Bear Creek High School (Colorado)

Bear Creek High School
Bear Creek High School (completed 2009)
Address
9800 West Dartmouth Place Lakewood , Colorado 80227 United States
Coordinates	39°39′28″N 105°6′28″W
Information
Established	1920 (105 years ago) (1920)
School district	Jefferson County Public Schools
CEEB code	061043
Staff	75.21 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,405 (2023-2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	18.68[1]
Color(s)	Forest green and gold[2]
Athletics	CHSAA 5A
Athletics conference	Jefferson County League
Mascot	Bear
Rival	Lakewood High School
Publication	Bear Creek Television Network
Newspaper	Bear Facts
Website	bearcreekhs.jeffcopublicschools.org

Bear Creek High School is located in the southwest corner of Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of the greater Denver metro area. It is one of 18 high schools in Jefferson County.

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,[3] along with 87 full-time teachers.[4] It is a Class 4A Athletic Program and has over 34 clubs and activities.

History

Bear Creek Consolidation School[5]

Bear Creek High School was established in 1894 as the Montana School.[6][7] 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.[8] Before the school was built, all students planning to continue their education either had to live in or commute to schools in Denver.[9]

The Bear Creek Consolidated school combined five elementary school districts. The four other schools were Montana School, Lakeview, Midway and Mount Carbon.[9]

The first class in 1923 consisted of five graduates. From this point on, the school was known as the Bear Creek Consolidated School.[8]

By 1950, all of the schools in Jefferson County had been consolidated and became the Jefferson County School District R-1.[7]

The class of 1952 became the first to graduate in the newly named Bear Creek High School.[7]

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.[7] This building stood for nearly 57 years until a new building, completed in 2009, was built where the original Consolidated School once stood.[10]

Bear Creek 1962–2009[11]

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.[12] After further investigation, it was determined that the fire was an act of arson by two unnamed Bear Creek students.[13] 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.[13]

Notable alumni

• 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[14]
• Marc Schiechl, NFL linebacker
• Jeremiah Sirles, NFL offensive lineman[15]

References

1. "BEAR CREEK HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
2. "JEFFCO Public Schools - Bear Creek High Profile". jeffcopublicschools.org. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
3. "Demographics: Bear Creek High" (PDF). JEFFCO Public Schools. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
4. "Bear Creek High School Overview". US News.
5. "Bear Tracks 1947-1948" (PDF). Bear Creek Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
6. "BCHS History". Bear Creek High School. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
7. "Bear Creek High School Community Foundation". Bear Creek Foundation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
8. "Bear Creek High School Community Foundation History". Bear Creek Foundation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
9. Wilcox, Patricia (1994). Lakewood, Colorado: An Illustrated Biography. Lakewood, Colorado: Lakewood's 25th Anniversary Commission. p. 34. ISBN 0-9641751-1-8.
10. "Bear Creek High School Construction Overview". JEFFCO Public Schools. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
11. "BCHS History". Bear Creek High School. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
12. "Fire at Bear Creek High School Extinguished". The Denver Channel. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
13. Schrader, Ann (April 23, 2008). "Arson Gutted Bear Creek High Gym". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
14. "Dennis Rasmussen". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
15. "Jeremiah Sirles". Chargers. Archived from the original on August 14, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.

External links

• Official website