It is that time of year! Prom is May 31st, 6pm at the Log Cabin. Tickets are $40. Today, May 17 at 12:06pm is the last time to buy a ticket. You must have a signed permission slip in order to buy tickets and you also need to have all your book fines taken care of. Extra permission slips are in the main office and contain additional info about the prom.

Battle of the Bands and Amherst Idol are being merged into the first ever ARHS Music Festival! This fun-filled event is tonight, May 17th at 7:30pm in the ARHS Auditorium. Come hear Catia Correia, A. Cruz, Ank da Don, and Nick Johnson as MC. The run-through for performers will take place after school May 17th. If you are performing, you must go to room 222 to sign up and turn in lyrics.

Dr. Marta Guevara, Director of Student Achievement & Equity, cordially invites you to attend the 7th Annual Latino Achievement Night. This much anticipated community celebration is scheduled for tonight, May 17 at 6:30pm in the Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium (170 Chestnut Street). District administrators, faculty, staff, families and community members will gather to celebrate the academic, leadership and community service efforts of students in grades K-12. All Latino paraprofessionals in the districts will be honored as well. Music, dance and spoken word performances enhance the event. We look forward to seeing you at this wonderful community event.

Graduation is 3 weeks away! So is Project Graduation (aka Senior Party). Senior Parents: if you have not volunteered yet, please click here. We really need to fill some late-night shuttle driving, entertainment, and security shifts!

We also need to raise additional money so we can throw a great, safe party for our graduating seniors. DONATE online at our website. Don't forget to come to The Pub on Tuesday, May 28, 4-9:30pm, and we will get 15% of what you pay. Buy gift certificates for Pasta E Basta online, and we will get 25% of proceeds. Thanks to those who made Bertucci's Dining for Dollars a big success on 5/15... And don't forget to REGISTER your senior for the party! All the info is at: http://arhsprojectgraduation.wordpress.com

Daniel and Solomon were selected from nominated students across the state to participate in this year's Art All-State. Art All-State brings together some of the most talented juniors from across the state for an intensive two-day art experience. The students, competitively selected, collaborate with artist/mentors to create group installations inspired by the Museum's collections. Students are lead by two professional artists, who help facilitate the students in the creative process. Art All-State is a collaboration of the Massachusetts Art Education Association and the Worcester Art Museum.

Come support the ARHS Jazz Workshop by picnicing in the park! ARHS Jazz Workshop combos, along with a group from PVPA, will be performing on Wednesday, May 22 6-8:30pm in Sweetser Park in Amherst Center (across from Black Sheep, with the fountain). Baked goods and drinks will be for sale, and the event is free and open to the public!

Congratulations to ARHS junior Camila Carpio, winner of this year's Hampshire County Law Day Spoken Word Video Contest. See the award-winning video, Eliminate Moments of Silence.

The Graphic recently won four awards at the New England Scholastic Press Association's Spring conference at Boston University. Rosie Black won a Special Achievement award for her photograph for "Amherst locker rooms will finally receive long-awaited attention"; Ashleigh Jugan won a Special Achievement award for her feature story "Students recognize rape as legitimate threat in Massachusetts"; Sophia Berger won a Special Achievement award for her comic strip "Above Averidge"; and The Graphic won a Superior Achievement award for Newspaper Class I. Congratulations to all of the editors.

See the latest episode of Voices from Our Schools on AmherstMedia. ARHS students Ramona East and Eric Gooden interview Calvin Terrell, warrior for peace and racial justice, during a recent visit to Amherst. You can watch the episode here.

The ARHS Theatre Company will be presenting its annual student-written play festival Thursday - Saturday at 7:30 pm in the Auditorium. Tickets are $5/$7. Not to be missed!

Consider participating in a possible African Scholars Program tour for ARPS staff and parents during February vacation, 2014. Before and since the recent African Scholars Program exchange trip to Senegal and The Gambia, a number of ARPS faculty, staff, and parents have expressed interest in going on a trip to West Africa similar to the one the students experienced earlier this year(minus the school attendance and home stays). African Scholars Program faculty think it would be a great for more people in the school community to learn about African cultures firsthand, so they decided to “test the waters” to see how much interest there is – and how serious it is. This would not be a school-sponsored excursion.
Please see the attached file for more information.

FOOD, MUSIC, DANCE, AND SONG at the Annual BOMBAZO this Sunday 5/19 at 1 pm at the ARHS auditorium.  A Bombazo is a gathering of people dancing, singing, playing drums in a great celebration of life!  Come on down to ARHS and celebrate Sunday afternoon (1- 4pm) The Bombazo is FREE!

A HUGE tag sale overflowing with treasures takes place TOMORROW, Saturday, May 18th at Kendrick Park from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. There will be toys, sporting equipment, musical instruments, clothing, books, jewelry and much, much more. All proceeds benefit ARHS boys' Ultimate teams. Come on by and help support your 'Canes! More info call 413-531-6509 or ctar@hotmail.com

May 23-25 - Rotary Club of Amherst Town Fair : Town Common

May 27 - No School: Memorial Day

May 28 - Neighborhood Night at The Pub:http://arhsprojectgraduation.wordpress.com/store/15-nights/

May 30 - Symphonic Orchestra & Combined Concert: 7:30 pm, ARHS Auditorium

May 31 - Last Day for Seniors/Prom!

Jun 1 - Dance Theater Ensemble Spring Concert: 7:30, ARHS

Jun 2 - DTE Spring Concert: 2 pm, Auditorium

Jun 4 & 5 - MCAS Science Testing

Jun 5 - Senior Awards Ceremony: 7 pm, ARHS Auditorium

Jun 6 - AR[T]HS Opening Reception: 5-8pm, Amherst College Eli Marsh Gallery

Jun 7 - Graduation: 6pm, Mullins Center

There will be a discounted Princeton Review SAT prep class offered during ARHS summer school. It will run from July 15-26. Check out the summer school brochure here for registration information. The course times will vary between 3 and 4 hours in length, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Build a foundation for success with 18 hours of focused instruction by a Princeton Review expert and 4 full-length practice exams. We’ll show you key test-taking techniques and give you the study tools you need to practice on your own and master what you learn in class. $449 after discount. Students on free/reduced lunch should see Mrs. Cappelli about signing up to take the class free. First come, first serve. Don't wait!