Aspen High School
Student and Family Weekly Update
January 14th
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Dear students and families,
Dear students and families,
Here we are already in mid-January, heading into the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Dr. King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” In that spirit, I hope we can all take a moment to pause and reflect on how we contribute to our school and community—and how even small actions can make life a little better for those around us.
I hope you enjoy the long weekend, and perhaps I’ll see you on the hill.
IB Spotlight
IB Environmental Systems & Societies students should be recognized for their efforts on their Internal Assessments. The internal assessment (IA) involves the design, implementation and completion of an individual investigation of a research question.
Zach Loeb chose to study the impacts of tourism via recreation at the Maroon Bells. He focused on the impacts to biodiversity in relation to proximity to popular trails at the Maroon Bells trailhead. Zach used a quadrat to sample and collect data on species populations along various points of the popular trail.
Eli Foster chose to couple her love of architecture with her IA focusing on how green building initiatives in architecture have been used as mitigation and adaptation strategies to fight and deal with the affects of climate change. It was great to see Eli pursue a passion and apply it to the research and analysis in her IA.
Skier Spotlight
Congratulations to the following students for having their artwork selected for the annual "5x17" Valley Art Show hosted by the Aspen Chapel Gallery.
Ava Braley
Camryn Calcott
Miles Clifford
Maya Calle
Addi Dorr
Norah Glasgow
Mia Haas
Lukas Hamalak
Rocksy Kroeger
Camilla Mendoza
Layla Miller
Ema Munoz Ropotica
Sophie Ramey
Cat Saul
Corina Sohn
Auryn Test
Fay VonderHaar
Athletics
The kids are doing great! Boys Basketball is starting to get on a roll. Girls Basketball is getting better every game. In the first Nordic Race of the season Katie Goldfarb finished 1st. Alpine did great in their first race and our big home race is on Friday! Hockey picked up 2 wins against Durango this past weekend and are showing they are a tough team to beat. Swimming has already had qualifying times for the post season! Dance is working hard to get ready for Nationals.
We are working hard to make sure your kids have the proper equipment and team gear for their respective sports season. What makes that possible is the $200 participation fee. We have all the kids for fall and winter sports fees loaded on power school and I am asking that you go in and pay your fees. This will help with eliminating supplemental fees that might get assessed at the end of the year. We can not run a successful sports program without funds and the $200 dollar fee is what helps us become successful. Please pay your fees.
If you have any questions, please contact AD Brett Beville or Assistant AD Bryce Sandoval. bbeville@aspenk12.net and bsandoval@aspenk12.net
CMC Concurrent Enrollment Parent Information Night- VIRTUAL
Please attend this virtual information meeting on Thursday, January 15th at 6pm MST to find out more about the Aspen High School/Colorado Mountain College Concurrent Enrollment. Information covered will include an overview of concurrent enrollment, courses, registration, college credit, and CMC transcripts.
We will record this meeting for those that cannot attend.
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 860 8117 9335
Passcode: 501348
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Student Opportunity! City of Aspen's Tomorrow Youth Ambassador Grant
The Environmental health and sustainability team at the city of Aspen is launching new community grants and incentives for 2026, including an opportunity for youth age 24 and under to apply for a Commit to Tomorrow Youth Ambassador Grant. This grant will support youth with mentorship and funding (up to $1500) to implement environmental and climate action projects within our community.
The goals of the program are to:
- foster understanding of local climate initiatives
- engage the community on climate issues through real world projects and
- empower and amplify local climate leadership.
The eligibility requirements are:
- Youth ages 24 and under
- Submit a winning sustainable project for the community.
- Reside in the Aspen urban growth boundary and/or attend Aspen Public Schools
The application form is linked here and applications are due January 26, 2026.
Any questions, please contact Clare McLaughlin: clare.mclaughlin@aspen.gov
2026 Normandy Academy Scholarship at ACF- 10th and 11th Grade Students
Thanks to the generosity of the Normandy & WWII Education Fund at Aspen Community Foundation (ACF), there is another opportunity in 2026 for high school students to apply for a scholarship to receive tuition assistance to attend the Normandy Academy summer tour with the National WWII Museum. Aspen Community Foundation’s vendor for this scholarship program is the National WWII Museum. Learn more on the museum’s website: Normandy Academy 2026 | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans
If accepted for this scholarship program:
- This scholarship covers 80% of the total cost of the trip. This scholarship fund will award $4,695.00 in tuition assistance for the student to attend the National WWII Museum’s “Normandy Academy” summer tour.
- $1,200.00 is the cost to the student. This partial tuition is required to be paid to Aspen Community Foundation by all students accepted to the Normandy Academy.
- Full tuition cost is $5,895.00, which includes your airfare, lodging, meals, and museum admission during the full tour. All flights are planned in/out of Denver Intl Airport.
- ACF handles all museum payment processes on behalf of our scholarship students.
Normandy Academy 2026 tour dates:
- June 24th – July 5, 2026, or,
- June 30th – July 12, 2026
How to apply – Deadline for submissions is January 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM Central Time
- Go to application website: The National WWII Museum Submission Manager
- Select “Normandy Academy 2026 Application - High School.” Sign up and register an account with the National WWII Museum website
- Complete all application requirements, select preferred tour dates, answer all required questions.
- You are required to have a letter of recommendation submitted on your behalf.
- This year, students need to apply first through the National WW2 Museum’s website. We are in coordination with the National World War 2 Museum to review the applications.
Tell ACF that you’re interested – All interested students/parents should email scholarships@aspencommunityfoundation.org or call the ACF Grants Manager on 970-925-9300 (extension 214) to let us know you have applied or plan to apply through the museum’s website. Send anyone with questions our way!
Eligibility Guidelines:
- To be eligible, students must be 16 years of age by June 24, 2026. ACF requires that you are currently sophomores or juniors in high school.
- Eligible high schools to receive this scholarship: Aspen, Basalt, Roaring Fork, Bridges, Yampah Mountain, Glenwood Springs, Coal Ridge, Rifle and Grand Valley.
- Accepted students will be required to pay $1,200 to ACF to cover their portion of the overall tuition cost of $5,895. The student’s payment will be due to ACF in March after confirmation of the scholarship award. Installment plans can be setup.
- Students are expected to fulfill post-trip responsibilities in fall 2026 after they return.
What we ask of you to help raise awareness at AHS:
- Print and share the attached flier for the 2026 Normandy scholarship opportunity
- Promote this scholarship opportunity in your history/social studies classrooms and where info is public shared.
- Consider writing a letter of recommendation for student(s) who are most aligned with this opportunity and trusted to travel internationally with the museum cohort. The application requires at least one teacher recommendation.
- Continue to do what you do best as an educator! Thanks for everything you do for our community!
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