2018 Sugarloaf Youth Track League at ARHS

Boys and girls of all abilities will be placed on a team and can compete in both relay and individual events. Family and friends of all ages are invited to cheer on athletes! Non-team member children who are present are invited to compete in a 100 meter dash each night.  

There is an organizational meeting to group teams, meet coaches, and run an informal series of practice races on May 24th.  Entries may be closed before this date if maximum number of participants is reached, so sign up ASAP!

Ages: 6-14

Dates: Thursday 5/24, 5/31, 6/7 and Friday 6/15, 6/22, 6/29

Time: 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Location: Amherst Regional High School Track

Price: $49

For more info please visit our website

Contact Sydney Henthorn, Sugarloaf Track League Director at shenthorn20@gmail.com

or Chris Johnson, Sports Director at LSSE,

 (413) 259-3144  johnsonc@amherstma.gov

Annual Black Scholars Rising Showcase on May 18

The Annual Black Scholars Rising event will be held on Friday, May 18th from 6:00 to 7:30 in the Middle School Auditorium with a reception to follow in the Middle School Cafeteria. Would you mind including that on your calendars and share it with staff & families?

This year, the BSR Committee is working closely with students and the evening will be a showcase of their skills and talents, as well as presenting stoles to the graduating seniors.

Black Scholars Rising 2018 Flyer

Black Scholars Rising 2018 Flyer – Spanish

Black Scholars Rising 2018 Flyer – Portuguese

Amherst Hurricanes Shirts now on Sale at ARHS

Hurricane Sports Fans!!!   Great News!!!  Our Nike shirts are on sale in the ARHS school store and are reduced to $15 now. These are terrific quality shirts! They make great gifts and are a must at school events. Show your Amherst pride and grab a shirt while supplies last.

Support Amherst Athletics during Valley Gives on May 1

Dear Families of Amherst High School and Middle School Athletes,

The Amherst Hurricane Boosters are a group of parents, staff and community members who are dedicated to supporting Amherst student athletics. This group finances major projects such as playing field lighting, sports sounds systems, and scoreboards as well as smaller items for individual teams.

For the first time, the Amherst Hurricane Boosters (under the name Amherst High School Athletics) will be participating in Valley Gives Day – a 24-hour period of online philanthropy across the Valley on Tuesday, May 1.

What makes Valley Gives Day so special is that we are eligible to receive cash prizes throughout the day that can amplify your donation and help us raise thousands of extra dollars to benefit Amherst school sports. The emphasis is on the NUMBER of donors, not the AMOUNT of each donation, so donations of any size can help us win extra prize money.

We will be updating the Boosters community about our fundraising totals throughout the day on Tuesday, May 1, via email, but primarily on the Booster’s Facebook page.

Please help us by taking these four simple actions;

1. Set reminder for Valley Gives Day
2. Like, follow, and turn notifications ON for the Amherst Hurricane Boosters’ Facebook page
3. Invite your friends to like and follow the Amherst Hurricane Boosters’ Facebook page
4. Share this email with your family, friends, kids’ teammates, and ARHS alums.

Here are some tips to help the Boosters reach — and even surpass — our fundraising goal:

MOST INDIVIDUAL DONORS:

$500, $1,000, and $1,500 prizes will be awarded to organizations that have the most “unique donors” contributing. A unique donor is identified by the name/address/email address of each individual. This means that if you and your partner have your own individual email addresses, please consider dividing the amount your family plans to give to the Boosters and each give separately, as you will each be counted as an individual donor. All donations need to be made on a person’s own credit card.

MILLENNIALS ROCK!

If we get donors who are aged 18 or 19, 20-29, AND 30-39 we are eligible to be randomly selected for an extra $4,000 prize. We can also win $1,000+ if we have the most donors under 40 years old. Remember, everyone needs to use their own credit card. 

GOLDEN and POWER HOUR TICKETS:

Throughout the day, 20 organizations will be randomly selected to receive a $500 Golden Ticket or $1000 Power Hour Tickets. To learn more about prizes, please click here.

We hope that you, your family, and your friends will give as generously as you are able to support the Hurricanes Boosters on Valley Gives Day!

Gratefully,

Rich Ferro and Karen Stiles Dunn

Amherst Hurricane Boosters

Fundraiser for Clean Water in Puerto Rico

The people of Puerto Rico continue to suffer from lack of basic needs following devastation from two hurricanes in late 2017. 

One of the ARHS staff members, Mari Vicente, has been working with Waves for Water, a non-profit that works throughout the world bringing water purifying filters to disaster-ridden places. W4W has been in Puerto Rico since the last hurricane swept through it on September 20th, 2017. Here's the link to Ms. Vicente's fundraising page: http://www.wavesforwater.org/courier/9527.  Please help W4W and her reach their goal of providing water filters to 100 Puerto Rican families in need.  Any amount helps. !Muchas gracias! 

