Omaha Central High School, originally known as Omaha High School, is a fully accredited public high school located in downtown

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, United States. It is one of many public high schools located in Omaha. As of the 2015-16 academic year, Omaha Central had an enrollment of 2,552 students. The current building, located in

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and ...

, was designed by John Latenser, Sr. and was built between 1900 and 1912. It is the oldest active high school building in the city.

History

On November 10, 1859, Omaha Central High School began as Omaha High School in the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska ...

capitol building. In 1869, after the territorial government was removed from Omaha, the capitol building was donated to the

City of Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

by the Nebraska state government for educational use only. In 1870, it was demolished. In 1872, it was replaced by a four-story building that hosted kindergarten through twelfth grades. In 1900, a new building was begun that encircled the second school, which was dismantled by 1912. Kindergarten through eighth grade were moved to the neighboring Central Elementary School. A gym was added to Central in 1930, and this building is still in use today.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The Eagles compete in Class A, the largest classification in Nebraska according to the

Nebraska School Activities Association The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) is a statewide organization which oversees interscholastic competition between high schools in the state of Nebraska. The NSAA is the only interscholastic activities association in Nebraska, thus, ...

. Throughout its history, Omaha Central has won numerous state championships in various sports. Many graduates have gone on to participate in collegiate athletics. The football and soccer teams compete at Seeman Stadium located on campus. The boys' and girls' basketball games and volleyball matches are played at the Central High gymnasium. The baseball and softball teams compete at Boyd Stadium, a renovated park three miles northeast of the campus. In 2007, the Eagles became the only high school in Nebraska to have won championships in three main sports in the same calendar year. As a result, Central was ranked by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' as one of the top 10 high-school athletic programs in the country.

State championships

Newspaper and media

The high school's newspaper is ''The Register''. In 1986

Quill and Scroll Quill and Scroll is an international high school journalism honor society that recognizes and encourages both individual and group achievements in scholastic journalism. According to the Quill and Scroll website, over 14,104 high schools in all ...

officially declared ''The Register'' the oldest continuously published newspaper west of the Mississippi. After running a controversial story in 2001, the staff and the paper were rebuked by the administration. The story reported on a football player continuing to play, despite two assault charges. The charges, as stated in the school's handbook, should have led to a dismissal from the team. After running the story, the paper was threatened with being shut down. The school advisor received support from media outlets on the local and national level. This support stopped the paper from being shut down. The staff of Central's

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...

, were awarded the Student Press Review's Edmund J. Sullivan Award in 2002 after they wrote a series of articles exposing several controversial topics throughout the school. After the administration again threatened the paper with closure, the students won reprieve through the support of professional journalists across the country. Central has had

youth-led media Youth-led media is any effort created, planned, implemented, and reflected upon by young people in the form of media, including websites, newspapers, television shows and publications. Movement These efforts form the basis of an international move ...

for some years. Starting in 1923, it had a

high school radio High school radio are radio stations located at high schools and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision. The oldest extant high school AM radio station is AM 1450 KBPS in Portland, Oregon. Portland radio station KBPS, first li ...

station for five years. First, KFCZ operated during the 1923–1924 school year. In 1925 the call letters changed to KOCH, and the Central High School Radio Club presented shows throughout the school day and special events on the weekends. The station was ordered discontinued by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

in 1928, as they devalued the purpose of school-affiliated radio stations and rescinded their licenses across the United States. Central also had, starting in 1969, a student-run radio station, KIOS-FM (91.5 MHz), which operated during the 1969–1973 school years. In 1973 the radio station was moved to Benson High School, and later to the old Tech High location, where it is still in operation. KIOS-FM (91.5 MHz) is a National Public Radio member station in Omaha, owned and operated by Omaha Public Schools.

JROTC

The Military Science program at Omaha Central High School predates the

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...

program. It began in the 1892–1893 school year. It became the most popular activity at the school. Initially, all male students were required to participate.

Notable alumni

Arts

* Erin Belieu, National Poetry Series winning poet; editor; founder of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts *

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and rai ...

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning actor *

Terry Goodkind Terry Lee Goodkind (January 11, 1948September 17, 2020) was an American writer. He was known for the epic fantasy series ''The Sword of Truth'' as well as the contemporary suspense novel ''The Law of Nines'' (2009), which has ties to his fantasy ...

, author * Aaron Marcus,

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

graduate, computer graphics designer *

Zahn McClarnon Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon (born October 24, 1966) is an American actor known for his performances in the Western crime drama series '' Longmire'', the second season of '' Fargo'', and the second season of ''Westworld''. In 2022, he played the le ...

, actor *

Dorothy McGuire Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for ''Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actre ...

