Golden High School
Encyclopedia
Golden High School is a secondary school
in Golden, Colorado. It is located in Golden
, the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado
, United States
. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools
district.
and was part of Golden School District #1. GHS was the first senior high school opened in Jefferson County, Colorado
, and was among the earliest high schools in the state. Originally Golden High did not offer graduation, but its first graduating class was in 1886, consisting of 11 students (Pearl A. Baird, Harry L. Bellam, Mary A. Camp, May E. Collom, Nellie M. Davidson, Robert W. Fisher, Beulah Moore, Myrmeta Perkins, Mary Constance Perrin, Lavinia L. Rowe and Henrietta Sampson). GHS remained in the South School, as it became known, eventually largely taking the building over as primary grades sharing the building moved on to other places, until a new Golden High School was built in 1922-24. This building served until the third Golden High School was completed in 1956, which served until the current school was completed in 2008. GHS athletics date at least as far back as 1893, when the Colorado Transcript
reported that the GHS football team defeated Jarvis Hall college 22-4 at Brooks Field
on October 14, 1893.
given to the school by banker Jesse W. Rubey in memory of his brother Harold, a clay miner. Golden's North Side Improvement Association created a companion park for the school across 10th Street, named in memory of the park's spearheader George Washington Parfet . This school building was expanded in 1950 and 1953, and finally the new Jefferson County R-1 School District decided to build the rapidly growing school a new home at 701 24th Street. Noted Denver architect Temple Hoyne Buell
, after whom Denver's Buell Theatre is named, was hired to design the new Golden High School. Drawing from California school stylings, Buell created a Modernist outdoor campus of separate school buildings aligned towards the southwest, fronting on 24th Street. A 1987 expansion linked together most of these buildings, while giving the school a pronounced glass arched atrium entrance. In 2006 construction began on a new home for Golden High School, which was completed in 2008. Like each of its predecessors it is also a brick edifice, formed in a U-shape surrounding a central courtyard, perched on the hillside which has been the GHS home for over half a century.
Today the 2nd and 4th incarnations of GHS continue to stand in Golden. The first incarnation (South School), phased out of public school use in 1936, became home to the Colorado School of Mines
geophysics department until it was deemed structurally unsafe and destroyed in the 1960s. The second incarnation became Golden Junior High School in 1956 and continued until 1988, after which it became the American Mountaineering Center and is today listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The third incarnation of GHS was destroyed in 2008 after the completion of its fourth incarnation, the present school. Elements from the third building are known to have survived in the community, such as the bleachers which are now installed at Heritage Christian Academy in Fort Collins, and it is possible elements from the first have as well.
newspaper of November 30, 1905 recounted the event:
On the 100th anniversary of this event, where Nolin saved over 100 lives, the Golden City Council declared November 23, 2005 to be Oscar Nolin Day, with GHS principal Mike Murphy accepting the award. Nolin was otherwise an honored citizen in Golden history who helped develop the city, served with the Golden Fire Department and on the Golden City Council. Nolin died in the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918 trying to save his brother's life.
on a social engagement at the school. The GHS mascot is the Demon, voted overwhelmingly by the students and teachers in 1928 as nominated by student Harriet Summers in a school contest.
Colorado°N date=July 2009°W
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Golden, Colorado. It is located in Golden
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
, the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools
Jefferson County Public Schools (Colorado)
Jefferson County School District R-1 is a school district in Jefferson County, Colorado. It is the largest school district in Colorado and was the 32nd largest school district in the United States in 2001-2002...
district.
History
Golden High School was created in 1873, when the new consolidated school building of Golden was opened. It was named after the city of Golden, ColoradoGolden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
and was part of Golden School District #1. GHS was the first senior high school opened in Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....
, and was among the earliest high schools in the state. Originally Golden High did not offer graduation, but its first graduating class was in 1886, consisting of 11 students (Pearl A. Baird, Harry L. Bellam, Mary A. Camp, May E. Collom, Nellie M. Davidson, Robert W. Fisher, Beulah Moore, Myrmeta Perkins, Mary Constance Perrin, Lavinia L. Rowe and Henrietta Sampson). GHS remained in the South School, as it became known, eventually largely taking the building over as primary grades sharing the building moved on to other places, until a new Golden High School was built in 1922-24. This building served until the third Golden High School was completed in 1956, which served until the current school was completed in 2008. GHS athletics date at least as far back as 1893, when the Colorado Transcript
Golden Transcript
The Golden Transcript is the second oldest newspaper in Colorado, behind the Central City Register-Call. The Transcript is also the oldest media outlet of the Denver metropolitan area. It is published by Mile High Newspapers in Golden, Colorado....
reported that the GHS football team defeated Jarvis Hall college 22-4 at Brooks Field
Brooks Field (Colorado)
Brooks Field is one of the oldest football stadiums in existence, tracing its origins back to 1892 as the playing field of the Colorado School of Mines. Originally it was a dirt surface athletic field in exactly its current configuration, built within a clay pit, a fitting mined-out home for the...
on October 14, 1893.
