Boulder High School

Infobox School2
name = Boulder High School
motto = A Place For Everyone
established = 1875
type = Public High School
grades = 9-12
head_name = Principal
head = Bud "Dr. Pudding" Jenkins
head_name2 =
head2 =
city = Boulder
state = Colorado
country = United States
enrollment = 1,887 [ [http://content.bvsd.org/scripts/profilepage.asp?numsch=310&level=high School Profile Page - Boulder Valley School District ] ]
faculty =
athletics = CHSAA 5A
school colors = Purple and Gold color box|purplecolor box|gold
mascot = Panther
free_label =
free =
website = http://schools.bvsd.org/boulderhigh/

History

Boulder High School was founded in 1875 as part of the University of Colorado (as a preparatory school for the university), making it the first high school in Colorado, hence the slogan, "Still the First." The school is located adjacent to the University of Colorado in downtown Boulder along the Boulder Creek and near Boulder's famous Pearl Street Mall.

Construction

Boulder High School's current building was constructed in 1933 under the Works Project Administration. [ [http://www.boulderhistorymuseum.org/history.timeline.html Boulder History Museum::Chronology of Boulder History ] ] The facade is classic art deco. The school's art deco auditorium has also been preserved. The school is built with "Colorado Red" flagstone and limestone, the same materials from which the University of Colorado is built.

Later additions use the same materials but many do not match the original art-deco design.

tadium

Boulder High football, soccer, lacrosse, and track teams compete at Christian Recht Field, which is accessed from the school via a bridge spanning Boulder Creek. Recht Field received a multi-million-dollar upgrade in 2003 when state-of-the-art artificial turf was installed to conserve water and to reduce injuries incurred by frozen turf during the winter.

Fairview High School shares the use of Recht Field for a number of varsity-level events. When Boulder and Fairview football compete against each other in the reveled Boulder-Fairview duel, fans of the schools alternate use of the visitor and home stands each year.

Flood danger

Boulder High school is located in the middle of the Boulder Creek flood zone. The school's adjacent soccer fields were housing as late as the 1970s, but the houses were removed due to the high flash-flood danger. The City of Boulder continues removing buildings in the path of the most dangerous portions of the creek, replacing them with parks and fields. The "100 year flood" last took place in Boulder in 1894 destroyed all buildings in the area.

Academics

Boulder High School has a strong academic reputation with one of the most extensive Advanced Placement programs in the state, offering 28 AP level courses for the 2008-2009 school year. [ [http://cfmx.dailycamera.com/news/schools/schoolchoice/results.cfm?id=46 DailyCamera.com Schools ] ] Because of its proximity to the University of Colorado, students can take college-level courses that are not normally offered in high school. Boulder High's Academic Decathlon team has won state and represented Colorado at the national competition for the past six years, and finished 2nd at the National Science Bowl in 2002. The school has an extensive foreign language program that includes instruction in Japanese, Latin, French, German, and Spanish. The Japan Bowl team, organized by Japanese instructor Michael Kleinkopf, won regional competitions in the six years including 2000-2002 and 2006-2008, and placed 5th at the national competition in 2001. [ [http://www.cjlea.org/newsletter/0105/mayo01.htm CJLEA Newsletter May 01 ] ]

Extracurricular Activities

Athletics

Boulder High School has a well regarded sports program, currently headed by athletic director Brent Graham. Over the years, it has produced a number of athletes who have continued to NCAA and professional sports, including golfer Hale Irwin and Miami Dolphins defensive back Dick Anderson.

Boulder is a 5A member of the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). From 1964 to 2008, it competed in CHSAA's Centennial League; however, to alleviate unnecessary travel time for athletes and parents on congested Denver highways, on October 16, 2007, BHS announced that it and crosstown rival Fairview would apply to change leagues. [ [http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/oct/17/preps-end-of-era-fairview-bhs-to-join-front/ End of era: Fairview, BHS to join Front Range : Top Stories : Boulder Daily Camera ] ] On January 24, 2008, CHSAA approved the plan, allowing Boulder and Fairview to leave the Centennial League for the Front Range league effective at the start of the 2008-2009 school year. [ [http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/jan/25/chsaa-changes-course/ CHSAA changes course : Top Stories : Boulder Daily Camera ] ]

Varsity Sports

Boulder High fields eighteen different varsity sports teams each year across three seasons. [ [http://schools.bvsd.org/boulderhigh/programs/athletics/ Athletics ] ]

Fall

*Cross Country
*Football
*Boys Golf
*Boys Soccer*
*Girls Softball
*Boys Tennis
*Girls Volleyball

Winter

*Boys Basketball
*Girls Basketball
*Girls Swimming
*Wrestling

Spring

*Baseball
*Girls Golf
*Boys Lacrosse
*Girls Lacrosse
*Girls Soccer
*Boys Swimming
*Girls Tennis
*Track and Field

*In 2006, Boulder High alumnus and Williams College soccer player Patrick Huffer was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America / Adidas Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year for Senior Colleges and 1st Team All-American

Intramural and Club Sports

In addition to its varsity sports, Boulder High School has a vibrant array of intramural and club sports.

