COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL

'Columbine High School'

Satellite photo of Columbine High School in 2004
'Address'	6201 South Pierce Street
'City'	Columbine CDP, Jefferson County, Colorado 80123
'Established'	1973
'Type'	Public Secondary
'Superintendent'	Dr. Cindy Stevenson
'Principal'	Dr. Frank D. DeAngelis
'Grades'	9 to 12
'District'	Jefferson County Public Schools
'Mascot'	Rebels (American Revolution)
'Colors'	Navy Blue and Silver
'School website'	Columbine Home Page
Aerial shot of Columbine High School in 1999

'Columbine High School' is a secondary school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado.
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. "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. The current principal is Dr. Frank DeAngelis.
Columbine High School is the site of the fourth deadliest school shooting in modern United States history, which took place April 20, 1999.

Contents

History

School colors

School shooting

Remodeling

Cultural references

Cheerleading squad

Football team

Notable alumni

References

External links

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 was named after the unincorporated community in which it is located, which in turn is named after the state flower of Colorado: the columbine. Its first principal was Gerald Difford.

School colors

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.

School shooting

Main articles: Columbine High School massacre

A school shooting took place on April 20, 1999, when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher, and wounded 24 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. ^[1]
After the shooting, classes at Columbine were held at nearby Chatfield High School for the remaining three weeks of that school year.

Remodeling

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

Cultural references

★ Michael Moore's 2002 film ''Bowling for Columbine'', a documentary focusing on a supposed correlation between media propaganda, guns, and gun violence, takes its title from the school's name. The documentary does not exclusively focus on the Columbine school shooting, but includes it as purported evidence of the easy availability of weapons in the United States.

★ Three Columbine-related articles have been featured in ''Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III''. One was written by a victim of the massacre, and the other two were written by survivors coping with the event and aftermath.

★ Composer Frank Ticheli wrote the concert band piece "An American Elegy" in honor of those who lost their lives the day of the Columbine school shooting and those who survived the tragedy.

★ In the song "The Good Die Young" by Tupac Shakur, Napoleon, of the Outlawz says, "This song is dedicated, to all them young kids that died innocent. Died young, at Columbine High ... rest in peace."

★ The song "April 20th" by Yellowcard is a rock ballad based on the day of the infamous massacre.

★ The Song "Cassie" by Flyleaf is about Cassie Bernall, who is attributed as being the student asked by a gunman if she believed in God.

★ The song "A New Hope" by Christian ska band Five Iron Frenzy, natives of Colorado themselves, was written in memory of the Columbine attacks. The song appeared on their live album as well as their LP "All The Hype That Your Money Can Buy"

★ The song "Youth Of The Nation" by P.O.D. is partly based on on this shooting.

★ The song "The Kinslayer" by Symphonic Metal Band Nightwish speaks about the shooting.

Cheerleading squad

The school was also home to the highest ranked cheerleading squad to ever come out of Colorado, placing 4th at the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championships in 2003.

Football team

The school most recently won the 2006 Colorado 5A State Football Championship at Invesco Field at Mile High against Mullen High School.
The team won 5A State Football Championships in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2006

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Columbine High School include:

★ Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.

★ Allan Kayser, actor, played "Bubba" in the sitcom ''Mama's Family'' [1]

★ Melanie Palenik, 1988 Olympic gold medalist in women's freestyle aerials (demonstration sport)

★ Skip Ewing, country songwriter/artist

★ Wes Hart, MLS player for the San Jose Earthquakes

★ Laval Short, former Denver Broncos and Colorado Buffaloes defensive tackle

★ Three members of Big Head Todd and the Monsters

References

1. Lessons from Littleton (Part I), National Association of Independent Schools

External links

★ Columbine High School official website

★ Map and directions to Columbine High School

★ Satellite image of Columbine High School

★ The Columbine Navigator - Links and analysis of most major media coverage