A NOTE FROM

Upper School Division Director

Dr. Tila Hidalgo

April 28, 2023

We’ve made it through most of the 2022-2023 school year, and it has been truly wonderful! We have just one more month to go, and our faculty and staff are ready to support our students as they look to finish strong. Please keep an eye on any of the social media channels embedded at the bottom of this email, where the Office of Communications will soon be celebrating our seniors with a spotlight series.

Next week, we are sending our seniors into their Capstones and every Upper School student will begin working towards their final projects and exams. This can be a stressful time. That said, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns as we do our best to identify needs and support all CSS students.

May is also a very busy time full of celebrations, and I hope to see you at one or all of the events listed below!

Year-End Happenings

Choral Arts Concert

May 1

Join us at 6:30 p.m in the Louisa Performing Arts Center for our Middle School Choir's and Upper School Vocal Ensemble's combined Choral Arts Concert featuring both original songs and popular hits.

AP Exams

May 2-11

The 2023 Advanced Placement exam schedule is now available, with testing beginning on Tuesday, May 2, and continuing through Thursday, May 11. In addition, a Late Testing for AP Spanish Language and Culture has been scheduled for Friday, May 19. Best of luck to all of our test-takers! Please contact Mr. Playe should you have any questions.

8th Annual Freshman Biology Conference

May 10

This event is open to everyone, however, guest scientists are still needed for our 8th Annual Freshman Biology Conference on Wednesday, May 10, from 1-3:15 p.m. in the Louise Honnen Tutt Field House. Volunteers will ask 9th graders to explain their research and pose questions that encourage critical thinking. Interested? Email Ms. Hanson.

Upper School Awards Ceremony & Senior Art Show

May 19

I am happy to report that our annual Upper School Awards Ceremony & Senior Art Show will once again be held in the evening after school at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19, in the Louisa Performing Arts Center. I hope to see you all there, as we look to celebrate students across all grade levels in the Upper School division.

Upper School Final Exams Begin

May 19

Stay tuned for more information on the Upper School final exam schedule!

Class of 2023 College t-Shirt Photo & Commencement Rehearsal

May 23

Each year, seniors are required to attend a college t-shirt / sweatshirt photoshoot during Commencement rehearsal on the week of graduation. Our Communications & Marketing Manager Anslee Wolfe will be on hand to capture this colorful college t-shirt / sweatshirt photo, which will be used as a means of announcing the college or university each student has chosen to attend. If you do not own a college shirt, we ask that they wear a solid color t-shirt or sweatshirt, instead, depicting the same colors as that of your top choice school. A sample of how the photos are used can be found here.

Graduation Band & Choir Rehearsal

May 24

All 7th-, 8th-Grade & Upper School Band Students, as well as Middle School Choir and Upper School Vocal Ensemble students, are required to attend this rehearsal from 8-9:30 a.m. in the Louise Honnen Tutt Field House. This is also the last day of school for Upper School students who will not be participating in the Class of 2023 Commencement Exercises on Thursday morning.

Senior Capstone & Tribute Night

May 24

All are welcome to check out the amazing Capstone projects completed by our graduating seniors. Faculty and staff will also be present to formally celebrate the Class of 2023 with speeches and more from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Louisa Performing Arts Center.

Class of 2023 Commencement Exercises

May 25

The entire CSS community is invited to attend our Class of 2023 Commencement Exercises beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 25, on the Trianon Terrace. Please visit css.org for rain delay notifications if needed.

Experiential Education in Action

Carrying ECS Experiences Forward

The Upper School’s spring musical Little Shop of Horrors will be making its debut today, April 28, at 7 p.m. and will continue throughout the weekend with performances also scheduled at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 30.

Throughout the duration of the musical, the man-eating plant from another galaxy, Audrey II, will be depicted as four separate puppets, representing its growth from a handheld plant to a massive one that can swallow a person whole. The play’s smallest puppet was actually built from cloth material by crew member Ryan L. ’24 during his 2022 Puppetry ECS! Read more about the puppet-making process and reserve your tickets here.

The Colorado Springs School

21 Broadmoor Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Work: (719) 434-3570

thidalgo@css.org | www.css.org