Durango High School

🤗 It's Friday Feels! 🤗 🎓 This week, about 150 graduating seniors from Durango High School and Durango Big Picture High School returned to the elementary and middle schools where their journeys began for Walk Stars. It's the third year of a new tradition organized by the DSD Communications team and hosted by DHS Student Council to remind us what school community is all about.

🙌 Across Durango School District on Wednesday, hallways filled with cheers, tears, hugs, high-fives, and gasps of recognition as seniors reunited with former teachers and staff who helped shape their path. Some revisited old classrooms. Some swung on the playground and played the parachute game one more time. Some simply stood still for a moment, taking in how far they’ve come. And lining the hallways were younger students, eyes wide with excitement, imagining their own future walk in the spotlight someday.

It was more than a celebration of graduation. It was a beautiful reminder of connection, growth, belonging, and the lasting impact schools and educators have on young people over time.

From curious kindergarteners to graduating seniors ready for what’s next, this is the heart of Portrait of a Graduate. What a joyful and emotional day across DSD. 💙

DHS will host its 2026 graduation ceremony today, Friday, May 22, at 6 p.m. on the DHS campus (2390 Main Ave. in Durango). To prepare for the event, the campus will be closed from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. All gates and parking areas will open at 4:30 p.m. sharp, and no early arrivals will be permitted.

The ceremony is expected to last approximately 90 minutes. Spanish interpretation audio services will be available; guests seeking this option should look for the designated seating area at the north end of the bleachers.

For family members and friends who are unable to attend in person, the ceremony will be livestreamed on YouTube. Watch the livestream of the DHS graduation, beginning at 6:00 p.m. on May 22: https://ow.ly/elTP50Z2w4I

Learn more about DHS’s 2026 graduation ceremony: https://ow.ly/yrsP50Z2w4J

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🕰️ It’s Throwback Thursday! 🕰️ High school seniors, this week is for you. Just like these DHS alumni from years ago, you deserve to have some fun and relaxation after a long school career.

Guess the year of this DHS Toltec yearbook, tag your friends, and hug a graduate. 🧑‍🎓 🎉

🕰️ It's Throwback Thursday! 🕰️ Durango High School's Student Council works hard to create a positive school culture, decade after decade. Guess the year and tag relatives and friends. Hint: This was a year of big change for Durango School District.

⁉️ Did you know? Durango School District (DSD) hasn’t always looked the way it does today. In fact, the former “9-R” in Durango School District 9-R tells a story of major change and community collaboration dating back nearly 70 years.

↔️ In 1939, the Animas City School District merged with Durango schools. Then in the year of this yearbook photo, voters approved a major reorganization plan that combined the central Durango district with 12 rural school districts to create what became known as District 9-Reorganized — or “9-R.”

🏫 This was part of a larger movement across Colorado during the 1950s and 1960s to bring smaller rural districts together in order to share resources, expand opportunities for students, and strengthen public education. The “9” means it was the 9th district in La Plata County to reorganize.

A little district history for your Thursday. 😊