Boulder High School
Encyclopedia
Boulder High School is a high school in Boulder, Colorado
. It is a part of the Boulder Valley School District
.
as a preparatory school for the University. It was the first high school in Colorado, hence its slogan, "Still the First." The school is located in downtown Boulder, adjacent to the University's campus and four blocks from the Pearl Street Mall
.
. The school's art deco auditorium has also been preserved. The building was constructed with "Colorado Red" flagstone and limestone, the same materials from which the University of Colorado is built. With funding from a Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) bond program, parts of the school were renovated or expanded in 2008. The changes include a remodeled ESL wing and counseling office, a new gymnasium, a larger administrative wing, and a bigger auditorium backstage. Most of the school's recent additions also have flagstone facades, but none retain the original art deco design.
Fairview High School shares Recht Field for a number of varsity-level events. When Boulder and Fairview football compete against each other in the annual Boulder-Fairview duel, the schools' fans alternate use of the visitor and home stands each year.
As part of the BVSD bond program, a visitors' field house was constructed at the west end of the field.
flood zone. The school's adjacent soccer fields were housing as late as the 1970s, but the houses were removed due to the flash-flood risk. The City of Boulder continues to remove residential buildings in the path of the most dangerous portions of the creek, replacing them with parks and fields. The Boulder Creek 100-year flood
last took place in 1894, destroying all buildings in the area.
, Athens Court, Athens North Court, the Expansion Units, Marine Court, and Newton Court are zoned to Boulder High School.
, students can also take college-level courses that are not normally offered in high school. Boulder High's Academic Decathlon team has won state multiple times and has subsequently represented Colorado at the national competition for the past six years. It also finished 2nd at the National Science Bowl
in 2002. The school has a broad foreign language program that includes instruction in Japanese, Latin, French, German, and Spanish. The Japan Bowl team, organized by Japanese instructor Michael Kleinkopf, has won multiple regional competitions in the past six years, and placed 5th at the national competition in 2001.
Front Range league and a former member of CHSAA's Centennial League (1964–2008). Boulder football had a decent season in 2010, losing to crosstown rival Fairview High School. Boulder High soccer reached the state semifinals in 2010. Boulder cross-country runner Kelsey Lakowske won state for the second time. Boulder has been successful many times at the state level in its lengthy history. The 2010/2011 season was the best one since 1984 for Boulder boy's basketball when they reached the Colorado State Final where they eventually lost to two time defending champions, Regis Jesuit.
, Miami Dolphins
defensive back Dick Anderson
, New England Patriots
guard Heath Irwin
, and Denver Broncos
running back Bobby Anderson
, all of whom also played college football for the University of Colorado Buffaloes
. The late Glen Gondrezick
, a basketball star at Boulder High, went on to have his basketball uniform number (25) retired by the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and played in the NBA for the New York Knickerbockers
and Denver Nuggets
. Alumnus and Williams College
soccer player Patrick Huffer was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/ Adidas
2006 Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year for Senior Colleges and First Team All-American. Boulder High also won the state football championships in 1963 and 1992.
In October 2007, to make competition locations more convenient for athletes and parents, BHS and crosstown rival Fairview
petitioned to leave for the more accessible Front Range League. The request was approved in January 2008 and took effect at the start of the 2008-2009 school year.
Fall
Winter
Spring
and Dr. Allan McMurray of the University of Colorado at Boulder
.
. The winter show was a stage adaptation of the Woody Allen movie Bullets Over Broadway
. This was followed by the school's spring musical Jesus Christ Superstar
which featured the double casting of the two main roles. The 2007 productions were Little Shop of Horrors, a theatrical adaption of the 1999 Best Picture Oscar winner Shakespeare in Love
, and Steven Sondheim's musical, Into the Woods
. 2008's performances included Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap
, Fiddler on the Roof
, and "Comedy of Errors
". 2009's performances included Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bye Bye Birdie. Students wrote another show called "25 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality". The show took on many Boulder stereotypes. 2010's shows include a collection of one-acts from such artists as Durang and Ives entitled Black Box and the upcoming musical Bat Boy: The Musical.
