Cherry Creek High School
Encyclopedia
Cherry Creek High School (commonly Cherry Creek, Creek, or CCHS) is the oldest of six high schools in the Cherry Creek School District
in suburban Denver, Colorado
. It is one of the largest high schools in the Denver metro area, with an 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) campus and more than 3,700 students. Cherry Creek High School has been designated a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education and has received an "Excellent" rating on the Colorado School Accountability Report.
were consolidated to form Cherry Creek School District No. 5
, eliminating original School District #19 and making its one-room schoolhouse obsolete. In 1953 the schoolhouse was sold at public auction; and for the next 16 years, it was used as a storage shed. The consolidation brought the eight schools of Ash Grove, Castlewood, Cherry Creek, Cherry Hills (Cherry Creek), Cunningham, Maple Grove, Mountain View, and Sullivan (Mountain View) together for educating elementary students, but Cherry Creek area high school students did not have their own school until 1955. Appropriately, it was named Cherry Creek High School. On September 6, 1955, the school opened its doors to 364 high school students (grades 9-12) and an additional 349 younger students (grades 7-8) who had to wait until the following year for their own Cherry Creek Junior High School building to be completed.
The district bought land at the corner of South Holly Street and East Belleview Avenue in 1965, and built a second junior high school, Cherry Creek West Junior High, which opened its doors in September 1966 to 655 students, although construction was not complete until that November (for example, there was no cafeteria until then). When Cherry Creek West Junior High was opened, both it and the original junior high, renamed Cherry Creek East Junior High (now known as Campus Middle School), housed grades 7-9, making the high school a three year high school (grades 10-12).
Four separate additions were made to the high school building before 1970, more than doubling its size. The Vocational-Practical Arts Center (1970), and the Performing Fine Arts Center (1974) were added to the campus unit between the West Building, which was the entire Cherry Creek High School in 1955, and the East Building. The latter reverted to the high school when Campus Middle School was built in 1971 (grades 7-8), and Cherry Creek became again a four-year high school. Additional major renovations occurred in 1997 when the Vocational Industrial Arts Building was transformed into the Information Center. Additions to East, Fine Arts, and West were completed in 2005.
The original $800 one-room Cherry Creek Schoolhouse, found on a ranch north of Parker
, was purchased and brought back to the high school campus in 1969. Restored and now serving as a museum-classroom, it rests south of the Information Center building.
. Also located on the property are the Cherry Creek School District's
West Admissions building, West Maintenance building, and Education Service Center. It is adjacent to the building and campus of Campus Middle School and Belleview Elementary School, both of which feed into the high school.
run cafeteria. The Information Center Building has a library and technology center, the Registrar's Office, the Counseling and Post-Grad Center, and another cafeteria. Connected to IC by the "Fine Arts Tunnel", the Fine Arts Building features a large theater, music labs, and art labs. The East Building contains a gym and the Attendance and Security offices. The sprawling campus is meant to evoke a large "college-like" feel in order to prepare students for college life.
ranked the school as the 282nd best public high school in the country for academics. U.S. News and World Report gave Cherry Creek a silver medal in their 2008 public high school ratings. Cherry Creek was placed 5th in a list of the top public and private high schools in Denver in an article in 5280.
The school has received seven PRIDE awards from North Central
, the highest ever awarded.
The class of 2008 had 23 National Merit finalists and two National Hispanic Scholars. 94.7% of the Class of 2007 attended college. Cherry Creek received the 2005 Colorado High Performance Library Center Award. The library holds more than 46,000 volumes and numerous online subscription databases. 1,300 computers across the campus offer Internet access. Cherry Creek faculty founded the Cherry Creek Diversity Conference.
The class of 2009 received more than $50 million in scholarship money from schools across the United States.
every year, until the test was discontinued.
The student-to-teacher ratio in 2004 was 21.3 for the 9th grade, 19.2 for 10th grade, 18.7 for 11th grade, and 18.8 for the 12th grade.
The school's current principal is Ryan Silva, who took over after Dr. Kathy Smith retired at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.
