Bear Creek High School (Colorado)
The school colors are forest green, gold, and white. The mascot is a bear. The principal is Shannon Vigil. There are 1,634 students as of October 2018, along with 87 full-time teachers. It is a Class 4A Athletic Program and has over 34 clubs and activities.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Bear_Creek_Consolidated_School_%28taken_1947%29.jpg/220px-Bear_Creek_Consolidated_School_%28taken_1947%29.jpg)
Bear Creek High School was established in 1894 as the Montana School. The school was a single room that served elementary grades one through eight. It was not until 1920 that the neighboring community decided to consolidate, thus giving the region its first high school. Before the school was built, all students planning to continue their education either had to live in or commute to schools in Denver.
The Bear Creek Consolidated school combined five elementary school districts. The four other schools were Montana School, Lakeview, Midway and Mount Carbon.
The first class in 1923 consisted of five graduates. From this point on, the school was known as the Bear Creek Consolidated School.
By 1950, all of the schools in Jefferson County had been consolidated and became the Jefferson County School District R-1.
The class of 1952 became the first to graduate in the newly named Bear Creek High School.
Although a fire in 1959 destroyed the original structure, classes were still held in the gymnasium. The new building was built just east of where the current school stands. This building stood for nearly 57 years until a new building, completed in 2009, was built where the original Consolidated School once stood.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bf/Bear_Creek_High_School_1962-2009.jpg/220px-Bear_Creek_High_School_1962-2009.jpg)
On April 22, 2008, during the construction of the new building, Bear Creek High School students experienced another major fire that damaged a gymnasium and several classrooms. After further investigation, it was determined that the fire was an act of arson by two unnamed Bear Creek students. The cause of the fire was a discarded cigarette which caught an exercise mat on fire. This was the second fire within a year at a Jefferson County school. On June 1 at Weber Elementary School a fire that was determined to also be arson, caused nearly $65 million in total damages.
Notable alumni
![]() | This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (June 2022) |
- Adeline Gray, American women's freestyle wrestler, six-time World Champion and silver medalist at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Bisi Johnson, NFL wide receiver
- Carey Lowell, actress
- Julie McCluskie, Member of the Colorado House of Representatives, and Speaker of the House
- Dennis Rasmussen, former MLB pitcher
- Marc Schiechl, NFL linebacker
- Jeremiah Sirles, NFL offensive lineman
References
- ^ "BEAR CREEK HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "JEFFCO Public Schools - Bear Creek High Profile". jeffcopublicschools.org. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- ^ "Demographics: Bear Creek High" (PDF). JEFFCO Public Schools. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Bear Creek High School Overview". US News.
- ^ "Bear Tracks 1947-1948" (PDF). Bear Creek Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "BCHS History". Bear Creek High School. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Bear Creek High School Community Foundation". Bear Creek Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Bear Creek High School Community Foundation History". Bear Creek Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ Wilcox, Patricia (1994). Lakewood, Colorado: An Illustrated Biography. Lakewood, Colorado: Lakewood's 25th Anniversary Commission. p. 34. ISBN 0-9641751-1-8.
- ^ "Bear Creek High School Construction Overview". JEFFCO Public Schools. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "BCHS History". Bear Creek High School. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Fire at Bear Creek High School Extinguished". The Denver Channel. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ Schrader, Ann (23 April 2008). "Arson Gutted Bear Creek High Gym". The Denver Post. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Dennis Rasmussen". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Jeremiah Sirles". Chargers. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.