| Central High School (philadelphia) |
Article Index for Central High |
Limousines in Central |
Website Links For Central High |
Information AboutCentral High School (philadelphia) |
|
Central was founded in 1836 and is a four-year, college preparatory, Magnet School . About 2,400 students attend grades 9 through 12. It consistently ranks among the top schools in the city and state, and is among the top public schools in the nation for its academic standards. The music department, comprising an orchestra and choir, is world-renowned, having traveled to such locales as Israel , London , Quebec , and Austria . It is one of the few schools that give academic credit for participation in the orchestra. It was scheduled to be the first American High School group to travel to China, when the SARS outbreak occurred and caused the trip to be postponed. Central High School holds the distinction of being the only high school in the United States that has the authority, granted by an Act of Assembly in 1849, to confer Academic Degrees upon its graduates. This practice is still in effect, and graduates who meet the requirements are granted the Bachelor Of Arts degree. Central also confers High School Diplomas upon graduates who do not meet the requirement for a degree. Central, rather than using a general class year to identify its classes (as in "class of 2007"), uses the class graduating number system (as in "266th graduating class"). This tradition started shortly after the school's founding, when it was common to have two graduating classes per year - one in January and one in June. In June of 1965, semiannual graduations were replaced by annual graduations. The current senior class will be the 265th graduating class of Central High School. Central, due to its authority to grant academic degrees, traditionally refers to the Principal of the school as the "President" of Central High School. The current president is Dr. Sheldon S. Pavel. The Central High School website is located at http://centralhigh.net . It has been redesigned several times. The current website design was developed by a group of students from the Pennsylvania Governor's School For Information Technology , although the code and underlying architecture is being maintained by Central High School's own "website club," ''WebCentral''. A new design is under construction. HISTORY Central High School of Philadelphia is the second oldest public high school in the United States. The school was chartered by an Act of Assembly and approved on June 13, 1836. A site was purchased on the east side of Juniper Street below Market Street and on September 19, 1837, the cornerstone was laid. The school opened on October 26, 1838 with four professors and sixty-three students. In November of 1839, Alexander Dallas Bache, great grandson of Benjamin Franklin , and Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry at the University Of Pennsylvania , was elected the first President of Central High School. President Bache resigned in 1842 to return to his professorship at the University of Pennsylvania, and was succeeded by John Seely Hart, who had been a Professor of Languages at Princeton University . In 1845, two distinguished English members of the Society Of Friends , James H. Tuke and Joseph Corosfield, spent several months in America investigating the school system of the United States. They devoted more than one-third of the text of their report to Central High School, which they depicted as a type of institution that had helped America and could help England. An Act of Assembly, approved on April 9, 1849, provided that :: “The Controllers of the Public Schools of the First School District of Pennsylvania shall have and possess power to confer academic degrees in the arts upon graduates of the Central High School, in the City of Philadelphia, and the same and like power to confer degrees, honorary and otherwise, which is now possessed by the University of Pennsylvania.” In accordance with this Act, the Board of Controllers on September 11, 1849, authorized the conferring of appropriate degrees upon graduates of Central High. On June 24, 1847, the President of the United States, James Polk , with Vice-President George M. Dallas and Attorney General Nathan Clifford paid a visit to the school and addressed the students. In September 1854, the school transferred to a new building, located at the southeast corner of Broad and Green Streets. In 1858, President Hart resigned and was succeeded by Nicholar Maquire. In September 1900, the school moved to its third location in a newer and larger building located at Broad, Green, Fifteenth, and Brandywine Streets. During the formal dedication on November 22, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt , President of the United States, addressed the students. In 1939, Central moved from its location on Broad and Green to its fourth, current, location on Ogontz and Olney Avenues. The building left behind became the Benjamin Franklin High School. After 139 years of existence as an all-male public high school, Central’s all-male policy was challenged by Susan Vorchheimer, who wished to be admitted to Central. On August 7, 1975, U.S. District Court Judge Clarence C. Newcomer ruled that Central must admit academically qualified girls starting in the fall term of 1975. The decision was appealed, and the Third Circuit Court ruled that Central had the right to retain its present status. The case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which, on April 19 1977, upheld the Third Circuit Court's verdict by a 4 to 4 vote with one abstention. In August 1983, US District Court Judge William M. Marutani ruled that the single-sex admission policy was unconstitutional. The Board of Education voted not to appeal the legal decision, thereby admitting girls to Central High School. In September 1983, the first six girls, all seniors, were admitted. In October of 1987, Central High School was officially named a Secondary school of National Excellence by the United States