Smoky Hill Buffaloes Newsletter
This Week at the Hill
AP/IB Exams May 11-15, 2025 (Smoky Hill's AP & IB Exam Schedule)
Students who are testing are listed as J (testing) in PowerSchool.Monday 5/11 GREEN Day + Senior Check Out
Tuesday 5/12 RED Day
Wednesday 5/13 GREEN Day
Thursday 5/14 RED Day + Track & Field State Championship @ Jeffco Stadium
Friday 5/15 GREEN Day + Track & Field State Championship @ Jeffco Stadium
Saturday 5/16 Track & Field State Championship @ Jeffco Stadium
Help Wanted
The DAC is searching for volunteers to fill the Parent Member roles on the Executive Committee for the 2026-2027 school year. A Parent Member is defined as “A parent/guardian who has a child/children attending District elementary or District secondary schools”. Application forms are available on the DAC website or you can send an email to accountability@cherrycreekschools.org. More information is available on the flyer below (and attached).
Smoky Hill Aurora Scholars Honored
Ariel Suoo (12), Reece Nuwash (11), Amina Meharena (10) and Emma Kaganer (9) were honored by the City of Aurora as 2026 Aurora Scholars for their excellent leadership and scholastic achievement.
Educators of the Year Honored
Smoky Hill’s recipients of the Cherry Creek Schools Educator of the Year, Mr. Scott Cohen and Mrs. Melissa Roberts-Brysh, were honored at our annual CCSD Educator of the Year celebration. They joined 60 outstanding educators across the district at the Denver Marriott South on Thursday April 23rd. Read more here.
Congratulations Jayden Diaz and the Velvet Hills Chorus!
Choir director Jayden Diaz is a member of the Sweet Adeline's International all-female, a cappella, four-part barbershop harmony organization. At the Rocky Mountain Region 8 competition in Cheyenne, WY this past weekend, the Velvet Hills Chorus took home first-place and will go on to compete at the international competition held in Columbus OH, next October! This is an incredible accomplishment! Jayden brings a long-time love of vocal music to our students and we are so lucky to have her as part of the Smoky Hill faculty and staff!
Congratulations Dawn Michael!
At this year's 53rd Annual CADA Awards Banquet in Breckenridge, our very own Dawn Michael received this year's Colorado Outstanding Athletics Administrative Assistant the Year Award this past week! She was unanimously selected for this prestigious award by the members of the Colorado Athletic Directors Association due to her outstanding contribution to Colorado Athletics.
Carrie Faust - National Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Congratulations to Carrie Faust on being honored by the Journalism Education Association as the 2025-2026 National Yearbook Adviser of the Year! Carrie was honored last week in Minneapolis. Here is a link to a story about Carrie and her award. Carrie Faust - JEA Adviser of the Year.
Buffs Pantry Community Impact
Smoky Hill HS students have been working hard to keep our families in transition stocked with groceries, hygiene products, and clothing.On average, we serve about 53 community members per week. Since the year has begun, Call 2 Action has created over 527 personalized Smoky Hill bags for those families. This success is all thanks to your gracious donations back in September, which have been able to sustain us for the last several months.
Shout out to Kelly DiBlasi, who ensures that each student receives exactly what they need once we drop off our bags in counseling. We could not function so smoothly without your love and care!
This week, our Call 2 Action class was invited to attend the CSU Colorado Grow Youth Institute at the CSU Spur Campus. They each had to write a research paper regarding a country of their choice and an issue within that country that directed impacted a food insecurity. They are not only examining the effects and solutions of food disparities within our community, but from a global aspect as well. Additionally, last month, Call 2 Action also hosted Overland High School, Horizon Community Middle School, and Prairie Middle School in class so that they could model pantries like ours! If you know your student is in Call 2 Action, give them a shout out next time you see them. They are doing beautiful things for our school!
On May 1st, there is going to be another SNAP cut that will affect over 9,000 Colorado families. You can read more about this here: New SNAP cuts impact nearly 9,000 Coloradans | 9news.com Buff's Pantry is expecting another large influx of community members in need of our assistance soon. If you feel compelled to donate, here is our updated Amazon Wish List.
Congratulations Boys Lacrosse!
Congratulations tto Coach Logan Booth and the Boys Lacrosse team! They made playoffs for the first time since 2013! They are the #20 seed and they played Golden High School at 4pm this past Tuesday at Trailblazer stadium! Please congratulate the whole team for their successful season!
