Education - The Durango Herald

Bayfield preschool buys land for future expansion

Nonprofit plans to expand child care access in La Plata County

DATE: Jan 29, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

Boy, 5, thanks Durango High School students for helping make his wish come true

Schoolwide assembly wrapped up week of fundraising for Make-A-Wish

DATE: Jan 22, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

Unity theme of Fort Lewis College Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration

‘(MLK Jr.) understood that it’s going to take all of us to make a difference, on this campus or anywhere,’ Black Student Union member says

DATE: Jan 19, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

Navajo Nation President delivers People’s State of the Nation

Environment, infrastructure, and employment take priority while education sees little mention in speech

DATE: Jan 16, 2026 | CATEGORY: Tri-Cities

San Juan College to host Navajo shoe game

Navajo practice teaches cooperation through song and stories

DATE: Jan 16, 2026 | CATEGORY: Tri-Cities

Durango High School receives false threat call on Wednesday

Range of other Colorado schools also get threatening messages, KKTV 11 reports

DATE: Jan 16, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

Students explore career paths at La Plata County Futures Fair

‘It’s about exploration,’ event organizer says

DATE: Jan 13, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

Chance over choice: Charter school lotteries open this month in Durango

‘You’ll have parents calling in desperate,’ Mountain Middle’s director says

DATE: Jan 13, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango School District special education students encouraged to reach highest potential

Social, educational programming present opportunities for those in support programs

DATE: Jan 11, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

Free Life-Long Learning series resumes Jan. 15

Fort Lewis College offers variety of presentations Thursdays

DATE: Jan 8, 2026 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Mountain Middle School receives excellence award for fourth consecutive year

Charter also earns top state accreditation for 10th time

DATE: Jan 7, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

What to watch in 2026 for La Plata County

Elections, court trials, fights for social justice and ambitious redevelopments to shape the year

DATE: Jan 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Local News

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Colorado history gets weird, wild, wacky at Fashion Do’s and Don’tsAnnual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Cowboys. Fancy ladies. Gold miners. Even-toed ungulates that some in Durango might consider more like rats.Where can you find a runway show that takes you on a whirlwind tour through the weird, wacky and wildly exaggerated 150 years of Colorado history? Only at Durango’s annual Fashion Do’s and Don’ts, held Wednesday, where models and audience members wore costumes celebrating Colorado’s sesquicentennial – the theme of this year’s two-week Snowdown celebration.Standout acts included the Ghosts of Durango, which featured four of Durango’s most famous ghosts: a Rochester hotel ghost in a Victorian get-up of a more “modern” variation; the Strater Hotel’s head of housekeeping, also head of more discreet services; a young girl haunting El Rancho’s bathroom; and Sheriff Bob Thompson, killed in a 1906 gunfight. according to emcee Suzan Lane. A Another act was the Secret Circus Society, featuring Rubi Starr, Jeni Gross, Tabatha Joy Bettin, Adrienne Young and Ethan Deffenbaugh dressed as a car and the roadside pests better known as deer. Group members said the inspiration for the costume came from lived experiences driving Durango roads. The two-person Cantine Couture act starred Leslie Ponce and Tyler Frakes in an homage to the plentiful variety of Mexican restaurants found in any Colorado town. Ponce, dressed in comically large Mexican pointy cowboy boots, ambled down the runway as if taking a stroll under the hot, dusty, high-altitude sun, while Frakes flitted about the stage in a bright yellow salsa dress. Ponce said this year’s costume had been tough to decide, but the final decision was inspired by TikTok videos of Mexican cowboys in pointy boots. This was the duo’s third year strutting down the runway. Why they keep coming back for more, Frakes said laughing, was, “for the fame, the glory and the attention.”

Fashion Do’s and Don’ts has been one of the most highly anticipated Snowdown events since its inception in the 1990s. It has more than doubled in size over the past several decades. Last year, there were a record number of models, and in order to keep the event at a manageable size, this year’s fashion show was the first one to require the acts to audition. But many of the models were unfazed by the change. “It was actually easy,” said Jodi Zuber, one part of the two-person duo that made up the 1950s Texas Invader Ski Couple. Her partner-in-costume, Danny Jaques, said they had been doing this for several years, and it’s good with everything going on in the world to “get some levity and let your hair down.” The performers were not the only ones in costume. Audience members also dressed in a wide variety of unique takes on what makes Colorado, Colorado. JonBenet Ramsey made a miraculous appearance, being played by an 82-year-old woman, as did Casa Bonita, an ensemble that included a taco, sopaipilla and gorilla in chains – to name some of the characters. By the end of the show, people were in high spirits, as usual. “It was just delightful,” said a first-time audience member. If blessed with the chance to get the much coveted tickets – he said he would jump on it. jbowman@durangoherald.com

Annual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Photos: Snowdown 2026 Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Photos: Durango High School basketball teams lose to Montrose High School

Photos: Local girls high school wrestling at La Plata TriDurango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Durango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Photos: Fort Lewis College women’s and men’s basketball take on Westminster UniversityBoth Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Both Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Photos: An afternoon in 2004 with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell as he works on Capitol HillDurango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Durango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Photos and video: ICE protests return to DurangoAbout a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

About a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

The Durango Herald’s year in photos 2025

Photos: Chapman Hill fires up the snow guns

Bayfield preschool buys land for future expansion

Boy, 5, thanks Durango High School students for helping make his wish come true

Unity theme of Fort Lewis College Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration

Navajo Nation President delivers People’s State of the Nation

San Juan College to host Navajo shoe game

Durango High School receives false threat call on Wednesday

Students explore career paths at La Plata County Futures Fair

Chance over choice: Charter school lotteries open this month in Durango

Durango School District special education students encouraged to reach highest potential

Free Life-Long Learning series resumes Jan. 15

Mountain Middle School receives excellence award for fourth consecutive year

What to watch in 2026 for La Plata County

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