Department of Education and named a Blue Ribbon School . In March of 1992, Redbook Magazine named Central as one of the best schools in Pennsylvania. Central was named "Best Secondary School in Pennsylvania" by the magazine each year since they began rating the nation's best schools. In 1993, construction of the new multi-million dollar art, science, and physical education addition was completed and it was officially dedicated on February 17, 1994. During the 2004-2005 school year, a $12 million renovation of the Barnwell Library began, which finished near the end of that school year. The library is now one of the most advanced public school libraries in the United States. ACADEMICS Central was one of seven schools in the nation to be named a "School of Inspiration" by the College Board in 2001 and in the October 2004 issue of Philadelphia Magazine, Central was named one of the "20 Best High Schools". Central was named "Best Secondary School in Pennsylvania" by REDBOOK Magazine each year since they began rating the nation's best schools. The following is a quote from LIFE MAGAZINE: "While it's true that 'best schools' lists vary, it is interesting that there's so much accord among experts as to what sets the frequently mentioned schools - Stuyvesant, Boston Latin, Central High School in Philadelphia, New Trier Township High outside Chicago, The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics - apart. And above." Central is recipient of the "School of Merit Award" from the Magnet Schools of America. Central is recipient of the U.S. Department of Education "Academic Excellence Award" and named a "Blue Ribbon School." As of 2006, Over 98% of Central alumni graduate from a 4-year college or university. 99% of Central's 130+ teachers hold a Master’s degree or higher. Central staff members have been recognized with many local, state and national awards, fellowships, and grants. Central students reside in every area of Philadelphia and represent the widest variety of racial, ethnic, geographic and economic groups. The student body is 33% African-American, 21% Asian, 5% Latino, and 41% Caucasian, making Central one of the most diverse schools in the nation. They afford each other multi-cultural opportunities in a rare atmosphere of cooperation and interaction. Central now offers 24 Advanced Placement courses. Compulsory graduation credits include 4 units of English, 3 of Social Studies, 3 of Science, 3 of Math, and 2 of Foreign Language. The Mentally Gifted Program services over 40% of all students. Central's most recent graduating class earned over 15 million dollars in scholarships and awards. Over the last 8 years, Central students have achieved the following:
All Central students take the SAT. The 2004 mean SAT scores were; Verbal 535, Math 561, and Composite 1096. Where students took both SAT I and SAT II's, the composite mean was 1226 (verbal 595, and math 631). 293 candidates took 534 Advanced Placement exams in 23 subject areas, with 68% scoring 3 or higher (the score most colleges require for credit). THE SCHOOL SONG The following is the school song of Central High School- Words by Horace M. Shell, 1907 and Francis A. Wade, 1907, Music by John L. Waldman, 1907, Arranged by Francis Murphy (note: Second to the last line of the chorus was revised during the 1995 - 1996 school year). Let others sing of college days, Their Alma Mater true, But when we raise our voices, 'Tis only High, for you. We'll ne'er forget those days gone by, Those glorious days of old, When oft we sang the praises of The Crimson and the Gold. CHORUS Dear high, dear Central High Thy mem'ries never die. Thy honor we'll cherish and Laud it to the sky, On ballfield or in life, In peace or deadly strife, For thee we all will labor, For thee, oh, dear old High! ''Second verse to be sung by alumni only'' But when at last we leave behind Thy shelt'ring portals wide, Thy honor still we'll cherish, Whate'er may us betide. And when we congregate again With tuneful voice and strong, With joyful hearts once more we'll sing This same old glorious song. CHORUS ATHLETICS AND EXTRACURRICULARS Central offers its students over 75 extracurricular programs, including a Debate team, Drama, Chess Club and an internationally acclaimed Orchestra. It also has an accomplished coeducation sports program offering every Public League interscholastic sport. Central has won 70 Public League Championships in the last decade, making it the city athletic powerhouse. Those championships include marquee sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, and track and field. Central is known throughout the east coast for its dominant track and field program led by the recently retired Fred Rosenfeld. Central's cross country, indoor, and outdoor track athletes have set numerous city and state records and have gone onto collegiant and in some cases Olympic careers. In 2004, Central won the Philadelphia Public League Basketball Championship for the first time since 1932. The league has produced NBA stars the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Gene Banks, Walt Hazard, Wayne Hightower, Wali Jones, Aaron Mckie, Rasheed Wallace, Earl Monroe, Poo Richardson, and Guy Rogers. Scott Rogers of Central received 1st Team All-City and 1st Team All-State honors in Central's bid for the city title in 2004. He is now playing for Bruiser Flint's Drexel Dragons. Central, along with the other Public league schools, also competes in the PIAA (which began despite much controversy in 2004). Central puts a great emphasis on producing not only college graduates and future professionals, but also strong members of the community. It is one of the few public high schools that has a yearly community service requirement that needs to be fulfilled before graduation. 30 hours of community service need to be completed and verified by academic personnel before the end of each school year. PRESIDENTS OF CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
NOTABLE ALUMNI
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|