In February 2009, it briefly advocated renaming Boulder High School "Barack Obama High School," which was met with overwhelming opposition from the student body, school administrators, and the community, including calls to abolish the club.
Rumors that a song performed at a school talent show would include death threats to the president also garnered national attention, although a subsequent investigation indicated that the rumors were false.
Also, Boulder High School has endured multiple scam bomb threats in the past several years, prompting a moderate increase in school security.
's Conference on World Affairs (CWA)
. The panels have been well attended by BHS students, have typically been supported by the faculty, and despite a focus on politically sensitive issues, have caused little public controversy with the exception of one on April 10, 2007.
The panel, entitled "STDs: Sex, Teens, and Drugs," was to debate the merits of teens' different attitudes toward sex and drugs. But according to some, the views presented by panel member Dr. Joel Becker, an associate clinical professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles
, were too extreme. Becker allegedly encouraged students to have sex and use illegal drugs, informed them where to easily find marijuana, and poked fun at condom use. Others argue that the objections were unfounded, and he was taken out of context. A transcript of the panel is available from BVSDWatch.org.
A Boulder High sophomore and her mother, Priscilla White, complained to the school board and protested some teachers' mandatory panel attendance policy. The board reviewed the case, but meanwhile, the complaint attracted the national media's attention. The panel was covered most prominently by Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly
and radio talk show hosts Don Caplis and Craig Silverman. In an attempt to refute O'Reilly's views, a group of students publicly demanded an apology and organized to defend the CWA panel and BHS administration.
The school board concluded on May 22 that the comments in question were generally taken out of context and that the overall panel was appropriate for high school students. The school board also recognized that several statements were unnecessarily crude and recommended that, in the future, student attendance at the Conference on World Affairs be optional. Today, the CWA at Boulder High School is overseen by a committee to assure the school board's recommendations are carried out and to prevent a similar conflict from occurring again.
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
. It is a part of the Boulder Valley School District
Boulder Valley School District
The Boulder Valley RE 2 School District is a school district in Colorado, headquartered in the BVSD Education Center in unincorporated Boulder County, near Boulder. The district serves Boulder, Gold Hill, Jamestown, Lafayette, Louisville, Nederland, Superior, and Ward...
.
History
Boulder High School was founded in 1875 as part of the University of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
as a preparatory school for the University. It was the first high school in Colorado, hence its slogan, "Still the First." The school is located in downtown Boulder, adjacent to the University's campus and four blocks from the Pearl Street Mall
Pearl Street Mall
The Pearl Street Mall is a four block pedestrian mall in Boulder, Colorado...
.
Construction
Boulder High School's building at 1604 Arapahoe Ave. was constructed in 1933 by the Works Project Administration. The facade is classic Streamline ModerneStreamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
. The school's art deco auditorium has also been preserved. The building was constructed with "Colorado Red" flagstone and limestone, the same materials from which the University of Colorado is built. With funding from a Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) bond program, parts of the school were renovated or expanded in 2008. The changes include a remodeled ESL wing and counseling office, a new gymnasium, a larger administrative wing, and a bigger auditorium backstage. Most of the school's recent additions also have flagstone facades, but none retain the original art deco design.
Stadium
Boulder High football, soccer, lacrosse, and track teams compete at Christian Recht Field, accessed via a bridge spanning Boulder Creek. Recht Field received a multi-million-dollar upgrade in 2003, which included artificial turf installation to conserve water and reduce injuries incurred by frozen turf during the winter.Fairview High School shares Recht Field for a number of varsity-level events. When Boulder and Fairview football compete against each other in the annual Boulder-Fairview duel, the schools' fans alternate use of the visitor and home stands each year.
As part of the BVSD bond program, a visitors' field house was constructed at the west end of the field.