Samuel Minot Jones Awards for Literary Achievement Honors ARHS Theater Program

The Jones Library is proud to announce that the Fifth Annual Samuel Minot Jones Awards for Literary Achievement will honor the Amherst Regional High School Theater Program, led by John Bechtold and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author Madeleine Blais. The gala event, the “Sammys”, will take place on Thursday, April 26, 2018, at 6:00 pm at the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College.

The Sammys is Amherst’s signature event honoring the community’s remarkable and vibrant literary heritage. The evening will begin in the beautiful Mead galleries with delicious, abundant hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine from local breweries/vineyards, a signature cocktail, and live music. The awards ceremony will be held next door in comfortable Stirn Auditorium, where the evening will end with coffee and a take-away chocolate confection.

All proceeds from the Sammys will be used to support Library collections, purchasing materials in all formats and for all ages. For more info and tickets visit the Jones Library online at www.joneslibrary.org/sammys.

Gospel Choir Concert to benefit Amherst A Better Chance (ABC) on April 10 at 7:30 PM

Come to a Gospel Choir Concert to benefit Amherst A Better Chance (ABC) on Tuesday, April 10th, at Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst.

The concert starts at 7:30 PM and features the Amherst Area Gospel Choir, the Amherst Regional High School Chorale, the Hampshire Young People’s Chorus, and the Resurrect Gospel Choir at Amherst College.

Concert-goers are also invited to a welcome reception with light refreshments from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. in the room adjacent to the Sanctuary at Grace Church. The reception will include the opportunity to meet the Amherst A Better Chance Scholars and the Resident Directors. A Donation of $20 (or more!) from each concert-goer will be gratefully accepted, but all who wish to celebrate the ABC Program through gospel music are most welcome!

Local Vocal Chord Bowl on April 7 at 7 PM

Mark your calendars for some incredible acapella!

Saturday, April 7

7 PM

Amherst Regional High School

The Local Vocal Chord Bowl takes place at ARHS and features adult, college, and high school acapella groups. It is a joyous intergenerational celebration of making music AND it is a FUNDRAISER for music and arts programs at ARHS and at Northampton High School. In the last three years, the event has raised over $12,000 for the schools.

Chinese Language Program at ARMS and ARHS: Information Session on February 6

Are you interested in Chinese language instruction at ARMS and ARHS?

ARHS will host an information session at 7 pm on February 6th in the high school library to share the details of the 2018-2019 Chinese language program.

For further information, please contact Ericka Alschuler, Interim Assistant Principal, at 362-1714.

ARHS Sports Season Passes Available

The ARHS Athletic Office has season passes available for purchase.

Adult – Winter Season – $42.00

Student/Senior – Winter Season – $30.00

Adult – Spring Season – $32.00

Student/Senior – Spring Season – $20.00

These passes will allow entrance to regular season home games. Normal gate prices, per game, are $5 for adults and $3 for students/seniors citizens. These passes DO NOT provide admittance to MIAA playoff games. Cash or check – payable to ARHS.

Chinese Language Placement Information

Attention 6th Grade Parents: Are you interested in Chinese language instruction at ARMS and ARHS?

In order to finalize Chinese language offerings for next year, ARMS/ARHS staff are inviting rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students and prospective upperclass transfer students to schedule a placement meeting with Yiping Yan, the Chinese language teacher. Meetings can be scheduled by emailing Ms. Yan at yany@arps.org.  Meetings will be scheduled after school between January 8 and January 19.

An information session will be held at 7 pm on February 6th in the ARHS library to share the details of the 2018-2019 Chinese language program. For further information, please contact Ericka Alschuler, ARHS Interim Assistant Principal, at 362-1714.

ARHS Sene-Gambian Exchange Program Seeking Community and Business Sponsors

The Sene-Gambian Exchange Program is seeking community and business sponsors to help students in financial need participate in the exchange. See attachment for details and contribute at https://tinyurl.com/SGSsponsors.

Amherst Regional High School has partnered with schools in Senegal and The Gambia since 2011 to provide a life-changing cultural exchange experience for high school students, promoting understanding and respect across racial, ethnic, and religious differences. To date, ARHS has sent two groups of students to West Africa and received two from Senegal.

Learn more here: SGS Sponsorship Information

AR[T]HS Show through June 12

Amherst Regional High School’s AR[T]HS exhibit showcases juried work from all of the Art Department’s areas of study: Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Digital Photo, 2D & 3D Foundations, Printmaking, Art Portfolio and Sculpture.

AR[T]HS will be on display at The Eli Marsh Gallery, 105 Fayerweather Hall, Amherst College, from June 8th-June 12h. Gallery hours are from 9 am to 5 pm, every day, Sat & Sun 10-4pm.

This is the ninth annual “AR[T]HS” exhibit hosted by the ARHS Art Department and showcases the artwork by more than 200 students. It is a great way for future students to learn about the art electives. Seeing examples of nearly every assignment in every class gives students a great sense of what is offered at ARHS. The student work is guaranteed to take your breath away!

Attention 6th Grade Families: Fall Sports Registration Open Now

Online fall sports registration is now open. Ensure a smooth start to the fall season by registering NOW. Current sport physical forms should be on file with the school nurse before the first day of tryouts. Please call the nurse's office at the high school at 362-1743. Questions for middle school registrants please contact the middle school nurse at 362-1975.

