Gilpin County School History
Gilpin County was
established in 1861. One of the original 17 counties, Gilpin was named
after Colorado’s first governor of the Territory of Colorado, William
Gilpin. The first public schools in Gilpin County were established a
year later in 1862. There were three schools in the area at that time:
one each in Central City, Black Hawk and Russell Gulch. At one time
there were sixteen schools in the county. The first high school
graduation was in 1888 at Central City High School (in future years the
school was known as Union High School).
As the turn of the century
approached, high school enrollment had grown and much of the existing
building was occupied by secondary students. To address the number of
students in school, Voters and District 1 responded by approving and
building a separate elementary school, Clark Grade School, around 1900
in Central City. In 1921 Gilpin County High School was established by a
vote of the people. The Gilpin County High School District paid rent to
District 31 for the use of their building. A few years later, a bond
issue was passed so that the new high school district could purchase the
building from District 1. The price included the heating plant located
in the Clark School building.
On October 26, 1959, Gilpin County
School District RE-1 was voted into existence, reorganizing seven
districts and one County High School District into one county-wide
district. Motivated by financial issues in 1965, the Board of Education
in Gilpin and in Boulder Valley voted to redraw district boundaries.
Gilpin County School District RE-1 was divided almost in half. The
southern half remained as Gilpin RE-1 while the northern half of the
county was incorporated into the Boulder Valley School District. Gilpin
RE-1 students attended school in grades K-6 at Clark Elementary School
in Central City. Students in grades 7-12 attended school in Jefferson
County or Clear Creek School Districts.
As student enrollment
numbers grew, parents requested a new school building that would bring
secondary students home to Gilpin RE-1. Voters approved the construction
of the new school in the spring of 1978.
The school site was
relocated to its present location a few miles north of Black Hawk on
Highway 119 in 1978. The one level construction included a library, a
multi-purpose room for physical education classes that also included a
kitchen for lunch services, and 17 classrooms that served kindergarten
through twelfth grade. Two years later as enrollment increased,
additional classrooms were constructed at the west end and east end of
the 1979 structure. In 1980, the main hallway was extended west and five
classrooms were added. And, at the same time, the main hallway was
extended east and six classrooms were added on the main level. The
mountain terrain enabled the east addition to include a lower level that
housed a wood shop, metal shop, and fine arts classrooms. Additionally,
a separate gymnasium with bleacher seating to serve as a field house
was constructed in 1980 just up the hill from the new school structure.
This facility served the needs of the students in the community for the
next 20 years.
The late 1990s brought the legalization of limited
gaming and gambling to Black Hawk and Central City. Civic and school
leaders anticipated a population increase to occur in conjunction with
the development of the casino industry. With the anticipation of more
students, a new building was planned and voters approved a bond issue to
finance a three story middle/high school building north of the current
school that welcomed students to its new classrooms in 2000. This new
construction incorporated a waste water treatment plant on the campus
along with the construction of a transportation maintenance garage.
The
entire school complex has a student enrollment capacity of 600 students
in grades pre-school through grade 12. However, the gaming industry did
not bring a boom increase of residents to the county or students to the
school. The school is a fitting place for students to learn and
teachers to teach.
Curricular and extracurricular offerings have
been varied and many throughout the time since secondary students
returned to Gilpin in 1978. At that time wood shop, photography,
drafting, art, theatre, and music were prominent courses in student
schedules. Football, basketball, track, volleyball, and cheerleading
have been popular sports for students to participate in over the past 25
years. Advanced coursework in English and math are offered at the
school or students may concurrently enroll in college courses and take
the courses at college or online at Gilpin RE-1. Spanish is offered to
both middle school and high school students. The Gilpin RE-1 Board of
Education has ensured over decades that the Preschool through twelfth
grade program has provided a very comprehensive educational experience
to all students.