The Sundance Film Festival's move to Colorado is creating new opportunities for students long before the first film premieres.
Durango School District (DSD) has been awarded a $250,000 Colorado Innovations in Career and Technical Education (CTE) Grant to strengthen the district's existing creative career pathways by expanding industry partnerships, enhancing teacher professional learning, and creating even more career-connected opportunities for students.
The yearlong project, Creative Pathways Forward: Leveraging the Sundance Film Festival to Expand Rural Colorado CTE, recognizes Colorado's growing creative economy. It uses the excitement surrounding Sundance's move to Boulder in January 2027 as a catalyst for preparing students for careers in digital media, graphic design, fashion design, business, multimedia production and construction-related fields such as set design and audiovisual production. The initiative invests in both students and educators, giving teachers access to nationally recognized professional learning and industry connections that will strengthen classroom experiences for years to come.
Building on strong creative CTE programs
This grant does not create new Career and Technical Education pathways at Durango School District – it strengthens programs already serving students.
DSD has invested in creative CTE pathways at Durango High School, Miller Middle School, and Escalante Middle School. Pathways include Digital Media, Fashion and Interior Design, Business and Marketing, and construction-related learning experiences. The new grant provides additional resources to deepen that work by connecting educators and students with nationally recognized industry leaders, strengthening curriculum and expanding work-based learning.
"For years, our Career and Technical Education programs have prepared students for successful careers in fields like construction, culinary arts and health sciences," said DSD Superintendent Dr. Karen Cheser. "This grant builds on that same tradition of excellence by strengthening pathways in creative industries. We aren't starting something new: We're giving our outstanding teachers and students even stronger connections to industry leaders, professional learning and career opportunities that will help them thrive in Colorado's growing creative economy."
A Miller Middle School student explains the state-of-the-art broadcasting equipment in a dedicated room at the school during the MMS Grand Opening event in 2025. Watch a Miller Broadcasting class in action.
Creativity is career preparation
When many people think about Career and Technical Education (CTE), they picture welding shops, construction sites or culinary kitchens.
Today's workforce tells a broader story. Creative industries increasingly rely on professionals with technical expertise, digital skills, business knowledge and industry-recognized credentials. Whether students aspire to create digital media, design visual brands, develop fashion collections, produce multimedia content or build immersive environments, these careers require the same rigorous career preparation and industry connections found in every high-quality CTE program.
This initiative helps ensure DSD students continue receiving that preparation.
Learning from industry leaders
Durango School District serves as the lead district and fiscal agent for the rural collaborative. Summit School District is the funded partner district, East Grand School District participates as a learning partner, the Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) provides implementation support, and Creative Educators Network (CEN) delivers industry-connected professional learning for participating educators.
Throughout the year, participating educators will engage in Creative Educator Bootcamps, the Colorado Creative Careers Series and the Colorado Educator Summit at Sundance in January 2027. They will collaborate with creative industry professionals to strengthen curriculum, align classroom learning with current industry standards and bring new ideas back to DSD students.
Creative Educators Network brings relationships with nationally recognized organizations including Adobe, Warner Bros. Discovery, The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, Dolby and Avid – giving participating educators direct access to professionals shaping today's creative industries. Those connections will help strengthen classroom instruction and create new networking opportunities for students interested in creative careers.
A Durango High School student in the Design & Multimedia Arts CTE pathway describes her work on variations of the logo of the El Diablo Media Network during the Impact Career Innovation Center grand opening on Jan. 24, 2024.
Preparing students for Colorado's future
Colorado's creative economy continues to grow, creating demand for professionals with skills in communication, collaboration, design, digital production and creative problem-solving.
Those skills are valuable not only in creative professions but across business, technology, manufacturing, entrepreneurship and countless other industries.
The Sundance Film Festival's arrival in Colorado shines a spotlight on those opportunities, but Durango School District's work is focused on something much bigger: ensuring students in Southwest Colorado have access to the same high-quality career-connected experiences, professional networks and industry partnerships that prepare them to succeed wherever their future leads.
From classroom learning to industry credentials, work-based learning and meaningful careers, DSD is helping students turn creativity into opportunity.
Parents: Learn more about CTE pathways available to your student at Durango School District in the 2026-27 school year.
#CreativePathwaysForwardDSD
#OnlyAtDSD
#IkigaiAtWork
#TellingOurStoryDSD