Administrator’s Message
AHS staff and students joined people around the country yesterday to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King remains an inspiration and model to us all: his vision of a society characterized by social justice; his unwavering commitment to that vision; his insistence on non-violent action to affect change; etc. Last week, we were treated to a guest speaker who emphasized some of these themes; thank you, Mr. McHenry, for sharing your stories and insights!
As we consider the lessons from Dr. King’s work and apply them to our lives today, they raise important questions for us, individually and collectively:
- What kind of society do we want to live in?
- How do our long-term goals get us closer to that place?
- How do our words and actions and thoughts TODAY move us closer to that vision?
Part of the answer from the school’s perspective can be found in our guiding principles:
- Personalization, connecting students to each other and adults in positive and meaningful ways
- Relevance, connecting the work we do in school to work outside of school and to the ‘real’ world
- High expectations, making the work appropriately challenging in service of preparing each of our students for college, career, and citizenship
- Collaboration, working together towards audacious goals and to realize astonishing gains
- Partnerships, creating and cultivating external relationships to connect our students and our work with the world beyond our walls and beyond our school day.
- With College & Career Day coming up on Friday and the 1st semester of the school year drawing to a close in only two weeks, I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on your guiding principles and what you can and will do to bring those principles to life, both in and out of school. What do you want to be known for?
We are fortunate to have numerous models within our community. Among others, we have students who shared their appreciation for their connection to the community and the arts by participating in the PTSA-sponsored Reflections program. Several were recognized as finalists:
· Visual Arts—Nina Dubinsky and Nicole Mays
· Literature—Danica Balsiger & Nicole Mays
They will be recognized on Monday January 24th at 7:00 p.m. at the PAC. We wish them the very best in State competition.
With gratitude for your thoughtful engagement in our work and with each other, I remain appreciatively yours, ~SM
NOTE:
- Seniors, ACE club members, and others: This Friday’s delivery flight is temporarily on hold pending final certification from FAA. While the delay is slightly inconvenient for us, take comfort knowing that our partners take our safety and the safety of the flying public seriously
- We bid a fond farewell to Lenore Stark, our long-time and much-beloved office manager, as she heads to Spokane to be nearer to her family. In her place, we welcome Joel Carey who has stepped into role of Office Manager for the remainder of the year. Mr. Carey is familiar with the job; he was part of the AHS family during the 2005-06 school year. We are glad to have him back.
- If you are absent: Remember that state law requires both a phone call AND a written note to excuse any absence. Please follow-up last week’s absence due to weather or illness within 24 hours of return to school or the absence becomes unexcused until an administrator approves the late written note.
- Continue checking the AHS website or logging on to school computers to get updated information on events and meetings.Continue checking the AHS website or logging on to school computers to get updated information on events and meetings.
Quote of the Week:
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
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