Conifer High School

Conifer High School

Conifer High School, view from US-285
Address
10441 County Highway 73
Conifer, Colorado, Jefferson County, 80433
United States
Coordinates Coordinates: 39°31′40.53″N 105°19′0.99″W / 39.5279250°N 105.3169417°W
Information
Type Comprehensive Public High School
Established August 19, 1996 [1]
Founded 1996
School district Jefferson County School District
NCES District ID 0804800
Superintendent Cindy Stevenson
NCES School ID 080480001542
Principal Wesley Paxton
Staff 82 (including faculty)[2]
Faculty 47 full time, 6 part time[2]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 1,008 [3] (2009–2010 [3])
 • Grade 9 233 [3]
 • Grade 10 220 [3]
 • Grade 11 276 [3]
 • Grade 12 279 [3]
Student to teacher ratio 19.09
Schedule type Block
Hours in school day 7:35 AM – 2:35 PM
Campus size 105 acres (424,920 m²)
Color(s) forest green, silver and black             
Athletics 3A/4A
Athletics conference Jefferson County
Sports

Baseball, Basketball (Men's and Women's), Cross Country (Men's and Women's), Football,

Golf (Men's and Women's), Lacrosse (Men's and Women's), Soccer (Men's and Women's), Softball, Swimming and Diving (Men's and Women's), Tennis (Men's and Women's), Track (Men's and Women's), Volleyball, Wrestling
Mascot Lobos
Team name Lobos
Rival Evergreen High School (Athletics)
Colorado Student Assessment Program average

Math (2011) 52.0

Reading(2011) 87.0[3]
Yearbook Canis Lupus
Website School website

Conifer High School is a secondary school in Conifer, an unincorporated 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.

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.

In September 2014, the school gained notoriety when many teachers called in sick in response to pending actions by the Jefferson County School District. These included possible censorship of the AP U.S. History curriculum as well as a lack of transparency in a new performance-based pay system for teachers. The following week, students and teachers at several other Jefferson County Schools joined in vocal response to the district.[4]

Enrollment

Enrollment by Grade in 2009–2010 academic year[3]

Grade Enrollment
9 233
10 220
11 276
12 279

Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity in 2009–2010 academic year[3]

Race/Ethnicity Enrollment
American Indian/Alaskan 15
Asian/Pacific Islander 10
Black 7
Hispanic 44
White 932

Enrollment by Gender in 2009–2010 academic year[3]

Gender Enrollment
Male 518
Female 490

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.[5] As of 2007 Red Rocks no longer operates this campus.

Conifer High School 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.[6][7]

Architectural Distinction

Designed by architectural firm LKA Partners,[8] Conifer High School's architecture has been awarded several honors:

Extracurricular Activities

Conifer High School is a member of the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) in District 4 it participates in activities in both the 3A classification and the 4A classification situated in between the 600 and 1400 student breakpoints for each of these classifications.[10]

Athletics

Conifer High School student have the opportunity to participate in the following athletic activities under the Colorado High School Activities Association:

[11] Gymnastics'
2002 Rachael Lehmkuhl, 4A State Gymnastics All Around Champion[12]

Softball
2003 Conifer High School Softball team won the 4A state championship.[13]

Marching Band

The 2006 Conifer High School Marching Band, called the Lobo Regiment, won the 3A state championship.[14] It was one of conifer's many times back to competing in 3A class, as previous marching seasons were competed in class 4A. The 2009 Lobo Regiment again competed in class 4A. They got 10th in 4A State in 2009, 2010, and 2011. In their 2012 season the Lobo Regiment finished 4th in state. This was their first time making state finals in 4A since 2007.[15]

Faculty and Staff

The following individuals have been Principals of Conifer High School.

Principle Years
Barry Schwartz 1996–2003
Cyndi Whitlock 2003–2006
Pat Termin ( interim principal) 2006–2008
Mike Musick 2009 – 2013

In the News

In May of 2007, Conifer High School was featured in national news due to controversy over their new yearbook. The yearbook included photographs and text depicting student alcohol and drug use.[16]

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 rival Evergreen High School student at that time. The spirit rock is frequently repainted for special school sporting events, awareness months, or to celebrate seniority at the school.

References

  1. ↑ – Conifer High School. LIKE A ROCK High school students grow close on retreat
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Conifer Senior High School School Accountability Report 2005-2006 School Year. Colorado Department of Education. 2006-12-12.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Profile – Conifer High School. Conifer Senior High School
  4. ↑ http://www.9news.com/story/news/education/2014/09/23/jeffco-student-protests-tuesday/16088213/
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "Designs for Learning: Ten New Metro School Buildings Range from the Daring to the Drab". Rocky Mountain News. 1996-10-06.
  9. ↑ James D. MacConnell Award Site
  10. ↑ Conifer High School. Colorado High School Activities Association
  11. ↑ Conifer High School Athletics Home. Conifer High School
  12. ↑ http://www.chsaa.org/sports/gymnastics/pdf/4AResults2002.pdf
  13. ↑ 2003 STATE GIRLS' SOFTBALL RESULTS. Colorado High School Activities Association.
  14. ↑ Colorado Bandmasters Association. 2006 1A/2A/3A State Marching Band Championships.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5952321

External links