Columbine High School

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Columbine High School
Columbine High School sign.jpg
Established 1973
Type Public High School
Affiliation Jefferson County Public Schools
Principal Frank DeAngelis
Students 1700[1]
Grades 9–12
Location Columbine, Colorado, USA
Campus Suburban
Colors Blue and Silver          
Nickname Rebels
Mascot Rebels
Superintendent Dr. Cindy Stevenson
Website Columbine High School
Hope Columbine Memorial Library.jpg
The library built after the massacre
Columbine High School.jpg
1999 Aerial shot

Columbine High School or CHS is a secondary school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.

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 is named after the surrounding community of Columbine, though the school's mailing address is listed in Littleton, Colorado. This school in turn is named after the state flower of Colorado: the columbine. The school's first principal was Gerald Difford.

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] Massacre

Columbine High School was the site of one of the deadliest massacres in modern United States history. [2] This massacre took place on April 20, 1999, when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher, and wounded 23 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.[3]

After the shooting, classes at Columbine were held at nearby Chatfield Senior High for the remaining three weeks of that school year.

The school had undergone a massive remodeling four years before the shooting, adding a new library and cafeteria. After the massacre, Columbine completely 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.[4][5]

[edit] Address

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. [6]"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. It is in Jefferson County, just outside of Littleton.

[edit] Alumni

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 39°36′14″N 105°04′27″W / 39.60389°N 105.07417°W / 39.60389; -105.07417