Columbine High School

Columbine High School or CHS is a high school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.

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 is named after the surrounding community of Columbine, which in turn is named after the state flower of Colorado: the columbine. The school's first principal was Gerald Difford.

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.

Massacre
Columbine High School was the site of one of the deadliest massacres in modern United States history. It is the deadliest high school massacre in U.S. history. This massacre took place on April 20, 1999, when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher, and wounded 23 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.

After the shooting, classes at Columbine were held at nearby Chatfield Senior High for the remaining three weeks of that school year.

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

Address
The school is located at 6201 South Pierce Street, one mile west of the Littleton city limits and one-half 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 in Jefferson County and part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district, and not the Littleton Public Schools system; Littleton is the seat of Arapahoe County.

Alumni

 * Darrel Akerfelds - Major League Baseball pitcher playing with the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies from 1986 through 1991.
 * Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold - Perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.
 * Allan Kayser - Actor who played "Bubba" in the sitcom Mama's Family.
 * Melanie Palenik - 1988 Olympic gold medalist in women's freestyle aerials.
 * Skip Ewing - Country songwriter and artist.
 * Wes Hart - MLS player who last played for the San Jose Earthquakes in 2005.
 * Laval Short - Former Denver Broncos and Colorado Buffaloes defensive tackle.
 * Todd Park Mohr - Guitar and vocals, Brian Nevin, drums and vocals, and Rob Squires, bass, of Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
 * Glenn Scott - Former member of the Colorado House of Representatives.
 * Jeanie Schroder - Member of DeVotchKa.
 * Sue Manteris - Newscaster Las Vegas TV media and channel 3. Played CNN reporter Sue Tripathi in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous.
 * Rachel Scott - The first of the 13 victims of the Columbine High School massacre. The youth program Rachel's Challenge was created in her memory.
 * Cassie Bernall - One of the 13 victims of the Columbine High School massacre.