ThunderRidge Weekly Update

Happy Friday!

It was so great to see many of you (and so many of our wonderful students) at the spring Academic Lettering Ceremony on Tuesday. How fun it is to celebrate the accomplishments of our students and their support teams. Wednesday night, we welcomed 8th grade families seeking to learn more about the sports we offer here at TR.

For the parents of 9th and 10th graders, I bet this was a very, very happy Friday indeed (with no school). We did CMAS testing for 11th graders this morning and Senior Boards this afternoon. I was blown away by the work the students on my board did. A huge shout out and thank you to Ms. Vande Vusse for facilitating and coordinating the Senior Project for the whole school. Thank you to mentors, community members, counselors, teachers, and parents who helped students meet this expectation.

And to our Grizzly Seniors, I am in awe of you! You are a cut above the rest, for sure. While I know doing the Senior Project and Senior Board represents work other schools do not have to do, I have no doubt that you will be better prepared with a variety of life skills because of this project. Now, I hope you get some well-earned rest!

This week, we also celebrated Assistant Principals week. If you’ve worked closely with one of our APs and have a moment to send them a note of appreciation for something specific they have done, that would be lovely. We have a couple of pics of them (on our super-dry lawn) that I’m including here. Because we had to take our pics at separate times, I tried to use AI to merge us all into one photo. If you’d like a giggle, feel free to try it yourself with the photos found here. AI is great at a lot of things, but that task sure wasn’t one of them!

Congratulations to our Assistant Principal Bobby Florio on becoming Mesa Middle School's Principal starting next year! We have a job posting on the district website to fill Bobby’s position. We are also hiring for a second dean position to streamline attendance and discipline support with students and families next year. One hope of this change is to make our responses to student behaviors more prompt, consistent, and clear - which I’ve heard from staff, students, and families is a shared request. With the upcoming cell phone policy, some possible changes to Grizzly Hour, and a partial retirement on the admin team, we’re also seeking to be proactive.

If you’re interested in celebrating TR in a different way, we will be honored for having earned the John Irwin award for Academic Excellence (it’s a pretty prestigious state award) on Monday, May 4th at 6PM at DCSD’s Legacy Campus. Feel free to Thunder-wear it up and show your Grizzly Pride at this event.

DCSD will be emailing all middle and high school students and staff with their annual experience survey soon. Please encourage students to check their inboxes (including their Spam!) for that info soon. The survey opens April 15th and closes April 30th.

Remember, next week’s schedule is wonky due to testing. Please see the schedule below so you know where your student needs to be and at what time. If they want to do a last minute cram session, I encourage students to login to Brain Buffs and try some practice exercises. The login info is in their DCSD email.

I hope you all get to rest and relax this weekend. I’ve heard we might get rain - which we badly need.

Looking forward to a great testing week next week. I know our Grizzlies will make us (and themselves) proud!

:) Liz

April 10-11: Spring Musical: Mamma Mia - 7:00pm - Auditorium - SOLD OUT
April 10 - 15: Spring Testing
April 15: IB Art & Film CreateFest - 5:30-8:00 - Halls of TR
April 20-22: CMAS/SAT/PSAT Make-Ups
April 24 : Professional Development Day - No students
April 24 : Prom - Chatfield Farms - 8:30-11:00pm / After Prom - Sporty Pickle - 11:30pm - 2:00am
April 27: Compensation Day - No students
May 4-15 : AP Testing
May 7: Underclassmen Awards Ceremony - 5:30pm - Main Gym
May 11-13 : Senior Finals
May 13 : Instrumental Concert - 7:00pm - Auditorium
May 14 : Choir Concert - 7:00pm - Auditorium

May 15: Senior Checkout - more information to come

May 20: Senior Awards Ceremony

May 26: No school due to Graduation

May 26: Class of 2026 Graduation Ceremony - 9:00am - University of Denver

May - Underclassmen Finals

May 29: Last day of school

Monday, April 13, 2026

9th grade: PSAT testing 7:40 - 11 a.m.*

9th grade only lunch: 11:05 - 11:40 a.m.

