District 9-R schools to be closed Friday
All Durango School District 9-R schools will be closed Friday for a professional development day.
Ballot issues to be discussed Thursday
Durango School District 9-R state and local ballot issues will be discussed, including 3A for the board of education election, and Amendment 66, the school finance act, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Durango City Hall, 949 East Second Ave.
Experts will discuss the pros and cons of the new measures.
DHS to host CHSAA conference
Hundreds of students will visit the Durango region for the coming Colorado High School Activities Association conference, which the Durango High School Student Council won the rights to host at DHS for the first time.
Nearly 50 schools from across the state will participate in the conference this year, which includes a meet-and-greet at Fort Lewis College, a train ride and workshops geared toward student council.
Sunnyside to offer Halloween Carnival
The annual Sunnyside Elementary School Halloween Carnival and Silent Auction will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.
The carnival will feature classic and new carnival games, treats and more. Participants are asked to bring a book or baked good per family. Game tickets will be sold at the door for 25 cents each. Activities will include a haunted house, book walk, plinko, bingo, bouncy house, dance and more. Fall foods and desserts will be on sale.
There also will be a silent auction. All proceeds will go directly to Sunnyside’s reading and computing programs.
For more information, call Amber Belvin at 903-9222.
Mountain Middle to host memoir exhibit
The Mountain Middle School seventh-grade humanities class will exhibit its “Memoir” project from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. today at the school.
Anecdotal and saga memoirs will be exhibited using performance, poetry and digital media.
Discovery museum announces programs
Durango Discovery Museum, 1333 Camino del Rio, will host these programs:
“Skeleton Smart Art” will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Visitors will learn the major bones of the human skeletal system by making and taking home pasta skeletons.
“Spooky Kids Night In” will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday. Costumes are encouraged.
“Halloween Toddler Time” will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Oct. 31. Visitors will play along and explore mystery boxes and slime and learn about the properties of dry ice.
“Dissection Stew” will take place at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 31.
Pub Science will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 1. “Private Land Conservation: Good for the Landowner and the Public” will be presented by Scott Perez, executive director of La Plata Open Space Conservancy
For more information, call 403-1740 or visit www.durangodiscovery.org.
Fort Lewis College offers continuing education
Fort Lewis College Continuing Education Program will offer these courses:
“Social Security Planning” will be presented by David Rick from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Attendees will increase their knowledge of how Social Security works and how it fits into their overall retirement plan. Discussion topics include strategies to maximize lifetime benefits, coordinating spousal benefits, how taxes affect benefits, integration with Medicare and long-term care, survivor benefits, spousal benefits and cost-of-living adjustments. The cost is $45.
“Wines of South America” with Alan Cuenca will provide a historical overview and explore the wines of South America from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 30. Class will begin with an informative lecture followed by a guided tasting of six wines from both Chile and Argentina. The cost is $39 and includes wine, cheese, crackers and apples.
For more information or to register, call 247-7385.
Big Picture High School to host haunted house
Big Picture High School will present its second annual haunted house and chili dinner from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 30 and 31 at 215 E. 12th St.
The cost is $3 for students, $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Proceeds will benefit Big Picture High School student projects. Kids 9 and older are welcome.
For more information, call 259-0203, ext. 2700.
Big Picture High School to hold blood drive
Durango Big Picture High School will conduct a blood drive in conjunction with United Blood Services from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. Nov. 5.
To donate, call 259-0203, ext. 2700.
People magazine honors local teacher
People magazine announces that one of the magazine’s second annual “Teacher of the Year” award winners is Mary Kurt-Mason, teacher of Special Talents at Pagosa Springs High School in Pagosa Springs.
Winners will be featured in the Oct. 28 issue of the magazine. Winners will receive $5,000 ($4,000 for their school and $1,000 for themselves).
Kurt-Mason changed the name of her school’s program from “Severe Needs” to “Special Talents.” Her students include those who are nonverbal, nonambulatory, blind or have developmental or emotional issues.
She also created the “Walk Across America” program, where the class walks daily, accumulating the miles it would take to walk to different states. Once they reach the distance of a particular state, they learn about it.
A hometown event for Kurt-Mason will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Pagosa Springs High School, 800 South Eighth St. in Pagosa Springs.
Comedy, music event to benefit Grace Academy
“Pickin’ & Grinnin’: An Evening of Comedy and Music to Support Grace Preparatory Academy” will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Irish Embassy Pub, 900 Main Ave.
The 6 Dollar String Band will play and Durango Dot Comedy will perform. Tickets are $10.
There will be an opportunity to win one of several outdoor adventure packages donated by Ski Barn, Hassle Free, 2nd Ave. Sports and Pine Needle Mountaineering, including North Face running shoes, bike rentals, ski rentals, and a Kona DEW bike and a weekend at St. Paul’s Ski Lodge.
For more information, visit www.gpacademy.com or call 385-7544.
Driver’s education classes available
Four Corners Safety Association will offer the next 30-hour driver’s education classes during Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks – Nov. 23, 25-27 and Dec. 30, Jan. 2-4.
The cost for the class plus the six hours of driving required by the state is $385. Classes are limited to 25 students.
For more information and registration, call Tim Cunningham at 375-1230 or visit www.4CSA.info.
Riverhouse to hold open house Thursday
The Riverhouse Children’s Center community open house will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the center, 742 Florida Road.
Participants will meet Riverhouse teachers, staff members and board members and learn about the day in a life of a child and the benefits of early education. The community is invited to tour Riverhouse’s new classrooms and playgrounds. A prize raffle will take place.
For more information, visit www.riverhousecci.org.
Cowbelles assist DHS students with cooking
Patti Buck, president-elect of the American National Cattle Women, and Mae Morley, president of the local La Plata County Cowbelles, joined Susan Francis at Durango High School on Oct. 8 for two classes.
The Colorado Beef Council has a program to pay for the beef used in the classroom, and the Cowbelles take care of the rest.
The classes used a recipe from the National Beef Cook-Off called Apricot Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry.
Recipes can be found at www.beefcookoff.org.
The La Plata County Cowbelles have a history of promoting and educating people about the benefits of beef.
For more than 50 years, the Cowbelles have been active in classrooms, Barnyard Days, Relay for Life, parades, brand quilts and a local scholarship program. Buck and Morley enjoy teaching students how to cook with beef.
For more information, call Morley at 749-5338 or Buck at 759-2388.
Herald Staff
