- Conifer High School
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Coordinates: 39°31′40.53″N 105°19′0.99″W / 39.527925°N 105.3169417°W
Conifer High School 
Location 10441 County Highway 73, Conifer, Colorado 80433
United StatesInformation Type Public Established 1996 School district Jefferson County Public Schools Principal Dr. Mike Musick Staff 82 (including faculty)[1] Faculty 47 full time, 6 part time[1] Grades 9-12 Enrollment 987[2] Campus size 105 acres (424,920 m²) Color(s) forest green, silver and black Athletics 3A/4A Athletics conference Jefferson County Mascot Lobos Website School website Conifer High School is a secondary school in Conifer, a Unincorpirated town located in the foothills of Jefferson County, southwest of Denver, Colorado. The school is located about 20 minutes southwest of SH 470 and a short distance north of U.S. Highway 285.
Contents
History
Conifer High School opened in the fall of 1996 to serve students in the southern portion of what had previously been Evergreen High School's matriculation area. The area encompasses a large part of southwestern Jefferson County, including the communities of Aspen Park, Buffalo Creek, Pine and Pine Junction, as well as parts of southern Evergreen and southwestern Morrison.
The land for the school campus was acquired in a county action of Eminent Domain which gives landowners the choice of either a county purchase of the land or condemning the property. One parcel was a picnic area named "Rancho Lobo"; when it came time to choose a school mascot, the vote decided upon the Lobos.
The opening of the school coincided with changes in the divisions of secondary, junior high, and elementary schools for the district. This change meant that the first year of students consisted of eleventh grade students that had attended Evergreen High School during the previous year and two classes of "freshmen" in ninth and tenth grade students from West Jefferson Middle School. The first year had no senior class, as such the first graduating class was in 1998 .
The first principal was Barry Schwartz, who retired after the 2002-2003 school year.
Cyndi Whitlock was principal from 2003 - 2006.
Pat Termin was interim principal for the 2006 - 2007 school year.
Dr. Mike Musick is principal from 2007–Present.
Campus
Community use
The building houses a substation of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. It also housed a campus of Red Rocks Community College. This relationship with Red Rocks allowed students to take some college courses, after normal school hours, and receive both college and high school credit.[3] As of 2007 Red Rocks no longer operates this campus.
CHS shares its library with Jefferson County Public Library system. During school hours the library is restricted to only school staff and students. After school and on weekends the library is open to the public. The public library is open six days a week, being closed on Friday.
The building is also used for many events including health drives, holiday boutiques, and community festivals. During the wildfire season, the school has been used as a Red Cross shelter. [4][5]
Architectural distinction
Designed by architectural firm LKA Partners,[6] Conifer High School's architecture has been awarded several honors:
- Project of Distinction, Council of Educational Facilities Planners, 1996
- The James D. McConnell Award, Council of Educational Facilities Planners International, 1997[7]
- Citation Award, American Association of School Administrators, 1998
Extracurricular activities
Sports
When it opened, CHS competed in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A in all sports.[citation needed]
Gymnastics
2002 Rachael Lehmkuhl, 4A State Gymnastics All Around Champion[8]
Softball
2003 CHS Softball team won the 4A state championship.[9]
Girls X-Country
2003 Kristen Wakeman, 4A state champion.[10]
Girls Track and Field
2004 4A state champions 4 x 800m relay.[11]
2007 Emily Blok, 4A state champion, 100m dash.
2007 Emily Blok, 4A state champion, 200m dash.[12]
2008 Emily Blok, 4A state champion, 100m dash.
2008 Emily Blok, 4A state champion, 200m dash.
2008 Emily Blok, 4A state champion, 400m dash.[13]2009 Emily Blok, 4A state champion, 100m dash.
2009 Emily Blok, 4A state champion, 200m dash.[14]
Boys Track and Field
2006 Bobby Potrykus, 4A state champion[15] and state record holder, 800m run.
2007 Bobby Potrykus, 4A state champion, 800m run.[12]
2008 Chris Carter, 4A state champion, high jump[13]Marching Band
The 2006 CHS Marching Band won the 3A state championship.[16] It was one of conifer's many times back to competing in 3A class where they took state, as previous marching seasons were competed in class 4A. The 2009 Lobo Regiment again competed in class 4A in the fall of 2009, and in the fall of 2010. They got 10th in 4A State in both 2009, and 2010.[17]
Notable alumni
- Meagan Hoffman, forward for the Rhonda Rebels and UWIC Archers(English Basketball League) Plays Professional basketball in European Leagues since 2005, after setting scoring, rebounds, and steals records at Adams State College. Member of Great Britain's National Team British Basketball.
- Andrew Brand, 2006 NCAA All-American in swimming at the University of North Dakota
Spirit Rock
Conifer's Spirit Rock is painted on a regular basis. This is a means to reflect school spirit. Conifer has had 2 rocks after their first was destroyed, by a student at that time.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Conifer Senior High School School Accountability Report 2005-2006 School Year. Colorado Department of Education. 2006-12-12.
- ^ Profile - Conifer High School. Colorado High School Activities Association.
- ^ "College Courses at High School". Rocky Mountain News. 1996-08-20. "A branch of Red Rocks Community College is contained in the new Conifer High School, providing high school students with college courses, and evening classes for adult mountain residents."
- ^ Bartels, Lynn (2000-06-16). "For Conifer Principal, School is Busy Place". Rocky Mountain News. "School's out but the principal is in. Barry Schwartz has been a busy man since Monday, when fire forced the evacuation of hundreds of mountain residents and turned his Conifer High School into a Red Cross shelter."
- ^ Yettick, Holly (2002-04-06). "Conifer High is Big on Character". Rocky Mountain News. "For the past two days, Red Cross shelter and senior high school have been cohabiting."
- ^ "Designs for Learning: Ten New Metro School Buildings Range from the Daring to the Drab". Rocky Mountain News. 1996-10-06.
- ^ James D. MacConnell Award Site
- ^ http://www.chsaa.org/sports/gymnastics/pdf/4AResults2002.pdf
- ^ 2003 STATE GIRLS' SOFTBALL RESULTS. Colorado High School Activities Association.
- ^ 2003 Cross Country State Championship Results
- ^ 2004 Track and Field State Championship Results
- ^ a b 2007 Track and Field State Championship Results
- ^ a b http://www.chsaa.org/sports/track/pdf/20084A5ASTATERESULTSCOLUMNS.pdf
- ^ http://chsaa.org/sports/track/pdf/2009StateTrackResults-Final.pdf
- ^ 2006 Track and Field State Championship Results
- ^ Colorado Bandmasters Association. 2006 1A/2A/3A State Marching Band Championships.
- ^ Perez, le (2006-10-24). "Conifer tops County in marching band finals". Pueblo Chieftain. "Pueblo County High School's battle for the top spot in the Class 3A state marching band competition went down to the final note Monday night. And when the final numbers were tallied, Class 3A newcomer Conifer High School was just a tad sharper than the Hornets in the Colorado Bandmasters Association's state marching band championships held at Dutch Clark Stadium."
External links
- Conifer High School official website
- Conifer Senior High School on GreatSchools.net
- Conifer Senior High School on Public Schools Report
Categories:- 285 corridor
- Educational institutions established in 1996
- High schools in Colorado
- Jefferson County Public Schools (Colorado)
- Schools in Jefferson County, Colorado
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