Centennial High School (CHS) is a
public high school
A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
located in
Gresham, Oregon
Gresham ( ) is a city in the Willamette Valley, Located in Multnomah County in the U.S. state of Oregon, bordered by Portland to the northwest and partially in the southwest. It was first settled in the early 1850s by the Powell brothers. It ...
, United States.
It is the only high school in the
Centennial School District.
Academics
In 1989, Centennial High School was honored in the
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...
, the highest honor a school can receive in the United States.
In 2008, 76% of the school's seniors received a
high school diploma
A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...
. Of 411 students, 311 graduated, 73 dropped out, eight received a
modified diploma, and 19 were still in high school in 2009.
In 2012, Kevin Ricker was named the Oregon High School Principal of the Year. Along with making other improvements in the school, he was awarded this title primarily for leading CHS students to raise both reading and math test scores by 12% in one year.
In February 2014 the school hosted Unity Week.
In 2016, Katharine Dean, a science teacher of Centennial High School won
.
In 2018 Chris Knudsen, a 158-158 head coach, had resigned after 32 years of service.
Activities
Centennial's marching band has won the Portland Grand Floral Parade more than 20 times, including 12 times consecutively. The band's 2000 fall field show, "Gloria", held the record for the highest scoring show in the
Northwest Marching Band Circuit.
Centennial's
Future Business Leaders of America
The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is an American career and technical student organization (CTSO) headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1940, FBLA is a non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA High School"), mi ...
chapter has won the 6A Chapter of the Year title for five years in a row.
In 2016, a Centennial High School senior Grace Ramstad was crowned the 2016
Rose Festival Queen.
As of 2025, the centennial High School has multiple active clubs; Band, Choir, Drama, FBLA, HTAC, Key club, MECHA, Racquetball, Speech and Debate, Student Council, Yearbook, Book club, Screen Printing club, Homework and Tutoring, and Spanish language Arts.
Sports
Centennial hosts a track meet called the Centennial Invitational, which is one of the largest high school track meets in the region.
State championships
*Football: 1972
*Boys' track and field: 1967
*Girls' track and field: 1976
*Boys' soccer: 1983
*Girls' soccer: 2000
*Dance and drill: 1988, 1990, 2003, and 2010
*Winterguard: 2010
*Marching band: 1999, 2000
*Choir: 1993, 1994
*Bowling: 2008
*Bass Fishing Championships
Notable alumni
*
Scott Benedetti
Scott "Benny" Benedetti (born November 13, 1966, in Portland, Oregon) is an American retired soccer player. He began his professional career with the semi-professional F.C. Portland in 1986 and ended it with the U.S. second division club Portland ...
, soccer player
*
Earl Blumenauer
Earl Francis Blumenauer ( ; born August 16, 1948) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1996 to 2025. The district includes most of Portland, Oregon, ...
(1966), Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
*
Josh Cameron, soccer player
*
Marco Farfan, soccer player
*
Todd Field
William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing '' In the Bedroom'' (2001), '' Little Children'' (2006), and '' Tár'' (2022), which were nominated for a combined fourteen Academy Award ...
(1982), six-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker
*
Robert Garrigus
Robert Ira Garrigus (born November 11, 1977) is an American professional golfer who is currently a member of the PGA Tour. He won the 2010 Children's Miracle Network Classic, the last event of the PGA Tour season, to guarantee exempt status on th ...
, golfer
*
Katie Harman (1999),
Miss America
Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...
2002
*
Rick Metsger
Richard Thomas Metsger (born August 16, 1951) served in the Oregon State Senate from 1999 to 2011. President Barack Obama nominated Rick Metsger to serve on the board of the National Credit Union Administration on May 16, 2013. The U.S. Senate c ...
, Oregon politician
*
Nico Santos, Filipino-American actor
*
Megan Langenfeld, former collegiate All-American, softball pitcher and current assistant coach
*
Corbin Burnes
Corbin Brian Burnes (born October 22, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles.
Burnes was se ...
, Major League Baseball Cy Young Award winner and All-Star starting pitcher
*Tammy Munro, actress
Major events
On January 18, 2025, the Golden Hawk Alumni Association of Centennial High School is said to honor five individuals and a championship volleyball team by inducting them into its inaugural Hall of Fame. It has been highlighted through a press release that this first Hall of Fame class is unique in its distinction as the Centennial High School is the only school in California's history to boast alumni including All-American college softball pitcher and Women's College World series MVP Megan Langenfeld from the class of 2006, a Major League Baseball Cy Young Award winner and All-Star starting pitcher Corbin Burnes from the class of 2013 and its own High School National Champion Volleyball Team (1996).
References
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High schools in Multnomah County, Oregon
Education in Gresham, Oregon
Public high schools in Oregon
Buildings and structures in Gresham, Oregon
1959 establishments in Oregon