News & Announcements

If you happened by Ouray School March 14th, you heard students’ joyous laughter, smelled the sweet scents of pies, and saw shaving cream flying through the air. Each year, Pi Day turns Ouray School into a laugh-filled, math-excited school.

Some fourth-grade students read in a cozy wooden loft while others work on math problems at cafe tables looking out at the mountains. Fourth grade teacher Rhonda Hamill's classroom is unusual, even in its layout, with no desks.

For the past few years school spirit has started to die down here at Ouray School. For the basketball season we needed a boost of energy, so a group of girls decided to bring back the cheerleading team. It has been almost three years since the school has had cheer. During Covid, it was hard to show fan support for our basketball team when everyone had to watch virtually. Now, it is back and better than ever.

Brayden Elijah Patterson has a need for speed. On any given day, one might find him out on his motorcycle, ripping through the trees. Then again, maybe he will be on his back in the shop, staring up at the motorcycle he is repairing; he might even be out in the cold forest, building a shelter with his bare hands.

The academic excellence, environment, and culture of Ouray School has perennially attracted students, but expensive housing deters new families. Superintendent Tod Lokey commented, “We’ve lost a number of families down valley or out of the region altogether due to housing prices.”

After the 2023 Super Bowl, many Ouray students groused that the referees gifted the Kansas City Chiefs another championship. “Holding?” they asked, incredulously. But this kind of complaint is not limited to professional sports.

Some students at Ouray School have found that rock climbing is the perfect way to combat the boredom of growing up in a tiny town. Sophomore Lis Ray, for instance, has been rock climbing since she was ten. She got into rock climbing because of her friends down at Montrose Recreation Center, and found it really fun.

Listening to music can bring joy or sadness and maybe just relate to one's life. Ouray students Lis Ray, Ella Blu Vann, and Jesus Sandoval explained the reasons why they listen to music and why it means so much to them.

Parking at Ouray School is a constant source of amusement - and an intermittent source of stress. Numerous students own rear wheel drive cars, which makes backing out of parking spots during winter much more difficult. Sloped parking, snow banks, and shadows casted over parking spaces make parking at the school challenging. Students are left with the limited upward parking across 5th street from the gym.

The Ouray High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) went to the regional competition in Grand Junction on Tuesday, January 31st. Senior Pallen McArdle and sophomore Lis Ray both qualified for state competition, and the team bonded throughout the day.