Sophomores, juniors and seniors - The Center for Environmental Civics is offering summer institutes with a focus on environmental issues and advocacy. They take place at Amherst College this summer - July 8-12 and Smith College July 22-26. See a video of last year on http://vimeo.com/52469823. There’s a flyer with more info on the Guidance Office bulletin board.

Remember how fun PEI's 3v3 soccer tournament was? Join us again for a great cause! This Sunday, April 21st, join the Peruvian Education Initiative for a 5K on a modified version of the Amherst College Cross Country course. Various prizes will go to the top finishers and each participant is entered into a raffle for a special prize. $15 All proceeds go to funding the secondary school tuition of three Peruvian students living in a shantytown outside of Lima. Please visit https://www.runreg.com/Net/3543 to register! Use coupon code MERCEDESALSO to get student pricing. Day of Registration starting at 10AM, Race/Walk: 11AM, Start at Bottom of Memorial Hill on Amherst College (near Baseball Field). Hope you can make it!

The Northwestern District Attorney and Hampshire Bar Association invites middle and high school students to enter the 2013 Law Day Spoken Word Contest. Three scholarship awards will be given to the top 3 entries (Cash Prizes). Awardees will be asked to perform their Spoken Word piece at the Law Day Event, Wednesday, May 1st.

Amherst Cinema presents a feature documentary: Somewhere Between, on Sunday, April 28th at 2pm. This award-winning film captures the lives of four Chinese adopted girls, now teenagers, as they explore their complex identities and ask themselves the universal question “Who am I?” After the film there will be a Q&A discussion with one of the young women in the film. We hope the film will create a community that will raise awareness of our mutual experience through the eyes of adopted teens. Due to its emotional content, it is recommended for children 13 or older. Parents are encouraged to preview the trailer before watching the film with your child.

Then we need you! Arnie Alper, after 5 years of coordinating our Stop & Shop efforts each year is graduating from the ARHS PGO this year. Each fall, Arnie contacts the Stop & Shop manager to get approval for the weekends when we will be collecting card numbers. From there, Arnie recruits volunteers (with the help of all of the PGO), coordinates their dates and stays in touch with them to provide the details they will need the day they are volunteering. Our calculations show that each volunteer hour yields $200 from Stop & Shop to fund school grants. This is our primary source of revenue, and it needs a new coordinator to take the reigns. Will you please consider joining our team and leading this effort.

You are the best! Thank you so much for giving your time to such a worthy effort. You (& your families) helped raise over $21,000 for ARHS this year! Our volunteers were: Nina Wishengrad, Elsbeth Walker, Susan Waite, Baer Tierkel, Jane Thurber, Tobi Sznajderman, Ilan Stavans, Diana Spurgin, Marla Solomon, Margot Shea O'Connor, Suzanne Severin, Megan Rosa, Karen Romanowski, Collen Osten, Roxanna Normack, Cindy Naughton, Sue Morrello, Elise Lennon, Christine Lam, Brenda Kennedy, Jennifer Keller Jackson, Abby Julien, Elly Hosea, Jennifer Higgins, Terese Friedman, Cathy Cullen, Pam Crawford, Jackie Churchill, Barry Braun, Iris Berkman, Eileen Barry and last, but not least, Arnie Alper!

College Class Interest? Applications to take a college class for the 2013-14 school year will be distributed by A period teacher to every student who has indicated an interest through course registration. If you expected to get one, but didn’t, ask your teacher or come get a copy of the application after school in Room 309. The deadline to apply is April 24th.

The 22nd Annual Amherst Invitational Ultimate Tournament is back! May 4th & 5th! It's THE Ultimate Weekend in Amherst! With 500 participants and nearly 1000 spectators, it is a great opportunity to highlight any business. We are currently selling ad space in the 2013 Amherst Invitational Program. Hurry! The deadline is next week. Please check out the attached flyer for more details.

Looking for some exciting soccer fun? Well, SoccerFest is right around the corner! It is on April 27th. Not only is SoccerFest a soccer tournament; but it is also a full day of fun for the whole family . It includes a Fun Zone with inflatables, contests, prizes, skill competitions, and a live band. Gather up a team and register, but be quick because registration ends April 18th. For more information, visit SoccerFest.org today.

The Amherst Education Foundation is proud to announce the 2013 AEF Excellence Grants totaling over $49,000 that will help make learning equitable, relevant and fun. Amherst Education Foundation grant support will bring Lego Robotics kits to all the elementary schools, a family-engagement meeting for immigrant families new to the districts. amazing new photosyntheses technology to high school science classes, and a 9th grade academic support system which will focus on reading complex texts, managing the high school workload, and using feedback effectively. Thanks AEF for supporting ARHS!

The Jones library is having a dance with a DJ which will be free of charge tonight, Friday evening April 12, at 7:00 pm going until 9:30 pm in the Woodbury Room. Entrance will be at the back of the building by the parking lot. Dancing, Music and Baked Goods for sal.e

They also have a Teen lounge on Friday afternoons from 3-5:00 pm in the Woodbury Room for kids to socialize.

Seniors - there is a new $300 local scholarship that was not listed in the Booklet. From the Hampshire Co. Sherriff’s Office, The Robert J Garvey Scholarship is for a student “who has shown by his or her volunteer actions, a commitment to improving and preserving the quality of life in the school and/or community.” The scholarship is not based on financial need. You may email using the same application as the others. Deadline April 22nd.

The UMass Lions Club and the Amherst Regional Leo Club are hosting an all you can eat spaghetti supper on Wed., APRIL 17 at the Amherst VFW. The doors open at 5 PM
Adults: $8 Students: $5 Children Under 6: FREE!! All Proceeds to benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Contact Information: Natalie Onacki nonacki@student.umass.edu Victoria Legge vlegge@student.umass.edu

A Book Signing "SANDALS IN THE SNOW", a true story of one African Family's Journey to Achieving the American Dream by Dr. Rose Ihedigbo-Franklin. This Tuesday, April 16 @ 4:30 at Food For Thought Bookstore, 106 N. Pleasant St, Amherst.

Dr. Rose Ihedigbo-Franklin and her late husband, Apollos, raised their family in Amherst after emigrating from Nigeria. Rose and Apollos earned their doctorates (School of Ed) at UMass. All of their children attended Amherst Regional High School and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Their youngest son, James Ihedigbo, just won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens.

Hosted by Mary Custard and the UMass Afro American Studies Department

On Thursday, April 18th enjoy a delicious "Farm to Table" meal presented by UMass HTM Catering students to raise funds and awareness for The Food Bank. The Farm-to-Table Dinner: Fundraiser for Food Security will take place at 6pm at the Marriott Center Dining Room, 11th floor of the UMass Campus Center. This is a pay-what-you-can event with a suggested donation of $15. RSVP to save your spot by sending an email to: allegrapescatore@gmail.com