Special-education committee to meet
The Special Education Advisory Committee will meet at 5:15 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Durango School District boardroom, 201 E. 12th St.
Parents, educators and community members are invited to learn more about advocating for students with special needs in the school system.
For more information, call 769-4797.
Animas Valley students to host farmers market
Gala Gaines and her fifth-grade class are opening a farmers market as part of their economics unit and will sell vegetables from their Learning Garden before and after school from Tuesdays through Thursdays at Animas Valley Elementary School.
College admissions representatives to visit
Durango High School students can meet with these college admissions representatives:
Northern Arizona State at 9:45 a.m. Sept. 19.
Montana State University at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 8.
University of Colorado, Boulder at 9 a.m. Oct. 9.
Interested students should sign up in the DHS counseling center at least one week before the visit.
Passes will be sent to students the day of the visit. All meetings will be held in the DHS counseling center.
College admission presentation to be held
“The Admission Game” presentation will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Fort Lewis College Ballroom.
The Admission Game founder, Peter Van Buskirk, will teach students to find colleges that fit them best and how to make decisions that help them compete for admission.
Van Buskirk is a 25-year veteran of the college admission-process.
DHS to host college, career nights
Durango High School will host these college and career nights in the DHS auditorium:
An informational meeting about college knowledge for 12th-graders will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 23. This will cover the application process, financial aid, fit, how to pick and good college fairs to attend.
A college and career-plans meeting for 11th-graders will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 24. This informational meeting will be about the application process, planning ahead and college fairs.
The presentation “The Road Ahead – The Next Four Years and How Best to Use Them” for ninth- and 10th-grade students will take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 25.
For more information, visit Deb Medenwaldt in the counseling center.
Character education partnership to meet
Community members are invited to join Durango School District, community organizations and area schools to learn about the Durango Character Education Partnership from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday in the Durango School District administration building, 201 E. 12th St.
Durango school board to meet Sept. 17
The Durango School District School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of the Durango School District 9-R administration building, 201 E. 12th St.
Animas Valley Elementary School will be the highlighted school.
Continuing-education classes at FLC
Fort Lewis College Continuing Education program will offer these classes:
“Basics of eBay Selling” will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 24 and 25. Participants will learn to make a supplemental or full-time income from an eBay-trained Certified Education Specialist Olen Batchelor. The cost is $99. An optional workbook will be available for $19.95.
“Tai Chi Fundamentals” will be taught by Sage Petersen from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays from Sept. 25 to Oct. 4. In addition to foundational knowledge of Tai Chi, students will learn movements with a focus on postural alignment. The fee for four classes is $69.
“Beginning Spanish” with Beth Malcolm will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays from Sept. 24 to Nov. 19. Students will be introduced to Spanish with an emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and cultural awareness. The class is good for beginners or people who need a brush-up. The cost is $199 for nine classes.
Advance registration is required. For more information, call 247-7385 or visit www.fortlewis.edu/ContinuingEd.
Nonprofit to host growth programs
The nonprofit Americana Leadership College will host these programs at Durango Community Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave:
“Awaken Your Inner Guidance and Intuition” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. today in the Eolus Room. Participants will learn how guardian angels will assist in unfolding a unique life purpose and how to live with inner joy. The cost is $10.
“Connect with Your Angels Workshop” will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday in the Sunlight Room. The class will show how to get spiritual “yes” and “no” answers, learn about life’s purpose, understand who people are as a soul and how to stay positive. The cost is $125, which includes a workbook.
For more information, call Jan Robinson at (509) 671-7703, Judy Katzin at 259-1815 or Jo C. Soignier at 903-3921 or email judykatzin@aol.com.
Florida Mesa improves state performance
Florida Mesa Elementary School has risen two levels in its state performance framework in one year.
The school went into priority improvement status in 2011-12 school year. A priority improvement rating means a school is falling short of state expectations. The state then works with the district and the school to create improvement strategies that will support the school’s goals in meeting state expectations.
The school will continue to benefit from after-school tutoring, increased support from the district in reading and writing, summer programming and family support around school choice.
