Poudre High School is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is one of four comprehensive public senior high schools in the Poudre School District, established in 1963. The school serves approximately 1,900 students with the most northwestern part of Fort Collins and outlying communities as its boundary.
History
Building
Construction of Poudre High School was planned to reduce serious overcrowding at Fort Collins High School. The cornerstone of PHS was laid June 1, 1963 by the Grand Lodge Colorado, A.F. and A.M. The original building was 142,000 square feet, had 43 teaching stations, and housed 1,150 students from Fort Collins, Waverly, Wellington and LaPorte. Over the years the building increased in size to 170,000 square feet after several additions.
In 1993, provisions were made for a major remodeling of Poudre High School and Rocky Mountain High School, as well as the rebuilding of Fort Collins High School. Construction on PHS was completed in 1995 at a total cost of $14.1 million. The building is now 275,000 square feet, with 157,000 square feet remodeled. The new construction strives to provide daylight to as many interior spaces as possible; a centrally-located outdoor environmental learning center brings natural light to the heart of the building. Additional new features include 10 science labs, a media center, 14,000 square foot gymnasium, and an additional 100-seat auditorium.
Nine modular buildings are used as classroom space in addition to the main building. Growth in communities surrounding Fort Collins has pushed the school to capacity, reaching more than 90% capacity as of April 2015. A $375 bond has been proposed to build three new schools by 2020, which would help crowding at PHS and expand school choice for prospective students.
Mascot
The first principal, Reid Pope, allowed the student body to pick the mascot. The students got the idea of the impala from a National Geographic article, becoming the only high school in the United States to have an impala mascot. Dr. Robert Parke donated an impala taxidermy to the school after a safari in Africa. The impala is currently encased in the school's entrance.
Artworks
Mural
In the 1970s, four students created a mural along the 100 hallway, in the lower level of the building, that symbolizes a student's journey through high school, focusing on the Beatles' musical transition as its theme, highlighting the progression toward increased individuality in both cases. One former principal censored a part of the mural, depicting a seven-foot tall woman smoking a two-foot long cigarette.
River Wall sculpture
To celebrate the school's 30th anniversary and near-completion of the new building, the class of 1994 gave a class gift of the "River Wall" sculpture. The artwork consists of 22 bronze plaques by four alumni artists: Bruce Gueswel, class of 1980; Barbara (Lillyblade) Breen, class of 1969; Christine (Lillyblade) Martell, class of 1967; and Jerry Hubka, class of 1966. Above the plaques reads the quote "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it." by Norman Maclean, from his semi-autobiographical novel A River Runs Through It and Other Stories. The sculpture is visible through the entrance along the curved wall of the new Media Center.
Racing the Wind Bronze Sculpture
In September 2002 the 1.5 X life size Bronze Sculpture of a running and leaping male and female Impala were installed near the main entrance to Poudre High School. The Sculpture was commissioned by Jerry Hubka (PHS Class of 1966) and PHS Art Department Teacher and Chairman for 29 years. The sculpture was purchased by a group of Poudre High School Alumni. The sculptor, Gary Hale from Tulsa, Oklahoma created the work and it was transported to Loveland Colorado and Cast in Bronze at Art Castings of Colorado.
Academics
PHS offers continuation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program for grades 9–10 and Diploma Program for college-bound students in grades 11–12, offering the Middle Years Program since 2002 and the Diploma Program since 1995. It is one of around 20 high schools in the state that offer the program. The school also offers several Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams.
Poudre was ranked yearly as one of the top high schools in the nation by Newsweek from 2003 to 2013. The scoring during this period was based on the Challenge Index, which is the number total number of AP and IB tests taken in the previous year divided by the number of graduating seniors. The scoring system was changed in 2014 to reflect several other factors and relied on public, rather than self-reported, data.