| Bay City Central High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 1624 Columbus Ave Bay City, Michigan, United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Secondary |
| Motto | High Expectations. High Standards. No Excuses. |
| Established | 1922 |
| School district | Bay City Public Schools |
| Dean | Anita Shillair |
| Principal | Tim Marciniak |
| Asst. Principal | Dr. Donald Clark, Joe Buggs, Morley Fraser |
| Faculty | 88 [1] |
| Enrollment | 1,640 [1] |
| Athletics | Football, Cross Country, Basketball, Baseball, Swimming, Tennis, Golf, Wrestling, Track, Soccer, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Ice Hockey, Softball, Competitive Cheer, Lacrosse (club) |
| Mascot | Wolf |
| Nickname | BCC, CHS, Central |
| Accreditation(s) | North Central Association |
| Newspaper | The Centralia Edition |
| Yearbook | Centralia |
| Website | http://www.baycitycentral.com |
Bay City Central High School (or BCC) is a high school located at 1624 Columbus Ave., Bay City, Michigan. Its mascot is the wolf, and its colors are purple and gold.
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The building that is now known as Bay City Central opened March 27, 1922.[2] The original architectural plans called for two floors, but a third was added to provide room for Bay City Junior College (which now exists as Delta College, and is now located in University Center, Michigan). The "New Gymnasium" was constructed in 1957, and the cafeteria/commons received major renovations in 1995. The school's bell tower (which contains two classrooms and a now-defunct observatory) was closed in 1983 due to fire code restrictions and remains unopened to this day.
Bay City Central hosts one of the most successful high school football programs in the state of Michigan. It ranks among the top twenty in all-time wins and has produced several Division I football players. BCC plays in the Saginaw Valley Conference, which produces some of the most talented teams in Michigan.
The Bay City Central Wolves football team plays its home games in Engel Stadium. The need for the stadium was demonstrated on Thanksgiving Day, 1924, when Bay City Central and Flint Central High School played one another. The original stadium was what is now the student parking lot. Its 1,500-person capacity bleachers were not nearly enough for the 10,000 strong who came to watch the game. Because of this, Central Stadium (as it was originally called) opened in 1925. It was made possible through a fund-raiser, whereby local citizens bought commemorative bricks by making one- and five-dollar pledges. At the time, it was second in size to only Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor and Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The stadium is reportedly the oldest high school stadium in Michigan and originally seated 7,000.
On September 23, 1973, the name of Central Stadium was changed to Elmer Engel Stadium in honor of the long-time successful head coach of the Central Wolves. In recent years, Engel Stadium has received substantial renovations.
In 1950, Elmer Engel inherited the reins of a football team that had lost 27 consecutive games and worked them to a 3-6 record. Throughout the next 23 years, no Central varsity football team lost more than three games per year as Engel led the Central Wolves to five Class A state football championships. Three teams went undefeated and Engel’s 165-34-8 record at Bay City Central earned him a spot in the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame.
Bay City Central traditionally closes its football season with a bout against cross-town rival Bay City T.L. Handy. When Handy closed the final season game became Bay City Western. Bay City Central dominated the series until the 21st century, at one point amassing a winning streak of 14 straight games. Bay City Central also maintains traditional rivalries with the Midland High and Midland H.H. Dow High Schools. The rivalry with Midland Dow was amplified in 1994 when the head coach referred to Bay City Central players as "factory rats" in a local newspaper.
While Bay City Central and Midland High never met in the 1994 season, Central went on to play in the Class AA State Championships while Midland lost in the State Semifinals. The 1994 Bay City Central team set a school record for wins, finishing the year with 11.
Crest Magazine began in its infancy in the fall of 1952, and volume number one made its debut in print in the spring of 1953. Since its inception the Crest Magazine has set a standard of literary and artistic excellence and has been a home for students to showcase those talents. In 2008, the Crest Magazine was put online, featuring current works of high school writers such as poetry, short stories, essays, and novel excerpts. Student artwork and photography were added as well as an archive section of older magazines readable in PDF format.
Bay City Central has an active mock trial team that allows high school students to argue court cases and compete against other schools in courtrooms around the State of Michigan. The competition is hosted by the Michigan Center for Civic Education. Bay City Central High School has competed since 2000 and gone to state finals twice and had several honorable mentions. On Law Day 2008, the BCC Mock Trial Team Coach, Diane Bruder, was awarded the Liberty Bell Award from the Bay County Bar Association.
Bay City Central High School has the oldest continuous marching band in the state of Michigan. The high school band program also hosts several other bands, Jazz Lab and Central Air Jazz Band, Symphony, and Wind Symphony, and formerly the Bay Youth Symphony Orchestra. For thirty years, Wally Cramer served as band director. During that time, the central bands experienced great success and growth. Currently, Scott Stuifbergen and Kristy Keenan serve as band directors.
Central High is also the location of the studios and transmitter of WCHW-FM, 91.3, a low power non-commercial FM station run by the students of the Bay City School District.
Bay City Central also has mixed choir, concert choir and the award-winning varsity choir and Resounding Harmony. All 4 choirs are under the direction of Amy Hughes. It also has small a capella ensembles, The Girls, The Guys and 6 a.m