, Grandview
, Cherokee Trail
, Smoky Hill
, Eaglecrest
, Mullen, and Overland
. Teams currently practice and compete in the 7,000 seat Stutler Bowl which was built in 1964.
In addition to more than 160 state championships, Cherry Creek has won three Wells-Fargo Cups as the All-Sport Champion in the state of Colorado. In 2005, Sports Illustrated
named it the 5th-best high school athletics program in the nation. It was also appointed the top athletic high school in the state in both 2006 and 2007 by Mile High Sports Magazine. It is also well-known for its successful tennis team. The current athletic director, Randy McCall, came under fire in early 2008 for his second job as an NCAA basketball official, for which he often missed half of each school week.
was the quarterbacks' coach for the varsity football team on which his son, Jack Elway, played.
professional Jeff Salzenstein
and several other tennis products.
won two individual state titles (she also won a pair as a junior) and helped the Bruins earn a state team championship. The team holds the state records in the 4X50-yard medley relay, 200-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, 4X50-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard breaststroke.
, Key Club
, and Future Business Leaders of America.The school's DECA
chapter is among the nation's best. In May 2009, Cherry Creek took 75 students to the national competition in Anaheim, California, the most students any high school has ever brought to the competition in the history of DECA. The Speech and Debate Team is one of the top twenty in the nation and part of “The 400" society, the top one-half of one percent of the National Forensics League school speech programs. The team has won the district competition for 23 years. Cherry Creek also has a notable Model United Nations
program, and the school is known for an annual Model U.N. competition hosted by its team. More than 40 schools across Colorado and international students from Escuala Continentale in Mexico City
come to Cherry Creek High school to partake in United Nations
simulations. Cherry Creek also has a distinguished Fine Arts Department, including the nationally-recognized audition choirs, Girls' 21 and Meistersingers, both of which travel both nationally and internationally.
. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association
(CSPA) has named the USJ a "Gold Crown Newspaper" three times (1983, 1986, and 1988). In 1989, 1991, and 1993, the USJ was named a "Silver Crown Newspaper." From 1984 to 1990, USJ staff members won 24 Gold Circle Awards from the CSPA. In more recent years, the newspaper has been the recipient of several honors from the Colorado High School Press Association, including four first-place awards in 2007 for ad design, front-page layout, and editorial writing. In 2008, the USJ won several awards including Best of Show. In 2009 and 2010, the paper won seven awards for editorials, feature articles, and design; it also received Second Best of Show.
Cherry Creek School District
The Cherry Creek School District 5, also known as Cherry Creek Public Schools, is a school district based in western Arapahoe County, Colorado. The superintendent is Mary Chesley.-History:...
in suburban Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. It is one of the largest high schools in the Denver metro area, with an 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) campus and more than 3,700 students. Cherry Creek High School has been designated a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education and has received an "Excellent" rating on the Colorado School Accountability Report.
History
In 1950, seven small school districts in Arapahoe CountyArapahoe County, Colorado
As of the census of 2000, there were 487,967 people, 190,909 households, and 125,809 families residing in the county. The population density was 608 people per square mile . There were 196,835 housing units at an average density of 245 per square mile...
were consolidated to form Cherry Creek School District No. 5
Cherry Creek School District
The Cherry Creek School District 5, also known as Cherry Creek Public Schools, is a school district based in western Arapahoe County, Colorado. The superintendent is Mary Chesley.-History:...
, eliminating original School District #19 and making its one-room schoolhouse obsolete. In 1953 the schoolhouse was sold at public auction; and for the next 16 years, it was used as a storage shed. The consolidation brought the eight schools of Ash Grove, Castlewood, Cherry Creek, Cherry Hills (Cherry Creek), Cunningham, Maple Grove, Mountain View, and Sullivan (Mountain View) together for educating elementary students, but Cherry Creek area high school students did not have their own school until 1955. Appropriately, it was named Cherry Creek High School. On September 6, 1955, the school opened its doors to 364 high school students (grades 9-12) and an additional 349 younger students (grades 7-8) who had to wait until the following year for their own Cherry Creek Junior High School building to be completed.
