Northfield High School

An International Baccalaureate World School
Nighthawk Navigator

A Note from the Nest...

Cochran
Mr. Brian Cochran, Northfield Principal Resident


Hello Nighthawks,

As I wrap up my first week leading the school as principal resident, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible experience it has been. This week, we hosted our second open house for prospective students and launched Northfield's involvement with DPS SchoolChoice - key milestones in showcasing the amazing opportunities here at Northfield High School.

At Northfield, we value the safety, well-being and success of all students, staff members and families. We remain committed to ensuring that every member of Nighthawk Nation feels cared for and supported while receiving the best education possible to prepare for their future.

As I head into week two of my residency and toward the end of my journey as the building leader, I want to thank you for being part of this path forward with me. Stay warm this weekend.

Brian Cochran
Principal Resident
Northfield High School

Northfield Hawk Heads

Important Dates

Monday, Jan. 20: No School (MLK Jr. Day)
Tuesday, Jan. 21 - Friday, Jan. 24: Access Testing
Sunday, Jan. 26: Yearbook Tributes & Senior Portraits Due
Monday, Jan. 27: No School (Northfield Professional Development Day)
Tuesday, Jan. 28: IB Family Night; DSF FAFSA/CAFSA Night
Tuesday, Jan. 28 - Friday, Jan. 31: Access Testing
Wednesday, Jan. 29: CSC Meeting

Northfield News

Update Contact Information within DPS Parent Portal

parent portal

As we kick off the start of the spring semester, it’s important that Northfield teachers and staff are able to reach families to communicate important information around attendance, assessments, deadlines and much more. If your contact information has changed since fall registration in August, please follow these instructions to update emails and phone numbers within the DPS Parent Portal.

Reminder: School Year Course & Activities Fees

All students are assessed annual registration fees for activities, courses, programming, software and testing at Northfield. Fees by grade-level are listed below and are payable via MySchoolBucks (MSB). All legal guardians can access MSB directly through the MSB website or through the DPS Parent Portal. For assistance with MSB, please utilize the user guide. Students with an active balance on their MSB account are not permitted to attend prom and other specified student activities, including graduation. Families who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) are eligible for decreased or eliminated school-based fees and testing costs.

24/25 Student Fees
All students are assessed annual registration fees for activities, courses, programming, software and testing at Northfield High School. Fees vary by grade-level.

Beginner Ski/Snowboard Trip to Winter Park

Is your student interested in learning to ski or snowboard? They can hit the slopes on Wednesday, Feb. 26, as part of a Northfield field trip to Winter Park Resort! The first 48 students to pay the required $65 fee and have zero Fs in any classes on the day of the field trip are in. Fee includes transportation, equipment and instruction. This trip is for beginner ski and snowboarders only. Submission of payment is sign up. This trip is for current Northfield students only. For questions, reach out to Deans of Culture, Mr. Thomas Fraguada or Mr. TJ Caffery.

ski trip

JROTC CyberPatriot Team Update

Last week, Northfield’s JROTC CyberPatriot team won their tier at State and took third overall in the State of Colorado. Sadly, the team did not score high enough to advance to the semifinals. Not bad for a first-year team competing against seasoned teams with 17 years of experience.

Nighthawks Shine at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

We are thrilled to announce that 13 of our talented Nighthawks were recognized with gold and silver medals, as well as honorable mentions, at the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Awards at the regional level! This achievement highlights the outstanding creativity, skill and dedication of our students, and we could not be more proud of their hard work and commitment to their craft.

To celebrate these incredible accomplishments, we invite you to join us for an Open Reception on Friday, Feb. 7, 6-9 p.m., at 40 West Gallery (6501 W. Colfax Avenue; Lakewood, Colo. 80214). This is a fantastic opportunity to see the award-winning works in person and support our Nighthawks as they continue to shine in the Arts. Please mark your calendars and help us cheer on our amazing students as they receive the recognition they deserve!

open reception

Northfield Graduation Cap and Gown Donations Needed

graduation
Northfield cap & gown donations needed for graduation.

Northfield’s graduation committee is hard at work planning for the Class of 2025's Commencement and Graduation Ceremony on Friday, May 30, at University of Denver’s Ritchie Center. If you have a Northfield alum in your family and still have their navy graduation cap and gown from Jostens, please consider donating for future use. Donations can be delivered to the Main Office in Building 5. Thank you in advance! 📸credit Kocher Imaging

Graduation Requirement Reminder: Volunteer Hours

All Northfield students are required to complete 30 hours of volunteer work to graduate. Students can find volunteer opportunities on their own or by reviewing suggested ones from popular outlets, such as Food Bank of the Rockies, Children’s Hospital Colorado and The Dumb Friend’s League.

To receive credit for volunteer hours, students must login to x2Vol using a DPS Student email address as the username and student birth date as the password (ex: 12212005). 

Participation in a community project can be logged as a “personal project” with a description of the activity. The description and time commitment must be verified by the community contact. It will be sent back to Northfield for approval. If it is a Northfield project, students must send the verification and description to the Northfield staff member who supervised the activity. 

