Littleton Middle Schools

Euclid Middle School

EuclidMiddleSchool20015
Euclid Middle School, 2015. Photo by Amelia Martinez.

Land for Euclid Middle School at 777 West Euclid Avenue was acquired in 1957 in combination with land for a planned elementary school to face Acoma Street, twenty acres in all. Euclid was completed in 1959. (The elementary school was built in 1961 and was named Walt Whitman) It was Littleton's second junior high school, the first being Grant Junior High that was created in 1956 when a new Littleton High School was built and the 1920 high school building on Grant Street was converted to junior high use.

The general contract for Euclid was $1,059,000. Architect was Earl C. Morris. Morris was again the architect for a west classroom wing that was added in 1961 for $320,386. Other additions have been the library and a section behind the stage in 1969 by Bourne and Dulaney, architects, and an industrial arts and physical education addition, with remodeling of the stage, in 1979 by Nixon, Brown, Brokaw & Bowen. In 1985 a student services and special education resource area was added. The architect for that project was Reynolds & Rutledge.

Three classrooms, staff restrooms, and a walk-in freezer were added in 1995. The windows and boilers were replaced along with entrance stairs with a ramp. The school also received upgraded electrical and fire alarm systems, a cafeteria expansion, and air conditioning in the same year.

In 2002, the gym floor and roof repairs were underway. A new play/social area was added to separate the children from the bus drop-off area for safety. Other upgrades took place in years proceeding. The restrooms, gymnasium lighting, bleacher safety railings and flooring were all upgraded or replaced.

Work began in 2013 on the flooring, the interior, mechanical, the electrical and plumbing. The heating, cooling and ventilation system were replaced or repaired as well as the roofing and fire sprinkler system.

"Every student a Leader" is a special leadership program offered to all students. The school includes an innovative STEM Center for hands-on learning in an engineering environment.

The colors for the Euclid Middle School Falcons are blue and white.

Isaac Newton Middle School

Newton Middle School 2015
Newton Middle School, 2015. Photo by Amelia Martinez.

In May 1961 the local newspaper announced that Littleton's third junior high school would be built at Nobles Road and Colorado Boulevard. Nobles Road was the name at that time for what is now Arapahoe Road. The school's address is 4001 East Arapahoe Road. Eighteen acres were donated by the developer of the area, and seven and one-half acres were purchased. The school was built in a contemporary style with three wings, each containing classrooms for a different grade level. The two-level back section was planned to conform to the contour of the land. Soil tests of the area showed that special foundations would need to be laid. The school was originally slated for Long Road and University Boulevard, but apparently an agreement could not be worked out with Greenwood Village, so the site farther southeast was chosen, the donation of land being a factor.

The school was completed in 1962 under a general contract for $1,464,179. Alfred Watts Grant was the architect. Remodeling was done in 1970 and 1978 that included a media center and classrooms; More, Combs & Burch were the architects. Enlargements were made in 1985 that added a computer lab; Reynolds & Rutledge were the architects; and a wood and metal shop and athletic storage designed by Marcus Robertson.

The bond projects of 1995 brought enhancements to Newton. The media center was remodeled in the 1970's as was the administration area. Additional improvements were done in 1995, 2002 and 2013.

In 2021 the old Newton Middle School was replaced with a new building which opened for the 2021-2022 school year. The new school is divided into grade-level pods; each pod includes a communal space with furniture for that grade level. In addition, each pod has a maker space and two classrooms that open to the outside. The cafeteria area opens up to an expansive outdoor space which includes picnic tables, a basketball court, a baseball field and a large grassy area. One wing of the school is devoted to the athletic center which houses a large gym with three courts, a running track and a climbing wall. Next to the gym is a fitness center with a wide variety of exercise equipment. A new stadium will be built on the site where the old Newton school building was located.

The school has a state recognized STEM education program with a state-of-the-art lab. Newton is also home to the NOVA program, which is a day treatment center for K-12 students with special emotional needs.

Newton Middle School Knights sport the school colors red and white.

