

Aspen High School
Student and Family Weekly Update
April 9th
Para la versión en español, haga clic en este correo electrónico. Haga clic en la palabra "Traducir" (arriba a la derecha) y seleccione Español o el lenguaje de su preferencia en el menú.
Dear Students & Families,
WOW! The IB Art Show is something to see. Tomorrow is the last day, so go before it is too late. Today, we had the CMAS Science for 11th grade and we are busy preparing for the PSAT/SAT on April 21st. These assessments are important, so please be sure to read all of the communications so that you are prepared. Then, IB Exams begin, both DP & MYP. We also have Prom on April 26th. We continue to have myriad athletic contests as well. Before you know it, it will be May. Enjoy the warmer temperatures, the last days on the mountain, and even more daylight.
IB Spotlight
The IB Visual Arts Show was a huge success. Our students curated the show, selected their works, wrote rationale, and presented their works made over the past two years. Way to go IB Visual Arts seniors!
IB: There is a mandatory informational meeting during SET on Tuesday, 4/15 for all IB testers this spring. That includes all seniors and some juniors.
IB Luncheon: We are celebrating our IB DP students (seniors & some juniors) who are taking IB Exams this spring. Please attend our kick-off luncheon on Thursday, April 24th at 11:40. Lunch will be sponsored by AEF. Parents are welcome!
Skier Spotlight
Jane Larsen helped reinstate our high school Sister Cities Chamonix exchange program. We were lucky to host the Chamonix students here in February, and then our students spent two weeks (over spring break) in Chamonix. A fabulous time was had by all!
Skier Spotlight
Welcome our New Football Head Coach - Bryce Sandoval!
Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Bryce Sandoval grew up in various small towns across southern New Mexico and graduated from Socorro High School, where he was an All-State and All-Star football player. He continued his playing career as a defensive end at Southern Nazarene University before moving to Colorado, where he has spent the last 10 years in Durango.
Over the past few years, Bryce has coached at both Bayfield and Durango High School as a Defensive Line. Bryce believes in using football to help young men grow into disciplined, accountable, and high-character individuals; he's excited to bring that mindset to Aspen.
Having come from small, close-knit communities, Bryce says that he is proud to now be part of the Aspen Skiers family and he looks forward to building something special with this program and this town.
Welcome to the team, Bryce!
State Testing
CMAS 11th grade - Today, April 9th and Make-Up day is April 15th . All 11th graders will take the CMAS Science Assessment.
State Assessments: Thank you for participating in these important state assessments. There will not be regular classes on April 21st. PSAT/SAT testing is entirely digital.
Important Test Day information.
SAT (11th grade) - April 21st and Make-Up day is April 24th. The School Day SAT is one assessment that can be used to satisfy the state of Colorado testing requirement for graduation. Therefore, we expect all 11th graders to take the SAT.
PSAT (9th and 10th grades) -April 21st and Make-Up day is April 24th. We strongly encourage all students to take the PSAT in grades 9 and 10 for practice prior to taking the SAT in 11th grade.
Counted Out, a film by Vicki Abeles
Aspen School District is taking part in Counted Out’s worldwide movement to re-imagine math.
Screening will take place at Aspen School District Theater, located in the Elementary School on 4/29/25 from 5:30-8. Parking is available at the middle school parking lot.
Counted Out shows what’s at risk if we keep the status quo. Do we want an America in which most of us don’t see ourselves “math people”? Where math proficiency goes down as students grow up? Or do we want a country where everyone can understand the math that undergirds our society—and can help shape it?
Watch the Counted Out trailer and learn more at countedoutfilm.com.
For more information please contact:
Megan Noonan, mnoonan@aspenk12.net
AHS Math Teacher & ASD Math Content Lead
AHS Earth Day Clean Up
Attention Students!!!
Let's make our campus shine! Join us for a trash clean-up to celebrate Earth Day.
Date: Tuesday, April 22nd
Time: 7:45 am
Meeting Location: Commons
You will receive 1 service hour, however, you must arrive on time and sign in at 7:45am.
From Post-Secondary Counseling
JUNIORS
One Week from Today! COLLEGE APPLICATION CASE STUDY PROGRAM
35+ college admissions reps are coming to the College Application Case Study on Wednesday, April 16th, from 6-8pm. Juniors and their parents will learn how admissions committees review applications and make decisions. The Case Study Program is followed by a college mini fair where juniors can meet 1:1 with the admissions reps. Register today! Case Study Registration - English | Case Study Registration - Spanish
Teacher Letters of Recommendation
All juniors should ask two teachers for letters of recommendation. The window to ask is April 1 and before the end of junior year. Here is a document outlining how to ask your teachers to write a recommendation for you.
