page Layout, Double-Truck Layout, Environment, Video News Story, Video Feature Story, Video Sports Story, Yearbook Layout, Yearbook Photo and Yearbook Copywriting.
For more information and an entry form, visit www.nfpw.org/highSchoolContest.cfm.
Mountain Middle School opens registration today
Mountain Middle School will open its enrollment registration period for the 2014-15 school year from today to Feb. 14.
To register, visit mountainmiddleschool.org and select “enrollment.” Enrollment is limited. If interest exceeds the number of seats available, a lottery drawing will be held Feb. 26.
For more information, call 828-5600.
Herald Staff
