Omaha Benson High School Magnet

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Location
Benson High School Magnet
5120 Maple Street Omaha, NE
Information
School district	Omaha Public Schools
Principal	Lisa Dale
Type	public high school Magnet School
Grades	9-12
Mascot	Bunny
Color(s)	Green
Homepage	http://www.ops.org/high/benson

Omaha Benson High School Magnet, Benson High Magnet, or Benson High, is located at 5120 Maple Street in Omaha, Nebraska, in the Benson community of Omaha. The founded in 1904, Benson High is one of the oldest high schools in the state. Its enrollment is approximately 1,500 students. The current principal of Omaha Benson High School is Lisa Dale. The school mascot is the Bunny.^{[citation needed]}

A full renovation of the school was completed in the mid-1990s. Additions included a new science classroom wing, an auditorium for the performing arts, a gymnasium, a student commons area and a track and football field. The football field and track were redone once again during the 2006 summer.^{[citation needed]}

Benson is currently participating in NASA's Student Launch Initiative program.^{[citation needed]}

Omaha Benson High School is also one of the Omaha area schools that participates in the yearly Day of Silence event.

1 Benson High changing into a Magnet Center
2 "The N-Word" controversy
3 Notable alumni
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Benson High changing into a Magnet Center

On the Benson website it announced "Benson High School is a public high school serving as a Magnet Center for special Academic Research and Innovation."

[edit] "The N-Word" controversy

In April 2007, the student newspaper published a four-page special feature entitled "The N-Word" examining the use of the racial epithet "nigger" within the school community. It included factual reporting, editorial content, and a transcript of a round-table discussion on the topic in one of the school's ethics classes.

Community response was mixed. Many students and parents, and the school's principal, were supportive of the newspaper's coverage, but the school district received many phone calls expressing concern or offense at the content. The school district, Omaha Public Schools, put the principal on temporary administrative leave and denounced the publication. The principal was later reinstated.^[1]

[edit] Notable alumni

Notable alumni include actors Nick Nolte, Aaron Fili, Erich Hover, authors Terry Goodkind and Robert Reed, 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick, TV news anchorman Floyd Kalber, Omaha World Herald Reporter Stu Pospisil, Football Player Kenton Keith and former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub.^{[citation needed]}