Douglas County High School (Colorado)


Douglas County High School, sometimes nicknamed as DCHS and locally identified as DC, is a public high school in Castle Rock, Colorado, United States. It is the oldest school in the Douglas County School District.

History

Elementary through high school classes were held in the Cantril School building in Castle Rock from 1897 through 1907. Douglas County High School was built in the 600 block of Wilcox Street in 1907. The brick building burned down in a 1909 fire and was replaced with a rhyolite building. On May 28, 1937, the building was damaged by a tornado. It was repaired and saw use as a school through 1983. The building is currently used as administration offices for the school district.
Groundbreaking at the school's current location on Front Street occurred in 1961. The new school location opened in 1967, and fourth through sixth grade students attended classes at the former high school location until Castle Rock Elementary was built in 1983.

Students

Demographics:

Sports

Douglas County High School teams compete in the 5A class sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association. Teams fielded by the school include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball and wrestling. Rugby is offered through a cooperative agreement with Castle View High School through a club team named the Castle Rock Pirates. Ice hockey and inline hockey teams are fielded at the club level.

State championship titles

Music

The Douglas County High School Marching Band placed fifth in the 5A class at the 2006 and 2007 4A/5A State Marching Band Championships. They also placed 6th Place in the 2008 and 2009 5/A State Championship, and 4th place in the 2010 5/A State Championship. They performed at the Zia Marching Fiesta at the University of New Mexico stadium on October 30, 2010.
In addition to Marching Band, the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble are available for students to take. There are : Concert, Sinfonia, and Chamber Orchestras. There are four choirs: Concert Choir, Men's Choir, Belles, and Singers. Other music course offerings include introductory piano and guitar, which are each one semester courses. IB music is also offered to juniors and seniors.

Clubs and activities

Douglas County High School's Speech and Debate Team is a registered NFL chapter in the Colorado NFL District. They compete in both local and national circuit tournaments.

Curriculum

Douglas County High School adopted the International Baccalaureate program in 1996. It serves a magnet program within the district. Douglas County High School is one of few IB schools in the world that offers all four sixth subjects of Art, Music, Dance, and Theatre.

Notable alumni