Flood danger
Boulder High School is in the middle of the Boulder CreekBoulder Creek (Colorado)
Boulder Creek is a creek draining the Rocky Mountains to the west of Boulder, Colorado, as well as the city itself and surrounding plains.- Route :...
flood zone. The school's adjacent soccer fields were housing as late as the 1970s, but the houses were removed due to the flash-flood risk. The City of Boulder continues to remove residential buildings in the path of the most dangerous portions of the creek, replacing them with parks and fields. The Boulder Creek 100-year flood
100-year flood
A one-hundred-year flood is calculated to be the level of flood water expected to be equaled or exceeded every 100 years on average. The 100-year flood is more accurately referred to as the 1% annual exceedance probability flood, since it is a flood that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded...
last took place in 1894, destroying all buildings in the area.
Attendance zone
Of the family apartment units of the University of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, Athens Court, Athens North Court, the Expansion Units, Marine Court, and Newton Court are zoned to Boulder High School.
Academics
Boulder High School has a strong academic reputation and one of the most extensive Advanced Placement programs in the state, offering 28 AP-level courses. Because of its proximity to the University of ColoradoUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, students can also take college-level courses that are not normally offered in high school. Boulder High's Academic Decathlon team has won state multiple times and has subsequently represented Colorado at the national competition for the past six years. It also finished 2nd at the National Science Bowl
Science Bowl
Science Bowl is a high school and middle school academic competition, similar to Quiz Bowl, held in the United States. Two teams of four students each compete to answer various science-related questions. In order to determine which student has the right to answer the question, a buzzer system is...
in 2002. The school has a broad foreign language program that includes instruction in Japanese, Latin, French, German, and Spanish. The Japan Bowl team, organized by Japanese instructor Michael Kleinkopf, has won multiple regional competitions in the past six years, and placed 5th at the national competition in 2001.
Athletics
Boulder High School has a well-regarded athletics program, currently directed by Melissa Warfield. It is a 5A member of the Colorado High School Activities Association's (CHSAA)Colorado High School Activities Association
The Colorado High School Activities Association is the governing body for all high school activities throughout the state of Colorado. It was founded in 1921, and currently has a membership of 328 full-time high schools, plus more than 50 middle and junior high schools, for a total of almost 400...
Front Range league and a former member of CHSAA's Centennial League (1964–2008). Boulder football had a decent season in 2010, losing to crosstown rival Fairview High School. Boulder High soccer reached the state semifinals in 2010. Boulder cross-country runner Kelsey Lakowske won state for the second time. Boulder has been successful many times at the state level in its lengthy history. The 2010/2011 season was the best one since 1984 for Boulder boy's basketball when they reached the Colorado State Final where they eventually lost to two time defending champions, Regis Jesuit.
History
Boulder High has produced many athletes who have continued to NCAA fame and professional sports, including golfer Hale IrwinHale Irwin
Hale S. Irwin is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was...
, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
defensive back Dick Anderson
Dick Anderson
Richard Paul Anderson is a former American football safety for the AFL's and NFL's Miami Dolphins, where he played for his entire ten year career from 1968 to 1977 missing one of those seasons with a knee injury....
, New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
guard Heath Irwin
Heath Irwin
Heath Spencer Irwin is a former American football guard in the National Football League . He played for the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins, and the St. Louis Rams...
, and Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
running back Bobby Anderson
Bobby Anderson
Robert Conrad Anderson is a former American football halfback in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos, the New England Patriots and the Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was drafted in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft...
, all of whom also played college football for the University of Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado Buffaloes
The University of Colorado Boulder sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes or Golden Buffaloes . "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993...
. The late Glen Gondrezick
Glen Gondrezick
Glen Michael 'Gondo' Gondrezick was an American basketball player, who operated as either a shooting guard or a small forward .-Basketball career:...
, a basketball star at Boulder High, went on to have his basketball uniform number (25) retired by the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and played in the NBA for the New York Knickerbockers
New York Knickerbockers
The New York Knickerbockers were one of the first organized baseball teams which played under a set of rules similar to the game today. The team was founded by Alexander Cartwright, considered one of the original developers of modern baseball....
and Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
. Alumnus and Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
soccer player Patrick Huffer was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/ Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
2006 Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year for Senior Colleges and First Team All-American. Boulder High also won the state football championships in 1963 and 1992.