SENIORS
Local Scholarship Applicants - DUE FRIDAY Additional Info/Spring Update Required by April 11th!
For students who have applied for financial need-based local scholarships, use THIS SPRING UPDATE form to provide information regarding financial aid packages you have received from your top choice schools or from the school where you have decided to attend. Due April 11th Of course, students have until May 1st to decide where they will attend school next year, however, scholarship donors are very interested in your short list and financial aid/merit scholarships offered by those schools. Remember, if you have questions about financial aid packages received or if you would like help weighing your options, please schedule a meeting with your Post-Secondary Counselor.
*** Please note, you may submit this SPRING UPDATE form multiple times, so provide any information you have now, then submit again when more information becomes available. Please reach out to Susanne Morrison in the Mezzanine or smorrison@aspenk12.net if you have any questions or need help.
Seniors, Click here for Decision Day Information and other important reminders!
SOPHOMORES
35+ Colleges Visiting AHS April 16th! You're Invited
Dozens of colleges are coming to town on April 16th to participate in our College Application Case Study Program. While the Case Study is for juniors and their parents, sophomores and parents are invited to join the mini college fair that follows - 7:30-8pm in the Skier Dome. Don't miss this chance to connect 1:1 with a wide variety of colleges.
Sophomores are encouraged to schedule an initial meeting with their Post-Secondary Counselor to go over the results of their Indigo Career Interest Survey, talk about academic and extra-curricular interests, and discuss any initial thoughts students may have about the future. Click here to schedule your appointment, scroll to the bottom and select "Underclassmen Optional Meeting." Students with last names A-K will work with Karen Hawkes (khawkes@aspenk12.net), L-Z with Brennan Dignan (bdignan@aspenk12.net). Please, before your 1st Individual Meeting, both students and parents are asked to complete short intake surveys. Intake for Students | Intake for Parents.
Red Envelope: AHS Graduation Tradition!
What is a Red Envelope?
● It’s an opportunity for parents, relatives, friends, teachers, coaches, clergy, and anyone special to honor their graduates by writing a note of congratulations. They will be collected in a large red envelope here at the high school, every graduate has one. The envelopes/cards you send do NOT have to be red. Cards will be kept confidential prior to and distributed during the last senior event.
Why participate?
● This is an incredibly powerful and personal way to recognize and touch the life of a young person
during an important milestone in their lives.
How to mail in your cards/notes:
● Please send cards and notes to: (Your Senior’s Full Name) to Aspen High School Red Envelope Tribute: 235 High School Road; Aspen, CO 81611 - mail by May 19th.
● If sending multiple envelopes for one student in a larger envelope, please write the student’s name on ALL cards and letters
● You may also drop letters off in the front office of Aspen High School. Deadline is May 23rd.
The Do’s & Don’ts of Red Envelope:
● Send ONLY greeting cards, note cards or letters 8.5 x 11 or smaller
● NO PACKAGES
● Do NOT send anything of monetary value – we will not be responsible for any gift cards, checks or cash.
● All cards and letters should be flat so that they may fit into the Red Envelope.
When is the deadline?
● Friday, May 19th - in the mail. Friday, May 23rd - for drop offs.
● Anything later is not guaranteed to make it into the Red Envelope.
Virtual Parent Coffee
Join us Friday, April 25th for the next Virtual Parent Coffee with Sarah Strassburger.
The meeting will be recorded, and posted to our website, for those who cannot join.
Transportation to Prom:
- Due to no parking at the venue (T-Lazy-7), school buses will be providing a shuttle service from the Aspen Middle School parking lot to the prom venue. Buses will depart the middle school between 7:40 PM and the last bus to the venue leaves at 8:00 PM.
- At the end of the evening, buses will begin departing T-Lazy-7 starting at 10:00 PM to return students to the Aspen Middle School parking lot.
If you plan on bringing a guest from another school you must have a guest permission form completed and signed off by Sarah or Becky by Thursday, April 24th. Forms can be found in the high school front office or you may print by clicking here.
Safe2Tell Update
Please use Safe2Tell to anonymously report any concerns! These reports go directly to law enforcement and school administration. Please be sure to say on the report so that the intake operator can ask more questions; there is no way for any of this information to be traced back to you!
