Central High School (Springfield, Missouri)
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[edit] General
Central High School is a high school located in downtown Springfield, Missouri. The school was built in 1893 as Senior High School. It replaced a previous high school, also named Central, which operated from 1871 until 1893, and at the time of its construction was the largest high school west of the Mississippi River. Senior High School graduated its first class of 41 students in 1894.
The school was renamed Central High School with the construction of Springfield's second oldest high school, Parkview, in 1957. The school's yearbook is known as The Resume and the school's newspaper is called The High Times. Central's mascot is the Bulldog, named Pug by the students at the time of his creation. This name has, however, fallen out of popular use.
[edit] Notable Programs
Central High School is home to the only IB Diploma Programme in Springfield. Other notable academic programs at Central High School include the Middle Years Scholars Program, a program for exceptionally gifted middle schoolers, and the A+ Program, an opportunity for high school students to get involved in the community.
Central High School also has nationally honored broadcast media and debate programs. In the 2005-2006 school year, the Central High School speech and debate squad placed third in the Public Forum debate and twenty-seventh in the Policy Debate at the National tournament. The Central High School Media department which produces the student news show Central Intelligence won the Pacemaker Finalist award, placing it in the top ten broadcast journalism programs in the nation.
[edit] Structural History
Central is home to a series of underground tunnels. Most of the tunnels are filled in, and the areas that remain accessible are closed to the public and are only open to custodial and administrative staff, and on special occasions to students. The original Senior High School building (the "Historical Building") remains almost fully intact. North of the Historical Building lies the school's historic gymnasium, nicknamed "The Pit" for its sunken floor. The newest section of the school was completed in 2002, and lies over the area where the manual training, Fine Arts, and Industrial Arts buildings stood until their demolition in 2000.
The central wing, constructed in 1907; the eastern wing, built in 1913; and large auditorium, completed in 1940, comprise some older additions to the school. In 2003, a full renovation of the Historical Building was undergone, vastly improving its appearance, atmosphere and functionality.
[edit] Little-Known Facts
- The original 1893 SHS building featured a large bell tower. This tower was taken down around 1916 (the exact date is unknown) due to the immense strain it placed on the front façade of the building. Structural reinforcements added before its removal still remain in certain rooms.
- The wooden book stacks in the current library were those used in the original SHS library. They have resided in at least three different libraries in the course of the school's history.
- Until the construction of the auditorium and The Pit, the historical buildings housed gym (the 3rd floor) and auditorium facilities which were later converted to classroom space. Architectural marks of their presence still remain.
- The school's auditorium was formerly covered with ivy, grown from seeds taken from Mount Vernon, the home of President George Washington; this ivy was removed in the 1970s for fear of damage it might cause to the building. It is commemorated by ivy-like murals on the interior hallways of the auditorium.