In October 2007, to make competition locations more convenient for athletes and parents, BHS and crosstown rival Fairview
Fairview High School (Boulder)
Fairview High School is a public high school located on the southern edge of Boulder, Colorado in the Table Mesa area. About 2,000 students attend Fairview, placing it in the 5A category for Colorado sports.-Design of the school:...
petitioned to leave for the more accessible Front Range League. The request was approved in January 2008 and took effect at the start of the 2008-2009 school year.
Varsity sports
Boulder High fields eighteen different varsity sports teams each year across three seasons.Fall
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- Boys' GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Boys' Soccer
- Girls' SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- Boys' TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Girls' VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
Winter
- Boys' BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- Girls' Basketball
- Girls' SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
Spring
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
- Girls' Golf
- Boys' LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- Girls' Lacrosse
- Girls' Soccer
- Boys' Swimming
- Girls' Tennis
- Track and FieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
Intramural and club sports
In addition to its varsity sports, Boulder High School has a vibrant array of intramural and club sports.- BadmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- CheerleadingCheerleadingCheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
- Cross-country skiingCross-country skiingCross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
- DodgeballDodgeballDodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured...
- Ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
- Pom SquadPom SquadA dance squad or dance team, sometimes called a pom squad or drill team, is a sport team that participates in competitive dance. In a routine, a squad will incorporate a specific dance style , technical work and, depending on the routine, pompon and/or cheers...
- KickballKickballKickball is a playground game and competitive league game, similar to baseball, invented in the United States in the first half of the 20th Century. Kickball may also be known as kick baseball, base soccer, soccer-base, or soccer-baseball...
- Ultimate Frisbee
Current distinctions
The Boulder High varsity wrestling team were Cenntennial League conference champions in 2008, beating Grandview High School 37-30 in the last duel of the year.Music
Boulder High students participate extensively in the performing arts. The premier Boulder Jazz group, directed by Dr. Thomas "Doc" Horst, frequently places well in regional festivals and also participates in an annual jazz exchange with the Trondheim, Norway art school of Trondertun. The equally exceptional Wind Ensemble, also directed by Dr. Horst, is periodically guest-directed by Dr. Ken Singleton of the University of Northern ColoradoUniversity of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...
and Dr. Allan McMurray of the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
.
Theater
The theater department at Boulder High was established in 1937 and is one of the original members (Troupe #60) of the International Thespian Society. Boulder High's Theatre Guild currently has over 120 members; over 30 BHS thespians are inducted into the Society each year. The Auditorium is named after Frank C Smucker who taught at the school and was the technical director until he retired in 2000. The department has hosted an array of unique productions over the years. Jean Hodges led the Theatre Department until her retirement in 1995. Janine West took over after Hodges retirement in 1995 as Artistic Director and put on three productions a year in addition to an Actors Showcase and Talent Show. Some of West's productions in her eight years as artistic director included Paint Your Wagon, Once on This Island, The Sound of Music, and Pippin. In October 2006, students performed Where I'm From, a student-written show examining contemporary issues ranging from global warming to politics, heightened airport security, racial differences, text messaging, divorce, and MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. The winter show was a stage adaptation of the Woody Allen movie Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly....
. This was followed by the school's spring musical Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
which featured the double casting of the two main roles. The 2007 productions were Little Shop of Horrors, a theatrical adaption of the 1999 Best Picture Oscar winner Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 British-American comedy film directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard....
, and Steven Sondheim's musical, Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
. 2008's performances included Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap opened in the West End of London in 1952, and has been running continuously since then. It has the longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,500 performances so far. It is the longest running show of the modern...
, Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, and "Comedy of Errors
Comedy Of Errors
Comedy Of Errors was a Glasgow-based progressive rock band formed in January 1984. Their first recording was a demo called "Ever be the Prize", and was recorded at a studio in Blanefield in 1985, and followed by a mini album in 1986....
