Francis Howell Central High School
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 The FHC Shield and Mascot. |
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| Address | 5199 Highway N | ||
| City | Cottleville, Missouri | ||
| Established | 1997 | ||
| Type | Public Secondary | ||
| Principal | Mr. Jack Ameis | ||
| Enrollment | 2182 | ||
| Staff | 140 | ||
| Grades | 9 to 12 | ||
| Graduation | 91% | ||
| District | Francis Howell | ||
| Mascot | Spartan | ||
| Colors | Blue and Silver | ||
| Website | http://fhc.fhsd.k12.mo.us | ||
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Francis Howell Central High School (abbreviated FHC) is the third high school created in the Francis Howell School District. The school is located in Cottleville, Missouri, and opened its doors in the fall of 1997. Home of the Spartans, Francis Howell Central is a four-year comprehensive high school offering programs in college preparatory, vocational, honors/advanced credit, advanced placement and an all-inclusive special education program. The school has a strong extracurricular program, in which many students are involved in athletic, organizational, and academic involvement.
[edit] Mission Statements
[edit] Mission Statement
"Our mission is to prepare students to be productive and responsible members of a democratic society by promoting excellence through academic achievement."
"If Francis Howell Central High School is to remain an exemplary school, it must have concrete goals to work toward to improve student achievement. The following vision statement is intended to provide the standards that Francis Howell Central High School should strive to achieve and maintain."
[edit] Curriculum and Instruction
At FHC, teachers will be permitted to exercise professional judgment reaching common curriculum goals. In such a school:
a. students will increase enrollment in AP classes.
b. high academic expectations and support systems are in place for students and the school structure supports the instructional process.
c. students are stimulated to perform to the best of their ability.
d. resources are available to meet academic needs and much needed labs would be reopened and remain so.
e. students strive for high achievement on state and standardized tests.
f. the school schedule is restructured to improve instruction and reduce class sizes.
g. students will learn practical life skills and effectively use technology to increase productivity.
h. mastery of academic disciplines such as reading, writing, reasoning, logic, and research will be a priority.
[edit] Personnel
FHC and its staff will support and collaborate with each other, working collectively to educate the students. FHC envisions:
a. teachers who are trusted to participate in building, instructional, & disciplinary decision-making.
b. discipline codes that are enforced by all faculty and administration.
c. teachers who are valued and respected as leaders, role models, and decision makers.
d. professional staff that maintains a climate leading to academic achievement.
e. teachers will have more instructional time and resources to help students, regardless of their aptitude, to learn.
f. Open lines of communication among all building staff.
g. a faculty that functions as a group.
[edit] Students
Students are recognized as individuals and encouraged to take ownership of their future, their learning, and their school, through making decisions that are productive for themselves and society. FHC will:
a. recognize student individuality.
b. have programs to reach students who struggle individually.
c. provide a mentoring program for freshman and/or struggling students.
d. teach effective goal setting skills and provide an effective transition for Post-High school (Career or College).
e. recognize and value individual student strengths.
f. encourage students to become active leaders of the student body.
g. foster student accountability where MAP is tied to grades
h. provide incentive for students by relating privileges to behavior.
i. emphasize and encourage involvement in extra-curricular programs.
[edit] Climate
FHC will be a place where all "Spartans" feel a sense of pride, ownership, and safety. At FHC, this requires:
a. a collaborative and value-centered ethic.
b. a safe, secure, and bully-free environment for students and staff.
c. mutual respect between all members of school community and appreciation for its diversity.
d. a comfortable, diverse, and creative learning environment that has freedom of expression, sense of mutual responsibility, and health consciousness.
e. minimal classroom interruptions.
[edit] Community Partnerships
FHC will seek more support from parents and the community-at-large for our efforts to promote student responsibility and achievement. In FHC, we will strive to:
a. educate the community and increase their involvement, including the need for financial support.
b. encourage parents to value and respect their child's education and support the institution of higher learning.
c. Create partnerships with parents and volunteers to offer support and assistance to teachers, staff and students.
