London Central Secondary School
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| London Central Secondary School | |
 only in knowledge is there nobility |
|
| Location | |
| London, Ontario, Canada | |
| Information | |
| School board | Thames Valley District School Board |
| Principal | Ms. Carolyn May |
| Vice principal | Mrs. Catherine Davidson |
| School type | secondary |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Mascot | Golden Ghost |
| Team name | Central Golden Ghosts |
| Colours | Purple & Gold |
| Founded | 1877 |
| Enrollment | Approx. 1130 |
London Central Secondary School is located at the corner of Dufferin Avenue and Waterloo Street in downtown London, Ontario. It is a member of the Thames Valley District School Board. It has approximately 1130 students in full attendance, ranging from grades nine to twelve. The school mascot is the Golden Ghost.
Being the oldest school in the city, Central has a history that can be traced back to a Grammar School of 1826-1926 near the forks of the Thames River. When this Grammar School became too small, a Union School was erected. The Union School was renamed Central School in 1865; however, the school was razed in 1890 when other schools were able to accommodate Central students.
London Collegiate Institute was constructed on its present site in 1877; the school was destroyed by fire in 1920.
In 1922, the new London Central Collegiate Institute was officially opened. It was enlarged in 1962 and again in 1968. Central celebrated its centennial in 1977. Construction of an addition including new weight room, elevator and conference room was completed in August 1993. Further extensive renovations took place during 1995-1996 which fully modernized Central’s building, made it mostly wheelchair accessible, and incorporated a school-wide computer network for students. The schools gym has recently been renovated. From the previous tile floor, which was common in London Schools, to a new hardwood. The previous tiles, instead of being pulled up out of the floor, were left in. One reason was that the tile floor, was literally the ceiling for the classes below. And, a tribute to graduate Alex Vlach, who battled many types of cancer, was left on the tile floor. Before the 2006 summer, students drew messages, and drawings on the floor in rememberance to Alex. The tiles are still underneath the new floor. In addition to a full selection of academic courses, Central is also the site of the Forest City special education program.
From 1979 until 1999, London Central was the host to the Module scolaire de langue française (MSLF) - the first public French first language high school in London, Ont. Before the 1998-1999 school year, the MSLF became École secondaire Gabriel-Dumont and it moved into a new Le Centre Desloges (CDL) for the start of the 1999-2000 school year. Until the move the students in the MSLF had been fully integrated in life at Central, participating as Golden Ghosts in music, drama and sports. Students from the MSLF were often elected to Central students’ council, including student council president.
Notable alumni
Notable alumni include:
- David Suzuki, geneticist, environmental and civil rights activist;
- John Robarts, the seventeenth Premier of Ontario;
- David Peterson, the twentieth Premier of Ontario;
- Jenny Jones, the daytime talk show host. She also attended Clarke Road Secondary School;
- Luke MacFarlane, Actor;
- Jonathan Wexler, Actor;
- Ted Giannoulas, the San Diego Chicken (baseball team mascot);
- Karen Baldwin, Miss Universe, 1982;
- Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe, 2005;
- Victor Garber, Actor;
- Murray Barr, Physician and medical researcher;
- Thalia Assuras, Anchorwoman for CBS;
- Edgar Sydney Little, Senator
