Fountain-Fort Carson High School
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| Fountain-Fort Carson High School | |
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Good To Great
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| Location | |
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| Fountain, Colorado USA |
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| Information | |
| School district | 8 |
| Principal | Jim Calhoun |
| Enrollment |
1427 |
| Faculty | 106 |
| Type | Public school |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Athletics conference | 4A |
| Mascot | Trojans |
| Color(s) | red, white, and blue |
| Established | 1873 |
| Homepage | http://www.ffc8.org/ffchs |
Fountain-Fort Carson High School (also commonly referred to as FFCHS) is a public high school in Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 that serves the southern end of Colorado Springs. It has gained national attention for its close ties to the military, as a large percentage of students live on nearby Fort Carson. Approximately 40% of all students have either one or both parents who are on active duty in the military. The school's athletic teams are called the Trojans.
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[edit] History
The earliest schoolhouse in the Fountain Valley opened in 1873, with the first class to graduate with 12 years of schooling graduating in 1889. Fountain High School was built in 1903 and served as both middle school and high school until 1930. In 1954, a larger high school was built and served as such until 1999. In 1999, the new high school building was built on the east side of town, while the old high school became Fountain Middle School.
[edit] Athletics
Fountain - Fort Carson has a proud athletic history. Since the 1920's the Trojans have captured various league, city, and state honors in basketball, volleyball, football, baseball, and track and field. The greatest of these are the 17 team state titles and 101 individual state titles won in track and field under legendary coach Art Hassler, who retired after the 2006 season. Mitch Johnson is also the area's most experienced football coach, with 29 years of coaching under his belt, 21 of which have been spent at FFCHS.
[edit] FFCHS vs. Palisade 2003
An anonymous caller called Palisade High School shortly after Todd Casebier's Bulldogs beat F.F.C.H.S. 22-20 in the 2003 State Playoffs. This caller revealed that Palisade's place kicker, Lane Wilson, was academically ineligible to play. According to the Colorado High School Activities Association, (C.H.S.A.A.) this automatically disqualifies a team from a game, yet the C.H.S.A.A. allowed the Bulldogs to advance regardless. Fountain Fort Carson School District 8 took the case to court, where the Arapahoe County court ruled in favor of the C.H.S.A.A. The incident gained F.F.C.H.S. the ire of the C.H.S.A.A. ever since, resulting in multiple cases of poor officiating of basketball and football games in which F.F.C.H.S. is the visiting team. Todd Casebier was fired from Palisade, but is now the head coach at Montrose High School. In a sense, poetic justice was served when the Trojans beat Casebier's Montrose Indians in the first round of the 2007 4A State Playoffs.
[edit] Multiple Rivalries
Unlike most high schools, which have no or only one major rival to speak of, FFCHS has many. Four of which are listed:
Florence: Florence High School and FFCHS have a hate-hate relationship. Over time, this football rivalry got so violent, that police escorts had to be supplied to the visiting team.
Widefield: District proximity and the infamous "Whose House?" chant are the basis for this rivalry. Widefield plays FFCHS in the annual Border War game.
Cheyenne Mountain: FFCHS was built on a horse pasture, Cheyenne Mountain is surrounded by the fancy homes of the Broadmoor neighborhood. This class difference is highlighted in this rivalry.
Harrison: As mentioned before, FFCHS was built on an old horse pasture, giving it a "country" repute. Harrison is an inner-city school. The differences between these two schools have sparked a spectacular basketball feud over the years.
[edit] Music
The FFCHS band program has only recently become a major competitor. In 2004 Randal Rabito got the job as band director. He wasted no time in improving the program in every way possible. The marching band went to the Colorado Bandmaster's Association competition for the first time that year. The performance was less than amazing, but paved the way for future success.
[edit] Notable Alumni
Chase Headley - University of Tennessee baseball player, now plays for the San Diego Padres
Phil Loadholt - University of Oklahoma football player, largest man ever to play for OU (6'9 350)
Don Kockroft - Former place kicker for the Cleveland Browns
