Centennial High School (Pueblo, Colorado)
Encyclopedia
Centennial High School is a high school
located in Pueblo
, Colorado
. It serves roughly 1000 students in grades 9 through 12. The school is a part of Pueblo City Schools (District 60).
building went up at Eleventh and Court Streets. This school was first called the High School of District One or Pueblo High School, but when Colorado was admitted to the Union one hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence
(1876), the High School gradually began to be called "The Centennial" in honor of Colorado being "The Centennial State." At some point, locals dropped the article and began referring to the school as Centennial High School.
The adobe building was expanded beginning in the late 1880s, until a larger high school was mostly in place by 1921. This building served for over fifty years until a brand-new campus was built at Mountview Drive and Baltimore Avenue in 1973. The old campus is now the site of a District 60 administration building.
The first graduating class in 1884 consisted of seven students. Well-known graduates of Centennial include David Packard
(1930), co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company; Morey Bernstein (1937), author of "The Search for Bridey Murphy
"; Edra Jean "E.J." Peaker (1958), a Broadway
, film, and television actress; and many of the business and political elite of Pueblo.
The school colors are red and white, which is believed to date back to 1894 when a group of the school's girls wore red and white ribbons in their hair for a football
game against Colorado College
. The school's mascot, the bulldog
, gained school-wide acceptance around 1912.
Centennial is part of what is believed to be the sixth oldest high school football rivalry—and the oldest west of the Mississippi River
-- with their annual game against cross-town rival Central High School
. The schools first played in 1892, and the teams have met every year since except for the period between 1913-1919 when Centennial temporarily dropped football. The game is known in Pueblo as "the Bell Game" as the winning school takes possession of an old train bell which was donated as a trophy in 1950.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It serves roughly 1000 students in grades 9 through 12. The school is a part of Pueblo City Schools (District 60).
History
Centennial High School started out as a 16 x 20 foot structure built in 1873 at 421 North Santa Fe Avenue. Six years later, a larger adobeAdobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
building went up at Eleventh and Court Streets. This school was first called the High School of District One or Pueblo High School, but when Colorado was admitted to the Union one hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
(1876), the High School gradually began to be called "The Centennial" in honor of Colorado being "The Centennial State." At some point, locals dropped the article and began referring to the school as Centennial High School.
The adobe building was expanded beginning in the late 1880s, until a larger high school was mostly in place by 1921. This building served for over fifty years until a brand-new campus was built at Mountview Drive and Baltimore Avenue in 1973. The old campus is now the site of a District 60 administration building.
The first graduating class in 1884 consisted of seven students. Well-known graduates of Centennial include David Packard
David Packard
David Packard was a co-founder of Hewlett-Packard , serving as president , CEO , and Chairman of the Board . He served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1969–1971 during the Nixon administration...
(1930), co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company; Morey Bernstein (1937), author of "The Search for Bridey Murphy
Bridey Murphy
Bridey Murphy is the alias of U.S. housewife Virginia Tighe ; the name of the woman Tighe claimed to have been in her previous life.-Hypnotic regression:...
"; Edra Jean "E.J." Peaker (1958), a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, film, and television actress; and many of the business and political elite of Pueblo.
The school colors are red and white, which is believed to date back to 1894 when a group of the school's girls wore red and white ribbons in their hair for a football
American football
American 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...
game against Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
. The school's mascot, the bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
, gained school-wide acceptance around 1912.
Centennial is part of what is believed to be the sixth oldest high school football rivalry—and the oldest west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
-- with their annual game against cross-town rival Central High School
Central High School (Pueblo, Colorado)
Central High School is one of seven public high schools located in Pueblo, Colorado. The high school was the second for the city of Puebloand was founded in 1881. It is the only high school to have two Medal Of Honor recipients, William J. Crawford and Carl L...
. The schools first played in 1892, and the teams have met every year since except for the period between 1913-1919 when Centennial temporarily dropped football. The game is known in Pueblo as "the Bell Game" as the winning school takes possession of an old train bell which was donated as a trophy in 1950.