Columbine High School
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Columbine High School | |
Satellite photo of Columbine High School in 2004 | |
Location | |
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6201 South Pierce Street, Columbine, Colorado |
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Information | |
School district | Jefferson County Public Schools |
Principal | Dr. Frank D. DeAngelis |
Type | Public Secondary |
Grades | 9 to 12 |
Mascot | Rebels (American Revolution) |
Color(s) | navy blue and silver |
Established | 1973 |
Superintendent | Dr. Cindy Stevenson |
Homepage | Columbine High School |
Columbine High School is a secondary school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado. The school is located at 6201 South Pierce Street, one mile west of the Littleton city limits and half a mile south of the Denver city/county line. [1]"Littleton" is indicated in the school's postal address because its ZIP code, 80123, is primarily associated with that city. However, the school is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district and not the Littleton Public Schools system. The current principal is Dr. Frank DeAngelis.
Columbine High School was the site of the fourth deadliest school massacre in modern United States history, which took place April 20, 1999.
Contents |
[edit] History
Columbine High School opened in the fall of 1973; there was no senior class in its first year. The school's first graduating class was the class of 1975. Columbine was named after the unincorporated community of Columbine, Colorado; where it is located, which in turn is named after the state flower of Colorado: the columbine. Its first principal was Gerald Difford.
[edit] School colors
The official school colors are blue and silver. The colors were selected through a vote by students at Ken Caryl Junior High School and Bear Creek High School who would be the first students to attend Columbine High School when the school opened in 1973.
[edit] School shooting
A school shooting took place on April 20, 1999, when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher, and wounded 24 others, before taking their own lives. The massacre made headlines around the world, making Columbine a household name, and causing a moral panic in American high schools.[2]
After the shooting, classes at Columbine were held at nearby Chatfield High School for the remaining three weeks of that school year.
[edit] Remodeling
The school had undergone a massive remodeling four years before the shooting, adding a new library and cafeteria. After the massacre, Columbine demolished its library, located above the cafeteria, since it was the site where most of the deaths took place. The site was then turned into a memorial ceiling and atrium; a new, larger library was built on the hill where the shooting began and dedicated to the memory of the victims.[3][4]
[edit] 2007 bomb scare
On March 1, 2007, bomb threats were received by school faculty and the campus was evacuated. Officers from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office searched the building, but no attacks were made nor was a bomb found in the school or near the vicinity of the school.[5][6]
[edit] Cheerleading squad
The school was also home to the highest ranked cheerleading squad to ever come out of Colorado, placing 4th at the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championships in 2003.[citation needed]
[edit] Football team
The school most recently won the 2006 Colorado 5A State Football Championship at Invesco Field at Mile High against Mullen High School. The team has won the 5A State Football Championships in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2006
[edit] Notable alumni
Notable alumni of Columbine High School include:
- Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold - Perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.
- Allan Kayser, actor, played "Bubba" in the sitcom Mama's Family[7]
- Melanie Palenik, 1988 Olympic gold medalist in women's freestyle aerials (demonstration sport)
- Skip Ewing, country songwriter/artist
- Wes Hart, MLS player who last played for the San Jose Earthquakes in 2005.
- Laval Short, former Denver Broncos and Colorado Buffaloes defensive tackle
- Three members of Big Head Todd and the Monsters
[edit] References
- ^ Official address
- ^ Lessons from Littleton (Part I), National Association of Independent Schools
- ^ - Remodeling Of School Info Page 1
- ^ - Remodeling Of School Info Page 2
- ^ Dan Frosch and Maria Newman (March 1, 2007), Columbine Evacuated After Threat, The New York Times, <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/us/01cnd-columbine.html?ex=1330405200&en=a7ea1b24034a5a31&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>. Retrieved on 2007-12-09
- ^ Staff and Associated Press (March 1, 2007), Columbine High School Evacuated, Closed For Day, thedenverchannel.com, <http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/11145432/detail.html>. Retrieved on 2007-12-09
- ^ Allan Kayser at IMDB
[edit] External links
- Columbine High School official website
- Map and directions to Columbine High School
- Satellite image of Columbine High School
- The Columbine Navigator - Links and analysis of most major media coverage