". 2009's performances included Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bye Bye Birdie. Students wrote another show called "25 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality". The show took on many Boulder stereotypes. 2010's shows include a collection of one-acts from such artists as Durang and Ives entitled Black Box and the upcoming musical Bat Boy: The Musical.
Fine Arts
Boulder High offers a variety of art classes to its students, including drawing & painting, pottery, studio arts, portfolio art, and photography. The photography department is primarily run by Mr. Dave Blessing, who has been teaching photography at Boulder High for over 10 years. There are photography classes offered up to a 4th level, and after that are independent study opportunities for those students who wish to continue to study photography. Virginia Schick teaches studio art, portfolio art, and drawing & painting; Kate Villarreal teaches all levels of pottery.Panther TV
Boulder High students create a weekly broadcast, showing announcements and student made content to the entire school. PTV is currently sponsored by John Matos.Student worker
In 1999, Boulder High students founded the political activist group Student Worker. Several of Student Worker's demonstrations have received national attention, including the January 2005 "sleep-in" protesting the War in Iraq and the May 2001 "kiss-in" supporting alternative sexuality. In May 2005, Student Worker, in a partnership with Peace Jam, erected 1,650 miniature American flags in memory of soldiers killed in Iraq, and in September 2007, the group protested the Pledge of Allegiance, citing an objection to the "one nation, under God" clause. They instead recited a revised version.In February 2009, it briefly advocated renaming Boulder High School "Barack Obama High School," which was met with overwhelming opposition from the student body, school administrators, and the community, including calls to abolish the club.
Model United Nations
In fall 2005, the Model United Nations club was founded by history teachers Richard Trinkner and Andy Aiken. In Model United Nations (often referred to as "Model UN" or "MUN"), students take on the roles of diplomats from countries around the globe to discuss, debate, and solve today's pressing international issues. Students research and prepare elaborate presentations for both in-state and national Model UN conferences, attempting to compete with delegations represented by schools in Colorado. Boulder MUN has consistently proven itself a team. Boulder MUN attends a national conference each year, and has brought home awards. In 2008 and 2009, Boulder established itself, winning an award in a conference they attended.Safety Scares
On May 10, 2007, a cafeteria worker reported seeing two masked men enter the school before class hours wearing camouflage and ski masks. Classes were subsequently canceled while the school was locked down and searched by police. After multiple inspections, nothing suspicious was found, and school returned to normal the next day.Rumors that a song performed at a school talent show would include death threats to the president also garnered national attention, although a subsequent investigation indicated that the rumors were false.
Also, Boulder High School has endured multiple scam bomb threats in the past several years, prompting a moderate increase in school security.
Conference on World Affairs: 2007
Each year, Boulder High hosts several panels of the University Of ColoradoUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
's Conference on World Affairs (CWA)
Conference on World Affairs
The Conference on World Affairs is hosted annually, around the second week of April, at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.-History:...
. The panels have been well attended by BHS students, have typically been supported by the faculty, and despite a focus on politically sensitive issues, have caused little public controversy with the exception of one on April 10, 2007.
The panel, entitled "STDs: Sex, Teens, and Drugs," was to debate the merits of teens' different attitudes toward sex and drugs. But according to some, the views presented by panel member Dr. Joel Becker, an associate clinical professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, were too extreme. Becker allegedly encouraged students to have sex and use illegal drugs, informed them where to easily find marijuana, and poked fun at condom use. Others argue that the objections were unfounded, and he was taken out of context. A transcript of the panel is available from BVSDWatch.org.
A Boulder High sophomore and her mother, Priscilla White, complained to the school board and protested some teachers' mandatory panel attendance policy. The board reviewed the case, but meanwhile, the complaint attracted the national media's attention. The panel was covered most prominently by Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
and radio talk show hosts Don Caplis and Craig Silverman. In an attempt to refute O'Reilly's views, a group of students publicly demanded an apology and organized to defend the CWA panel and BHS administration.
