An upcoming reunion will honor the past and celebrate the students and families connected to the Dunbar School in Salina. The Dunbar School Alumni Association will gather again June 19th, – 21st at the Homewood Suites in Salina.

This year’s reunion theme will be, “We Are History’s Children – Honoring the Past – Celebrating the Future”.

The reunion and community celebration includes a Memorial Candle Lighting Service for deceased Dunbar School alumni, staff and friends, an art exhibit of former Dunbar School student, Dr. Virginia Ricard, a Dunbar School panel exhibit at the Smoky Hill Museum, a celebration of the 2025 Dunbar School National Historic Site designation, and the Paul Laurence Dunbar School mural, painted by Brick Mob of Wichita, will be revealed at the school building, hosted by CKF Addiction Treatment.

The DSAA Excellence in Education Banquet present awards to community members and youth scholarships. The banquet will be Saturday evening at the Homewood Suites ballroom. The keynote speaker for the Saturday evening banquet will be former Salinan, Dr. Jennifer Rodgers Gordon, retired educator, singer and poet, and the DSAA Board secretary.

This year’s DSAA youth event for middle and high school students, will be the Breakfast of Champions, on Saturday at Homewood Suites. The breakfast will feature a panel of former Salina athletes and will celebrate former Dunbar students who went on to be outstanding athletes in high school and college. The breakfast is free for students. Adult tickets are $25. Drawings for
students will include laptops and other prizes. More information about the 12th

Dunbar School Reunion and Community Celebration will be available on the Dunbar Alumni Association’s web site:https://www.dunbarschoolsalina.org/event-list or contact Dr. Jennifer Gordon at [email protected]

In 1920, the Salina school board voted to establish the Paul Laurence Dunbar School. By 1922, it was established by the Salina Board of Education as a modern facility which served black children from kindergarten – 8th grade. The school opened with six black teachers, a principal and was named after poet/author Paul L. Dunbar.

Dunbar School was closed in 1955, and the Dunbar School Alumni Association Inc. was formed in 1993. This association helps to preserve and promote the special legacy that was and is Dunbar.