| Cherry Creek High School |
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With an enrollment of approximately 3,700 students, it is the largest public or private high school in Colorado. It serves grades 9-12 and is part of the Cherry Creek School District . SCHOOL Cherry Creek High School (CCHS), officially founded in 1955, is the oldest of six high schools in the Cherry Creek School District. Located on an eighty-acre campus, CCHS is housed in four separate buildings. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the Colorado Department of Education. The Cherry Creek School district began as a one-room schoolhouse in 1874. The original schoolhouse in which CCHS and the Cherry Creek School District originated from was moved onto the Cherry Creek High School campus in 1969. It has been restored and now serves a museum-classroom in the center of the campus. COMMUNITY The Cherry Creek School District, with a student population of approximately 45,000, is located in the southeast Metro-Denver area and includes portions of Littleton, Aurora, Englewood, Centennial, the incorporated communities of Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, and Glendale, and a large unincorporated area of Arapahoe County. STUDENT BODY Student enrollment at CCHS is typically about 3,700 and includes grades 9 through 12. As of 2003, 86.9% of students were white, 6.5% were Asian American, 4.3% were Hispanic American, 2% were African American, and 0.2% were Native American. Approximately 3% of students qualified for free or reduced price meals. FACULTY AND STAFF 335 staff members work with CCHS students each day. Of those, 235 are certified teachers. Over 65% of the faculty have eleven or more years of experience in education. Eleven members of the faculty possess doctorate degrees with a total of 73% of the faculty having earned at least a master’s degree. Five deans and twelve guidance counselors provide students with support services. The student per 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 Dr. Kathleen Smith, who has been at CCHS since 1993. ACADEMICS Cherry Creek High School offers college preparatory courses in the subjects of English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Language, Art, Business Education, Consumer and Family Studies, Music, Physical Education and Health, Technology, and Theater. Students are required to take 4 units of English, 3 units of Mathematics, 2 units of Science, 2.5 units of Social Studies, 2 units of Physical Education, 1.5 units of Fine Arts, Industrial Education, or Career and Technical Education, for a total of 15 units. In addition, students must take a minimum of 6 units of electives for a total of 21 units. Each unit is equivalent to one year. Students at CCHS are offered both Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Honors options are available in the subjects of English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Language, and Music. Additionally, Advanced Placement courses are offered in 27 subject areas. In 2005, 828 students took 1,887 exams with 87% scoring a 3 or higher. CCHS has many National Merit finalists and semi-finalists each school year. Cherry Creek's class of 2004 had 13 National Merit finalists, 15 semi-finalists, and 44 commended students. Additionally, eight students were recognized as National Hispanic Scholars. Cherry Creek High School was also the winner of a John Irwin School Of Excellence Award for the 2004-2005 school year and was designated a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department Of Education . Drop-out rates at CCHS are low, with only 1.3% of students dropping out during the 2004-2005 school year. In fact, in 2005, 90% of CCHS graduates attended college; of that group, 92% attended a four-year college, and 8% attended two-year or career education schools. Fifty-seven percent of its seniors attended a Colorado college or university, and 43% went to an out-of-state institution. Of those not attending college immediately after graduation, the majority are taking a “gap year” before entering college, working, or entering the military. Colorado students are assessed once a year in order to measure their performance on state academic content standards in the subjects of reading, writing, and math, using the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). CCHS student performance on the CSAP has traditionally been strong, with Cherry Creek students scoring higher than other students in the district and state. In 2005, the school received the highest overall academic performance rating of "excellent." More than 85% of students scored proficient or advanced in reading, 77% scored proficient or advanced in writing, and 61% scored proficient or advanced in math. However, CSAP scores also showed the academic growth of students in "decline" for 2004-2005. ATHLETICS Athletically, CCHS is part of the 8-team Centennial League that also includes Grandview, Smoky Hill, Boulder, Fairview, Eaglecrest, Mullen, and Overland. Cherry Creek High School has won 163 state championships in 22 different sports and 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 athletic program in the nation. It is also well-known for its successful tennis team. The high school's mascot is the Bruin . The current athletic director is Randy McCall. EXTRACURRICULARS Cherry Creek High School offers more than 80 activity organizations, the majority of which are open to all students. Many are nationally recognized, including the Union Street Journal, Fine Print, the yearbook, the Speech and Debate Team, Future Business Leaders Of America , and DECA . The Speech and Debate Team is a “400 Club Member,” one of the top twenty programs in the United States as noted by the National Forensics League. Cherry Creek High School's student-run newspaper is the ''Union Street Journal'', a monthly color Broadsheet published on the third Thursday of each month. The paper has been published since 1973, and has won several awards for excellence from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Colorado High School Press Association. English teacher Loreen Hughes is the current faculty advisor. The band, orchestra, and choral groups are recognized across the nation as representing the finest standards in high school performing arts. The theater program performs in one of the premier facilities in the nation. In addition to three mainstage productions, CCHS offers numerous student-directed performances. AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
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