In school districts, progress rarely happens all at once. It builds slowly at first, then more noticeably as students grow, staff work together, and a community leans into shared values and expectations. Over the past week, the signs of our growing momentum were illustrated by our students and staff nearly everywhere I looked.

Our Veterans Day observances was just one place I observed this momentum. Garfield Re-2 is fortunate to employ more than 20 veterans who have served in nearly every branch of the military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Their service to our country continues in the way they serve our students, our families, and our schools.

I had the opportunity to attend assemblies at Riverside Middle School and Rifle High School, and I walked away incredibly proud of not only our National Honor Society and Student Council leaders, but the student body as a whole. At Riverside, our middle schoolers, who are energetic by design, were attentive and respectful throughout the entire program. Even when a medical emergency briefly disrupted the event, they remained calm, patient, and compassionate. That kind of behavior doesn’t happen by accident. It grows from consistent expectations, caring adults, and students who are learning what it means to support one another.

Rifle High School students brought that same level of maturity and gratitude to their assembly. They listened with intention, honored our veterans, and carried themselves in a way that reflects who they are becoming. These are the kinds of moments that tell us we’re heading in the right direction as a district.

That forward movement is also evident in our outdoor education efforts. This fall, our students didn’t just read about ecosystems, history, geology, and teamwork, they lived it. In the first quarter alone, Garfield Re-2 students took 33 outdoor education field trips, traveling more than 5,700 miles across western Colorado. They hiked, camped, conducted research, rafted, climbed, and explored places in our backyard, including Rifle Falls, Glenwood Canyon, Maroon Bells, and the Colorado National Monument.

When students learn outside, something lights up. They ask different questions. They push themselves in new ways. They build confidence, solve problems, and connect to the natural world around them. These experiences strengthen the very traits our community identified in the Graduate Profile: resilience, curiosity, communication, and connection. They also remind students that they are part of a larger community.

What I saw last week at our Veterans Day events and in the sense of discovery on our outdoor trips reflects a district that is steadily gaining ground. Our students are growing. Our classrooms are evolving. Our opportunities are expanding. It’s not flashy, and it’s not instant, but it’s real, and it happens every day in Garfield Re-2.

Thank you to our veterans, staff, and families for helping to shape this direction for our students. And thank you to our students for continually showing us what is possible when a community invests in their growth.

Kirk Banghart is superintendent of Garfield Re-2 School District.