The district bought land at the corner of South Holly Street and East Belleview Avenue in 1965, and built a second junior high school, Cherry Creek West Junior High, which opened its doors in September 1966 to 655 students, although construction was not complete until that November (for example, there was no cafeteria until then). When Cherry Creek West Junior High was opened, both it and the original junior high, renamed Cherry Creek East Junior High (now known as Campus Middle School), housed grades 7-9, making the high school a three year high school (grades 10-12).
Four separate additions were made to the high school building before 1970, more than doubling its size. The Vocational-Practical Arts Center (1970), and the Performing Fine Arts Center (1974) were added to the campus unit between the West Building, which was the entire Cherry Creek High School in 1955, and the East Building. The latter reverted to the high school when Campus Middle School was built in 1971 (grades 7-8), and Cherry Creek became again a four-year high school. Additional major renovations occurred in 1997 when the Vocational Industrial Arts Building was transformed into the Information Center. Additions to East, Fine Arts, and West were completed in 2005.
The original $800 one-room Cherry Creek Schoolhouse, found on a ranch north of Parker
Parker, Colorado
The Town of Parker is a Home Rule Municipality in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. As a self-declared "Town" under the Home Rule Statutes, Parker is the 2nd most populous town in the county, behind Castle Rock. In recent years, Parker has become a commuter town at the southeasternmost...
, was purchased and brought back to the high school campus in 1969. Restored and now serving as a museum-classroom, it rests south of the Information Center building.
Location
The Cherry Creek High School campus is located in the city of Greenwood Village on East Union Avenue between Yosemite Street and Dayton Street. It is directly across the street from Cherry Creek State ParkCherry Creek State Park
Cherry Creek State Park is a state park located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The park is in the city of Aurora. The park consists of a natural prairie environment with an reservoir at its center which is shared by powerboats, sailboats, and paddle craft. The Cherry Creek Marina...
. Also located on the property are the Cherry Creek School District's
Cherry Creek School District
The Cherry Creek School District 5, also known as Cherry Creek Public Schools, is a school district based in western Arapahoe County, Colorado. The superintendent is Mary Chesley.-History:...
West Admissions building, West Maintenance building, and Education Service Center. It is adjacent to the building and campus of Campus Middle School and Belleview Elementary School, both of which feed into the high school.
Facilities
The campus contains four buildings (West, Information Center (IC), Fine Arts, and East) with 170 classrooms, eight tennis courts, a baseball diamond, two practice football fields, and Stutler Bowl, Creek's stadium, and a challenge course. The West Building, by far the largest of the four, houses two gyms, a swimming pool, a weight room, Shillinglaw Lecture Center, and the Creek Cafe, a DECADECA (organization)
DECA, also known as Collegiate DECA on the college level) is an international association of students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service . DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing,...
run cafeteria. The Information Center Building has a library and technology center, the Registrar's Office, the Counseling and Post-Grad Center, and another cafeteria. Connected to IC by the "Fine Arts Tunnel", the Fine Arts Building features a large theater, music labs, and art labs. The East Building contains a gym and the Attendance and Security offices. The sprawling campus is meant to evoke a large "college-like" feel in order to prepare students for college life.
Academics
In 2008, NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
ranked the school as the 282nd best public high school in the country for academics. U.S. News and World Report gave Cherry Creek a silver medal in their 2008 public high school ratings. Cherry Creek was placed 5th in a list of the top public and private high schools in Denver in an article in 5280.
The school has received seven PRIDE awards from North Central
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
, the highest ever awarded.
The class of 2008 had 23 National Merit finalists and two National Hispanic Scholars. 94.7% of the Class of 2007 attended college. Cherry Creek received the 2005 Colorado High Performance Library Center Award. The library holds more than 46,000 volumes and numerous online subscription databases. 1,300 computers across the campus offer Internet access. Cherry Creek faculty founded the Cherry Creek Diversity Conference.
The class of 2009 received more than $50 million in scholarship money from schools across the United States.
