Amy Biehl High School Foundation
Grants Awarded
This program will provide Amy Biehl High School students with a transformative overnight field trip to Valles Caldera, allowing them to apply Earth Sciences concepts in a natural setting. Participants will engage in data collection related to the Ponderosa Pine ecosystem, fostering an appreciation of science as a tool for community benefit and teamwork. Ultimately, this unique experience aims to inspire a deeper interest in environmental science and outdoor exploration among our underserved urban youth.
Amy Biehl High School (ABHS) seeks to enhance its students' social-emotional learning and understanding of Earth Science through a series of outdoors programs funded by the Outdoor Equity Fund. These initiatives, centered on experiential learning in the Ponderosa Pine Forest, aim to instill a deeper appreciation for the environment, facilitate peer relationships, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experiences. Plus, they're designed to be fun!
Amy Biehl High School (ABHS) aims to enhance social-emotional learning and environmental appreciation through outdoor experiences funded by the Outdoor Equity Fund. Students will build relationships, gain self-awareness, and apply Earth Science and Permaculture lessons in real-world settings, ultimately fostering a more engaged and connected local community.
Amy Biehl High School (ABHS) was founded in 1999 by two teachers determined to hold themselves accountable for students’ success during and after high school. The school was founded, and continues, in the spirit of Amy Biehl, a woman from Santa Fe, New Mexico who died while working to register women to vote in post-apartheid South Africa. It is a free, public charter school that focuses on scholarship and service, requiring that every student participates in service activities throughout high school, passes college classes, and completes a self-designed 100-hour senior-year service project. Through service, students learn to play meaningful roles in the community, work together, and develop leadership skills. Our graduates are civic-minded, college-bound, and career-ready scholars. Through our unique service-learning curriculum ABHS has partnered with over 100 community organizations and our students have given over 160,000 hours of service to the 505! Many of our students face barriers to college – 50% qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, 76% are minorities, 40% have a learning difference, and over half enter ABHS two or more grade levels behind in reading and math. Despite these barriers, ABHS students are succeeding – 100% of the Class of 2023 was accepted into college and they were awarded over $1 million in scholarships! ABHS believes that social-emotional wellness leads to positive academic outcomes. We have three social workers on staff for approximately 250 students, a drop-in support center, a dedicated social-emotional learning curriculum, and many academic supports like tutoring, and financial aid for dual-credit and college-related expenses. Through this braided system of support, ABHS students develop strong relationships with their teachers and Advisors, learn the skills needed to address social, emotional, and academic challenges, and build on their strengths.