Questions? Reach out to Northfield Communications Specialist, Ms. Slater, or Career Navigator, Ms. Ursula. IB students can reach out to IB Coordinators, Mr. Wright, or Ms. Cruz, for assistance.

shout out

Nighthawk Recognition

Northfield students do so much more than simply attend school. If you student is involved with a club, athletic organization, business, etc., outside of school and is doing noteworthy work, we want to know! This knowledge will help us to celebrate the efforts of Nighthawks within the community.

DPS SchoolChoice Now Open

DPS SchoolChoice Round 1 for the 2025-26 school year is now open. This annual open enrollment process is for any student who wants or needs to attend a new school next year, particularly incoming ECE-3, kindergarten, sixth- and ninth-grade students. Students who currently attend Northfield do not need to complete SchoolChoice. SchoolChoice is open through 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

To submit a SchoolChoice application:

  1. Research your school options using School Finder and the Enrollment Guides.

  2. Create an account or use your DPS Parent Portal username and password to log in to SchoolChoice.

  3. Rank up to 12 schools in order of preference and submit by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18. 

You’ll be notified of your results in late March. In the meantime, find much more information on the SchoolChoice website. If you have any questions, review the SchoolChoice FAQs, call 720-423-3493, or email schoolchoice@dpsk12.org.

School Choice

Northfield IB Programming Insights

Coordinator Update: IB Family Night: Curriculum & Programming Curiosity; Spring Arts Exhibit

Peter Wright and Reina Cruz
Northfield High School's IB Coordinators, Ms. Reina Cruz and Mr. Peter Wright

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6-8 p.m., Northfield will host an IB for All information session for families of current freshmen and sophomore students in the cafeteria located in Building 1. This session will offer an opportunity to learn about International Baccalaureate (IB) at Northfield, benefits of the full IB Diploma Program and a chance to ask questions of Northfield's IB Coordinators. Please RSVP to attend. We hope to see you there. Learn more about IB at Northfield High School.

ib
IB Family Night
IB Family Night

IB Visual Arts Spring Exhibition at the Stanley Marketplace

IB Art

The IB Visual Arts Department invites you to experience an enthralling exhibition that celebrates the hard work and exceptional contributions of our IB students, both at the SL and HL levels. This exciting exhibition is hosted at Stanley Marketplace (2501 Dallas St., Aurora, Colo. 80010) and offers a unique opportunity to support our Nighthawks as they present their work to the Denver Community. While the event will take place in March, it is never too early to mark your calendars and join us in honoring the dedication and creativity of our talented students!

Nighthawk Nation

Northfield Nighthawks Game Schedule 

Share the Action. Coaches and/or Families: Please share photos of Northfield student-athletes in action, along with a sentence or two, and we'll include your content in this section! The deadline for submissions is 8 a.m. on Thursdays. Remember to tag @nighthawk.nation in your social media posts.

Northfield Qualifies First 5A State Relay

swim

Shoutout to the Nighthawk Swimmers who took home the first place trophy at the DPL Relay meet on Friday, Jan. 10! The Nighthawks also competed at the Arapahoe Invite and qualified their first 5A State relay in Northfield History. Go Nighthawks!

Nighthawk Wrestling Success

Nighthawks took third at last weekend’s Ravin Rumble with nine placers. Good Work, Nighthawks!

  • Daniel Adair ('27) - 106lbs - 6th place

  • Christian Martinez ('25) - 113lbs - 6th place

  • Kaleb Feinstein ('26) - 132lbs - 3rd place

  • Jaiden Valentine ('26) - 138lbs - 2nd place

  • Jeremy Lorimor ('26) - 144lbs - 1st place

  • Eduardo Garibay ('26) - 150lbs - 2nd place

  • AJ Meskimen ('27) - 165lbs - 2nd place

  • Manuel Moreno ('28) - 215lbs - 3rd place

  • Luke Dodson ('26) - Heavy Weight - 5th place

Wrestling

DPS Student-Athletes of the Week

eduardo DPS athlete of the week
caroline DPS Athlete of the week

The DPS Student-Athletes of the Week highlights students who excel not only in their chosen activity, but also in academics, leadership, sportsmanship, citizenship and teamwork. Congratulations to Northfield student-athletes of the week: Caroline Johnson ('27) and Eduardo Garibay (DSST Conservatory Green; '26). Keep up the great work!

Northfield Poms Performance at Denver Nuggets Game; Team Fundraising Opportunity

The Northfield Poms team will perform before the Denver Nuggets home game at Ball Arena on Thursday, Feb. 6. Come cheer on the team! A portion of game ticket sales go toward team fundraising efforts. To see the performance, arrive at your seat an estimated 30-40 minutes before game tip off. For questions, contact Northfield Pom Parent, Jamie Nally, at 720-363-1849; or Lyndsay Marchbanks (303-405-7635), the Denver Nuggets contact for ticket questions.

Poms

Questions / Concerns / Compliments

Do you have questions, comments or compliments for Northfield High School? We want to hear your feedback.

