Something I have always noticed about Boulder High is that there are things not everyone notices, stuff people just pass off as part of the background, things that have always been there but no one has ever really cared about. Perhaps it’s because I don’t have any connection to this school beyond being a student, or maybe I’m just naturally observant. But these things have always stood out to me, and I doubt I’m the only one. So this article is dedicated to all those who want a little mystery in their lives, people who think, How did this get here? What was said or done in front of these things? Or to people who simply enjoy noticing things they’ve never seen before. This is for you.
- The mural in the front entrance
What I find interesting about this particular aspect of BHS is that it’s right above us every single day, and we barely notice it as we pass by. I suspect it’s the formation of the ceiling that hides it from us, how the walls pyramid up to create an indent large enough for the mural to fit completely, consequently hiding the mural at all angles except directly underneath it.
- The mystery stairs in the library
At the end of the quiet space in the library, there is a staircase leading to a place where no students are allowed. When I went to the balcony to see if there was a door or opening to that staircase, I noticed a large space between the top of the stairs and the rooms on the balcony, big enough to hide another room.
- The owl on the third floor of the courtyard
On the third floor of the courtyard, on the passageway that connects the LA wings with the World Language wing, there is a porcelain owl on top of the tenth window from the World Languages side. It always stares out toward the stairs on the opposite side of the courtyard, close to the next mystery.
- The nailed board
This one might be something you’ve noticed before, I mean, it’s rather obvious when you’re walking up the southern stairs of the courtyard. But on the third floor, there is a board with nails fastened into the cement. And the scary part is that the owl is looking toward the board from the other side of the courtyard.
- The red-taped corner of the window
In one of the windows of room 2246, there is a section completely covered in red tape. It would make sense if the tape were to conceal a broken window, but it isn’t. As far as I could see, the window was undamaged.
- The plaque to Melissa Warfield
By the girls’ bathroom near the school entrance, there is a plaque dedicated to Melissa Warfield, just as you enter the hallway going south. Apparently, Melissa Warfield was a teacher here who worked for over 31 years, a person who truly dedicated her life to this school. She must be someone truly worth commemorating.
- The AED defibrillators
I originally thought Boulder High had only one of these, like most other buildings, but it turns out this building has three. Here’s where they are, as they might come in handy (hopefully not though).
- On the pillar closest to the attendance office, it’s literally looking at you as you walk in.
- On the second entrance to the pit, hidden by the ramp and the wall.
- Field house.
- The secret room
This mystery I have only ever heard of. A bookshelf hides a secret door in one of the third-floor offices. This door leads to a staircase, which leads to a small empty room with boarded-up windows and filled with rat poop. Or at least that’s what I heard.
- The sealed door
I saved this one for last for a reason: it is the most mysterious, the most enigmatic, the most completely baffling thing about this school that I can find so far. The sealed door is found on the northern wall of the courtyard, a white door completely under the stairs, hidden from sight. It leads from Mr. Bloom’s office in the counseling office. It also has a faceless drawing right on the door. Camouflaging right into the wall.
These examples are things that people mostly overlook at Boulder High, but I know for a fact they aren’t the only things. So if you are curious, observant, or maybe just extremely bored, try to look for more and see what you can find. In a school as old as Boulder High, there is no telling what secrets are hiding unnoticed in the walls, waiting to be discovered.
