Centennial High School (Columbus, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
Centennial High School is a public high school located on the northwest side of Columbus, Ohio
, in the USA. It is a part of Columbus City Schools. The school opened in 1976, initially only housing new students in 10th grade. The smaller start allowed the school to get set up properly, and was designed as such so it wouldn't cause inconvenience to upperclassmen who were attending other High schools but lived in Centennial's newly formed attendance area.
had become very crowded. A considerable portion of the land around the school was undeveloped at the time of opening, but was rapidly built up in the ensuing years. A rivalry has developed between Centennial and Whetstone due to the splitting of Whetstone's district and the fact that many students in both buildings attended lower grades together. This rivalry is considered one of the best in the city. As the building opened in the year of the United States Bicentennial
, the building was so named as a patriotic gesture, as was Independence High School
, which opened at the same time.
At the time of the school's construction, trends in K-12 schooling were moving towards more non-traditional classroom setups. This manifested itself in the architecture and design of the building. When the school opened, there were no walls between almost all of the classrooms (save for the art, music, and science rooms). Rather, movable dividers were employed in a setup similar to what might be found in an office with cubicles. Additionally, both floors of the building were laid out with wings centered around a common area, rather than long and straight corridors. All of these elements were designed to increase interaction between classrooms and promote learning. Additionally, the lockers were formerly painted a bright orange color, which was thought to have a positive psychological effect for learning.
In 1997, the school was threatened with closure, as it was stated by the Columbus school board that the building was operating far below capacity with approximately 550 students. This provoked a large public outcry, and it was later discovered that the capacity of 900 students as originally assumed was overstated. It was revised downward to approximately 750 pupils, but in recent years the school has had approximately 850 students attending due to its good reputation.
weighing on the minds of the designers, energy efficiency was a top priority in the design of the building. Because of this, the school has very few windows, creating a "prison-like atmosphere," quoted by students. The few windows that do exist are found in only a handful of classrooms. However, one benefit of this is that most classrooms need not evacuate to another location in the event of a tornado. For a school that was designed to hold approximately 800-900 students, the auditorium is especially small, seating only 250 people. In the original design, an indoor swimming pool
was to be added in a wing on the north side of the building. Although the area was excavated for a pool, it became the vocal music room instead when costs needed to be scaled back. It is especially unusual in that one must walk downstairs to get to it in a building which otherwise has no publicly accessible basement. With the exception of the aforementioned vocal music room, the entire building is fully wheelchair accessible, despite having been built 15 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act
came into force. An outdoor amphitheater is integrated into the facade of the building on the northeast side.
After a few years, it was decided that the hassle of dealing with noise transmission between classrooms wasn't worth the positive effects of collaboration. Walls were built to divide the classrooms in 1980, and remain today. Because the school was designed to be open, adding walls where needed has the unintentional effect of making the building especially difficult to navigate. It is easy to spot the walls that were subsequently added, as all the permanent walls in the building as originally built are concrete block, while those added later are made of drywall. Additionally, to cut costs, the ceiling tiles and grid were not rebuilt to accommodate the new walls, which makes for a small gap at the top and reduces noise insulation. Some of the lockers were painted a neutral beige color, while others were painted dark blue (one of the school colors). With the Columbus City Schools switch to Middle schools from the Junior High setup, 9th graders began to be admitted in the fall of 1980.
ranked Centennial among the top high schools in the country, giving it a bronze award. Additionally, the school has consistently received a score of "Excellent" from the Ohio Department of Education, the highest mark given. The high performance is made more remarkable by the fact that approximately 60% of students fall into the "economically disadvantaged" category, and 15% have limited English proficiency. Racially, the school is quite balanced, with no group being in the majority. Approximately 42% of students are African-American, 47% are Caucasian, and 11% from other groups such as Asian and Hispanic. These categories do not readily display the diversity present at the school, as there are many students from Eastern Europe
, the Middle East
, and the Horn of Africa
who attend Centennial. Although situated in a prosperous area of Columbus, the boundaries for attending stretch along a narrow corridor towards the south which encompasses a variety of neighborhoods and socioeconomic statuses. The attendance area is bordered by Upper Arlington
to the west, Grandview
and Victorian Village
to the south, Whetstone High School's attendance area to the east, and Worthington
to the north.
), Centennial has three tennis courts, although room was provided for a full five (which makes matches go much more quickly). The adjacent area remains an open field with trees at the edge. The school colors are red, white and blue. The school mascot
is a Star.
Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships
City Championships
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, in the USA. It is a part of Columbus City Schools. The school opened in 1976, initially only housing new students in 10th grade. The smaller start allowed the school to get set up properly, and was designed as such so it wouldn't cause inconvenience to upperclassmen who were attending other High schools but lived in Centennial's newly formed attendance area.
History
At the time the school was built, the surrounding area of Northwest Columbus was experiencing tremendous growth. The need for a new school became apparent as nearby Whetstone High SchoolWhetstone High School (Columbus, Ohio)
Whetstone High School is a public high school located at 4405 Scenic Drive in Columbus, Ohio. It is a part of Columbus City Schools. Whetstone's mascot is the Brave....
had become very crowded. A considerable portion of the land around the school was undeveloped at the time of opening, but was rapidly built up in the ensuing years. A rivalry has developed between Centennial and Whetstone due to the splitting of Whetstone's district and the fact that many students in both buildings attended lower grades together. This rivalry is considered one of the best in the city. As the building opened in the year of the United States Bicentennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
, the building was so named as a patriotic gesture, as was Independence High School
Independence High School (Columbus, Ohio)
Independence High School is a public high school located at 5175 E. Refugee Road, Columbus, Ohio. It is a part of Columbus City Schools.The school colors are Red, White and Blue. The school nickname is the 76'ers.-Notable alumni:...
