Manitou Springs High School

A huge congratulations to our Girls Cross Country Team for capturing the TriPeaks League Championship and our Boys Cross Country Team for earning second place! Special recognition to Chloe B. and Elisa K. for finishing first and second overall, respectively!

Our Advanced Orchestra also delivered an outstanding performance at their first concert of the year in the SILC Amphitheater, and we look forward to seeing many of you at our Choir Concert next Wednesday, 10/21. Best of luck to our All-State Choir auditioners this weekend as well as Manitou Monsters Mountain Biking Team as they compete at State this weekend. The dedication, talent, and teamwork our students demonstrate both in and out of the classroom continue to make us proud!

October has been an amazing month at MSHS, full of relationships, deep learning, and opportunity! It’s been such a joy spending time in classrooms: students are crafting short stories in varied tone, discussing articles to determine the author’s purpose, and collaborating to analyze phase changes during labs!

Next week, we look forward to connecting with families during Conferences on Thursday, 10/22 (afternoon/evening) and Friday, 10/23 (morning). We hope you’ll sign up to meet with our staff so we can continue building strong partnerships to support your student in finishing the semester—and the year—strong.

Anna Conrad

Manitou Springs High School

Principal

Dear Mustang Students and Families,

Family Conferences are a great opportunity for you to connect with your student’s teachers about their learning. Students are encouraged to attend along with parents/guardians to offer a clear circle of feedback. This fall, conferences will be held virtually on:

Thursday, October 22nd from 1:15pm - 6:30pm and

Friday, October 23rd from 8:00am-12:00pm.

To schedule a conference with a staff member, click on the name below. Calendly will automatically set up a Google Meet for the selected time. When you schedule your conference, please include the name of your student so the teacher can be prepared to answer your specific questions. If there are no available time slots or if there is an issue with a staff member’s link, please email that staff member directly (first initial + last name @mssd14.org). We look forward to collaborating with our families!

Teacher Conference Links:

Blocher, Steve

Bonner, Paul

Borkowski, Brad

Duff, Sam

Ellis, Joel

Gillard, Pierce

Gilliam, Ben

Gocinski, Erin

Gregory, Riley

Harms, Wendy

Hass, Reginald

Jackson, Julia

Kerrigan, Amanda

Mack, Ben

Mauer, Alicia

McCracken, Jill

Owen, Nate

Percy, Carter

Perez, Ingrid

Roseberry, Jerry

Santos, Gabby

Shelton, Angie

Slama, Andrew

Stallones, Clayton

Tillery, Kae

Tindall, Liz

Warner, Judy

Williams, David

Counselor Conference Links:

Counselor for students with the last names A-K: Chris Lewis

Counselor for students with the last names L-Z: Monica Sanchez

GT Coordinator: Terrence Batson

Hello MSSD Families!

Fall is in the air and that means it's time for Parent-Teacher Conferences!!! As a way to say THANK YOU for all their hard work, PAC is excited to continue our annual tradition of coordinating breakfast treats for your amazing staff. This year each of the schools have requested goodies be dropped off Friday morning, October 23rd! To streamline the process, we have created two separate sign-up sheets - one for MSMS and one for MSHS - as indicated in the links below:

MSMS: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4AAFA72AA5F5C70-66771133-october

MSHS: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4AAFA72AA5F5C70-66771131-october

Please drop off all donations between 7:30-8:00 am on Friday, October 23rd at your designated school. As always, thank you for helping us make our teachers feel appreciated! We APPRECIATE you!!!

Sincerely,

Your MSSD 6-12 PAC

Manitou Springs High School Dig Pink Night Was a Huge Success!

The Mustangs celebrated a successful Dig Pink Volleyball Night, defeating CSCS 3–1 in a match dedicated to breast cancer and cancer awareness.

The evening was about more than volleyball. The Mustangs community came together to support Stand Up To Cancer through a donation-based bake sale, raising funds for cancer awareness and research.

Congratulations to the Mustangs on the win, and thank you to everyone who helped make this special night a success!

Join us for a Manitou Springs High School Volleyball Fundraiser at Parry’s Pizza!

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 All Day!

Enjoy your favorite pizza while supporting our Manitou Springs volleyball athletes! Bring your family, invite your friends, and help us make this fundraiser a success.

Our Girls Cross Country team WON the league meet last Friday, with Chloe B. taking 1st place and Elisa K. finishing 2nd! Our Boys XC team also had an outstanding performance, taking 2nd place in the league!

Every single athlete did a fantastic job pushing through, supporting one another, being great teammates, and representing Manitou with pride! We are so proud of all of you.

HELP CHEER ON CHLOE! Chloe is up for Performer of the Week, and voting closes Friday! If you have a moment, please cast your vote for her. Every vote counts! https://co.milesplit.com/.../colorado-girls-cross-country...

The season isn't over yet! Let's keep the momentum going and wish our athletes the BEST of luck as they head to:

Regionals: October 23 STATE: October 31

This October MSHS's Student Council trained for our second year of programming with Sources of Strength. This is a peer leader run health promotion program. Sources of Strength takes a strength-based, upstream approach to preventing negative outcomes while promoting well-being, help-seeking, resilience, healthy coping, and a sense of belonging. We wholeheartedly believe in the HOPE, HELP, and STRENGTH each individual can cultivate in themselves and others.

