| Trenton Central High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 400 Chambers Street Trenton, NJ 08609 |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| School district | Trenton Public Schools |
| Principal | Marc Maurice |
| Vice principal | Matt Cordonnier Josephine Estrada Laura Martin Larry Parker |
| Faculty | 181.6 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 2,376 (as of 2008–09)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 13.1[1] |
| Color(s) | Black and Red |
| Athletics conference | Colonial Valley Conference |
| Nickname | Tornadoes |
| Website | School website |
Trenton Central High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Trenton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Trenton Public Schools.
As of the 2008–09 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,376 students and 181.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.1.[1]
The school was the 317th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 310th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[2] The school was ranked 311th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[3]
Trenton Central High School was the focus of a research study aimed at preventing obesity in students, in which student evaluations of the results played a major role in interpretation of the outcomes.[4]
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In the late 1920s the Trenton Board of Education had the foresight and the good fortune to acquire one of the last undeveloped tracts in the city: the 36-acre (150,000 m2) Chambers Farm, then used as a nursery. The new high school would be the city’s third, replacing the then existing high school at Chestnut and Hamilton Avenues built in 1900, which in turn replaced the first high school on Mercer Street built in 1874.
Trenton Central High School (TCHS) opened on January 4, 1932 and was formally dedicated on January 18 amid a crowd of five thousand. Hailed as “an ornament to the city” and “one of the show places of Trenton,” TCHS was one of the largest and most expensive high schools built in the country. The Chambers Street façade stretches broadly for almost 1,000 feet (300 m), nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall. The cost of the building, including land and furniture, totaled $3.3 million. Most firms involved in the construction were based in Trenton, including John A. Roebling’s Sons who provided “Jersey” wire lath to fireproof the ceilings and walls.
Trenton Central High School is divided into Small Learning Communities (SLCs) that span across three separate sites throughout the city of Trenton. The Chambers Campus, located on Chambers Street, houses five communities: Applied Science and Engineering, Media Technology, Performing Arts, Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism, and Business, Computer, Technology Design. The North Campus is located on N. Clinton Avenue and is home to the Medical Arts community. The West Campus sits on West State Street in the building that was formerly the home of the Arthur J. Holland Middle School. Three communities reside there: Law and Justice, Renaissance, and Business and Finance.
The Trenton Central High School Tornadoes compete in the Colonial Valley Conference, which consists of public and private high schools located in Mercer County, Monmouth County and Middlesex County, New Jersey, under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Trenton Central High School has the Best basketball teams in the history of the U.S.
In 1961, Tal Brody led the undefeated boys basketball team to a 24–0 record and a New Jersey state championship in his senior year, as he was voted a New Jersey basketball All Star and selected to the First Team Newark Star Ledger All-State Team. Brody, though later drafted # 12 in the NBA draft, passed up an NBA career to play in Israel.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
The boys basketball team won the Central, Group IV sectional championship in 2003 with a 54–40 win over Old Bridge High School.[11]
The girls basketball team won the 2007 Central, Group IV state sectional title with a 51–24 win against Howell High School.[12] The team moved on to win the 2007 Group IV State Championship, defeating Eastside High School 52-44 for the title.[13]
The Tornadoes 381 FIRST robotics team, from the Applied Engineering & Science Academy, is sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb, Sarnoff Corporation and Princeton University. The Team 381 Tornadoes were the 2004 Philadelphia Regional Winner in the FIRST Robotics Competition.[14] In 2008, the Tornados became the Trenton Regional Winners. This high school also includes a military program called United States Army ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) which it's mission is to motivate young people to be better citizens .
In September 2009, State officials who want to raze and rebuild Trenton Central High School faced off against residents with an alternate plan to save the historic but dilapidated building at a school board committee meeting.
The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA), presented its proposal to build a new school on the TCHS athletic fields and then demolish most of the old school, except for its iconic tower and part of the facade, which would become a small athletic field house.
According to an SDA draft conceptual plan, work on an architectural design would begin in January and construction would start in summer 2011. The old building would be demolished in summer 2014 and students would start using the new building that fall. A new athletic facility would open in fall 2015.
However, once destroyed the school can never be replaced. The iconic and historic building has roots with many residents and past generations of Trenton. Controversy and local uproar from residents has thrown the school and its "demolition" into headline news. The fate of the historic landmark is still in limbo.
There is controversy and little progress on how to deal more effectively with student performance at TCHS. Academic achievement is low and dropout rates are high, and various groups such as Citizens for Successful Schools[25] are working toward solutions to these problems. Students lose their opportunity for full participation in society, and are more likely to become burdens rather than contributors to their communities.
Parts of the 1993-released movie Baby It's You were filmed at Trenton Central in 1982. In some exterior shots St. Francis Hospital can be seen across Hamilton Avenue as an expansion is under construction.
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