Palisade High School

Palisade Senior High School''' is a high school located in Palisade, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Mesa County Valley School District 51. It is situated on the western edge of Palisade, on the "old highway" (US Highway 6). The town of Palisade and the school were founded in 1904. The current school building was completed in 1992, making it one of the more modern schools in the district. The town of Palisade and the community are supportive of the school.Palisade High School is a participant International Baccalaureate (IB) school, the first in District 51, and the only IB school in Western Colorado, save Aspen High School. The school has a history of successful athletics and other extracurricular events.HistoryThe first Palisade School was built in 1893 on Second Street just east of Main Street. A second Palisade School was built on the corner of Fourth and Kluge. The third Palisade School was built in 1910 on the corner of Iowa and 7th Street. It was demolished in December 1970. Palisade High School was built in 1925 and a gymnasium added later as a WPA project. That building remained in operation until 1992 (though it had been continually modified and added onto), when the current facility was opened on 3679 "G" Road.Several traditions are held at Palisade which have their roots in the community. For instance, starting in 1949, every homecoming week the senior class "enslaves" the freshmen, forcing them to carry rocks up the Orchard Mesa hill, whitewash them, and put them into a large "P" that can be seen through the Grand Valley.