Durango School District 9-R will unveil the Impact Career Innovation Center next week.

The multimillion dollar building will finally be open to the public in a grand opening ceremony Jan. 24 at Durango High School, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Among the largest of the school district’s projects from Bond Issue 4A, the building will further propel the high school’s career and technical education pathways.

The event will feature a land acknowledgment and Indigenous site blessing, ribbon-cutting, refreshments provided by DHS culinary students, interactive tours and demonstrations, and student music performances.

“Our students are bringing the ‘stoke factor’ to this event – that delightful mix of fun, curiosity, and enthusiasm,” district spokeswoman Karla Sluis said. “We have several committees of students working together, and they get to learn about event planning by doing it hands-on, from start to finish. This experience is exactly what Impact is about.”

Gov. Jared Polis toured the facility in October, praising the district’s implementation of entrepreneurship into the district’s various CTE disciplines.

The building’s construction comes on the heels of growing interest in the district career in technical education pathways, as well as collegiate pathways that were instituted last school year.

Students will lead the tour of the new building with the objectives of making the public aware of the building’s purpose and usage, along with creating a better understanding of career and technical education.

With 9-R leaving the district’s administration building at 201 E 12th St in April, the Impact building will serve as the venue for future regular board meetings starting on Feb. 27.

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