The school board concluded on May 22 that the comments in question were generally taken out of context and that the overall panel was appropriate for high school students. The school board also recognized that several statements were unnecessarily crude and recommended that, in the future, student attendance at the Conference on World Affairs be optional. Today, the CWA at Boulder High School is overseen by a committee to assure the school board's recommendations are carried out and to prevent a similar conflict from occurring again.
Notable alumni
- Dick AndersonDick AndersonRichard Paul Anderson is a former American football safety for the AFL's and NFL's Miami Dolphins, where he played for his entire ten year career from 1968 to 1977 missing one of those seasons with a knee injury....
, former NFL player for the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and former NFLPA president - Jello BiafraJello BiafraJello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
(Eric Boucher), lead singer of 70s Punk-rock band Dead KennedysDead KennedysDead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene.... - Brian BonsallBrian BonsallBrian Eric Bonsall is an American former child actor. He is best known for playing the youngest Keaton child, Andy, on the NBC sitcom Family Ties from 1986 through 1989. He is also known for his portrayal of Alexander Rozhenko, the son of Worf, on Star Trek: The Next Generation.- Early life and...
former child actor most best known for Family TiesFamily TiesFamily Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young... - Scott CarpenterScott CarpenterMalcolm Scott Carpenter is an American engineer, former test pilot, astronaut, and aquanaut. He is best known as one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959....
, Project Mercury astronaut - Steve EllsSteve EllsSteve Ells is the founder, Co-CEO, and Chairman of Chipotle Mexican Grill. Ells founded Chipotle in 1993, and under his direction, committed the restaurant to serve only naturally raised meat and to promote sustainable agriculture....
, founder and CEO of the Chipotle restaurant chainChipotle Mexican GrillChipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a chain of restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada specializing in burritos and tacos, founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and based in Denver, Colorado... - Hale IrwinHale IrwinHale S. Irwin is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was...
, former PGAPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
golfer and current golf course architect - Heath IrwinHeath IrwinHeath Spencer Irwin is a former American football guard in the National Football League . He played for the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins, and the St. Louis Rams...
, former NFL player for the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... - Nigel Radley, host of the children's television show "Nigel the Nature Guy".
- Rick ReillyRick ReillyRichard "Rick" Paul Reilly is an American sportswriter. Long known for being the "back page" columnist for Sports Illustrated, Reilly moved to ESPN on June 1, 2008 where he is a featured columnist for ESPN.com and wrote the back page column for ESPN the Magazine...
, columnist for ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... - Chris WoodChris Wood (jazz musician)Christopher Barry Wood is an American bass player, best known for playing with the avant-garde jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood .-Biography:...
, musician and member of Blue Note Records recording artists Medeski, Martin and Wood - Leann N. Osterkamp '09, United States Presidential Scholar
- Mike BohnMike BohnMike Bohn is the athletic director at the University of Colorado. He previously held the same position at San Diego State and the University of Idaho. He was appointed on April 13, 2005, succeeding Jack Lengyel, and his appointment was extending for a second five-year term in 2010. -External...
, Athletic Director at the University of Colorado - Justin Torkelson, actor on The Bold and the Beautiful
- Morgan Carroll '90, Colorado State Senate 2008–present; Colorado House from 2005–2008
- Joan Van ArkJoan Van ArkJoan Van Ark is an American actress, most notable for her role as Valene Ewing, which she originated on the CBS series Dallas and continued for thirteen seasons on its spin-off, Knots Landing...
, actress (Knots LandingKnots LandingKnots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
) - Billy Candler [Band Manager, Sight and Sound MGMT]
- Taylor PhinneyTaylor PhinneyTaylor Phinney is a world champion American racing cyclist, specialising on the track in individual pursuit. He is the son of former professional racing cyclist Davis Phinney and former Olympic gold medal racing cyclist and speed skater Connie Carpenter-Phinney...
, Professional Cyclist