REGISTRATION:

https://www.familyid.com/organizations/search?query=amherst

You’ll need to set up an account with FamilyID,  if you don’t already have an account.  Any technical questions with this program please call the 888# at the top of the FamilyID screen. They are very helpful.

By submitting registration forms electronically you and your child are acknowledging that you have both read the documents and you will adhere to the MIAA/Amherst High School policies on these forms. By registering electronically you are fulfilling the signature requirements of registration.

PAYMENT:

Payment is due right away.  Payment is required to try out/practice/participate.  If there is a financial hardship, please contact Rich Ferro, the Athletic Director at ferror@arps.org

Payment can be done online or you can drop off your payment or mail to:

ARHS Athletics

Amherst Regional High School

21 Mattoon Street

Amherst, MA 01002

ATTN: Sports Registration

VERY IMPORTANT: Clearly write your child's name and sport in the MEMO of the check when you pay. 

START DATES:

HIGH SCHOOL - Football begins Friday, August 18th.  All sports other sports begin tryouts on Thursday, August 24th.  

MIDDLE SCHOOL - Middle School sports will begin the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Wednesday, August 23rd is Fall Sports Information Night for athletes and their parents/guardian.  Time:  6:30 p.m. in the High School Cafeteria.  Meet the coaches, get schedules, find out about practice schedules, etc.  Hope to see you there!

SCHEDULES:

See http://miaa.net/schools/public/AmhPelA2 for game times and to set up alerts for changes.  

SPORT SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Need specific sport information?  Please reach out to the coach.  Contact information for the coaches can be found under the high school “Sports” tab under the "Coaches contact Information" tab. 

DEADLINE TO REGISTER & PAY:

Deadline for registration & payment is August 1st.

ARHS and ARMS Teachers Participate in Civic Initiative at UMass

ARHS and ARMS teachers traveled to Pakistan on a US State Department grant through the Civic Initiative at UMASS.  Teachers visited a wide range of schools in Lahore and Islamabad and many cultural sites. They were inspired by all of their interactions and surprised by the commonalities of their challenges in student centered classrooms.  You can view photos from the trip here: 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HumddnlLn_EniNI3unz1sbecfbL2UdLpMrVQ1p-QrxA/edit#slide=id.p

ESPN Article on ARHS Volleyball Team

An ESPN article featured Megan Rice ’17 and the ARHS’s girls volleyball team decision to kneel during the National Anthem. Check it out.

http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/18519123/the-national-anthem-experience#!ourflagwasstillthere

ARHS Coach Mike Rudd again named Western Mass Boys Soccer Coach of the Year

ARHS Coach Mike Rudd was named 2016 Western Mass Boys Soccer Coach of the Year.  See the attached link for the full story.

http://highschoolsports.masslive.com/news/article/5405415953447664856/amhersts-michael-rudd-named-2016-western-mass-boys-soccer-coach-of-the-year/

UPDATE: ARHS Gym Renovation Project

from ARHS Administration:

We are excited to provide an update on the ARHS gymnasium renovation project.  The architectural firm Kuhn Riddle will have the design work for the project done by the end of January with construction anticipated to begin in March.  The construction phase of the project will be completed by August 15th in time for all of our Fall athletic programs and the 2017-18 school year.  The scope of the project will include the following:  

1. Removal and replacement of the existing gym floor
2. Removal of the wooden bleachers to be replaced with new ADA compliant composite bleachers
3. Painting the ceiling and walls white with Hurricane logos (location TBD)
4. Removal of the non-functioning mechanical doors to be replaced with drop down netting
5. Reconfigure the volleyball court to allow for two practice nets

We appreciate everyone's patience with this project as it has put a strain on our physical education students and teachers as well as our athletic teams this year.  In the end we will have a fully renovated gymnasium that has not seen significant updates since its construction in 1959.  This is an exciting chapter in ARHS Athletics and we can’t wait to see our student athletes utilizing this space next year!

For Parents of ARHS Athletes: Amherst Hurricane Boosters Meeting on January 12

from ARHS PGO ...

The Amherst Hurricane Boosters is an independent group of parents, coaches and other supporters of Middle and High School sports in Amherst. We raise funds to: ensure the continued existence of sports programs, increase participation in athletics, ensure a positive experience for participants, and promote achievement in sports. We work closely with the Athletic Department, and with coaches and teams.

You are invited to attend a informational meeting on Thursday, January 12th @ 6 p.m. in the ARHS Cafe.

Please register to attend through FamilyID. https://www.familyid.com/programs/arhs-arms-hurricane- booster-meeting or by clicking here.

Light refreshments will be served.

ARHS Science Events and Opportunities Website

The ARHS science department has launched a new web page to share information about science events and opportunities in the local community. Currently posted are details about an upcoming "Women in Engineering and Computing Career Day" at UMass for high school girls.

If you would like to submit an event for possible inclusion, send it to ARHS lab technician, Deb Leonard at leonardd@arps.org. To learn about upcoming events, click here.