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Central High School is a
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
located in uptown
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...
. The school, a part of Springfield Public Schools, was Springfield's first
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
to be built. Construction of the building was completed in 1893. The first graduating class graduated a year later in 1894 consisting of two out of the 76 seniors that were enrolled. The school was renamed Central High School after the construction of Springfield's second oldest high school, Parkview High School, in 1956. Central's mascot is a
Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose. Central has varied structure since its original construction in 1894. The original building is almost fully intact, albeit with many additions, the first of which was the Central Wing added in 1907. The Central Wing was then followed up by the addition of the Eastern Wing in 1913. Following the construction of the Eastern Wing, the Auditorium was constructed in 1940. The most recent addition to the building, the "New Wing", was completed in 2002. The construction of the "New Wing" drastically improved the nature of the school in adding another building to the campus. The building houses Central's library, various classrooms, and an improved lunchroom. The Jim Ball Gymnasium, nicknamed "The Pit" for its sunken floor, houses the school's basketball and volleyball games. The Jim Ball Gymnasium is named after the successful Central student and basketball coach, Jim Ball. Some features of the campus are no longer present. The hallways to Central's auditorium once were home to many ivy plants. The plants were removed in the 1970s for fear of possible damage to the building, but ivy murals were painted on the walls of a hallway to replace them. The hallway became known as the "Hall of Ivy". The Hall of Ivy has become a memorial at the school for students who have died. The school originally had a bell tower on the front of the building, however it was removed in 1916 for the strain it placed on the façade.


Notable programs

Central High School is one of the eleven high schools in
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
to offer the
IB Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...
. Central High School also features the Springfield Scholars Program (formerly the Middle Years Scholars Program). The program offers accelerated high school classes to gifted
middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
ers. In the program
middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
ers are semi-integrated with the rest of the population and take SSP (Springfield Scholars Program) classes, high school honors classes with the rest of the population along with Pre-IB classes with other high school Pre-IB students.
The school also features the A+ program, a state program that offers College tuition in exchange for tutoring.


Central Intelligence

Central High School's Media II class develops and releases a bi-weekly in-house news program entitled "Central Intelligence", sometimes referred to as "CI". The program is produced by students for the student body and informs students of local events, both in Springfield and at Central. Central Intelligence has received a total of six pacemaker awards and in 2011 received Best of Show at the National Scholastic Press Association show in
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. In 2012, Central Intelligence again won a pacemaker at the National Scholastic Press Association, this time held in Austin.


Paranormal

The school is well known for having many stories of ghosts, spooks, and other haunting-related stories surrounding it. The rumors seem to surround many areas of the building, including the tunnels, fourth floor attic, and room 311. Room 311 was a room in the original building of Springfield. The room was rumored to emit eerie noises, and the door locking on its own. However, with the addition of the "New Building" the old building was renumbered, and its hallways were realigned. Therefore, the original room 311 is no longer numbered 311 and it is unknown what its new room number is. "The tunnels" is a known name for the tunnels that lie under the building originally connected to a series of caves. The tunnels originally were used to sort heat throughout the building. The rumors of haunting begin with a tale of two people being hanged at the mouth of the cave that the tunnels are connected to. The tunnels are rumored to be haunted by said entities roaming the tunnels. The majority of the tunnels were destroyed in 2001 with the construction of the "New Building". After this the rumors of haunting died for a period of time before resurfacing at a fundraising night in November 2006. During the event History Club began allowing tours of the tunnels as a way of raising funds. They turned the tunnel tour into a haunted house and from after that conspiracy around the tunnels made a climb.


Notable alumni

* Bob Barker *
Marc Breedlove Stephen Marc Breedlove (born 1954) is the Barnett Rosenberg professor of Neuroscience at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He was born and raised in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri. After graduating from Central High Scho ...
* Linda Carol Brown * Jack Israel


References


External links

*
Alumni website
{{authority control International Baccalaureate schools in Missouri High schools in Greene County, Missouri Schools in Springfield, Missouri Public high schools in Missouri Reportedly haunted locations in Missouri