Advanced Placement
Cherry Creek High School offers Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 31 subject areas. In 2007, 906 students took 2,374 AP exams, and 87% of the students scored 3 or higher (considered passing). The next year 986 students took 2,240 AP exams, 88% scoring 3 or higher. Creek has been recognized as one of the nation's top high schools for AP participation in math, science, and technology, receiving the 2008 Advanced Placement Siemens Award. Creek is also the only school in Colorado to have offered AP French LiteratureAP French Literature
Advanced Placement French Literature was an Advanced Placement course and examination offered by the College Board. The course was designed to replicate a college French literature course for high school students...
every year, until the test was discontinued.
Faculty and Staff
331 staff members work with CCHS students each day, and of those, 229 are certified teachers. More than 67% of the faculty has eleven or more years of experience in education. Nine members of the faculty possess doctorate degrees, and a total of 76% have earned at least a master’s degree. Five deans and eleven guidance counselors provide students with support services.The student-to-teacher ratio in 2004 was 21.3 for the 9th grade, 19.2 for 10th grade, 18.7 for 11th grade, and 18.8 for the 12th grade.
Principals
- Richard Womack
- Leonard Shillinglaw (1956–1966)
- Dr. Ivan Muse (1966–1968)
- Dr. Walter Armistead (1968–1970)
- Dr. Donald K. Goe (1970–1973)
- Henry F. Cotton (1973–1988)
- Dr. Mary Gill (1988–1993)
- Dr. Kathy Smith (1993–2009)
- Ryan Silva (2009- )
The school's current principal is Ryan Silva, who took over after Dr. Kathy Smith retired at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.
Athletics
CCHS is part of the 8-team Centennial League that also includes ArapahoeArapahoe High School (Centennial, Colorado)
Arapahoe High School is a public high school in Centennial, Colorado, United States. Located in a suburb of Denver, it is the flagship of the Littleton Public Schools District as the largest of three high schools with an enrollment of 2,229 students...
, Grandview
Grandview High School (Colorado)
Grandview High School is the second largest high school in the Cherry Creek School District, with approximately 2,800 students. Grandview opened in 1998 as the district's fifth high school, built to accommodate a population boom in the district's growing southeastern region. Grandview is located...
, Cherokee Trail
Cherokee Trail High School
Cherokee Trail High School is a public secondary-educational institution located in the eastern portion of the city of Aurora, Colorado. It is the sixth high school in the Cherry Creek School District and the largest high school on the Western side of the Mississippi River...
, Smoky Hill
Smoky Hill High School
Smoky Hill High School is located in Aurora, Colorado and currently has around 2,600 students. Smoky Hill is part of the Cherry Creek School District and was the second high school built by the district in 1974.It goes by the short name 'Smoky'...
, Eaglecrest
Eaglecrest High School
Eaglecrest High School is located in unincorporated Arapahoe County, Colorado, near the cities of Aurora and Centennial. The school mascot is the Raptors, and school colors are red, black and silver. Eaglecrest was the fourth high school to open in the Cherry Creek School District, and it is a...
, Mullen, and Overland
Overland High School
Overland High School, located in Aurora, Colorado, and part of the Cherry Creek School District, opened in 1978.Overland High School is a comprehensive public, suburban, college-oriented institution. Overland High School is accredited by the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and...
. Teams currently practice and compete in the 7,000 seat Stutler Bowl which was built in 1964.
In addition to more than 160 state championships, Cherry Creek has won three Wells-Fargo Cups as the All-Sport Champion in the state of Colorado. In 2005, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
named it the 5th-best high school athletics program in the nation. It was also appointed the top athletic high school in the state in both 2006 and 2007 by Mile High Sports Magazine. It is also well-known for its successful tennis team. The current athletic director, Randy McCall, came under fire in early 2008 for his second job as an NCAA basketball official, for which he often missed half of each school week.
Football
The Cherry Creek football program has experienced a large amount of success, having won eight state championships. In the 2007 football season, John ElwayJohn Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
was the quarterbacks' coach for the varsity football team on which his son, Jack Elway, played.
Tennis
The school is perhaps best known for its tennis program, which is considered to be one of the best in the United States. Over a 28-year span, from 1980 to 2000, the boys' team won 316 consecutive dual matches. Additionally, the school has won 28 state titles in boys' tennis alone. Cherry Creek High School has produced many notable athletes including ATPAssociation of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
professional Jeff Salzenstein
Jeff Salzenstein
Jeff "Salzy" Salzenstein is an American former tour professional left-handed tennis player.Salzenstein's highest ranking was World No. 91 in June 2004...
and several other tennis products.