10th, 11th & 12th grade: Arrive at 11:45 a.m. for Grizz Hour* (No Lunch Available)

All grades: Grizz Hour 11:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

Period 1 12:25 - 1:35 p.m.

Period 2 1:40 - 2:50 p.m.

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

11th grade: SAT testing 7:40 a.m. - 11 a.m.*

11th grade only lunch: 11:05 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.

9th, 10th & 12th grade: Arrive at 11:45 a.m. for Grizz Hour* (No Lunch Available)

All grades: Grizz Hour 11:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

Period 3 12:25 - 1:35 p.m.

Period 4 1:40 - 2:50 p.m.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

10th grade: PSAT testing 7:40 a.m. - 11 a.m.*

10th grade only lunch: 11:05 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.

9th, 11th & 12th grade: Arrive at 11:45 a.m. for Period 5* (No Lunch Available)

All grades: Period 5 11:45 a.m. - 12:43 p.m.

Period 6 12:48 - 1:46 p.m.

Period 7 1:51 - 2:50 p.m.

Thursday, April 16, 2026

All grades: Green Day (Regular Schedule)

Friday, April 17, 2026

All grades: Blue Day (Regular Schedule)

* Transportation: Buses will operate on a normal schedule during all testing days.

Students who ride the bus and are not testing will be restricted to the commons for the duration of the testing period each morning.

** Attendance should be called in as normal.

Moonlit Masquerade - Chatfield Farms

8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Rd., Littleton, CO 80128

8:30-11:00pm

After-Prom - Sporty Pickle

8640 S. Peoria St. Unit 100, Englewood, CO 80112

11:30pm

Tickets are now on sale

Bundle (Prom + After Prom) - $50

Prom Only - $40

Guest forms are available via the ticket link.

Students are encouraged to wear masquerade masks!

Congratulations to our FBLA team for their impressive showing at State:

• Brogan Meyer & Koleton Pfaff - 2nd Place Business Management
• Jack Brown - 3rd Place Personal Finance
• Kiera Ellmore & Mia Petrovic - 3rd Place Event Planning
• Cole Penney - 5th Place Intro to Programming
• Reagan Billows - 10th Place Graphic Design
• Sophie Cleland, Ella McCormick & Charlotte Dunford - 11th Place Marketing

Students who placed in the top 4 have qualified for the national competition this summer in San Antonio, TX.

All of our students did a fantastic job representing our school. Congratulations to all!

For your convenience, DU has provided a visitors guide for graduation. Please see the guide here for maps on where to park, how to enter Magness Arena, and where to meet your graduate after the ceremony. A list of prohibited items is also included. Please note that DU has a clear bag policy for graduations. Diaper bags and medical bags of a certain size are allowed. Please plan accordingly.

Tickets are not required and seating is on first come, first served basis. Doors open at 8:15am, and the ceremony begins at 9:00am.

The deadline to order your seniors' cap and gown is May 1st. Order online at urherffjones.com. For detailed ordering instructions, click here.

If you or a family member require an ASL interpreter at graduation, please contact Lisa Todd at Ltodd1@dcsdk12.org no later than April 30th.

DU is equipped to accommodate handicap parking and seating on a first come, first served basis. No reservations are necessary.

The following elementary schools are hosting Senior Breakfasts to congratulate their former students before they graduate. Click on your school's name below for more information, or contact your feeder school directly with questions.

Eldorado Elementary / Roxborough Elementary / Saddle Ranch Elementary / Stone Mountain Elementary / Trailblazer Elementary

The Trailblazer Elementary School PTO is excited to once again offer a $750.00 scholarship to a deserving senior at ThunderRidge High School who also attended Trailblazer Elementary School.

Requirements for Scholarship

● Must have attended Trailblazer Elementary School for at least one (1) year

● Must be currently enrolled as a Senior at ThunderRidge High School

● Must be attending a college or university in Fall 2026

To apply for this scholarship

Please write a detailed essay that includes your favorite memory from Trailblazer Elementary School, or what impact having attended Trailblazer Elementary School had on you. Please also include information on your future college and career plans.

Submissions due by: April 15, 2026

We would like to present the Scholarship in person at our May 5, 2026 PTO meeting.Recipient will be notified prior to our May meeting date.