, which opened at the same time.
At the time of the school's construction, trends in K-12 schooling were moving towards more non-traditional classroom setups. This manifested itself in the architecture and design of the building. When the school opened, there were no walls between almost all of the classrooms (save for the art, music, and science rooms). Rather, movable dividers were employed in a setup similar to what might be found in an office with cubicles. Additionally, both floors of the building were laid out with wings centered around a common area, rather than long and straight corridors. All of these elements were designed to increase interaction between classrooms and promote learning. Additionally, the lockers were formerly painted a bright orange color, which was thought to have a positive psychological effect for learning.
In 1997, the school was threatened with closure, as it was stated by the Columbus school board that the building was operating far below capacity with approximately 550 students. This provoked a large public outcry, and it was later discovered that the capacity of 900 students as originally assumed was overstated. It was revised downward to approximately 750 pupils, but in recent years the school has had approximately 850 students attending due to its good reputation.
Design
With the 1973 oil crisis1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
weighing on the minds of the designers, energy efficiency was a top priority in the design of the building. Because of this, the school has very few windows, creating a "prison-like atmosphere," quoted by students. The few windows that do exist are found in only a handful of classrooms. However, one benefit of this is that most classrooms need not evacuate to another location in the event of a tornado. For a school that was designed to hold approximately 800-900 students, the auditorium is especially small, seating only 250 people. In the original design, an indoor swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
was to be added in a wing on the north side of the building. Although the area was excavated for a pool, it became the vocal music room instead when costs needed to be scaled back. It is especially unusual in that one must walk downstairs to get to it in a building which otherwise has no publicly accessible basement. With the exception of the aforementioned vocal music room, the entire building is fully wheelchair accessible, despite having been built 15 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
came into force. An outdoor amphitheater is integrated into the facade of the building on the northeast side.
After a few years, it was decided that the hassle of dealing with noise transmission between classrooms wasn't worth the positive effects of collaboration. Walls were built to divide the classrooms in 1980, and remain today. Because the school was designed to be open, adding walls where needed has the unintentional effect of making the building especially difficult to navigate. It is easy to spot the walls that were subsequently added, as all the permanent walls in the building as originally built are concrete block, while those added later are made of drywall. Additionally, to cut costs, the ceiling tiles and grid were not rebuilt to accommodate the new walls, which makes for a small gap at the top and reduces noise insulation. Some of the lockers were painted a neutral beige color, while others were painted dark blue (one of the school colors). With the Columbus City Schools switch to Middle schools from the Junior High setup, 9th graders began to be admitted in the fall of 1980.
Academics
U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
ranked Centennial among the top high schools in the country, giving it a bronze award. Additionally, the school has consistently received a score of "Excellent" from the Ohio Department of Education, the highest mark given. The high performance is made more remarkable by the fact that approximately 60% of students fall into the "economically disadvantaged" category, and 15% have limited English proficiency. Racially, the school is quite balanced, with no group being in the majority. Approximately 42% of students are African-American, 47% are Caucasian, and 11% from other groups such as Asian and Hispanic. These categories do not readily display the diversity present at the school, as there are many students from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
who attend Centennial. Although situated in a prosperous area of Columbus, the boundaries for attending stretch along a narrow corridor towards the south which encompasses a variety of neighborhoods and socioeconomic statuses. The attendance area is bordered by Upper Arlington
Upper Arlington, Ohio
Upper Arlington is a suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The population was 33,686 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
to the west, Grandview
Grandview Heights, Ohio
Grandview Heights is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,695 at the 2000 census.The city was originally part of Marble Cliff, one of the first suburbs of Columbus, which settled as a community in 1890 and incorporated as the "Hamlet of Marble Cliff" in 1901...
and Victorian Village
Victorian Village
Victorian Village is a neighborhood located north and near west of downtown Columbus. It is an older area with a fair number of established trees for an urban setting...
to the south, Whetstone High School's attendance area to the east, and Worthington
Worthington, Ohio
-Dissolution of the Company:By August 11, 1804 the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres of the Scioto Company's purchase...
to the north.
Sports
Centennial's sports teams include Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, Baseball, Golf, Wrestling, Softball, Swimming, Track, Cross Country, Cheerleading, and Tennis. The football stadium includes a 400 meter track in addition to a natural grass field. Other facilities include three baseball/softball fields, however only two are used on a regular basis due to the third fields proximity to busy Bethel road and the risks foul balls would cause. Like most other Columbus High Schools (except for Walnut RidgeWalnut Ridge High School (Columbus, Ohio)
Walnut Ridge High School is a public high school located on the far east side of Columbus, Ohio at 4841 E Livingston Ave near the I-70 and Hamilton Road exit...
), Centennial has three tennis courts, although room was provided for a full five (which makes matches go much more quickly). The adjacent area remains an open field with trees at the edge. The school colors are red, white and blue. The school mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is a Star.
Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships
- Boys GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
– 1978
City Championships
- Boys SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- 2010 - Girls Soccer unofficial city champions - 2009
- Boys GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- 2007 - Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- 2007, 2008 - Girls VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- 2004-2007 - SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- 2008 - Boys TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- 2009 - FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- Never