Women's Swimming and Diving
Cherry Creek is also a power in women's swimming, with 26 state titles. As a senior in 1991, five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Amy Van DykenAmy Van Dyken
Amy Van Dyken is an American swimmer who has six career Olympic gold medals. Four of these gold medals came in the 1996 Summer Olympics, making her the first American woman to accomplish such a feat and the most successful athlete at the 1996 Summer Olympics...
won two individual state titles (she also won a pair as a junior) and helped the Bruins earn a state team championship. The team holds the state records in the 4X50-yard medley relay, 200-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, 4X50-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard breaststroke.
State Championships
| State Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Football American football American 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... |
8 | 1982, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 |
| Soccer, Boys | 6 | 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 2010 | |
| Cross Country, Boys Cross country running Cross 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... |
5 | 1983, 1984, 1985, 1992, 2008 | |
| Cross Country, Girls Cross country running Cross 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... |
2 | 1996, 2006 | |
| Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball 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... |
5 | 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2008 | |
| Field Hockey, Girls Field hockey Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks... |
2 | 2002, 2007 | |
| Golf, Boys Golf Golf 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.... |
4 | 1957, 1958, 1961, 1973, | |
| Tennis, Boys Tennis Tennis 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... |
29 | 1980–2009, 2011 | |
| Gymnastics, Girls Gymnastics Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body... |
3 | 1993, 1995, 1998 | |
| Winter | Swimming, Girls Swimming (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... |
26 | 1974–1979, 1981–1986, 1991, 1995–2000, 2005–2010 |
| Wrestling Wrestling Wrestling 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... |
1 | 1991 | |
| Poms | 5 | 1996, 1998, 2002–2004 | |
| Basketball, Boys Basketball Basketball 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... |
1 | 1995 | |
| Spring | Tennis, Girls Tennis Tennis 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... |
27 | 1976, 1978, 1980–1985, 1989–1992, 1994, 1995, 1997-2009 |
| Lacrosse, Boys Lacrosse Lacrosse 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... |
11 | 1975, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1995, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010 | |
| Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse Lacrosse 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... |
5 | 2004, 2006–2008, 2010 | |
| Baseball Baseball Baseball 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... |
7 | 1983, 1992, 1995–1999 | |
| Soccer, Girls | 1 | 2001 | |
| Rugby, Boys Rugby football Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:... |
1 | 2011 | |
| Swimming, Boys Swimming (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... |
10 | 1974, 1975, 1985–1991, 1994 | |
| Former | Gymnastics, Boys Gymnastics Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body... |
5 | 1973, 1974, 1981, 1982, 1990 |
| Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice 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... |
3 | 1977–1979 | |
| Total | 181 | ||
Activities
Cherry Creek High School offers more than 100 activity organizations, the majority of which are open to all students. Many are nationally recognized, including the Union Street Journal, Fine Print, the Speech and Debate Team, Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Key Club
Key Club
Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
, and Future Business Leaders of America.The school's DECA
DECA (organization)
DECA, also known as Collegiate DECA on the college level) is an international association of students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service . DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing,...
chapter is among the nation's best. In May 2009, Cherry Creek took 75 students to the national competition in Anaheim, California, the most students any high school has ever brought to the competition in the history of DECA. The Speech and Debate Team is one of the top twenty in the nation and part of “The 400" society, the top one-half of one percent of the National Forensics League school speech programs. The team has won the district competition for 23 years. Cherry Creek also has a notable Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
program, and the school is known for an annual Model U.N. competition hosted by its team. More than 40 schools across Colorado and international students from Escuala Continentale in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
come to Cherry Creek High school to partake in United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
simulations. Cherry Creek also has a distinguished Fine Arts Department, including the nationally-recognized audition choirs, Girls' 21 and Meistersingers, both of which travel both nationally and internationally.