Letter Jackets Order
Western Awards will be at school during lunches on Wed, March 11th for letter jacket orders and fittings. Link to order form here. Please contact our Athletics Office for more info 720-886-5551.
Buff Pantry
As a class, we have aimed to make a difference in our Smoky Hill community, and we decided to do this by creating a safe space where students can receive the food and hygiene products they need on a weekly basis. We offer multiple types of food, whether it’s canned/boxed or just quick snacks, hygiene products, baby products (diapers/wipes), and clothes/shoes. We receive donations from SECOR, the local community, students, and our CCSD district Food Pantry Liaisons. Last year, we were able to serve 70 families in total. Our goal is to limit food insecurity and strengthen our school holistically.
If you are in need: Here is the Buff's Pantry Google form link for you to fill out with your needs:https://forms.gle/NoraXVqzbxUYT4B8A
If you wish to donate: We are in need of the following items if you have any spare stock in your home or wish to purchase items from our list:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2O6R74E3W2244?ref_=wl_share
Also, you can have your student drop these off at the main office or bring them to Mrs. Ogide's room (1-11). We will also be running donation drives throughout the year. Stay tuned!
Explore Construction Management
The 2026 Construction Management Summer Institute will be held June 2 – 6 on the CSU Campus.
Apply now at this link. The priority application deadline is March 15.
This five-day four-night on-campus program is for up to 26 high school students aged 15-18 who are interested in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC). Each day participants engage with professionals representing AEC industries as well as college mentors to work on building confidence and developing an understanding of construction management and related careers while having fun exploring construction related topics and activities!
This program is intended for students who are curious about the field but may not yet see themselves in this industry. We will explore beginner construction concepts, materials, and equipment, but also themes of confidence, empowerment, and creating an industry that is welcoming to all in a supportive environment where newcomers are encouraged.
Download the Buffalo App!
Buffalo families and community. The Buffalo App is here.
Your one stop shop for all things Smoky Hill Activities and Athletics.
Download it today on the App Store and stay up to date with your favorite club/team.
Attendance
The safety and well-being of our students is of high priority. As such, the accurate monitoring of attendance is imperative to be able to account for students at all times. Please follow the procedures below.
- Send a text message through the Talking Points app (preferred),
- Step 1 - Open Talking Point and select New Message
- Step 2 - Scroll to the bottom of the list and select Smoky Hill High School (under School Admins)
- Step 3 - Include this information in your message: STUDENT'S NAME, the DATE and TIMES of the absence, the REASON your student is missing class, or needed to leave early.
- If any of the above information is missing or indecipherable, your student's attendance may not be updated.
- Call the Attendance Voicemail line prior to 2:00 p.m. on the day of the absence for daily absence.
- English: Attendance Voicemail- 720-886-5450
- Spanish Attendance Voicemail- 720-886-5455
- When leaving a voicemail message on the attendance line, please include the following:
- STUDENT'S NAME (please SPELL OUT the LAST NAME)
- YOUR NAME and PHONE NUMBER
- the DATE and TIMES of the absence
- the REASON your student is missing class
NOTE:
- To update home or work phone numbers, please login to my.cherrycreekschools.org and make those changes on the Guardian Tile.
- Absences that are not excused within 48 hours will require a Dean’s approval for changing an absence to “Excused.” ONLY 48 HOURS TO EXCUSE AN ABSENCE.
- If your student needs to be dismissed early from class, have him/her bring a note written by a parent or guardian to the Attendance Office prior to the start of the school day AND please send a Talking Points message. This is to help reduce disruptions in the classroom.
- Students who leave without following the above procedure may be marked “Unexcused.”
- In the event that a student becomes ill at school and needs to go home, he/she must either:
- Report to the clinic.
- The nurse will phone a parent/guardian and obtain permission.
- Have a parent/guardian call and give permission to the Main Office at the time the student is leaving.
Responses to Absences:
- Missing only four (4) days or 17 class periods a quarter classifies your student as Chronically Absent by the State of Colorado.
- Students who have unexcused absences will receive consequences that include, but are not limited to:
- Academic Re-engagement(s)
- Family Meeting(s)
- Being Placed on Attendance Support Plans
- Guardian Shadows
- Loss of privilege(s)
- Medical Note Requirement
- Truancy Court Referral