Jordan Johnson, a sixth grader at Miller Middle School, could barely contain his excitement while talking about the future Ignite Mobile Learning Lab – a school bus Durango School District and the Durango Education Foundation are retrofitting to become a classroom on wheels.
On May 11, Johnson, age 12, walked through the bus parked outside custom camper van builder Wanderful Wheels in Bodo Industrial Park – which the district is partnering with the build out the bus – pointing out where future learning tools will be located.
Cabinets for storing books and school supplies line the bus ceiling; folding tables will line the front to create a classroom learning space; a large space for 3D printers occupies the back; and themed curriculum kits – think astronomy or robotics – can be stored and deployed depending on what lessons will be taught in the bus.
“This is going to be like the flex space,” Johnson said. “So there’s going to be a lot of different activities going on in here.”
On the outside, solar panels charge the bus’ batteries so it can be parked away from centralized power, and an awning can be stretched out over tables and chairs to create an outdoor learning space.
Students will be able to learn about topics in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics on board the bus.
“Our goal is to just get every single kid really excited about STEAM,” Durango School District Superintendent Karen Cheser said.
An April 20 Durango School District release announcing the launch said the Ignite Mobile Learning Lab, when completed, will travel to schools and community sites throughout the school district to offer free, standards-aligned learning experiences during the school day, after school and in the summer.
“The program is designed to expand access, remove transportation barriers and engage students through experiential learning,” the release said. “Rather than sending students on traditional field trips, the Ignite bus will bring equipment, curriculum and instructional support directly to schools – an approach that is more cost-effective and equitable for schools that are not in city limits.”
Johnson, who is one of four student representatives on Cheser’s student council, quickly became a “die-hard” supporter of the Ignite Mobile Learning lab when he learned about it, said Wendy Allsbrook-Javier, executive director of the Durango Education Foundation.
“(Cheser) told the kids about it on her superintendent’s council, and they got really excited and behind it,” she said.
Johnson, along with Durango High School students Collin Crowdes, 18, Sophia Valdez, 16, Coulee Fox, 17, and fellow Miller Middle schooler Camille Tobin, 12, helped fundraise for and dream up the bus. They were also there in January, when Cheser officially pitched the idea to community members, Allsbrook-Javier said.
She said the idea for the Ignite Mobile Learning Lab was originally sparked in 2023 when several teachers attended the International STEM Education Conference, where they saw a similar bus and were inspired to bring one to Durango.
“It's like an incredibly cost-effective way for us to keep moving forward with our STEAM momentum in the district, and in the summer it’s going to serve kids who wouldn’t normally have enrichment activities,” she said.
A mobile classroom would prove beneficial because of how large the Durango School District is, which can pose challenges to equally giving enriching experiences to every kid in the area – particularly in more rural parts of the district.
“Our school district covers over 1,100 square miles … about the land mass size of Rhode Island,” Cheser said. “Even though we’re a rural, remote district, our kids should get these kinds of experiences too.”
Especially over summer break, when some students may miss out on opportunities like summer camps or educational programming, the bus will be a way to give them something fun to do.
“We want to also make sure they have learning opportunities in the summer, in the evenings, on the weekends,” she said. “So that’s what the bus is all about – to go where they are.”
Additionally, the bus will serve as a hub for students to access food assistance or school supplies.
“We’ll have this bus pulling up with not just a meal for that day, but with food that they can actually take home, that can last them for several days,” Allsbrook-Javier said.
She said the school district plans to roll out the bus in late June or early July, with the official ribbon-cutting scheduled for Aug. 26.
The interior still needs to be finished, and the exterior artwork of the bus – created by the Durango High School design class – still needs to be installed.
Additionally, another $35,000 needs to be raised to finish paying for the bus, as well as another $100,000 to cover curriculum, activities and supplies, Allsbrook-Javier said.
But the bus has already garnered $236,018 in financial support from donors including Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado, Murphy Trust, Moniker Foundation, Dalton Ranch Golf Club, El POMAR Regional Council, Carol and Sean Cleary, 100 Women Who Care La Plata, Joan Roberts-Ems & The Obleton Family, La Plata Electric Association, Bronson Family McDonald’s, Summit Church, Lions Club of Durango and Susan Carol Unser.
“It’s truly a collaborative community project,” Allsbrook-Javier said.
Johnson said he’s excited for more children to have access to opportunities that could help them later in life.
“It’s going to be something, I think, for some people that if you didn’t have it, you wouldn’t be where you are,” he said. “It will be pretty life-changing.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
