Aspen High School

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Dear Students & Families,

Apologies that the weekly newsletter is late! We hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend and all of the wonderful snow! Students are busy selecting their courses for next year, and winter sports are celebrating their Senior Athletes with Senior Nights. This week, today & Friday, we are hosting the CHSAA Alpine State Championship at Highlands. Come out and cheer on our skiers!

IB English B students recently concluded a unit on fame and celebrities, and both year one and two students completed exemplary summative assessments for the unit; notably Silvia Soza with her in-depth oral analysis of a photo and Jaroley Sequeira Ortega in his written interview. Silvia's command of the English language and her personal interpretations of the topic were exceptional. Moreover, year one student Jaroley wrote a compelling interview in which his use of the English language and depth of conceptual understanding were noteworthy and outstanding.

Please join ASD Math Content Lead and AHS Math Department Chair, Megan Noonan, for an informational meeting regarding all things mathematics.

Tonight, Thursday, February 20th in the AHS Commons at 5:30pm.

Or join us virtually. Here is the Zoom meeting link.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special $20 discount on your yearbook!

From February 14th to the 21st, you can purchase your yearbook for just $65 instead of $85. Don’t miss this limited-time deal to capture the best memories of the year!

Visit Jostens for all your Yearbook and Graduation needs!

Aspen High School will host four virtual Course Request Informational Meetings. An interpreter will be present, and we will record the meetings. These recordings will be posted on our website for parents and families who can't attend.

These meetings are informational only, and attendance isn't required or mandatory. Students will have an opportunity to meet with their counselors before Spring Break to request courses for the following school year. Schedules will not be created during those meetings; students will simply inform counselors which classes to select.

Click here to view the dates for the Virtual Course Selection Parent Meetings

SENIORS:

Bell Ringing Some seniors are beginning to solidify their plans for life after high school, and we are continuing the bell-ringing tradition! The idea is to celebrate all students as they finalize their post-secondary plans—whether that means college, trade school, entering the workforce, or another path. Students who have committed to a college, or another path after high school, may ring the bell in the Mezzanine during lunch. Just be sure to check-in check in with one of the Post-Secondary staff first. Otherwise, on May 1st we will host a National Decision Day photo op on the front stairs with plenty of bell ringing!

Local Scholarships Students and parents should refer to the Local Scholarship webpage for information including the timeline, scholarship descriptions, and application links as well as to schedule a “Local Scholarship Help Session” with Susanne. Next deadline is this Friday, February 21st for the Aspen Community Foundation Scholarships. The main deadline for AHS’ General Scholarship application and 25+ other individual scholarships is next Friday, February 27th.

2025/26 FAFSA application is open. Seniors hoping to receive need-based financial aid should submit ASAP. Click here for FAFSA and Financial Aid Tips. IMPORTANT: We’d like to remind seniors (and parents of seniors) who have submitted/are submitting FAFSA to download your FAFSA submission summary report as a PDF and also save your login information. It is not only a good practice to have your FAFSA summary and login info on file, but doing so may safeguard your information if there are any changes to the Department of Education. Please also double check that all of your colleges/universities list are indicated in FAFSA so that they will receive your Submission Summary. To download your FAFSA submission summary: Log in to your StudentAid.gov account, navigate to the "My Activity" section, select your processed 2025/26 FAFSA submission, and then click "View FAFSA Submission Summary"; you can then download the document as a PDF by using the print option in your browser and selecting "Save as PDF".

JUNIORS & SENIORS

SAVE THE DATE! Youthentity Career Expo - April 8th

Students will deepen their understanding of the multitude of career pathways that exist after high school while exploring opportunities in the valley. During the school day at CMC’s Spring Valley Campus. All AHS juniors and seniors may opt in. Click here to sign up!

JUNIORS:

Individual Meetings

The second semester of junior year is when things really get going in terms of post-secondary planning, and all juniors are encouraged to schedule an Individual Meeting with their Post-Secondary Counselor ASAP. Students with last names beginning A-K will work with Karen Hawkes, L-Z with Brennan Dignan. Parents are welcome (but not required) to join the meeting either in person or virtually. Please note, meetings may not be scheduled during class time, but rather during SET, lunch or a free period. Before the 1st Individual Meeting, both students and parents are asked to complete short intake surveys. Intake for Students|Intake for Parents.

Test Prep

All juniors will take the school day SAT on Monday, April 21st. This will be a digital test, and students will use their school-issued Chromebooks.

In advance of the school day SAT, AHS will offer special sessions with a professional test-prep tutor.

• Week of March 3rd: General testing strategy & tips - during SET

• March 12th: English subject area prep - during lunch

• March 13th: Math subject area prep - during lunch

In the meantime, there is lots of free test-prep support that students can access on their own via Khan Academy and/or College Board's Bluebook App (which is installed on each student's school issued Chromebook). Some students will choose to take additional SAT or ACT tests. Please talk with your Post-Secondary counselor about a personalized testing plan.

SAVE THE DATE! College Application Case Study Program - April 16th

Nearly 40 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. Stay tuned for more information.

SOPHOMORES:

Sophomores are encouraged to schedule an initial meeting with their Post-Secondary Counselor beginning the first week of March. Students with last names A-K will work with Karen Hawkes (khawkes@aspenk12.net), L-Z with Brennan Dignan (bdignan@aspenk12.net). Click here to schedule your appointment, scroll to the bottom and select "Underclassmen Optional Meeting." We'll go over the results of the Indigo Career Interest Survey that sophomores took last week during SET, talk about academic and extra-curricular interests and discuss any initial thoughts students may have about the future. Please, before your 1st Individual Meeting, both students and parents are asked to complete short intake surveys. Intake for Students | Intake for Parents.

Click here for additional information and dates for sophomores including test prep opportunities in advance of the April 21st PSAT.

What: Senior Graduation Performance Auditions

When: Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 at 3:30 pm

Where: Erica's choir room at AES (behind District Theatre)

Who: Any senior, or group of seniors, who is interested in performing at the Senior Awards Ceremony or at Graduation

Sign up with Erica for an audition via email: enottingham@aspenk12.net. Contact Erica with any questions or follow up.

Seniors and families! Please visit our webpage for information about graduation!

Project Graduation Fundraising Links

The tradition of Project Graduation began in 1989 to provide a safe and fun experience on the evening of graduation. This event is only possible with your help.

Project Graduation is largely funded by the senior class parents. As always, our objective is to keep this a free event for our seniors. To do this, we need to raise $44,000. Our goal is for 100% participation and support from our senior class parents. No donation of money or time is too small or too big. We thank you in advance for your donations and know our students will also be extremely appreciative, when they arrive at the ARC on May 31st.

You can donate online: https://www.successfund.com/AHS2025projectgraduation

You may also donate by logging into your AHS E-funds account or bring a check, payable to Aspen High School Project Graduation, to the High School front office. Checks can also be mailed to: Aspen High School Project Graduation, 0235 High School Road, Aspen, CO 81611.

If you would like more information about specific underwriting opportunities or would like to join one of our planning committees, please email aspenprojectgraduation@aspenk12.net.

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!

State and national climate action leaders will be presenting workshops and activities at the first annual Colorado Youth Climate Summit May 2-3 in Carbondale. All interested high school youth (and adult volunteers) are encouraged to apply by March 1st. Youth will leave with their own unique Climate Action Plan to implement in their home communities and will learn how they can earn the Seal of Climate Literacy. www.COYouthClimateSummit.org

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