The History of Fossil Ridge High School
Fossil Ridge High School is the fourth and newest public high school in the Poudre School District, serving Fort Collins and northern Larimer County, Colorado. Originally named "Harmony High School", our campus went through a transition from "Fossil Creek High School" to its final title, Fossil Ridge High School. Our school is named for the low ridge in front of the foothills to the west and southwest of Fort Collins and attests to the rich collection of fossils found in the Fossil Creek area.
Fossil Ridge High School is one of the thirteen nationwide Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings. The school was constructed out of "green" materials and utilizes double-pane windows, as well as solar panels to produce energy. The school saves approximately $100,000 a year in utilities. Due to Fossil Ridge's environmentally friendly design, the Discovery Channel hosted a special highlighting energy saving and its importance in our modern society at the school. The new building received the international annual design award of the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International for 2006, the "James D. MacConnell Award"[1] for outstanding new educational facilities.
Fossil Ridge opened with 475 students in grades 10 and 11 on August 18, 2004 and expanded to include seniors in 2005 and again in 2009 to include freshmen. Enrollment at Fossil Ridge remains strong with about 1970 students in grades 9-12.
Our Colors and Mascot @ Fossil Ridge
In the fall of 2003, a select committee composed of future students, parents, and community members engaged in a consensus decision process to determine the school colors and mascot. After receiving substantial input from all constituencies and engaging in lengthy discussion, the committee selected our colors as Hunter Green, Silver, and Black, and established our mascot as the SaberCat. Our mascot’s name is Fang.
At Fossil Ridge there is a community spirit of inclusion, pride and dedication to excellence in all that we do. Students take pride in and care of the school and its facilities, seek out challenging learning experiences, and involve themselves in a variety of school activities. Staff members are dedicated to excellence in their instruction, and seek to cultivate relationships of trust and respect with their students and the community. Parent involvement at Fossil Ridge is encouraged, supported and celebrated. Together, members of the Fossil Ridge learning community work hand in hand to sustain a school-wide culture of Respect, Integrity, Determination, Gratitude and Excellence (RIDGE).