Union Street Journal
The Union Street Journal is Cherry Creek High School's student newspaper, a full-color monthly broadsheet of 16-20 pages. The USJ has received a Superior award for the state of Colorado from the National Council of Teachers of EnglishNational Council of Teachers of English
The National Council of Teachers of English is an American professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education...
. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association is an international student press association, founded in 1925, whose goal is to unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchanges, textbooks, critiques and award programs...
(CSPA) has named the USJ a "Gold Crown Newspaper" three times (1983, 1986, and 1988). In 1989, 1991, and 1993, the USJ was named a "Silver Crown Newspaper." From 1984 to 1990, USJ staff members won 24 Gold Circle Awards from the CSPA. In more recent years, the newspaper has been the recipient of several honors from the Colorado High School Press Association, including four first-place awards in 2007 for ad design, front-page layout, and editorial writing. In 2008, the USJ won several awards including Best of Show. In 2009 and 2010, the paper won seven awards for editorials, feature articles, and design; it also received Second Best of Show.
Academics
- Steven GubserSteven GubserSteven S. Gubser is a professor of physics at Princeton University. His research focuses on theoretical particle physics, especially string theory, and the AdS/CFT correspondence. He is a widely cited scholar in these and other related areas....
, professor at Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, first American to win the International Physics OlympiadInternational Physics OlympiadThe International Physics Olympiad is an annual physics competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IPhO was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967....
, received Sloan FellowshipSloan FellowshipThe Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This is distinct from the Sloan Fellows in business.... - Arthur McEvoy, author, Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School
- William Philpott, environmental historianEnvironmental historyEnvironmental history, a branch of historiography, is the study of human interaction with the natural world over time. In contrast to other historical disciplines, it emphasizes the active role nature plays in influencing human affairs. Environmental historians study how humans both shape their...
and writer, University of DenverUniversity of DenverThe University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
Media/Film
- Amanda AardsmaAmanda AardsmaAmanda Aardsma is an American actress and former beauty pageant contestant who has competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Aardsma won the Miss Colorado Teen USA title, and competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant the following year...
, actress, model, Miss Colorado Teen USAMiss Colorado Teen USAThe Miss Colorado Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Colorado in the Miss Teen USA pageant. From 2007, the pageant has been directed by the Future Productions group which also directs pageants in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota,...
, Finalist Miss Teen USA - Neal BaerNeal BaerNeal Baer, MD is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Education:...
, executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for the television show Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... - Steve Frakes, Hollywood special effects and make-up artist
- Holly Hacker, reporter for the Dallas Morning News
- Jeff McAdam, Sports Anchor/Reporter for KXXV in TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- Tracey NeedhamTracey NeedhamTracey Needham is a Texas-born American actress best known as Paige Thatcher on Life Goes On during the series' second to fourth seasons , and then on the first season of JAG as Lt. Meg Austin .-Biography:...
, actress, best known for the television shows Life Goes OnLife Goes On-Music:* Life Goes On * Life Goes On * Life Goes On * Life Goes On * Life Goes On, an album by BMX Bandits* "Life Goes On" * "Life Goes On"...
and JAGJAG (TV series)JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions... - Aron RalstonAron RalstonAron Lee Ralston is an American mountain climber and inspirational public speaker. He is widely known for having survived a 2003 canyoneering accident in Utah in which he was forced to amputate his own right arm with a dull pocketknife in order to free himself from a dislodged boulder.The incident...
, mountain climber, author - Aimee Sporer, former news anchor for KCNC-TVKCNC-TVKCNC-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated station television station in Denver, Colorado, owned by CBS Television Stations, Inc. KCNC broadcasts on UHF channel 35 from Lookout Mountain near Golden, Colorado.- Digital programming :...
in Denver - David TauchenDavid TauchenDavid Tauchen is an American journalist and public relations professional. He currently serves as public relations specialist at the Colorado School of Mines.- Background :...
, reporter for KOAA-TVKOAA-TVKOAA-TV, virtual channel 5 , is the NBC affiliate television station for southern Colorado. It is licensed to Pueblo, and broadcasts on digital channel 42 . It also operates a digital translator, K30JM-D channel 30, in Colorado Springs. The station has staff and offices in both Pueblo and Colorado...
in Colorado Springs - John WellsJohn Wells (TV producer)John Marcum Wells is an American theater and television producer, writer and director. He is best known for his role as executive producer and show runner of the television series ER, Third Watch, and The West Wing. His company, John Wells Productions, is currently based at Warner Bros. studios in...
