Central High School is a public high school in

Norton, Virginia Norton is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in the far western tip of the state in Wise County, Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,687, making it the least populous city in Virginia. The Bureau of E ...

. The school traces its origins back to J. J. Kelly High School and Pound High School, founded in 1953. It is part of the

Wise County Public Schools Wise County Public Schools is a school district based in Wise, Virginia in Wise County. It operates 5 elementary/primary schools, 1 combined school, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools, an alternative school and a vocational-technical school A voca ...

system. It is a consolidated school, created by merging the two aforementioned schools in 2011. The mascot for Central is the

Warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

. The school's colors are red, silver, black, and white. The Warriors compete in the

Virginia High School League The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is the principal sanctioning organization for interscholastic athletic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VHSL first sponsored debate and also continues to sponsor sta ...

's 2A classification with other schools from around

Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Vir ...

. Students are offered courses in the

Advanced Placement Program Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

(AP), as well as the opportunity to receive college credit from the

Virginia Community College System The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) oversees a network of 23 community colleges in Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, betwe ...

for courses taken on the Central campus.Central High School
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History

Central High School was founded in August 2011. The school was formed from Pound High School and J. J. Kelly High School. The name came from the school's central location in Wise, the center of Wise County. Central's colors are a combination of the colors two schools that formed the school; J. J. Kelly's colors were red and white, while Pound's were red, black, and white. From the school's founding until December 2013, the school was located at the old J.J. Kelly High School building in Wise. In January 2014, a new campus, featuring a new school building and athletic facilities, was completed in the nearby city of

Athletics

Central High sports include cross country, volleyball, soccer, football, basketball, wrestling, Scholastic Bowl, One Act, track, tennis, softball, baseball, and forensics. It has consistently seen success in both its sports and its activities. Central won the VHSL 2A state championship in girls basketball in 2013-14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018-19. Central captured 3 more State Championships in 2015-16, winning in Forensics, One Act, and Scholastic Bowl; it also finished 2nd in girls tennis. That year, the school's Scholastic Bowl team competed and succeeded in various quiz bowl tournaments, won the state title undefeated and attended the 2016 PACE National Scholastics Championship. The school won girls basketball and One Act once again in 2016-17, and also captured 2nd place in Scholastic Bowl and girls tennis. Its successes in VHSL activities have resulted in its winning of the VHSL 2A Wells Fargo Cup, awarded for cumulative excellence in VHSL activities (as opposed to the Wachovia Cup for athletics), for three consecutive years (2015-2017).

References

External links

School website
{{authority control Public high schools in Virginia Schools in Wise County, Virginia Educational institutions established in 2011 Wise, Virginia 2011 establishments in Virginia