The school refused to give its 2006 valedictorian her diploma after she mentioned Jesus Christ in her commencement speech.

Corder pursued legal action against the school district.

[3] The court ruled against Corder by declaring that the graduation was a school-sponsored event and therefore the school was under the obligation to uphold the constitutional separation between church and state.

The court also ruled that the school's policy for graduation speeches was too vague, and thus unconstitutional due to the "chilling effect" that is created by overly broad rules.

[4] In 2015, Kathy Thirkell won the Colorado Teachers of the Year award.