DSD employees kicked off the 2026-27 school year Aug. 19 at Durango High School, beginning with breakfast, hugs and happy reunions among colleagues before filling the gym for the district’s annual Opening Day celebration.
Smith spoke about the power of seemingly small words, gestures and moments of encouragement that can stay with a student long after they leave a classroom.
Superintendent Dr. Karen Cheser followed by celebrating the people, progress and opportunities across DSD. She highlighted strong student achievement and unique DSD resources that are expanding what’s possible for students, including the SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab and the new Ignite Mobile Learning Lab, which officially hit the road this summer.
Dr. Cheser also introduced new ways to recognize and support employees, including the new Staff Perks program which lists local-business discounts, and recognized longtime DSD employees celebrating 20 to 33 years of service.
Two community partners received new volunteer recognition awards for their extraordinary contributions to students. Durango Education Foundation Executive Director Wendy Javier was honored for her leadership and support of DSD schools, and Donna Gulec was recognized for organizing the One-to-One Coaching Program, which pairs volunteer tutors with young readers across the district.
Durango Education Foundation also shared an update on its growing support for DSD schools and its estimated goal of reaching $1 million in annual support by 2029.
Students remind us why the work matters
Then the microphone went to students.
Middle school students Jordan Johnson and Camille Tobin shared what it was like to participate in the development of the Ignite Mobile Learning Lab from its earliest stages – helping take the project from an idea, through fundraising, all the way to a learning lab on wheels.
When he finally saw the finished bus and watched younger students experience its activities for the first time, Jordan said he had “tears in his eyes.”
Members of the Durango High School robotics team, which competed at the state level this year, also shared how DSD’s Portrait of a Graduate competencies are more than words on a poster. Skills including collaboration, creative problem-solving, communication, resilience and risk-taking became part of the real work of designing, building, testing and competing together. They even joked that the PoG skills helped them get along when they spent cramped hours together in a small bus.
Their stories helped make the connection between the morning celebration and what came next.
Teachers teaching teachers
After Opening Day, licensed staff spread throughout the West Wing of Durango High School for the Portrait of a Graduate Academy, DSD’s peer-to-peer professional learning experience.
Across five session blocks, educators could choose from dozens of sessions led largely by fellow DSD staff who volunteered to share their expertise, ideas and successful practices.
And the learning was anything but one-size-fits-all.
In DHS teacher Tom Joyner’s session, educators explored student-created work including fabricated projects, custom chairs, gallery pieces and entryway displays as examples of experiential learning in action. Participants brainstormed ways hands-on fabrication could be adapted to subjects throughout the curriculum and considered how existing classroom projects could become deeper, more immersive learning experiences.
Elsewhere, Jordan Englehart introduced teachers to the possibilities aboard the Ignite Mobile Learning Lab.
His message was simple: “The technology is here to enhance learning, not replace it.”
Teachers explored tools ranging from virtual reality goggles to adaptive technology. Englehart shared a compelling story about students designing a one-handed Nintendo controller for a man who lost an arm – an example of how technology can open new ideas for service learning.
Throughout the West Wing, educators were exploring literacy and math instruction, artificial intelligence, special education, classroom culture, behavioral supports, outdoor learning, makerspaces, student engagement and dozens of other topics.
Some put on VR headsets. Some experimented with new technology. Some examined student work. Others simply sat together and exchanged ideas they can use when students return to their classrooms.
That variety is part of what makes the Portrait of a Graduate Academy different from traditional professional development. The expertise doesn’t come only from outside presenters. Much of it comes from the educators working in DSD classrooms every day.
And perhaps that brought the day back to Smith’s opening message.
A new idea shared between colleagues. A student seeing a project finally come to life. A teacher discovering a tool that could help one student participate in a new way. A few encouraging words that a child remembers years later. Small moments can leave big marks.
After a day of reconnecting, celebrating and learning together, DSD staff headed back to their schools with new ideas, renewed connections and a shared purpose, ready to welcome students and begin another year of learning.
Welcome back, DSD. Let’s make 2026-27 a great year.