, Academy Award-nominated actress *

Jay Milder Jay Milder (born 1934) is an American artist and a figurative expressionist painter of the second generation New York School. Themes from the Hebrew Bible such as Jacob's Ladder and Noah’s Ark, and the esoteric mystical beliefs of the Kabbala ...

, expressionist painter *

Dan Mirvish Dan Mirvish is an American filmmaker and author, best known as the co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival and co-creator of the Martin Eisenstadt hoax during the 2008 Presidential election. Early life and education Mirvish was born to a Jewish ...

(1985), American filmmaker *

Tillie Olsen Tillie may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places in the United States * Tillie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Tillie, Pennsylvania, a former populated place * Tillie Creek, California People * Tillie (name), a given name and surname Animal * Tilli ...

, writer and activist *

Inga Swenson Inga Swenson (born December 29, 1932) is an American actress and singer. She appeared in multiple Broadway productions and received two Tony nominations. She also spent seven years portraying Gretchen Kraus in the ABC comedy series '' Benson''. ...

, actress

Business

Susan Alice Buffett Susan Alice Buffett (born July 30, 1953) is an American philanthropist who is the daughter of Warren Buffett and Susan Thompson Buffett. Her charitable work has focused largely on the Sherwood Foundation, formerly known as the Susan A. Buffett ...

, daughter of Warren Buffett; philanthropist * Susan Thompson Buffett, mother of Susie Buffett, former wife of Warren Buffett; former president of the

Buffett Foundation The Buffett Foundation is a charitable organization formed 1964 in Omaha, Nebraska, by investor and industrialist Warren Buffett as a vehicle to manage his charitable giving. It was renamed the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation in honor of his wif ...

Peter Kiewit Kiewit Corporation is an American privately held construction company based in Omaha, Nebraska founded in 1884. In 2021, it was ranked 243rd on the Fortune 500. Privately held, it is one of the largest construction and engineering organization ...

, founder of the

Kiewit Corporation Kiewit Corporation is an American privately held construction company based in Omaha, Nebraska founded in 1884. In 2021, it was ranked 243rd on the Fortune 500. Privately held, it is one of the largest construction and engineering organizations ...

, one of the world's largest construction companies * Charlie T. Munger, billionaire investor and

Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net w ...

partner *

Gerry Thomas Gerry Thomas (February 17, 1922 – July 18, 2005) was a Canadian who moved to the US to become a salesman. He is sometimes credited with inventing the TV Dinner in 1952. Thomas, who worked for the Swanson food company in America in the 1950s ...

, inventor of the

TV dinner A frozen meal (also called TV dinner (Canada and US), prepackaged meal, ready-made meal, ready meal (UK), frozen dinner, and microwave meal) is a packaged frozen meal that comes portioned for an individual. A frozen meal in the United States a ...

in 1952

Military and politics

Brenda Council Brenda J. Council (born 1953 or 1954) is a politician and a disbarred labor lawyer from North Omaha, Nebraska. She represented the 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature from 2009 to 2013, succeeding longtime state senator Ernie Chambe ...

, long-time

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 (Iowa-Nebraska), Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River a ...

city councilwoman *

James W. Fous James William Fous (October 14, 1946 – May 14, 1968) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War. Biography Fous was born in O ...

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

veteran; recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

award * Peter Hoagland, politician who represented the 2nd Congressional District of

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Jarvis Offutt First Lieutenant Jarvis Jenness Offutt (October 26, 1894 – August 13, 1918) was an American aviator from Omaha, Nebraska, who died in World War I. Offutt Air Force Base is named in his honor. Early life Born and raised in Omaha, Offutt was ...

, American World War I aviator, namesake of

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...

Seth Rich Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...

, employee of

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

murdered in 2016 * William Marshall Roark, US Navy lieutenant killed in Vietnam; namesake of the USS ''Roark'' * Robert F. Schoultz (1942), US Navy aviator and vice admiral *

Kenneth C. Stephan Kenneth C. Stephan (born October 8, 1946)http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Kenneth+C.+Stephan+1946#q=Kenneth+C.+Stephan+1946&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbs=bks:1&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wp&fp=cf297c387f48b1e7 is a former justice ...

, justice of the

Nebraska Supreme Court The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. Each justice is initially appointed by the governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each just ...

Edward Zorinsky Edward Zorinsky (November 11, 1928March 6, 1987) was an American politician who served as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate from 1976 until his death in 1987. He represented Nebraska and had previously served as mayor of Omaha, elected as a Republ ...

, Omaha mayor and Nebraska senator

Music

Peter Buffett Peter Andrew Buffett (born May 4, 1958) is an American musician, composer, author and philanthropist. With a career that spans more than 30 years, Buffett is an Regional Emmy Award winner, New York Times best-selling author and co-chair of the ...

, son of Susan and

; musician *

Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter and rhythm-and-blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ...