The school also worked on better aligning instruction with the Colorado Academic Standards and better integration of the International Baccalaureate models. Early data shows that the school has made gains for the first time in five years.
For more information, visit www.durangoschools.org.
Montelores Career Fair scheduled for Monday
Southwest Colorado Community College will host the second annual Montelores Career Fair on Monday.
High school students in Cortez, Dove Creek, Dolores and Mancos will attend. Students will visit panels of professionals in specific career paths. There will be a “One Stop Career Shop,” an interactive session where students will be able to “speed date” a career and spend time talking with industry professionals. There also will be a medical evacuation helicopter for the EMS industry, as well as a squad car from local law enforcement.
The ninth- to 11th-grade students will arrive at 9 a.m., and the morning session will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The 10th- to 12th-grade students will attend from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
FLC to host Fiesta on the Mesa
Fort Lewis College will host Fiesta on the Mesa 2013 from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday on the FLC Student Union Plaza.
The community is invited. El Centro de Muchos Colores, the college’s Hispano resource center, holds the fiesta to demonstrate the pride the Hispanic students, faculty and staff members have in their cultural heritage and celebrate the diversity of the FLC community. The fiesta also commemorates National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins Sept. 15.
An eight-piece mariachi group from Albuquerque, Ballet Folklorico and DJ Euforia will perform. The annual El Grito (the shout) contest also will take place.
A traditional Hispanic dinner will be provided by Campus Dining Services and is free to all students, faculty and staff members with ID.
For community members and guests, the meal price will be $8 for adults and $4 for children younger than 10.
For more information, call 247-7654 or visit www.fortlewis.edu/elcentro.
Meaghan Anderson earns master’s degree
Meaghan Anderson of Durango earned a Master of Science in Education degree from the graduate school at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind.
For more information, visit http://meritpages.com/achievements/Purdue-Confers-Degree-to-Meaghan-Anderson-Following-Spring-Semester/7028595.
Native American program to meet
Title VII – Native American Education Program invites parents of kindergarten to 12th-grade Native American students to meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Durango High School in Room 2070
For more information, call 259-1630, ext. 2117.
Animas High School announces programs
Animas High School announces these programs:
There are a limited number of openings for ninth-, 10th- and 11th-grade. For more information, call 247-2474 or visit www.animashighschool.com.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at the school’s new Twin Buttes location. The entrance is 1.7 miles west of the DoubleTree Hotel on U.S. Highway 160.
AHS will host open houses at the new Twin Buttes campus from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 14, 21 and 28. No reservations are needed.
The Liberty School announces events
The Liberty School invites parents and community members to its open house from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday at 215 E. 12th St. on the second floor.
Participants will learn about the school’s Orton-Gillingham program for dyslexic students and its challenging, individualized program for gifted students.
The school also will host its Family Camping Trip on Friday and Saturday at Whispering Pines Retreat. All Liberty families and Liberty alumni families are invited. For more information, call 385-4834.
Social-work program accepting applications
Applications are being accepted for the 2014-16 Master of Social Work Program offered in Durango at a reduced tuition rate by the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work Four Corners Program.
Weekend classes are available. An information session will be held from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Oct. 19 at the Commons Building, 701 Camino del Rio, Room 207.
To RSVP, call Angela Carpenter at 247-9773 or email angela.carpenter@du.edu.
Daniels Scholarship program available
College-bound high school seniors in Colorado are encouraged to visit the Daniels Fund website at www.DanielsFund.org/apply to apply for the Daniels Scholarship Program. The application deadline is Nov. 15.
About 250 Daniels scholars are selected each year. They go through an application, interview and selection process. To be eligible for the program, students must be current high school seniors graduating during the 2013-14 academic year from a high school in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah or Wyoming.
They must be a current resident of one of those four states and at the time of application be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
They must also demonstrate financial need and meet other requirements of the scholarship. The scholarship amount is determined after all other financial aid resources and an “Expected Family Contribution” have been applied.
Scholarships pay toward a student’s required college expenses, including tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and miscellaneous educational expenses.
Herald Staff
