The Weekly Line

Monday, January 26, 2026

Dear AMS Students, Parents/Guardians & Staffulty,

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Like MLK, Jr. who moved our country and society forward in many ways, we celebrate victories, moments, and stories in each Weekly Line, and remember those who paved the way before us. I’m grateful to have been hired by AHS Principal Kendall Evans as his young Asst. Principal in 2001 and by ASD Superintendent Tharyn Mulberry as his not so young AMS Principal in 2025. My goal is to keep moving AMS forward, be a difference maker for our students, parents and staffulty, and add value to this awesome Aspen community.

According to the ESPN website, the inaugural X Games happened in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island, introducing the world to action sports. The Winter X Games began in 1997 in Big Bear Lake, CA, then spent a couple of years in Crested Butte, CO and Mt. Snow, VT, yet this past weekend marked the 24th consecutive year Aspen Snowmass and Buttermilk Mountain have hosted Winter X. Did you know the X Games are called the X Games because X was the abbreviation for the original name the Extreme Games, many athletes and the audience were from Generation X, and in maths an X represents the unknown? Like the many milestones in MLK, Jr.’s life (leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956, his "I Have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964), X Games athletes have had many unforgettable moments and boundary-pushing performances in Aspen (Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris’ record 23 career Winter X medals- 11 gold, 9 silver and 3 bronze in Slopestyle and Big Air, freeskier Tanner Hall’s 3-peat of 3 consecutive gold medals in 2 different Winter X disciplines Slopestyle 2002 - 2004 and 2006 - 2008 and SuperPipe 2006 - 2008, snowboarder Chloe Kim tying Shaun White's SuperPipe record with her 8th gold last year).

Well, on Tuesday, 1/20 two X Games athletes spoke to our students in our X Games Pep Assembly about going All In and keep moving forward:

• Elite Slopestyle and SuperPipe skier Nick Goepper from Indiana who won 6 X Games medals, 3 Olympic medals, 7 World Cup halfpipe podiums (including SuperPipe gold last year and silver this year in Aspen) and is headed back to his 4th Olympics.

• Hanna Faulhaber from Basalt who was 6th at the Beijing Olympics, earned a bronze in women's halfpipe skiing at Winter X 2022, then a World Championship in 2023, 5 World Cup podiums and returned to Aspen this year to finish 8th in the women's ski SuperPipe after being injured 2 years.

Whether you run or walk, ski or snowboard, let's keep moving forward AMS F-A-M-I-L-Y (Forget About Me I Love You) and have an awesome spring semester!

Dr. Tom

Tom Dodd, PhD

#AMSAllIn #AMSF-A-M-I-L-Y #TheAMSDifference

ANNOUNCEMENTS 1-26-26

AMS Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), Tuesday, 2/17, 8:15am - 9:15am, AMS Conf. Rm.

AMS PTO Mtg. Agendas/Minutes 2025-26

AMS School Accountability Committee (SAC), Tuesday, 2/17, 9:15am - 10:15am, AMS Conf. Rm.

AMS SAC Mtg. Agendas/Minutes 2025-26

Standing Announcement Per the AMS PTO’s Request

This AMS Staffulty Favorite Things 25/26 document helps parents know teachers' birthdays, and what gifts or in kind gestures staffulty might appreciate around the holidays, during teacher appreciation week, etc.

The AMS library, like the cafeteria, is open before school when the building opens at 7:45am until the 8am bell sounds the beginning period 1/7. The library is also open after school from the 3:20pm dismissal bell until 3:45pm and is staffed by our library paraprofessional Karin Nostdahl (knostdahl@aspenk12.net) should you have any questions about library access and resources.

AMS is offering student shadowing and school tour opportunities to new families interested in enrolling in 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade at AMS for 2026-27. Email Principal Dr. Tom Dodd (tdodd@aspenk12.net) if interested.

AMS is also looking to hire a 5th/6th grade counselor and special ed. paraprofessional. If you know anyone who wants to play BIG at AMS have them apply here and email Principal Dr. Tom Dodd (tdodd@aspenk12.net).

Calling all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students to showcase their civic knowledge in the first ever Roaring Fork Valley Regional Civic Bee. Youthentity and the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation to host a nonpartisan civics competition encouraging students to engage in civics, contribute to their communities, win recognition and cash prizes. Finalists will be invited to Denver for the State Championship and Washington, DC for the Civics Bee National Championship in Fall 2026. Any Colorado student with an idea about using civics to improve their community may submit an application to participate in the competition. Applications are due by Tue., February 3, 2026, 11:59pm. Mountain Time via the National Civics Bee Application Portal. The Roaring Fork Valley Regional Competition will be Thu., April 30, 2026, at Carbondale Middle School. Visit www.youthentity.org/civicsbee or www.nationalcivicsbee.org for the latest news on the application portal, entry deadlines, and resources. Email CivicBee@youthentity.org with questions, or call Samantha Freese, 970-379-5608, Director, Financial Literacy Program and Marketing, Youthentity.org.

Add our AMS Family Calendar to your Google calendar and see important upcoming dates:

• Tuesday, January 27th ~ 7th / 8th Girls Basketball vs Glenwood 4:30pm - 7th AMS Gym / 8th Grade at Glenwood

• Thursday, January 29th ~ 7th / 8th Girls Basketball vs Rifle 4:30pm - 7th at Rifle / 8th Grade AMS Gym

• Thursday, January 29th ~ EF Tours France Summer 2027 Informational Meeting 5:30pm - 6:30pm AMS Library

• Tuesday, February 3rd ~ 7th / 8th Girls Basketball vs Riverview 4:30pm - 7th AMS Gym / 8th Grade at Riverview

• Thursday, February 5th ~ 7th / 8th Girls Basketball vs Grand Valley 4:30pm - 7th at Grand Valley/ 8th Grade AMS Gym

• Saturday, February 7th ~ 8th Girls Basketball League Tournament @ Basalt High School

• Friday, February 27th ~ AMS Winter Dance 5:00pm

AMS Outdoor Education Dates:

6th Grade ODE Hut Trips

• February 9th - 11th / Alex Farmer’s Group

• February 23rd - 25th / Katherine Gleason’s Group

• February 25th - 27th / Matt Field’s Group

• March 9th - 11th / Tara Marolda’s Group

• March 11th - 13th / Ivette Mejia’s Group

6th Grade ODE Practice Days

Matt F & Alex F Reading Groups

• Feb 5th - Sugar Bowls - All Day

Tara M & Ivette M Reading Groups

• Jan 29th - Owl Creek - All Day

• Feb 19th - Sugar Bowls - All Day

7th Grade ODE River Trips

• April 27th - May 1st - Week 1

• May 4th - 8th - Week 2

Pre - Order AMS 2025 - 2026 Yearbook for $32.00. Students will not receive until May 2026.

Please keep your students home if they are sick. They should be free of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for at least 24 hours without the use of medication, and symptoms should be improved before returning to school.

Per school policy, all medications including prescription, over-the-counter, creams, and cough drops require a physician’s order signed by a parent or guardian before administration. Medications must be delivered directly to the health office by a parent or guardian. Students may not transport or self-carry medications. When in doubt, please contact the health office for clarification. Thank you.

Thank you for caring about the health of your students and our school community.