Nebraska City High School

Nebraska City High School
Address
141 Steinhart Park Rd. Nebraska City, Nebraska, Otoe County, Nebraska, 68410 United States
Coordinates	40°40′42″N 95°52′45″W / 40.67833°N 95.87917°W / 40.67833; -95.87917Coordinates: 40°40′42″N 95°52′45″W / 40.67833°N 95.87917°W / 40.67833; -95.87917
Information
Type	Public
Principal	Brian Hoover
Vice principal	Matthew Koehler
Number of students	445
Color(s)	Purple and gold
Song	The Purple and the Gold
Athletics conference	Eastern Midlands Conference
Sports	Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Tennis, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Track, Volleyball, Wrestling
Mascot	Pioneer Pete
Team name	Pioneers
School day	8:00 – 3:40
Athletic Director	Matthew Koehler
Website	http://nebraskacity.ne.schoolwebpages.com/

Nebraska City High School (NCHS, formerly NCSH) is the public secondary school in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It contains grades 9th through 12th. The athletic teams of all Nebraska City Public Schools are named the Pioneers. NCHS is located at 141 Steinhart Park Road in Nebraska City.

History

The first graduating class of NCHS graduated in 1880, the first graduate being Cornelia Kimmel. The current building was not the first high school in Nebraska City though. Its predecessor was the first in Nebraska. Partially for this and other reasons such as being the Home of Arbor Day and being the oldest town in the state, the athletic team's name (then the 'Golden Avalanches' or, unofficially, the 'Purples') was changed to the Pioneers in December 1938. The school's newspaper has since the early 1900s been referred to as the Otoean, deriving its name from its home - Otoe County, Nebraska. Many other changes were done to the school in the '30s and '40s, including the first dances, first library, first mirrors, and first yearbooks. It may also be noted that during this time Nebraska City regularly competed in the International Soap Box Derbies, including a World Championship at the fourth annual. Along with this, in 1921, the NCSH Golden Avalanches had won the State Basketball Championship.^[1]

Buildings

The original School was built in 1865 on 6th street and between 4th and 5th Corsos. It was the first public high school between the Missouri River and California. The second building was constructed in 1874 between 9th and 10th Streets on 1st Corso. Later the Sixth Street Elementary occupied the original building until its destruction in 1916.

In 1911 a third high school was built on the same block as the second. This third complex was known as the "Gray Buildings" and was East of the prior building. The second school was demoished and replaced with the Morton James Public Library. At this point NCSH contained grades 9-12. In 1928 a Junior High was built across 9th street. This Junior High contained grades 7-9. In 1945 the schools switched buildings. This change was to accommodate the growing size of the student population. Along with this came a "Hot Lunch" program along with choir and band rooms.

The current site at 141 Steinhart Park Road was selected for a new building for an even larger student population. This building was completed in 1965. The Junior High moved back to the its original building and the "Gray Buildings" complex was replaced by a Safeway store. This was then destroyed for a new Middle School next to the Library, and 9th street between 1st and 2nd Corsos was replaced with a recreation field for the Middle School.^[2]

Expansions

The current building was built in 1965, replacing the prior schools in the downtown area. Since its construction, the building has had a similar design to what it is now - a brick building with the gym at one end, auditorium and cafeteria in the center, with classrooms in the north, rounded part of the building. The following expansions in the 1979 expanded on this north section - adding what are now the outer classrooms, the library and the athletic complexes. From 2008-2011, the school underwent a major renovation with the addition of a second gym, turf field, new cafeteria, new fine arts rooms, new woods and metals shop, and new offices.

Athletics

The official team name is the Nebraska City Pioneers with the mascot of Pioneer Pete. The school and athletic colors are purple and gold. The Pioneers compete in 17 varsity sports in the Eastern Midlands Conference with the Bennington Badgers, Blair Bears, Elkhorn Antlers, Elkhorn South Storm, Gretna Dragons, Norris Titans, Plattsmouth Blue Devils, and Waverly Vikings.

Pioneer Palace

Up until the last expansion, the Pioneers competed in the Pioneer Palace. The Palace, like many gyms in old Nebraska Schools, has unique characteristics. There are multiple differences to most other gyms, specifically the size, cramped conditions, sparse, mellow lighting, and high number of random "dead spots" in the floor. Speculation has arisen that a home field advantage aided Pioneer basketball teams through their years in the Palace. With the construction in the 2000s, a new gym was built, the old one remaining as a backup called the Gold Gym and the new one being the Purple Gym. The new gym has bright lighting, is longer, has direct access to the band room, has new locker rooms for girls, and bleachers that are purple and gold with 'NCHS' on the side.

Pioneer Field

The Pioneer Field and Track is the competing grounds for Pioneers Football, Pioneers Track, and Pioneer Soccer. From at least 1911 until 1978, the Pioneer Field was a large structure on the terraces between 1st and 4th Corsos and between 14th and 15th Streets. In 1978, an elementary school was built to replace the 6th Street and 14th Street Building, now Hayward Elementary. In the 1978 season, the Pioneers competed at the Peru State College campus. By 1979, the current stadium was completed. This was then refurbished in 2011 with Field Turf and a new track surface.

History

From at least 1918, the Nebraska City High School's colors have been various shades of Purple and Gold. The school song - "The Purple and the Gold" was written sometime between 1908 and 1918 and the main lyrics have remained relatively unchanged. Around this time until 1938, the teams were officially named the Golden Avalanches, and from 1938 onward they have been named the Pioneers.

State Results

Note: All track entries are for gold medalists only.

See also

• Nebraska City, Nebraska
• Lourdes Central Catholic

References

Eastern Midlands Conference Bennington Badgers Blair Bears Elkhorn Antlers Elkhorn South Storm Gretna Dragons Nebraska City Pioneers Norris Titans Plattsmouth Blue Devils Waverly Vikings Category