, rhythm & blues singer with 15 top 10 hits

Sciences

* Alan J. Heeger, 2000

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner in Chemistry * John L. Holland, psychologist who developed ''The

Holland Codes The Holland Codes or the Holland Occupational Themes (RIASEC) refers to a taxonomy of interests based on a theory of careers and vocational choice that was initially developed by American psychologist John L. Holland.

'' * Lawrence R. Klein, 1980

winner in Economic Science * Saul A. Kripke, philosopher and

professor *

Gerald Weinberg Gerald Marvin Weinberg (October 27, 1933 – August 7, 2018) was an American computer scientist, author and teacher of the psychology and anthropology of computer software development. His most well-known books are ''The Psychology of Computer ...

, computer scientist and prolific author

Sports

Kimera Bartee Kimera Anotchi Bartee (July 21, 1972 – December 20, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder and coach. Bartee played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies from 1996 to 20 ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player (

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

) *

Jason Brilz Jason Brilz (born July 7, 1975) is a retired American mixed martial artist who most recently fought in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, he has competed for the UFC, Titan FC, and King of the Cage. Wrestling career ...

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighter * Dwaine Dillard, professional basketball player *

Ahman Green Ahman Rashad Green (; born February 16, 1977) is a former American football running back who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Green played college football at Nebraska and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd ro ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player * Harland Gunn,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

player * Tra-Deon Hollins,

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

player * Calvin Jones, football player * Keith Jones, football player *

Joe Orduna Joseph Manuel Orduna (born November 6, 1948) is a former American football running back who played for the New York Giants and Baltimore Colts from 1972 to 1974. Orduna played college football for the University of Nebraska where he ran for ove ...

, National Football League player *

Jed Ortmeyer Jed Ortmeyer (born September 3, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild. After his retirement he ...

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

player *

Shaun Prater Shaun Prater (born October 27, 1989) is a former American football cornerback. After playing college football for Iowa, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has played for the Philadelphia Eag ...

, National Football League player * Chris Reed, National Football League player * Bobby Robertson, football player * Hunter Sallis, basketball player for the

Gonzaga Bulldogs The Gonzaga Bulldogs () (also known unofficially as the Zags) are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Gonzaga competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

, former

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...

Gale Sayers Gale Eugene Sayers (May 30, 1943September 23, 2020) was an American professional football player who was both a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). In a relatively brief but highly productive NFL career, Saye ...

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

running back depicted in the movie ''

Brian's Song ''Brian's Song'' is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the life of Brian Piccolo (James Caan), a Chicago Bears football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro in 1965, told through his friendship with teammate Gale Sayer ...

'' *

Larry Station Larry W. Station Jr. (born December 5, 1963) is a former American football player. He played college football at the University of Iowa as a linebacker. He is Iowa's leader in career tackles and was twice named as a consensus first-team All-Am ...

, National Football League player *

Tre'Shawn Thurman Tre'Shawn Thurman (born December 15, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Filou Oostende of the BNXT League. He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Omaha Mavericks. Early life and high school career Thu ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

G League player * Pat Venditte, Major League Baseball player * Brandon Williams, National Football League player

Former principals

The list of principals of Omaha High School/Central dates from 1870 to present.(2006
Annual Report
. Central High School Foundation. Retrieved 2007-05-16. * John Kellom, 1870–1875 * W. H. Merritt, 1875–1877 * C. H. Crawford, 1877–1881 * Charles Hine, 1881–1882 * Homer Lewis, 1882–1896 * Irwen Leviston, 1896–1899 * A. H. Waterhouse, 1899–1908 * E. U. Graff, 1908–1911 * Kate McHugh, 1911–1914 * Clayton Reed, 1914–1915 * Joseph G. Masters, 1915–1939 * Fred Hill, 1939–1944 * J. Arthur Nelson, 1944–1968 * Gaylord “Doc” Moller, 1968–1995 * Gary L. Thompson, 1995–2002 * Jerry F. Bexten, 2002–2006 * Gregory Emmel, 2006–2010 * Keith Bigsby, 2010-2013 * Ed Bennett, 2013-2021 * Dionne Kirksey, 2021-

References

External links

Omaha Central High School home page

Central High School Foundation

Central High School - class reunion websites
at Classreport.org
Historical photo of the school
(see upper right-hand corner) * http://www.nsaahome.org/so.php {{authority control Omaha Public Schools High schools in Omaha, Nebraska History of Downtown Omaha, Nebraska Educational institutions established in 1912 National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska Omaha Landmarks Nebraska Territory John Latenser Sr. buildings Public high schools in Nebraska School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska 1912 establishments in Nebraska International Baccalaureate schools in Nebraska

History

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

State championships

Newspaper and media

JROTC

Notable alumni

Arts

Business

Military and politics

Music

Sciences

Sports

Former principals

See also

References

External links