GHS buildings
Golden High School has been housed in four buildings since it began in 1873. Originally GHS was housed in what became known as the South School, built in 1873 as a comprehensive school building to house all of Golden's classes. The South School was a two-story brick structure with stone trim located at 1314 Cheyenne Street, a beautiful Second Empire styled building designed by Golden architect James B. Baker. Over time several lower class levels were phased out and the building expanded, and in time Golden residents wished to have a pure high school building of the latest design. They built a new Golden High School at 710 10th Street on the north side of the city in 1922-24. This was an impressive two-story blond brick structure atop a full basement, designed in the Beaux Arts style by noted Denver architect Eugene G. Groves. It featured a full upper story auditorium, gymnasium, and painting Dawn of the West by noted Santa Fe artist Gerald R. CassidyGerald R. Cassidy
Gerald R. Cassidy was an early 20th century artist, muralist and designer who lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A noted public artist, Cassidy created projects including the mural Dawn of the West and Parfet Park in Golden, Colorado, where he was an honorary member of the Golden Kiwanis Club...
given to the school by banker Jesse W. Rubey in memory of his brother Harold, a clay miner. Golden's North Side Improvement Association created a companion park for the school across 10th Street, named in memory of the park's spearheader George Washington Parfet . This school building was expanded in 1950 and 1953, and finally the new Jefferson County R-1 School District decided to build the rapidly growing school a new home at 701 24th Street. Noted Denver architect Temple Hoyne Buell
Temple Hoyne Buell
Temple Hoyne Buell was an American architect.Buell was born to a prominent Chicago family and the grandson of Thomas Hoyne. He studied architecture at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed graduate studies at Columbia University. He served in France during World War I, where he...
, after whom Denver's Buell Theatre is named, was hired to design the new Golden High School. Drawing from California school stylings, Buell created a Modernist outdoor campus of separate school buildings aligned towards the southwest, fronting on 24th Street. A 1987 expansion linked together most of these buildings, while giving the school a pronounced glass arched atrium entrance. In 2006 construction began on a new home for Golden High School, which was completed in 2008. Like each of its predecessors it is also a brick edifice, formed in a U-shape surrounding a central courtyard, perched on the hillside which has been the GHS home for over half a century.
Today the 2nd and 4th incarnations of GHS continue to stand in Golden. The first incarnation (South School), phased out of public school use in 1936, became home to the Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...
geophysics department until it was deemed structurally unsafe and destroyed in the 1960s. The second incarnation became Golden Junior High School in 1956 and continued until 1988, after which it became the American Mountaineering Center and is today listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The third incarnation of GHS was destroyed in 2008 after the completion of its fourth incarnation, the present school. Elements from the third building are known to have survived in the community, such as the bleachers which are now installed at Heritage Christian Academy in Fort Collins, and it is possible elements from the first have as well.
Boiler incident and memorial
On November 23, 1905 Golden High School, along with the other classes (primary grades 1-3) of the South School building it was in, was saved from a boiler explosion by Oscar Nolin, janitor of the school. As the front page of Golden's Colorado TranscriptGolden Transcript
The Golden Transcript is the second oldest newspaper in Colorado, behind the Central City Register-Call. The Transcript is also the oldest media outlet of the Denver metropolitan area. It is published by Mile High Newspapers in Golden, Colorado....
newspaper of November 30, 1905 recounted the event:
On the 100th anniversary of this event, where Nolin saved over 100 lives, the Golden City Council declared November 23, 2005 to be Oscar Nolin Day, with GHS principal Mike Murphy accepting the award. Nolin was otherwise an honored citizen in Golden history who helped develop the city, served with the Golden Fire Department and on the Golden City Council. Nolin died in the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918 trying to save his brother's life.
Colors and mascot
The official Golden High colors are maroon and white, which date at least as far back as 1906 when Herman Coors reported to the Colorado TranscriptGolden Transcript
The Golden Transcript is the second oldest newspaper in Colorado, behind the Central City Register-Call. The Transcript is also the oldest media outlet of the Denver metropolitan area. It is published by Mile High Newspapers in Golden, Colorado....
on a social engagement at the school. The GHS mascot is the Demon, voted overwhelmingly by the students and teachers in 1928 as nominated by student Harriet Summers in a school contest.
Notable alumni
- Greg GermannGreg GermannGregory Andrew "Greg" Germann is an American actor. He played the roles of Richard Fish in the television series Ally McBeal, businessman Mattson from Child's Play 2 and the vet Laurence from Quarantine...
, actor - Roy HartzellRoy HartzellRoy Allen Hartzell , played in the Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1916.Hartzell started his career with the St...
, Baseball player for St. Louis BrownsBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
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, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Houston AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field... - Bill PhillipsBill Phillips (author)William Nathaniel "Bill" Phillips is an American entrepreneur and author. He is the author of the fitness book Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength. He is the author Eating for Life, founder and former editor in chief of Muscle Media magazine and the former CEO of EAS, a...
, a fitness and nutrition author and entrepreneur, former CEO of Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS) - J.J. ThomasJarret ThomasJarret John Thomas, more commonly known as J.J. Thomas, is a snowboarder who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics and took bronze in the men's halfpipe competition. Along with Ross Powers and Danny Kass, the trio completed the first sweep for the United States since 1956...
, 2002 Olympic bronze medalist, men's halfpipe - John Charles VivianJohn Charles VivianJohn Charles Vivian was a United States attorney, journalist, and Republican politician who served as the 30th Governor of the State of Colorado from 1943 to 1947. He was the first Lt. Governor of Colorado to be elected Governor.John Charles Vivian was born in Golden, Colorado, on June 30, 1889...
, Ex-Governor of ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... - Michael K. WirthMichael K. WirthMichael K. Wirth is Chevron Corporation's executive vice president for Downstream, a position he assumed in March 2006. He is responsible for directing the company's worldwide refining, marketing, lubricants, petrochemicals and trading businesses....
, Executive Vice President Chevron CorporationChevron CorporationChevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,... - Sean HollandSean HollandSean Holland is an American actor born on October 27, 1968, in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his role as Sean Holiday on the television sitcom Clueless which ran for three seasons . Another acting role included the part of Stormy in CHiPs '99, a movie reunion of the 1977 –...
, CEO Coco Machete Records Inc.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, ColoradoNational Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, ColoradoThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Colorado.It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States...
Colorado°N date=July 2009°W