Ashley Carruth Farewell

Mia Macon

In an enviornment such as animals, not only students are supported in following their
dreams. For the past 10 years, Ashley Carruth has taught and inspired all those around her in
the AHS community. She has made a great impact on all those she has come in contact with
and although it is saddening to see her go, she is off to bigger and brighter things! With the end
of the year rapidly approaching, Ashley will be moving on to work full time on San Juan
Mountain SOLES, an outdoor leadership program she co-founded with a friend of hers 7.5 years
ago. Ashley quotes “it’s definitely always been a dream of mine to expand with it and do more
with it” and as the opportunity now arises in her life, her dreams are hopefully becoming more of
a reality! When speaking to Ashley about her time here at Animas, she speaks truthfully and
positively about the lessons she's learned and the experiences she's taken away. “My students
truly taught me how to be a teacher, and how to be a student.” Ashley exclaims. “One thing I
have definitely learned is to be open to feedback and hone a growth mindset.” She speaks
about the appreciation she has for the freedom she's discovered at Animas to take risks and try
new things, and overall her love and admiration for Animas as a school and community.
Sophomore and advisee Vincent Zufelt quotes “she's always been this very upbeat and
outdoorsy person, she's always interacted with us and pushed us to get out and appreciate
nature. She's a very cool person and an amazing teacher and it's been awesome to have her
the past few years.” Ashley has left such a positive mark on her students and truly anone who's
met her, and even as the author of this story- I can speak to this fact. She is organized and
driven, and cares about her students more than anything else. Ashley will be giving a gift with
her skills and large heart to the larger Durango community with SOLES. Ashley speaks to the
risk of failure with her newest endeavor, with the explanation that “Being in a place that has
encouraged me to take risks, this has inspired me to take this risk now, because it is really hard
for me to make this decision. Not only because of the love I have for Animas, but also because
this is a huge risk and I have no idea what might happen. It’s really daunting.” During the past
year, Ashley has worked with the freshman team to schedule many events, including a class trip
to Bears Ears National Monument and a community dinner for those in need, as well as
countless other projects and contributions during her time teaching. Ashley brings up the
difficulties with leaving her current freshman class, the class of 2025, and explains the
greatness she sees within them. When asking her if she had any final advice or hope for her
students and the future students of Animas, Ashley responds “Teaching projects such as the
20% project with the freshman this year- I really wanted them to be able to pursue a passion,
and not care about the outcome as much. I want them to really see where it will go when they
pursue a passion, instead of just worrying about failing as much; as long as they can appreciate
the process they go through to get there.” Her other large and final piece of advice during this
time was “while pursuing your passions, I would also say remember to have fun with it and not
take everything so seriously.” And with these final words of wisdom from the one and only
Ashley Carruth,