The Center School (Seattle)
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| The Center School | |
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| School type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 2001 |
| Principal | Brian Vance |
| Students | ~300 Students |
| Colors | Red and Silver |
| Mascot | The Dragon |
| Notable Clubs |
SIPA MUN |
| Location | Seattle Center, Seattle, WA USA |
| Website | Website |
The Center School is a small arts and college preparatory public school located in Seattle, Washington. It is located in the Center House, a multi-purpose building on the grounds of the Seattle Center. Because of its unique placement, the Center School is affiliated with several local arts organizations, including the Seattle Repertory Theater.
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[edit] Extracurricular organizations
Since its founding, the Center School has constantly evolved to accommodate the needs and motivations of its students and teachers. Several organizations have sprung up with a largely political focus. Notably the Model United Nations club and SIPA (Students Inspiring Political Activism). Such groups have drawn a focus to the problems facing the school, the city, and the international community. Other organizations include an improv team, a student union, and 'The Rock School'.
[edit] MUN
The Model United Nations program at the Center School has been active in the local WASMUN conference since the school's inception. In 2005, 2006, and 2007, the club visited New York City for the National High School MUN conference, bringing a delegation of more than one seventh of the Center School's population.
[edit] SIPA
The Students Inspiring Political Activism group has taken on several projects over the last few years, with membership varying from year to year. Recently, students stated that they believed that abstinence-only sex education did not adequately prepare students to make safe sexual decisions. SIPA put together a curriculum over the course of the school year and then presented it to the rest of the school.
In 2006 the group's agenda was to confront the achievement gap and the segregation and bias that still occurs within school districts, part of which addressed educating staff members on the issues of race from the perspective of a student.
[edit] Sports
The Center School has few official sports teams or clubs, although it has access to the nearby Memorial Stadium for any sporting events.
[edit] Ultimate Frisbee
Students at the Center School were able to play for other high schools sports teams and other extracurricular organizations in the Seattle School District until policies from the Ultimate Players Association only allowed students to play on their own high school's Ultimate Frisbee Team.
In early February, 2006, a Frisbee team was formed making this team the first official sports team offered at the Center School. The team name was initially registered as The Mighty Fighting Kites, although this changed frequently until a team member came up with the name The Mornin' After, which became the team's official name. The name didn't become a problem until the first semester of the 2006-2007 school year, when the team was no longer allowed to be associated with the school.
In the Spring season of 2006, the team's first season, the Center School ranked 4th in the Western Washington region, widely considered to be the strongest region in the United States for Ultimate Frisbee. The Western Washington region has produced the majority of the past national champions.
[edit] Controversy and criticism
The Center School has come under criticism in Jonathan Kozol's book Shame of the Nation, which details the state of education in the United States. Kozol presents the Center School as the epitome of the disparity between races in education during recent years.
Within the book, Kozol explains how the Center School was conceived in order to serve the mostly white neighborhoods Queen Anne and Magnolia and draws parallels between the group of white parents that petitioned for its creation and the group that filed a lawsuit preventing the Seattle School District from considering race when placing students.
Kozol cites statistics that show a discrepancy among students who utilize the school when compared to districtwide data. Eighty three percent of students at Center School in its first year of enrollment were white, compared to 40 percent districtwide; six percent of the population was black, while black students make up 25 percent of the District's student body overall.[1]
However Kozol has never actually visited the Center School and many of his descriptions of the Center School have been criticized as either inaccurate or overexaggerated.[citation needed] Kozol also neglects to mention that the first two years the Center School was in existence was in the Sacred Heart Church (one block away from its current location) which was a building in terrible need of renovation much like the rest of the Seattle School District's high schools.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
- The Center School Website
- The Seattle Times: School Guide for the Center School
- The Center School MUN Homepage
- Student Union Website
| Seattle Public High Schools |
| Ballard High School | The Center School | Chief Sealth High School | Grover Cleveland High School Benjamin Franklin High School | James A. Garfield High School | Ingraham High School | John Marshall High School Middle College High School | Nathan Hale High School | The Nova Project | Rainier Beach High School Roosevelt High School | Seattle Evening School | South Lake High School | West Seattle High School |
