Dear Durango School District Families,
As another school year draws to a close, I find myself doing what I always do this time of year — pausing, breathing it all in, and feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Gratitude for this community. Gratitude for this work. And above all, gratitude for you and the children you entrust to us every single day.
This year has been one of those years — full, complex, and real. Our community has navigated hard conversations together. We have faced position reductions and reorganizations that required courage and grace from everyone involved. We have felt the weight of declining enrollment and the honest questions it raises about the future of our schools. Loss, change, and uncertainty have walked alongside all of us every step of the way.
And yet — and this is the part that takes my breath away — your children never stopped rising to the occasion.
These final weeks have been nothing short of spectacular. Across our district, students have been given the stage — and they have owned it. Every capstone, every celebration of learning, every presentation has been a direct reflection of who your children are becoming. A few moments that will stay with me forever:
- Nala and the Orphan Lambs — Escalante Middle School Celebration of Learning. Watching Nala gently introduce the lambs she has been fostering, explaining their care with such confidence and tenderness, reminded all of us why hands-on, project-based learning matters. Escalante’s Celebration of Learning showcased students who have learned to connect their hearts and their minds to real-world purpose. That is our Portrait of a Graduate in action.
- Terra’s Capstone — Miller Middle School. There is something powerful about watching a student stand before an audience and articulate not just what they learned, but who they are becoming. Terra’s capstone was exactly that — a confident, courageous demonstration of deep learning and self-authorship. She is the Confident Communicator and Courageous Leader our Portrait of a Graduate envisions.
- Jordan and the Ignite Mobile Learning Lab. Hearing Jordan articulate the real impact of the Ignite Mobile Learning Lab — in Jordan’s own words, with Jordan’s own passion — was the best possible testament to the power of accessible, innovative learning. The MakerBus is changing what’s possible for our students, and Jordan made that crystal clear to every person in the audience.
- Collin, Coulee, Glenneise, Gus, and Logan — Student Board Members on Calm Rooms. I cannot overstate how proud I am of our student board members. They did not just advocate for calm rooms — they came to the table with research, data, and a genuine understanding of student mental health and well-being. They are modeling exactly what it looks like to be Agile Thinkers and Empathetic Collaborators. This district is better because these young people are in it.
- Caleb’s 5th-Grade Portrait of a Graduate Capstone — Animas Valley Elementary. Watching a 5th grader stand up and walk an audience through his own creative problem-solving process — naming it, owning it, reflecting on it — is exactly what our Portrait of a Graduate capstones are designed to do. Caleb demonstrated that even our youngest learners can think deeply, take intellectual risks, and articulate their growth with remarkable clarity. That kind of self-awareness will carry him for a lifetime.
And that’s just a glimpse. Across every school, in every hallway and classroom and field, your children have been rising to every occasion placed before them. Every single story reflects the partnership between your family and our staff.
Behind every one of these moments is a teacher or staff member who built the conditions for it to happen — and a family that showed up, encouraged, and believed. Our students dream bigger because of you. They know who they are becoming because you helped them find it at home, and our staff helped them find it at school.
Your children are growing into Empathetic Collaborators, Resilient Risk-Takers, Creative Problem-Solvers, Agile Thinkers, Confident Communicators, and Courageous Leaders. Not because of any single program or initiative — but because of the extraordinary partnership between our families and our educators. That partnership is everything.
Thank you for sharing your children with us this year. Have a wonderful, restorative summer. Adventure boldly. Rest deeply. And know that we will be here, ready and grateful, when the new year begins.
(And we hope to see you this summer as the Ignite Mobile Learning Lab visits schools and communities starting July 15. For our elementary students, we can’t wait to see your work with your Summer Bridge books, and we will see you at checkpoints for cool prizes.)
With deep gratitude,
Karen Cheser, EdD
Superintendent, Durango School District