DPS & Community News

MLK Marade (March + Parade)

Join DPS for the MLK Marade (March + Parade) on Monday, Jan. 20, the only event of its kind in the nation! We’ll march together to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy. The Opening Ceremony begins at City Park (Dr. King statue) at 9:30 a.m., with the Marade stepping off at 10:45 a.m.. We’ll march to Civic Center Park for the Closing Ceremony, along with performances, vendors and food trucks. Let’s come together to honor Dr. King with community, unity and action! Learn more about MLK events. 

face

Accommodations & Assistive Technology for Dyslexia

Join DenCoKID's next community meeting for a presentation by Elizabeth Van Liere, MA CCC-SLP, and her team from Denver Public Schools Special Education Assessment Services. This session will cover 504/IEP accommodations and assistive technology options to support learners with dyslexia, ADHD and other language-based learning differences. The presentation will explore a range of tools available at the elementary, middle and high school levels, as well as in the workplace and community. Register to attend.

dyslexia

Live SAT Prep Course

campus prep

Campus Prep will offer a high-quality SAT prep course this winter for juniors and seniors. The 7-week course, taught by a Harvard grad, will take place at the University of Denver and totals 27 hours of comprehensive learning, along with three proctored practice exams. Cost of the course is $195. A live, online version of the course is also available. The course fills up fast. Register today. Campus Prep has provided these popular courses at the University of Denver for the past seven years and is the official SAT provider for the Boulder Valley School District. For questions, email admin@campusprep.org or call 877-805-2521.

Summer STEM Opportunities

stem opportunities

It's that time of year when STEM organizations offer awesome summer opportunities, including camps, internships, etc., for students. Some of these are paid, and others provide an opportunity to engage with real scholars and research. Both look fantastic on college applications.
 
Current Volunteer Opportunity:
Snow Buddies with Children’s Hospital
 
Summer Opportunities (many applications due soon!)

  • AOPA Flight Training Scholarships (Join AOPA for free) (Ages 16 - 18 scholarships of $2500 - $14,000 to support flight training)

  • ASM Eisenman Material Science Camp (Junior or Senior - science camp at Eismann engineering)

  • BOLT (Bioengineering Opportunities & Leadership Training) - CU Anschutz Summer Camp (9th - 12th grade, different camps throughout summer)

  • Camp Ember (4-day camp for young women interested in firefighting)

  • CSBR (Colorado Space Business Roundtable) Summer Internship (unpaid, 2 week internship with NASA/ Lockheed Martin Engineers)

  • CSM Girls Lead the Way Conference (Girls grades 9-12) Application deadline is Feb. 8, so register ASAP! 

  • CSU's SciVet Summer Program (Pre veterinary program ages 15+)

  • CU's Build a Better Book (Engineering summer program for students from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM)

  • Denver Museum of Nature and Science Teen Science Scholars (10th - 11th grade, PAID internship, apply now)

  • Denver Zoo Animal Care Internship Program (Seniors)

  • Drake Physics Prize (Cash prizes!)

  • Girls Who Code Summer Programs (Free coding classes for Girls grades 9-11)

  • Girls* on Rock (Free) Summer Expeditions (Outdoor Camps for girls ages 16- or 17-years-old)

  • Jane Street Academy of Math & Programming (5-week program for seniors)

  • Joint Science Education Project (Remote or field-based programs) 

  • Mines Summet (Multicultural Engineering Training Program) (Rising seniors) 

  • N3 NASA Internship for Neurodiverse Students (Work on projects with NASA scientists)

  • NIST Summer Internship

  • Neubauer Phoenix STEM Summer Scholars (Scholarships available)

  • PEO Scholarship (Senior girls)

  • Wings Over the Rockies Flight Training Scholarships

  • WISE (Women in Science & Engineering) Internship at Medtronic (Informational Flyer)

Homework Help for Families

DPS Homework Help for Parents Learning Course is here! Available in English and Spanish, this quick, easy and personalized course is designed for your child’s grade-level needs. The first 20 families who complete the course and closing survey will receive a Parent Champion Bag! For questions or more information, email DPS Engagement and Empowerment Supervisor, Jasmine Rigby, if you have questions.

homework help

Free, Low-Cost Health Insurance for DPS Families

The Denver Public Schools Medicaid Department helps families apply for free or low-cost health insurance, including Health First Colorado (Medicaid) and CHP+ and SNAP food assistance. Appointments are available at any eligible DPS school site. Families who need assistance are encouraged to contact outreach and enrollment specialists by calling 720-423-3661, emailing outreach@dpsk12.org or completing a confidential sign up.

exceptional student services

Gifted & Talented 24-25 Family Series

dps gt series

Youth Service Fellowship Opportunity: Denver Urban Gardens

dug english
dug spanish

Updated Covid-19 Guidelines

In March 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its respiratory virus guidance for people with COVID-19. The updates align with guidance for other respirator viruses, including the flu and RSV. Review the complete guidelines.

DPS Nursing Services

Northfield High School
5500 Central Park Blvd.
Denver, Colo. 80238