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Amy Biehl High School
www.AmyBiehlHighSchool.org
Tony Monfiletto and Tom Siegel, two inspired public school teachers
in Albuquerque, New Mexico, set out in 1999 to create a school
that would hold itself accountable for students after they graduated
from high school. They aimed to prepare students for college
by requiring that all students, regardless of their learning
ability, would successfully complete two college classes before
graduating from high school. Additionally, every student must
complete a year-long community service project in their senior
year that is relevant to their college coursework. They named
the school after Amy Biehl because they felt that she was a
role model that high school students could relate to and her
mission for her own life was similar to what would be expected
of students at Amy Biehl High School. They opened their doors
in 2000, with the following mission statement:
“Amy Biehl High School was founded in the spirit of Amy
Biehl, a young person dedicated to social justice. Using a thematic
approach across subject areas, we teach students to apply and
demonstrate skills and knowledge and to analyze and address
community needs. Through service, students are challenged to
play meaningful roles in their communities while developing
leadership skills. We are a school of choice that assists a
diverse student body to acquire intellectual, social, and ethical
habits to prepare for post secondary education and life.”
Today, our motto is “Courage, Scholarship, Community”.
Four years later, our students are succeeding in college and
making a difference in their community. We have a high special
education population, yet currently, students are taking Physics
101, English 101, and Communications at the University of New
Mexico and Computer Animation, Woodworking, and Health at Albuquerque
Technical Vocational Institute. Those same students are also
working at Healthcare for the Homeless, Habitat for Humanity,
and New Mexico AIDS Services just to cite a few examples.
This Spring, we will graduate our first class of seniors! We
have invited Zach Biehl to speak at our graduation ceremonies
and he has graciously accepted! It will be a celebration of
our young student pioneers, their teachers and administrators
who have guided them through this revolutionary process and
the legacy that Amy has left all of us. Like our namesake, we
are not afraid to, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi “be
the change we wish to see in the world.”
Note: Amy Biehl High School has recently acquired
the old Federal Post Office building from the General Services
Administration in the heart of Downtown Albuquerque! This elegant
52,000 square foot structure, built in 1908, will be home to
200 students. We are in the process of renovating the building
to be suitable for school use, and look forward to being the
first urban high school in Albuquerque in more than 30 years!
Our students will have access to all of the wonderful downtown
museums, parks, public library, courthouses, art galleries,
zoo and cultural centers, and their presence will revitalize
the Downtown community in return. We plan to move into this
beautiful space in August 2004.
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