Valor Christian High School

Academics

Valor Christian has been named a Blue Ribbon school twice. The first time was in 2015 and the second in 2021. Valor Christian was the only Colorado high school named as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2021.

Valor Christian offers a variety of Advanced Placement (AP) courses as well as Dual Credit (DC) courses through certified local universities. As of the 2025–26 school year Valor Christian offers 18 AP Courses and 28 DC courses, with an average ACT score of 25.

Campus

The Valor Christian campus is 35 acres, and consists of: an academic building with a library, labs, and 35 classrooms; the Valor Center for Culture & Influence, including a theatre, performance hall, and studios and classrooms for arts and media; and the athletics facilities, including the athletics building, a 5,200-seat artificial turf stadium, and athletics fields. Plans exist for a STEM Building and Aquatics building, yet the necessary land and funding has not been acquired by the school.

Arts + Media

The school has a robust arts and media program. They offer more than 20 different arts courses. The Valor Center for Culture & Influence hosts more than 40,000 visitors a year in the 700-seat performance hall. Valor's performance hall is the only high school theatre in the state that has a hydraulic orchestra pit and second one in any theatre in the state. Valor also has a conservatory program, for students to take specialized classes and private lessons in their field of study.

Athletics

The school is known for its sports program, especially football. They have won multiple state championships.

State championships

Notable Coaching Staff

Valor has been known to have high-profile coaches. 2 time NCAA Champion Coach and Stanley Cup Finalist Assistant Coach George Gwozdecky has been the Ice hockey coach at Valor since 2015. For the 2018 and 2019 Football seasons Super Bowl Champion Ed McCaffrey was the head coach. Brent Vieselmeyer, now an NFL assistant coach, was head coach at Valor Christian. Four Time World Series Champion Mike Timlin continues to work as an assistant for the Valor baseball team.

LGBTQ faculty conflicts and student protests

In August of 2021, volleyball coach Inoke Tonga left Valor after a dispute over his sexuality as a gay man that started when the school became aware of post he made on Facebook. Inoke states that the school told him to "admit that I wasn't gay and that I was just having what they call a spiritual battle" or leave the school. Tonga said he was told by administrators that "being gay is a 'danger' to the school and to the kids."

After sharing this story, former women's lacrosse coach Lauren Benner said she went through a similar situation in 2020 when administrators confronted her about her sexuality and said she would not "be in alignment with Valor's culture statement" if she pursued a lesbian relationship. Benner initially declined the claims she was in a lesbian relationship and was not dismissed. Several months later Benner left Valor on her own after further conversations about her sexuality with the school.

These stories garnered national media attention, sparked protest from students and parents, and led to other faculty members to resign. Students used the opportunity to share and collect stories of LGBTQ discrimination on campus.

Valor confirmed that all staff must agree to a "Statement of Beliefs" which includes "beliefs pertaining to sexuality and marriage" but disputes Tonga's portrayal of events. An email sent to parents said the school supports those who have spoken out and wants to "find ways to love and serve our community."

Notable alumni

• Raegan Beers, basketball player for the Oklahoma Sooners
• Roger Rosengarten, NFL tackle for the Baltimore Ravens
• Janine Beckie, soccer player, 2020 Olympic gold medalist
• Meg Boade, soccer player
• Tess Boade, soccer player
• Wyndham Clark, PGA golfer, 2023 U.S. Open champion
• Jaelene Daniels, soccer player
• Luke Del Rio, former college football player and NFL coach, current offensive analyst for Washington
• Cori Dyke, soccer player
• Christian Elliss, NFL Linebacker for the New England Patriots
• Noah Elliss, NFL Defensive Tackle
• Anna Hall, professional heptathlete for Adidas
• Ali Kilponen, softball player
• Christian McCaffrey, Pro Bowl NFL running back for the San Francisco 49ers
• Luke McCaffrey, NFL wide receiver for the Washington Commanders
• Max McCaffrey, former NFL player, current assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins
• Will Owen, American racing driver
• Marybeth Sant-Price, Track and Field World Championship medalist
• Gavin Sawchuk, college football running back for the Florida State Seminoles

References

References

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77. (19 April 2021). "Four-star 2022 RB Gavin Sawchuk grounded and humble as he prepares for a slew of official visits: Buckeyes Recruiting Roundup". The Plain Dealer.