The String Orchestra performed their Halloween concert last night. A hauntingly good time was had by all! 🎃👻

On Saturday, October 3rd the Manitou Springs robotics team, the Steel Mustangs team 2945, went to Cool Science at UCCS to help get kids in our community interested in stem. We had a snap circuit activity for kids to learn about how electricity flows through a circuit. We, also, had our robot out to interact with kids. This volunteer event was a great way to start off the robotics team's year.

This is a friendly reminder that all students must have documentation of required immunizations, a valid exemption, or an in-process immunization plan on file with the school.

Please send updated immunization records from your healthcare provider to your school's health tech/nurse or front office. If you choose an exemption, information and forms are available through the school or the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

If you've already submitted the necessary paperwork, thank you, no further action is needed!

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your school's health tech or district nurse.

We appreciate your help keeping our school community healthy and safe!

Key Club will be hosting a week-long fundraiser for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on the week of October 19th. There will be spirit days every day alongside the following events:

- Coin Wars all week long

- A bake sale Monday during advisory

- A kickball tournament Tuesday and Wednesday during advisory

- And of course, Key Club's annual Haunted House and Carnival on Sunday from 6-9PM.

More information will be coming soon, so keep an eye out for it and please reach out to mshskeyclub@mssd14.org with any questions.

Examples of cardboard, relief sculptures by Megan M. and Ronan M.

A rep from Rocky Mountain college of art and design speaks about opportunities for students.

AP students, please complete your Intent to Test form and submit your payment online OR to Mr. Batson or Mrs. Cat at the front desk by October 30th.

Forms were emailed to students and families last week, and hard copies were also provided to advisors. Please make sure your form and payment are submitted promptly to secure your AP exam registration!

The Prospector is the online news website of Manitou Springs High School. The student journalism featured on this site and on our Facebook and Instagram accounts is created by the Advanced Journalism class at MSHS and is a public forum for student work. Check out our work on these forums or read the articles we posted this week below:

Percy brings rich background and new perspective to math department by Marley Garcia

MSHS theater program prepares for a technical fall play by Isabella Durham

Skyler Keeney carries on the family racing legacy by Alazar Berry

1. Buy a Yearbook

Here is the link to purchase a yearbook through Jostens: [link provided]

Prices:

• Until September 18: $60
• September 19–October 16: $65
• October 17–November 20: $70
• After November 20: $75

2. Senior Recognition Ad

Create a yearbook ad to celebrate your student’s remarkable journey!

Link to purchase a senior recognition ad: https://www.jostens.com/apps/jcom/router.mvc?affiliateId=1009002

3. Senior Photos

Link to submit a senior photo: https://photos.jostens.com/HKCE9K

Senior Photos must be school appropriate, vertically aligned, and high quality photographs.

More information will be sent out soon regarding the submission process, senior ads, and additional yearbook details.

The deadline for Senior Photos is November 20, 2026.

Questions?

Contact our Yearbook Faculty Sponsor: Joel Ellis (jellis@mssd14.org)

Mr. Johnson and Mrs. DiSantis are leading a trip to Greece during the first week of June 2027 which is open to current 7th-12th grade students. This life-changing experience will help students build confidence, independence, and global perspective. Please visit EF’s website to get answers to common parent questions. EF Tours is our trusted travel partner, and they have 60 years of experience helping students explore the world.

📌Thursday, October 15 : Girls volleyball Vs. Woodland Park @ Woodland Park @ (C @ 4:30PM; JV @ 5:30PM; Varsity @ 6:30PM)

📌Friday, October 16: Boys varsity football Vs. Banning Lewis @ Banning Lewis @ 7PM

📌Monday, October 19: Key Club Pajama and blanket day ; Boys soccer Vs. Woodland Park @ Woodland Park (JV @ 4PM; Varsity @ 6PM)

📌Tuesday, October 20 : Key Club Favorite color day; Girls volleyball **Senior Night** Vs. St. Marys @ Home (C @ 4PM; JV @ 5PM; Varsity @ 6PM)

📌Wednesday, October 20 : Key Club Twin day

📌Thursday, October 22 : Parent/Guardian conferences - 12:30PM Student dismissal ;Girls volleyball Vs. Thomas MacLaren @ Thomas MacLaren (C @ 4PM; JV @ 5PM; Varsity @ 6PM)

📌Friday, October 23: Conferences - No School ; Boys varsity football Vs. Florence @ Home @ 7PM ; Boys and girls cross country Regional Meet @ Denver Park @ 2:45PM

📌Tuesday, October 27: Girls volleyball Vs. Lamar @ Lamar (C @ 4PM; JV @ 5PM; Varsity @ 6PM)

📌Saturday, October 31: Boys and girls cross country meet @ Bear Creek Regional Park @ 9AM

📌Wednesday, November 4: Late Start (2-hour delay)

📌Saturday, November 7: Fall play @ MSES Auditorium @ 2PM

📌Wednesday. November 18: Late Start (2-hour delay)

🦃 November 23-27: Thanksgiving break

Email: aconrad@mssd14.org
Website: www.mssd14.org
Location: 401 El Monte Pl. Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Phone: 719-685-2074
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manitouspringshighschool