March 20, 2015
Dear Animas High School Community:
The AHS Head of School Search Committee is excited to announce that we have narrowed our search down to the final candidates and are looking forward to the last phase of the process that will ensue in the few weeks following Spring Break.  We would like to communicate some important information about the process and invite you all to participate as stakeholders in our rigorous hiring “Bonanza.”  Bonanza is the term we use at AHS to describe our hiring process; it is a chance to gather input from many stakeholders, so that our hiring decisions are informed by the voices of the Osprey community.
The Search Committee—consisting of Board members, faculty, parents, founders, and community members—has gone through a rigorous selection process, focusing on four principle domains of school leadership:  operational excellence, financial acumen, instructional leadership, and cultural fit.  After an initial screening process, we conducted phone interviews with our top six candidates.  Based on the results, we have narrowed it down to four final candidates who we have invited to participate in Bonanza, which will be conducted between March 30 and April 9.  The final candidates are:  Jake Lauer, Sean Woytek, Dedrick Sims, and Bret Poppleton.  Resumes and cover letters for all four candidates can be found on the AHS website at https://animashighschool.com/hos-candidates/.
In addition to a robust on-site bonanza and multiple interviews with key stakeholders, we will be holding community forums in the evenings to allow for families, future families, and other interested community members to meet the candidates, hear about their educational visions, ask questions, and provide feedback.  These forums will occur in the AHS Commons from 7-8 pm. We would love to have as much participation as possible, so please mark your calendars for the following evenings:

  • Sean Woytek                    Tuesday, March 31st,
  • Jake Lauer                        Thursday, April 2nd
  • Bret Poppleton                 Tuesday, April 7th
  • Dedrick Sims                    Thursday, April 9th

We wanted to be sure we got word out to ensure a high level of participation for the first forum that will occur the Tuesday after Spring Break. Please note that the other dates and times may flex a bit depending on candidates’ travel arrangements.  If this is the case, we will make every effort to inform you of these changes in a timely manner.  Again, we would love to have as much participation as possible to ensure that all voices have a stake in this very important decision.  If you have questions, please direct them to [email protected].
Have a wonderful Spring Break, everyone, and we hope to see you at the forums!
Best Regards,
AHS Head of School Search Committee