Goddard Middle School

Schools - Goddard Middle School Logo

This school opened in January 1968 to 300 fifth and sixth graders, with 500 older children added the following fall. The site of approximately thirty-seven acres at 3800 West Berry Avenue was purchased in 1962. Ten and one-half acres were transferred to the City of Littleton in 1980. The basic construction contract was for $1,157,500; architect was Morse, Dion & Champion. The principal was William Stradley. A multi-purpose room and language arts rooms were added in 1975, when Brown, Brokaw & Bowen were the architects. Remodeling and additions by architects Kahn & Clearwater brought improved or added space for arts and crafts, language, social science, physical education and the home arts department in 1985. Additional remodeling to the kitchen, cafeteria, media center and administrative offices was done by Bassett & Associates in 1990 and 1991.

Goddard Middle School 2015
Goddard Middle School, 2015. Photo by Amelia Martinez.

In 1995 many of the schools saw technical and aesthetic improvements, including Goddard. The electrical and fire alarm systems were upgraded to improve safety. Railings and wheelchair access ramps were installed, and sidewalks and drainage systems were replaced. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning units were also exchanged with new ones.

A roofing project was completed in 2001 but part of the roof was later replaced due to leakage. Since 2002, Goddard has resurfaced the tennis courts, replaced the gym lights and upgraded security systems.

The 2013 bond project began work on the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. Interior, mechanical and roofing were all be repaired or replaced. Changes and repairs were made for structural, electrical and mechanical purposes. In 2020 the Nike Hercules missile located in front of the school was removed and donated to the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in order to provide space for an expanded parking lot at the school.

Robert Goddard was an American scientist who lived from 1882 to 1945. He is considered the father of modern rocketry. Teal and purple are the colors of the Goddard Middle School Vikings.

John Wesley Powell Middle School

Powell Middle School 2015
Powell Middle School, 2015. Photo by Amelia Martinez.

The most recent of Littleton's middle schools opened in the fall of 1981 at 8000 South Corona Way in the southeast part of the district, the area of newest growth. Grant Junior High had closed in June of that year. The new principal of Powell was Carol Fillenberg. Twenty acres for the school was donated. The architects of the energy-efficient building's design were Nixon, Brown, Brokaw & Bowen. The newspaper said that it opened with approximately 1,070 seventh, eighth and ninth grade students.

Windows and window coverings, solar panels and skylights, and walls and damaged carpet were replaced in 1995. The tennis courts were resurfaced and a new clock system was installed with the help of the bond project that year. Two classrooms were added, the PACE room was enlarged and a loading dock and storage room were built.

In 2002 the gym floor and the roofing were replaced and the security and fire alarm systems were upgraded. Since 2006 improvements to the school included plumbing upgrades, air quality improvements and concrete/asphalt replacements.

The bond project of 2013 began with repairing and replacing the outdated electrical system, the locker and restrooms, and the ventilation systems. The windows and irrigation system were replaced, as well as the carpets and the sewer system.

The school offers a broad array of elective programs including electronic publishing, 3D art and digital media.

The Powell Middle School mascot is the Puma, the school colors are burgundy and black.

John Wesley Powell was an American geologist who lived from 1834 to 1902. He led the first expedition down the Grand Canyon and later became director of the U. S. Geological Survey.

Bibliography

Caserra, Beth, Records Department, Littleton School District Six Education Services Center, 5776 South Crocker Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120. Telephone interview by Doris Farmer Hulse, March 5, 2001.

Littleton, Colo. Independent, Littleton, Colorado: The Littleton Independent Publishers, 1888-

Littleton School District Six, Records Department, Education Services, 5776 South Crocker Street, Littleton, Colorado 80120.Vertical files.

Scope. Littleton School District Number Six Newsletter, 1963-

Whitman, Walt. "Spirit that form'd this scene." Walt Whitman, Complete Poetry and Prose. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., The Library of America, 1982.

Photographs courtesy of the Littleton Museum, unless otherwise noted; to order copies, contact the Museum at 303-795-3950.

Compiled by Doris Farmer Hulse and Amelia Martinez

Edited by Phyllis Larison

Updated September 2021 by Phyllis Larison