, producerTelevision producerThe primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
for television shows including ERER (TV series)ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
and The West WingThe West Wing (TV series)The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006... - Ricky Young, former city editor for the Nashville newspaper The TennesseanThe TennesseanThe Tennessean is the principal daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky....
Music
- Mike Adams, touring audio mixer
- Kate & KaceyKate & KaceyKate & Kacey is an American country music duo consisting of identical twin sisters Kate Coppola and Kacey Coppola. In early 2008 they competed as a duo on the CMT series Can You Duet, where they took fourth place. In August 2008, they signed a recording contract with Big Machine Records...
Coppola, singer-songwriters of country music - Brian Joseph, folk singer-songwriter
- Ben LevyBenjamin Levy (double bassist)Double bassist Benjamin Levy was born in Cooperstown, New York in 1980 and grew up in Pennsylvania and Colorado. He attended Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colorado during which time he studied with David Potter, and spent two summers studying with Stuart Sankey at the Aspen Music...
, double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
ist for the Boston Symphony OrchestraBoston Symphony OrchestraThe Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
and the Boston Pops - Mieka PauleyMieka PauleyMary Dominica Pauley , more commonly known as Mieka Pauley, is an American singer-songwriter. In 2008, she won the grand prize in both Cosmopolitan's StarLaunch and the New York Songwriters Circle Songwriting Competition, and she was nominated for a Boston Music Award...
, singer-songwriter - Gregory StappGregory StappGregory Stapp is an American bass who has performed actively in concerts and operas internationally for more than 35 years. He has had a particularly fruitful partnership with the San Francisco Opera, portraying more than 30 roles with the company since 1980. He has also worked actively as a...
, opera singer - Trina Struble, principal harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ist for the Cleveland OrchestraCleveland OrchestraThe Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
Politics
- Michael HuttnerMichael HuttnerMichael Huttner is an attorney, author and activist and is the founder of ProgressNow a network of progressive communication organizations in 12 American states with over 2.4 million online members.-Founder of ProgressNow:...
, liberal activist, political consultant, and founder of ProgressNowProgressNowProgressNow, previously the Rocky Mountain Progressive Network, is a progressive lobby group in the United States that was founded in 2003. ProgressNow, a 501 organization, along with its sister organization ProgressNow Education, a 501 organization, bills itself as a network of state based... - Ed Woodland, current mayor of Eagle, ColoradoEagle, ColoradoEagle is a Statutory Town in and the county seat of Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,032 at the 2000 census.The town was made famous as the location of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault trial.-Demographics:...
Sports
- Jon EmbreeJon EmbreeJon William Embree is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. An assistant coach for two decades, he was most recently the tight ends coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League...
, University of ColoradoUniversity of ColoradoThe University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
head football coach - David AardsmaDavid AardsmaDavid Allan Aardsma is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. He is the first player alphabetically in the list of all-time Major League Baseball players, having displaced Hank Aaron upon his MLB debut....
, pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Seattle MarinersSeattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July... - Andrew GeorgeAndrew George (American football)Andrew George is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Brigham Young. George has also been a member of the Buffalo Bills...
, Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
for the Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... - Tom AshworthTom AshworthThomas F. Ashworth is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers out of the University of Colorado at Boulder...
, former Offensive Tackle for the New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe 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...
and Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... - Josh BardJosh BardJoshua David Bard is an American professional baseball catcher and designated hitter who is a free agent. Bard is a switch-hitter who throws right-handed....
, Washington NationalsWashington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
catcherCatcherCatcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to... - J.D. Brookhart, former head football coach at the University of AkronUniversity of AkronThe University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
- Bobby Brown, freestyle skier, X Games gold medalist
- John Burke, Major League Baseball pitcher, first-ever draft pick of the Colorado RockiesColorado RockiesThe Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
- Amy Van DykenAmy Van DykenAmy Van Dyken is an American swimmer who has six career Olympic gold medals. Four of these gold medals came in the 1996 Summer Olympics, making her the first American woman to accomplish such a feat and the most successful athlete at the 1996 Summer Olympics...
