Top dogs. Perfect white, rich teenagers. Well-mannered. Number one in the state. Best academics. These are all common stereotypes of Creek and its students, whose behavior both in and outside of school influence the opinions of others. 

Creek is notorious for students’ chants at sporting events. But for Overland High School (OHS) senior Hannah Tadesse, these actions aren’t unique to Creek.

“Whenever I go to a game that is against Creek, there might be some obnoxious behavior, but I think it’s understandable because everyone can be,” Tadesse said.

Grandview High School (GHS) junior Grayson Wolfe feels the same. “There’s always banter between us. But it’s fun. I enjoy the games a lot,” he said. 

Despite the competitiveness that can occur between Creek and other high schools like GHS, Rock Canyon High School (RCHS) freshman Addy Cabeen noted that while Creek is mainly known for its athletics and academics, Creek also has a great community that unifies with and supports other school communities.

“When we [RCHS and CCHS] all united in support for the Prices when Makai got into that car accident and Mr. Price worked for [RCHS], I appreciated when [RCHS and Creek] students wore his favorite color, green, to a basketball game between the two schools in support of his family,” Cabeen said.“I think it helped bring a really special bond to RCHS and Creek,” Cabeen said.

Wolfe and Cabeen both think that a typical Creek kid means “being rich” and that Creek’s sports teams do well in everything they compete in, but they also believe that “Cherry Creek is a genuinely good school,” as Cabeen put it.

Tadesse believes that Creeks’ buildings and sports programs are the only positive aspects of the school. She has heard about instances of racism, discrimination, and bullying from former students and social media. 

“Creek definitely has a bad reputation,” Tadesse said. “Most schools with little to no diversity have a bad reputation based on the students who have felt ostracized or targeted because of their otherness.”

Tadesse’s beliefs extend to Creek’s large student body and the idea that Creek students are too competitive and often behave disrespectfully to their peers and other schools.

“I haven’t been around enough Creek kids to make an accurate judgment, but going off what I hear, the [students’] behavior seems to be cliquey and reminds me of toxic academia in a sense like you have to prove [your] worth to be somebody in such a big school with well-off people,” Tadesse said. 

Creek freshman Lion Koustas feels differently. 

“All I heard about [was] crazy kids or drugs, [kids that are] white, rich, annoying, [and], rude,” Koustas said. “Some of those might be true, but as long as you get past those stereotypes and get to know people, there’s way more to Cherry Creek High School students than people outside think.”