| Central Union High School in El Centro | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 1001 Brighton Avenue El Centro, California, United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1908 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Spartans |
| Newspaper | The Shield |
| Yearbook | La Solana |
| Website | http://www.spartansnet.net/ |
Central Union High School, also known as Central or CUHS, is a four-year public high school in El Centro, California with a diverse student body of more than 1,750 students.[1] It is one of three schools in the Central Union High School District. The school was founded in 1908 and the mascot is the Spartan.
In 2007, the state Department of Education named Central a California Distinguished School, in part because of its efforts to close the achievement gap.[1][2] Half of the students who attend Central are from low-income families and about 90 percent of the student body is Latino.[1] About a third of the students are English Language Learners.[1]
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The school, established in 1908, celebrated its centennial in 2008.[2]
Central was originally located on State and 9th streets in El Centro. In 1913, the school moved to its current site on Brighton Avenue. The city courthouse now occupies the original school building. In its first year, only 12 students attended the school—now the student body totals more than 1,750.
Among the most well-known alumni are actor Donal Logue from the class of 1984, who starred in the Fox TV sitcom "Grounded for Life" and was Central's ASB president his senior year; professional saxophonist Walter Beasley, a member of the school's Great Spartan Band in the 1970s under the late band director and local jazz legend Jimmie Cannon;[3] Doug Harvey an umpire in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and former Denver Broncos linebacker Glenn Cadrez of the class of 1987.[4]
Central's annual football game with the Brawley Union High School Wildcats of Brawley, CA is one of the oldest high school rivalries in the country.[5]
Central's Academic Decathlon team has won the Imperial County Competition every year since 1981 and has competed in the state competition in Sacramento, CA annually during that time.[6][7]
Searing Engineering, Team 1972 - overlooked by most of the school and staff alike, the CUHS FRC Team is a group of dedicated students, who aspire for in a future career in various fields of science or mathematics.
Central competes in the Imperial Valley League in the California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section. The school's teams are called the Spartans and its colors are blue and white.[2]
The Spartans' longtime archrivals are the Brawley Wildcats. The annual football game—known as the Bell Game—began in 1943 when the schools' associated student bodies bought the bell from a ship in San Diego for $50.[5] But the Central-Brawley rivalry predates the Bell Game and began in 1921.[8]
The group has performed during school lunch hours and at local events that include the Imperial Valley Mardi Gras Parade and the Imperial Valley Mid-Winter Fair.
The Great Spartan Band performs at all home football games and is known for its "Spartan Shuffle" as it exits the field. The band also performs in local events and parades in Imperial and San Diego counties. In addition, Central has an award-winning jazz band and a wind ensemble.[2]
The band has performed across the country and received awards and honors from the Orange Coast College Jazz Festivals, El Centro Navy Base Jazz Festival, Southwestern College Jazz Festival, Imperial Valley College Jazz Festival, USC Concert of the Bands, UCLA Band Festival, Holiday Bowl Music Festivals, Columbus Day Parade, Mother Goose Parade, and the Disneyland Parades and concerts in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1987.
Under the direction of Jimmie Cannon from 1966 to 1996, the Great Spartan Band began to travel extensively and in 1972 performed in Mexico City, where it was honored by the Mexican President Luis Echeverría. The band traveled four times to perform in Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans, most recently in 2008, and has traveled twice to Hawaii. The band also traveled to Disney World in Florida in 1995, where it participated in the Magic Kingdom Easter Parade.[9]
The Great Spartan Band was invited by Congressman Bob Filner (California's 51st District) to participate in the 2010 Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC.