NORTHGLENN — Northglenn High School is older than the city of Northglenn.
The oldest flagship high school of the Adams County School District 12 is turning 50 this year, and teachers, students and alumni are gathering to celebrate the milestone and remember the history and traditions of being Norsemen.
Kasey Nunn, a social studies and psychology teacher at Northglenn High School, was a student there 19 years ago, and she isn’t alone. Sharee Blunt, the school’s principal, graduated as a Norseman in 1986.
In fact, 38 teachers who have cycled in and out of Northglenn were also students there, once upon a time.
“That’s says a lot for the school, I think,” Nunn said. “It’s kind of unheard of in a high school. There are probably about 25 of us teachers here now who were students.”
Many teachers, students and alumni from the high school describe it as a community staple — somewhere their parents and friends’ parents went.
“I grew up in Illinois, so I didn’t go here, but I’ve never seen a school that has so many people who are still associated with it,” said Matt Oehlert, assistant principal at Northglenn. “Anywhere I go, if I’m wearing something with Northglenn on it, I’ll run in to someone who went here. There’s a pretty high percentage of staff who have graduated and come back. Higher than anywhere else I’ve ever seen.”
To date, almost 23,000 students have graduated from Northglenn High.
“My mom graduated from Northglenn, and so did all of my aunts and uncles,” said Hannah Moser, 15, a sophomore this year. “My cousin is a senior right now, and his parents and all of his older siblings all went to Northglenn. Actually, my English teacher went to school with my mom.”
Northglenn High School was built in 1965 with only a fraction of its present space. There were 470 students back then, and no cafeteria, gymnasium or office space. The class levels also began at 10th grade, and that didn’t change until the 1990s.
Northglenn was incorporated as a city in 1969, and the first graduating class at Northglenn High was 1968.
Today, there are 1,977 students at the school, which has undergone five major renovations and expansions. The most recent in 2010 replaced the school’s 40-year-old pool with its new, 16,000-square-foot STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) facility.
“The swimming pool was built in 1968, and every kid in the neighborhood came to swim here,” Nunn said. “So, a lot of people were shocked when they found out the district was closing the pool. But it was leaking, and they were losing money trying to maintain it … (This) will be their opportunity to come see where the pool used to be.”
Showing off the STEM facility to alumni over the course of the year through the events planned for the anniversary celebration is high on Blunt’s list. First up is an open house Friday at the high school, where more than 1,000 alumni are expected.
“Our STEM facility is phenomenal, but we have a lot of interest in expanding our engineering and biomedical pathways,” Blunt said. “So, with only having four classrooms over there, it makes it a little challenging to make sure that we’re meeting the needs of all the students in District 12 who want to take advantage of that opportunity.”
While no major renovations are planned in the near future, Blunt says her sights are set on expansion of the STEM school, which is likely dependent on the community passing a bond of some kind, which is not yet planned.
“I could see it happening down the road, but the school board hasn’t started those conversations yet,” Blunt said. “I’m hopeful that they will. The last mill and bond that we went after a few years ago failed, so I think they’re waiting on the timing to be right.”
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com or @Mmitchelldp
northglenn high school celebrates 50 years:
Friday, Sept. 25 — Open House and Commemoration
5:30-8:30 p.m., Northglenn High School (601 W. 100th Place, Northglenn)
Saturday, Sept. 26 — Alumni Reunion Happy Hour
6 p.m., LODO (3053 W 104th Ave., Westminster)
Wednesday, Sept. 30 — Powder Puff Game
6 p.m., Five Star Stadium (9351 Washington St., Thornton)
Friday, Oct. 2 — Homecoming Football Game
7 p.m., Five Star Stadium
Friday, Oct. 9 — I-25 Bowl: NHS vs. Thornton High School Tailgate and Game
7 p.m., Five Star Stadium