, Olympic swimmerSwimming at the Summer OlympicsSwimming has been a sport at every modern Summer Olympics. It has been open to women since 1912. Along with track & field athletics and gymnastics it is one of the most popular spectator sports at the Games and the one with the largest number of events....
and gold medalist - Matt IsemanMatt IsemanMatthew C. "Matt" Iseman is an American comedian, actor, and television host, who began his career as a physician.- Early life and medical career :...
, host of Sports SoupSports SoupSports Soup was a weekly series airing in the U.S. on Versus. The show , hosted by Matt Iseman, satirizes recent events in sports and the stations that cover them in similar fashion to sister network E! Entertainment Television's series The Soup... - Brad LidgeBrad LidgeBradley Thomas "Brad" Lidge is a reliever who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "Lights Out", he is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with at least 200 appearances in their career...
, reliever, All-Star and World Series Champion for the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League... - Darnell McDonaldDarnell McDonaldDarnell Tyrone McDonald is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.-Professional career:...
, outfielderOutfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"... - Donzell McDonaldDonzell McDonaldDonzell McDonald is a professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball in 2001-02. Donzell is the older brother of Darnell McDonald, who currently plays for the Boston Red Sox.- Early life :McDonald grew up in Fort Collins,...
, former MLB player for the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division... - Jill McGillJill McGillJill McGill is an American professional golfer on the LPGA Tour.McGill was born in Denver, Colorado. She played college golf at the University of Southern California and won the U.S. Women's Amateur title in 1993 and the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links in 1994. She played on the 1994 Curtis Cup...
, professional LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
golfer - Tyler PolumbusTyler PolumbusTyler Polumbus is an American football offensive tackle who is currently on the Washington Redskins. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
, NFL player for the Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... - Mark Randall, former NBA basketball player, led the Kansas JayhawksKansas JayhawksThe sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
to the 1991 National Championship Game1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana... - Mike ReidMike Reid (golfer)Michael Daniel Reid is an American professional golfer.Reid was born in Bainbridge, Maryland. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1976 and turned professional the same year. During his collegiate golf career, Reid was selected for All-American honors from 1973-1976...
, PGAPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
golfer - Michael RuffinMichael RuffinMichael David Ruffin is an American professional basketball player who plays for Obradoiro CAB in Spain. At 6'8" and 248 lbs, he plays as a forward/center....
, Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail BlazersThe Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
forward - Jeff SalzensteinJeff SalzensteinJeff "Salzy" Salzenstein is an American former tour professional left-handed tennis player.Salzenstein's highest ranking was World No. 91 in June 2004...
, tennis player - Kyle ShanahanKyle ShanahanKyle Shanahan is an NFL offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins. Shanahan, at 28 years, 26 days old, became the youngest coordinator in the NFL when he was promoted by the Houston Texans on January 11, 2008...
, NFL offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins - Eve TorresEve TorresEve Marie Torres is an American dancer, model, and professional wrestler. She is working for WWE on Raw brand. She is a two time WWE Divas Champion.Torres began her career as a model and dancer...
, WWE DivaWWE DivaDiva is a term used by World Wrestling Entertainment , an American professional wrestling promotion, to refer to its female talent. The term is applied to women who appear as wrestlers, managers or valets, backstage interviewers, or ring announcers....
for the WWE Monday Night RAW - Sean TuftsSean TuftsSean Tufts is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers.-University of Colorado Football 2000–2003:...
, linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... - Jonathan VaughtersJonathan VaughtersJonathan Vaughters is an American former professional racing cyclist and current manager of the professional cycling team.- Racing career :...
, former professional cyclist, Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
competitor, and current director of the Garmin-ChipotleTeam Garmin-ChipotleGarmin-Cervélo is a UCI ProTeam established in 2007 out of the TIAA-CREF and 5280 development squads and based in the United States...
cycling team
- Danny Summerhill, U23 2009 Cyclocross Champion