*Badminton
*Cheerleading
*Cross-country skiing
*Dodgeball
*Ice Hockey
*Pom Squad
*Ultimate Frisbee

Distinctions

On September 20, 2007, the Boulder High School Football team settled its three-year losing streak against crosstown arch rival Fairview High School by beating them 29-7.

The Boulder High varsity wrestling team were Cenntenial League conference champions in 2008, beating Grandview High School 37-30 in the last duel of the year. [ [http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/feb/08/preps-panthers-win-centennial-crown/ Panthers win Centennial wrestling crown : Wrestling : Boulder Daily Camera ] ]

Boulder High School also won the state football championships in 1963 and 1992.

In Spring, 2008 the Boys Varsity Lacrosse team advanced to the second round in the state 5A tournament for the first time in school history by upsetting Colorado Academy 8-7. BHS LAX players receiving 2008 post season honors: 1st Team All Centennial League: Alex Matlin - Defense; Peter Beer - Attack; Beau Kukura - Midfield. Honorable Mention All Centennial League: Jesse Hartman, Goalie. 2nd Team All State: Peter Beer - Attack; Beau Kukura - Midfield. Honorable Mention All State: Alex Matlin - Defense. All Regional Team: Peter Beer - Attack; Beau Kukura - Defense; Jesse Hartman - Goalie

Music

Boulder High students participate extensively in the performing arts. The premier "Boulder Jazz" group, directed by Dr. Thomas "Doc" Horst, frequently places well in regional festivals and also participates in an annual jazz exchange with the Trondheim, Norway art school of Trondertun. The equally exceptional "Wind Ensemble", also directed by Dr. Horst, enjoys guest direction by Dr. Ken Singleton of the University of Northern Colorado and Dr. Allan McMurray of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Boulder High also has an exceptional string orchestra program. Under the direction of Dr. Katherine Mason, Boulder High Orchestra consistently scores ratings of 1, the highest possible score in Colorado state orchestra competition. Orchestra is divided into two different groups: symphony and chamber. Symphony is open to all interested students, while Chamber is admittence by audition only. Orchestra has toured all over the world in the past few years, having gone to Canada, Austria/Czech Republic, and will be going to Argentina in the summer of 2009.

Theater

The theater department at Boulder High was established in 1937 and was one of the original members (Troupe #60) of the International Thespian Society. Boulder High's Theatre Guild currently has over 120 members and inducts upwards of 30 thespians into the Society each year. The department hosts an array of unique productions, including "Urinetown", "The Breakfast Club", and "Our Town." In October 2006, students performed "Where I'm From", a student-written show examining contemporary issues as diverse as global warming, politics, heightened airport security, racial differences, text messaging, divorce, and MySpace. The winter show was a stage adaptation of the Woody Allen movie "Bullets Over Broadway". This was followed by the school's spring musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" which featured the double casting of the two main roles. The productions for 2007 were Little Shop of Horrors, a theatrical adaption of the 1999 Best Picture Oscar winner "Shakespeare in Love" and also Steven Sondheim's musical, "Into the Woods". The newest play in production is Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap," which will premiere on October 2, 2008. the 2008-2009 school year welcomes new theater director Maureen Dolan after acclaimed former theater director Nicole Kalayeh retired in 2008. The winter show for 2008 will be the musical, "Fiddler on the Roof." Boulder High Theater also has had several alum who attended schools for drama such as University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, Pace University in New York City and the Julliard School.