Please remit essay to:

Trailblazer Elementary School PTO

TrailblazerElementarySchoolPTO@gmail.com

Dear Freshman Parent / Caregiver,

This year school staff are working to teach students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. We are using a program called Signs of Suicide (SOS),which teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help.

SOS has been used by thousands of schools for over 20 years. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide, while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.

Through the program, students learn:

• that depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help

• how to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend

• to ACT (Acknowledge, Care, & Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend

• who they can turn to at school for help

On April 21st and 28th, 9th grade students will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend.

At the end of class, students will complete an exit slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns. School staff will conduct brief meetings with any student asking to talk.

Resources:

• SOS for Parents & Caregivers

• www.mindwise.org/parents - Includes information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program, please contact their school counselor. If you would like to opt your student out of this lesson please click here.

This past week TRHS Counselors met with 231 students to support academics, social emotional wellness, and post secondary planning. As we are winding down the year, Counselors are focused on helping students cross the finish line, by working with students, teachers and families to ensure students have the tools they need to be successful. We are particularly excited to participate in Senior Boards and see what amazing things our seniors have accomplished!

The testing season is upon us! Parents and students can view the testing schedule here. If students/parents wish to opt out of a test, instructions can be found here. We strongly encourage juniors to take the SAT, as this will meet a graduation requirement.

As we are nearing the end of the school year, and with final exams approaching, we want to remind students and families of the academic resources available at TRHS:

• National Honor Society students are available for help during Griz Hour each week in room C108
• ALL teachers are available to help students during Griz Hour each week
• TRHS Peer Counselors are caring upperclassmen trained to help students with whatever they may need. Talk to your counselor if you would like to be paired with someone, or stop by the counseling office.

There is always a counselor, or member of the mental health team, on call in the counseling office, should students need immediate help with an urgent situation. TRHS Counselors have a wealth of outside resources to share with students in need - reach out to your counselor for help!

Career Week for GIRLs - 5 days that can change a lifetime!

This is a FREE summer career experience - summer camp without overnights. Over one week, girls – ranging from 13 to 23 years old – visit five leading companies to engage with women, ask questions, get hands on activities and tour work sites.

Application Deadline is April 15th!

There are three weeks in June: June 1-5, June 8-12 or June 22-26

There is no cost to those girls that are selected.

The application is open online here.

Mindful Minute - Changing negative self talk and your inner critic

As Counselors we often see that our students are so hard on themselves. Their inner critics can sometimes be debilitating, keeping our students from being their best selves. According to this article, this can negatively impact our mental health and lead to poor life outcomes. Fortunately there are simple, powerful ways to combat this, detailed in this article. Remember: the more compassionate we are with ourselves, the closer we get to becoming our BEST selves.

For all things Counseling, including scholarships and community service opportunities,

check out the TRHS Counseling newsletter!

We are excited to invite our ThunderRidge community to CreateFest, including our annual IB Art and Film Showcase, happening on Wednesday, April 15th at ThunderRidge High School!

CreateFest is a celebration of the creativity, dedication, and voice of our amazing TRHS Grizzlies. Throughout the year, these students have explored complex ideas, experimented with new techniques, and developed deeply personal artistic perspectives—and CreateFest is their opportunity to share that work with our community.

At the event, guests will:

• Experience the IB Visual Arts Exhibition, featuring student-curated displays that represent years of creative development
• View original IB Film student productions, showcasing storytelling, cinematography, editing, and sound design skills
• Celebrate the artistic and creative endeavors of all our ThunderRidge students from the visual arts, to the performing arts, to the CTE classes, and more!
• Celebrate the creative works of some of our feeder students at the middle school and Elementary schools.

CreateFest is always a highlight of the year because it brings together students, families, teachers, and community members to recognize the powerful role the arts play in the IB Diploma Programme as well as ThunderRidge io nthe whole. These exhibitions represent not just finished pieces, but the culmination of inquiry, experimentation, and perseverance.

We hope you will join us on April 15th to celebrate our talented students and the vibrant creative culture of the ThunderRidge IB Programme. We look forward to seeing you there!

