Founded 1996 Superintendent Dan McMinimee Number of students 825 (2013–2014) | NCES District ID 0804800 Phone +1 303-982-5255 Mascot Lobos | |
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Type Comprehensive public high school Established August 19, 1996 (1996-08-19) School district Jefferson County Public Schools Address 10441 County Hwy 73, Conifer, CO 80433, USA District Jefferson County Public Schools | ||
Conifer High School is a secondary school in Conifer, an unincorporated town located in the foothills of Jefferson County, southwest of Denver, Colorado, United States. 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 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 meant that the first year of students consisted of eleventh grade students who 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; 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 US 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.
Enrollment
Enrollment by grade in the 2013–2014 academic year:
Enrollment by race/ethnicity in the 2013–2014 academic year:
Enrollment by gender in the 2013–2014 academic year:
Community use
The building houses a substation of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. It also once 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. As of 2007 Red Rocks no longer operates this campus.
Conifer High School shares its library with the Jefferson County Public Library system. During school hours the library is restricted to 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, and is 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.
Architectural distinction
Designed by architectural firm LKA Partners, 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 between the 600 and 1400 student breakpoints for each of these classifications.
Athletics
Conifer High School students have the opportunity to participate in the following athletic activities under the Colorado High School Activities Association:
Gymnastics
In 2002 Rachael Lehmkuhl was the 4A State Gymnastics All Around Champion.
Softball
2003 Conifer High School's softball team won the 4A state championship.
Marching band
The 2006 Conifer High School marching band, the Lobo Regiment, won the 3A state championship. This was one of Conifer's many times back to competing in 3A class, as previous marching seasons had been 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 the state. This was their first time making state finals in 4A since 2007. In 2015, Conifer won 5th place in the 3A state championship, and in 2016 won 8th in same division.
Faculty and staff
The following individuals have been principals of Conifer High School.
In the news
In May 2007, Conifer High School was featured in national news due to controversy over their yearbook, which included photographs and text depicting student alcohol and drug use.
Spirit Rock
Conifer's Spirit Rock is painted on a regular basis, for special school sporting events, awareness months, or to celebrate seniority at the school. This is a means to reflect school spirit. Conifer has had two rocks; their first was destroyed by a rival Evergreen High School student in an effort to bring the rock back to Evergreen High School. The rocks originally called Evergreen home, but were then stolen by Conifer students.