PAID Summer Stem Educator Internship
WHO?
9th Grade to College-age students interested in STEM-related fields and excited about teaching science!
WHAT?
Teach STEM Summer Camps and other STEM programs!
WHERE?
The Aspen Science Center in Carbondale. We offer camps and events from Parachute to Aspen!
Applications are due April 15th!
Visit aspensciencecenter.org to learn more!
TACAW: The Arts Campus At Willits
TACAW Summer Programs
The Bailey Shaw Internship program honors the legacy of Bailey Shaw, a valued local community member and one of TACAW’s first summer interns.
This is a fantastic opportunity for young adults, 16+, to gain hands-on experience in the arts, event production, and youth programming. Applications are due 4/21. Please use this Summer Internship link to apply!
TACAW's summer camps are also open for registration! Young artists can create animated films, develop puppet shows, or perform in a play about middle school challenges. Teens can write songs with local artists. With camps for ages 6-16 and bilingual instruction offered in all sessions, a summer of creative possibilities awaits. Scholarships are available and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Spots for both camps and internships are limited, so be sure to sign up soon!
The Aspen Institute & Aspen Community Programs
The Aspen Institute offers its Virtual Teen Socrates Seminar each year to teens between the ages of 15-17 from across the globe. The four-day virtual seminar is dedicated to enhancing leadership, problem solving, and critical thinking skills for high school students in a setting conducive to thought and fellowship.
Moderated in the Aspen Institute Socratic style by expert moderator Allyson Breyfogle, students read selections by such authors as Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Mary Oliver, and Martin Luther King, Jr., among others.
A past high school participant wrote, “This experience has inspired me to take action to be a positive, generous force in my community."
Schedule
Monday, May 12
Session I: 6:00-8:00 pm ET (4:00-6:00 pm MT)
Tuesday, May 13
Session II: 6:00-8:00 pm ET (4:00-6:00 pm MT)
Wednesday, May 14
Session III: 6:00-8:00 pm ET (4:00-6:00 pm MT)
Thursday, May 15
Session IV: 6:00-8:00 pm ET (4:00-6:00 pm MT)
Fee: $50, includes all sessions and readings. Scholarships are available. Click here to REGISTER
All sessions will take place on Zoom. Registered students will need to commit to attending all four days of the seminar. For more information, please contact Katie Carlsen.
Best Buddies Friendship Walk
Sunday, June 1st
Check-in: 12:00 PM
Opening Ceremonies: 1:00 PM
Walk: 1:15 PM
Celebrate Until: 3:00 PM
Location: Downtown Basalt, CO 81621
The Best Buddies Friendship Walk is the leading event in the country supporting inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Join more than 50,000 participants at 80 events across the globe to support the Best Buddies programs in schools, workplaces, and communities. You’ll be making the world more welcoming to people with IDD — one friendship, one job, and one life-changing connection at a time.
AZYEP Summer Camp Registration is Open!
AZYEP will host 3 camps for different age levels with various radio themes:
* Kids Corner | June 23rd - 26th | Grades 1-4: In this fun, hands-on workshop, elementary students will learn about radio through field trips, art projects, storytelling, music activities, and more. Each day will have a different theme: 'On the Farm,' 'Artist for a Day,' 'Outdoor Adventure,' and 'Local Music.' Students will participate in a live radio show on KDNK!
* Barely Experts | July 14th - 17th | Grades 5-7: Middle school students are invited to create a 'Barely Experts' podcast! Students will try new activities around Carbondale, including but not limited to performing arts, creative hobbies, vinyl sampling, craft making, and more. They will then create a series of short podcast episodes about their experiences trying each new activity.
* Environmental Podcasting | August 4-6 | Grades 8-12: Join AZYEP and the Sopris Sun for a 4-day crash course in radio podcasting and written storytelling, focusing on local environmental issues. Stories will be published in the Sopris Sun and/or aired on KDNK radio. Students will go on a variety of field trips to learn about local environmental organizations and issues, including water, farming, trails, and stewardship.
Register Here | Partial Scholarships available | Contact megan@azyep.org
UCLA Writing Project
Summer Camp 2025
Writing workshops for students, grades 5-12
Scholarships available!
Sarah Strassburger
Principal, Aspen High School
School Phone #: (970) 315-3516
Email: sstrassburger@aspenk12.net
Website: https://ahs.aspenk12.net/en-US
Location: 235 High School Road, Aspen, CO, USA
Aspen School District Main Phone #: (970) 925-3760
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AspenHighSchool