Frehmen discussed how much free time a typical TR student has. Over the next week, students will track how they spend their time outside of school to reflect on their individual time use. -Mr. Cohen

Students had their fourth conference meeting with their Grizz Hour teachers to evaluate their progress in sophomore personal project. -Mr. Carroll

With testing approaching, and the ever growing list of work piling up, juniors were given the gift of time. They were encouraged to complete work and get caught up, or log into Brain Buffs to complete some additional practice. - Mr. Bidinger

Seniors received final reminders for their Senior Board presenations on Friday. -Ms. Vande Vusse

With sniffles, sneezes, and allergy season in full swing, the library is in need of tissue donations. Please drop off any boxes to the security desk. Every donation is greatly appreciated and helps keep our school community healthy!

Benefiting Douglas County Schools

Featured Games

• April 17–19: Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
• May 15–17: Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Special Event

There will be a special National Anthem performance by DCSD students on Saturday, April 18 at 6:10 PM (Rockies vs. Dodgers).

Ticket Information

• Price: Tickets start at $17
• Purchase: Available online only at www.rockies.com/dcsd

Roxborough Intermediate is looking for high school students entering 10th, 11th or 12th grade to volunteer this summer at Camp Invention from June 8th - 12th. Volunteers serve as camp counselors to K - 6 students attending this summer STEM Camp. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Allison Rothwell (arothwell@dcsdk12.org).

Roxborough State Park is currently seeking six enthusiastic people to be our Bigfoot and Elbert (CPW big horn sheep) mascots at our 6th Annual Bigfoot Goin' to Rock the Rox event. This public event is on Saturday, June 6 from 9:00am - 2:00pm, with mascots needing to be there from 8:00am-2:30pm.

Roxborough State Park partners with the Leave No Trace organization and was the first park in Colorado to receive the Gold Standard designation of achievement. The event offers many fun opportunities for the public to learn the principles of recreating responsibly. An important part of the day is our guest appearances of Bigfoot and Elbert. You will switch off being a mascot and being a handler for photo and engagement opportunities with our visitors. No speaking is required. You earn community service time towards graduation requirements while having a lot of fun!

Always a Grizzly… my son and I did it a few years back and the majority of our mascots have been recruited from TRHS over the years. If you are interested or would like additional information, please email me, Alex Fountain, at apfountain65@gmail.com.

Thank you very much for your interest and consideration!

Eldorado Elementary

• Eldorado Elementary is looking for student volunteers to help us with childcare during each PTO/SAC meeting for the 2025-2026 school year. We need 2 volunteers per meeting. Please sign up here for the slots that you are available to help!

Trailblazer Elementary

• We are looking for 2 volunteers to help us with childcare during each PTO meeting for the 2025 - 2026 school year at Trailblazer Elementary. Meetings run from 4:00 - 5:00pm. We are asking that volunteers arrive 10-15 minutes early (3:45pm) to get set up. Please sign up here for the slots that you are available to help!

Please bring any volunteer forms needing to be completed and we will get those filled out at the end of the night. Please email Samantha Marino at trailblazerptosecretary@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you!

Join ThunderRidge High School's Youth Theater Camp

Monday, June 22rd - Friday, June 26th

9:00am - 4:00pm with a show on the evening of the 26th.

There will be an audition prior, more details coming soon.

Deadline to register is Friday April 24th. Scan the QR code or click here.

Looking for fun, engaging, unplugged summer activities for your child this summer? Consider Stone Canyon's Summer Camp programs! Join us for a summer of fun, adventure, and friendship. Find registration links and more information here: https://www.stonecanyonedge.org/summercamp.

Located in Larkspur, we offer week-long Overnight Camps for 9-15-year-old campers and 3-day Day Camps (including transportation to/from camp out of Castle Rock) for 6-9-year-old campers.

ThunderRidge is proud to offer a wide variety of clubs and activities! Click the bar above for a full list including meeting times, days and locations.

Principal: Liz Walhof

Mission Statement:

Empowering Grizzlies through curiosity, compassion, courage, community and service.

trhs.dcsdk12.org

1991 West Wildcat Reserve Parkway, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
303.387.2000

Facebook: ThunderRidge High School
X (formerly Twitter): @TRidgeGrizzlies