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Conifer High School

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Coordinates: 39°31′41″N 105°19′1″W / 39.52806°N 105.31694°W / 39.52806; -105.31694
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Conifer High School
Conifer High School, view from US-285
Address
Map
10441 County Highway 73

Conifer
,
Colorado
80433

United States
Coordinates39°31′41″N 105°19′1″W / 39.52806°N 105.31694°W / 39.52806; -105.31694
Information
TypeComprehensive public high school
EstablishedAugust 19, 1996 (28 years ago) (1996-08-19)[1]
School districtJefferson County R-1
CEEB code060311
NCES School ID080480001542[2]
PrincipalGregory Manier
Teaching staff42.64 (on an FTE basis)[2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment815 (2021–22[2])
Student to teacher ratio19.11[2]
Schedule typeBlock
Hours in school day7:35 AM – 2:35 PM
Campus size105 acres (42 ha)
Color(s)Forest green and silver
  
Athletics3A/4A
Athletics conferenceJefferson County
SportsBaseball, 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
MascotLobo
Team nameLobos
RivalEvergreen High School (athletics)
YearbookCanis Lupus
Websiteconifer.jeffcopublicschools.org

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.

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 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.[3]

Enrollment

Areas in the school's attendance boundary include:[4] Indian Hills CDP.[5]

Enrollment by grade in the 2013–2014 academic year:[6]

Grade Enrollment
9 210
10 188
11 216
12 211

Enrollment by race/ethnicity in the 2013–2014 academic year:[6]

Race/ethnicity Enrollment
American Indian/Alaskan 4
Asian/Pacific Islander 12
Black 4
Hispanic 48
White 748

Enrollment by gender in the 2013–2014 academic year:[6]

Gender Enrollment
Male 438
Female 387

Campus

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.[7] 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.[8][9]

Architectural distinction

Designed by architectural firm LKA Partners,[10] 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.[12]

Athletics

Conifer High School students have the opportunity to participate in the following athletic activities under the Colorado High School Activities Association:[13][better source needed]

  • Fall sports
    • Football
    • Men's soccer
    • Women's/men's cross country
    • Softball
    • Men's tennis
    • Volleyball
    • Men's golf
  • Winter sports
    • Men's basketball
    • Women's basketball
    • Women's swimming and diving
    • Wrestling
  • Spring sports
    • Baseball
    • Women's tennis
    • Men's lacrosse
    • Women's lacrosse
    • Men's swimming and diving
    • Women's soccer
    • Men's/women's track
    • Women's golf

Gymnastics

In 2002 Rachael Lehmkuhl was the 4A State Gymnastics All Around Champion.[14]

Softball

2003 Conifer High School's softball team won the 4A state championship.[15]

Marching band

The 2006 Conifer High School marching band, the Lobo Regiment, won the 3A state championship.[16]

Faculty and staff

The following individuals have been principals of Conifer High School.

Principal Years
Barry Schwartz 1996–2003
Cyndi Whitlock 2003–2006
Pat Termin (interim principal) 2006–2008
Mike Musick 2009 – 2013
Wesley Paxton 2013–2022
Gregory Manier 2022-Present

In the news

In May 2007, Conifer High School had a controversy over their yearbook, which included photographs and text depicting student alcohol and drug use.[17]

References

  1. ^ – Conifer High School. LIKE A ROCK High school students grow close on retreat
  2. ^ a b c d "Search for Public Schools - Conifer Senior High School (080480001542)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. ^ "More JeffCo student protests on Tuesday". www.9news.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  4. ^ "High Schools". Jeffco Public Schools. Retrieved 2020-03-28. - Detail map
  5. ^ "Indian Hills Map" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  6. ^ a b c "The Student Body at Conifer Senior High School in Conifer, CO". www.usnews.com. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Designs for Learning: Ten New Metro School Buildings Range from the Daring to the Drab". Rocky Mountain News. 1996-10-06.
  11. ^ James D. MacConnell Award Site Archived March 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Conifer High School Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Colorado High School Activities Association
  13. ^ Conifer High School Athletics Home. Conifer High School
  14. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2008-11-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ 2003 STATE GIRLS' SOFTBALL RESULTS Archived 2007-02-17 at the Wayback Machine. Colorado High School Activities Association.
  16. ^ Colorado Bandmasters Association. 2006 1A/2A/3A State Marching Band Championships Archived 2007-07-10 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ^ "Yearbook pages "crossed line"". 21 May 2007.
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