Student Worker

In 1999, Boulder High students founded the Student Worker activist group. Several of the group's demonstrations have received national attention, including a January 2005 "sleep-in" protesting the war in Iraq and a May 2001 "kiss-in" supporting alternative sexuality. [ [http://www.laweekly.com/index.php?option=com_lawcontent&task=view&id=1033&Itemid=122 LA Weekly - General - The Slumber Party - Christine Pelisek - The Essential Online Resource for Los Angeles ] ] [http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Alerts/States/Colorado/kiss2.html] In May 2005 Student Worker, in a partnership with Peace Jam, erected 1,650 American flags in memory of soldiers killed in Iraq. [http://www.rmpjc.org/2005/BoulderHighFlagMemorial/] In September 2007, the group protested the Pledge of Allegiance, citing an objection to the "one nation, under God" clause, and instead reciting a revised version. [ [http://www.denverpost.com/ci_7015611 Boulder students protest "God" in Pledge - The Denver Post ] ]

Model United Nations

At the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year, the Boulder High School Model United Nations club was created. In Model United Nations (Model UN or MUN), students take on the roles of diplomats from various countries around the globe to discuss, debate, and come up with solutions to many issues in the world today. Students research and prepare elaborate presentations to give at Model UN conferences around the state and nation in front of delegations representing many top high schools in and out of state. After 3 years, Boulder MUN has proven itself a team in Boulder County. Consistently achieving high delegation award percentages at conferences, Boulder MUN delegates are respected. National conferences Boulder MUN has attended include PAXMUN, the North American Invitational MUN, and will this year return to the National High School MUN in New York. Boulder will also be hosting its second annual MUN conference on December 6th, 2008.

cares and Controversies

afety Scares

On May 10th, 2007, a cafeteria worker claimed to see two masked men enter the school before class hours wearing camouflage and ski masks. Classes were subsequently canceled while the school was locked down and searched by police. Even after multiple inspections, nothing suspicious was found, and school returned to normal the next day. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Colorado-high-school-locked-down/2007/05/11/1178390480648.html US high school locked down - Breaking News - World - Breaking News ] ]

Rumors that a song performed at a school talent show would include death threats to the president also stirred recent national controversy, although a subsequent investigation indicated that the rumors were false. [ [http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=247437&page=1 ABC News: School Talent Show Draws Secret Service ] ]

2007 Conference on World Affairs

Each year, Boulder High hosts several panels of the University Of Colorado's Conference on World Affairs (CWA). These events are historically well attended by BHS students and are generally supported by the faculty. And, despite the focus on hot-button issues, the Conference on World Affairs is not known to cause public controversy. The April 10, 2007 panel, however, was an exception.

Entitled "STDs: Sex, Teens, and Drugs," the panel was meant to debate the merits of different attitudes toward sex and drugs in teen life. According to some, however, the views presented by guest speaker Dr. Joel Becker, an associate clinical professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, were too extreme. Some allege that Becker encouraged students to have sex and use illegal drugs, informed them where to easily find marijuana, and poked fun at using a condom. Others argue that the objections are unfounded, and he was taken out of context. [ [http://www.bvsdwatch.org/content/view/91/1/ BSVDWatch.org - Complete Transcript of CWA panel at B.H.S ] ] A transcript of the panel is available [http://www.bvsdwatch.org/content/view/91/1/ here] .

On May 8, 2007, a Boulder High sophomore and her mother complained to the school board that Becker's comments were grievously out of line and protested some teachers' purported "mandatory panel attendance" policy. The board agreed to review the case. [ [http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/may/10/student-complains-about-cwa-sex-panel/ Student complains about CWA sex panel : CWA : Boulder Daily Camera ] ] Meanwhile, the complaint sparked a national media firestorm, attracting the special attention of Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly and radio talk show hosts Don Caplis and Craig Silverman. [ [http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/23/10-cwa-discussion-generates-debate/ 10: CWA discussion generates debate : Best of 2007 : Boulder Daily Camera ] ] A group of students, annoyed and dismayed by O'Reilly's disrespect to Boulder High School, demanded an apology and organized to defend the CWA panel and BHS administration. [ [http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/01/boulder-students-want-apology/ Boulder students want apology from O'Reilly : CWA : Boulder Daily Camera ] ]

After subsequent review, on May 22, 2007, the school board found that the comments in question were generally taken out of context and that the overall panel was appropriate for high school students. However, the school board also recognized that certain comments were unnecessarily crude and recommended that, in the future, student attendance of the Conference on World Affairs be optional. [http://web.dailycamera.com/pdf/0523cwasuper.pdf] Today, the CWA at Boulder High School is watched closely by an oversight committee designed to assure that the school board's recommendations are carried out and to prevent a similar conflict from flaring up again. [ [http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/18/new-committee-must-approve-future-cwa-talks-at/ New committee must approve future CWA talks at school : Schools : Boulder Daily Camera ] ]

References