[edit] Value Statements
FHC strives to... Focus on academics and promote success in the classroom. Hold students accountable for their academic progress, which will allow teachers to give valuable feedback. Continually develop and improve instructional strategies through collaboration. Effectively collaborate with parents to support and assist teachers, staff, and students. Nurture an environment that recognizes individuality, mutual respect, and an open line of communication as critical components of success. Thoroughly evaluate students' abilities and actively work to ensure success by teaching study skills and providing clear explanations. Respond to the needs of the business community by keeping our curriculum relevant through collaboration. Acknowledge student success and reward academic accomplishments. Learn to come together as a whole community in order to realize the goals and vision of Francis Howell Central High School.
[edit] Brief History
FHC opened in the fall of 1997 with only freshmen and sophomore students. The school had been built in a series of phases, much of what is visible today had not yet been constructed at the time of its opening. The school's founding principal was Mr. Don Muench. The building opened with fairly small number of teachers, due to low student enrollment at the time. In 2001, the students and staff were shocked following Muench's death. After some time, Mr. Steve Griggs was hired as the new building principal. The change in leadership was difficult for many individuals, as many were very close to Muench. Griggs remained principal until 2006, when he transferred to a new position in the district's administration. Mr. Jack Ameis, former principal of Francis Howell North High School, is currently serving as the interim principal until the end of the school year. Starting with the 2007-2008 school year, Dr. Sonny Arnel will return to Central to serve as the head principal, along with various other duties.
[edit] Athletics
Francis Howell Central supports three athletic seasons, with all sports supported by their own Booster club, selling products that help benefit their individual sport. Teams participate against other local schools in the surrounding area.
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Fall Sports
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Winter Sports
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Spring Sports
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Year Around |
[edit] Clubs
Students attending Francis Howell Central have many options of clubs to choose from including, but not limited to the following:
Art Club
DECA
FBLA
FCA
FCCLA
Knowledge Master Open
National Honor Society
Pep Club
Robotics
Scholar Quiz Bowl
Youth in Government
[edit] The Spotlight Players
The Spotlight Players is the school's theatre troupe, which produces at least three main stage shows per season, in addition to "second stage" productions and fund raisers. They perform to sell-out, or near-sell-out audiences in the school's 513 seat auditorium. In addition to theatrical productions, The Spotlight Players host the school's "Battle of The Bands", as well as the annual talent competition, "Talentpalooza" (in coordination with the school's Student Council), "The Student-Directed One Acts", as well as several other events — all of which are repeated annually.
The school has a rich theatrical history, consisting of over 25 main stage productions since the school's opening. The most successful of these shows have often been Broadway musicals, such as Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, and Oklahoma!. The troupe has been under the direction of two sponsors since its beginning: Mr. Tim Clayton (1997-2004) and Mr. Stephen Kimball (2004-Present). Over the course of the year, the organization involves between 200-300 students interested in the theatrical arts.
Fun Fact: Over the years, mostly from 2001-2003, rumors that the theatre may be haunted have circulated. One rumor says there is the ghost of an elderly woman, hunched over, with a cane who lives in the theatre and causes trouble. These problems have included, minimally, malfunctioning lighting and sound equipment during production, the random shattering of a window on the tech booth, the injury of a stagemanager, and an actor forgetting his lines mid-production. She also may be responsible for an increase of tension in the production company, leading to fights for no reason.
One alumni has reported hearing her voice while alone at night in the dark scene shop, and two others have reported seeing her, once onstage, and once outside off the back dock. Her home is believed to be in the laundry room, behind the locked door at the top of the stairs.
[edit] Spartan Regiment
The Spartan Regiment is FHC's marching band. The group has been very successful throughout their competitions and events. Since the opening of the school, the regiment has been under the direction of Mr. David Opperman. They have competed in several national events, including winning first place in several awards, and Grand Champions at the Orange Bowl in 2003. During that competition they brought home 15 awards. A recent success is in being Grand Champions in the 2007 Cotton Bowl, where they took 8 awards, including 4 first place trophies. In October 2006, it was announced that the Regiment would travel to Beijing, China between July 10th and July 21st, 2007, to play for the Cultural Festival for the 2008 Summer Olympics, but were unable to raise the sufficient amount of money to be able to go. There is a large controversy on this issue due to the fact that there was going to have been a large contribution by Budweiser, but school board policy prevented this contribution. This was because Budweiser is an alcohol company.
