DURANGO, Colo. — “Zero! Názbąs! Keep going,” instructed Elfreida Begay, a Navajo language teacher at Durango High School.

Of the hundreds of people working on the Lowell High School rebuild and renovation project, at least two have deep roots in the city, and that hometown connection informs their passion for the work.

Farmington all-state quarterback Lane Wheelwright will play at NCAA Division-III North Central College in Naperville, ...