Central High School is a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

located in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

with an enrollment of 1,374 students. Since 2004, the school has been located at a new site located at 2200 South Roosevelt Street. The new location is on the outskirts of the southeast side of town. The Thomas F. Kelley Theatre is the fine arts and multi-purpose venue. Golden Eagles Arena, the gymnasium, has hosted a number of

South Dakota High School Activities Association South Dakota High School Activities Association governs high school sports and other activities in the state of South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central ...

state championship events. Golden Eagle Field is an outdoor football field located on the Central High School Campus. The complex hosts both university and high school events in football, soccer, and track. Central High School is committed to meeting all requirements under the

No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a 2002 United States Act of Congress promoted by the presidential administration of George W. Bush. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included Title I provisio ...

and was honored with the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement achievement in math and science in 2008. This award is given to the top performing high school in the state of South Dakota. Central High School ACT scores beat both national and state averages. The staff consists of over 100 people. Central students may earn college credit through the Rising Scholars Program or one of the many Advanced Placement opportunities available. Central High School partners with the Hub Area Vocational School to offer a large number of vocational learning experiences.Uttermark 2009

Athletics

Central athletic teams are nicknamed the Golden Eagles. The school competes in boys' football, basketball, wrestling, track, cross-country, tennis, golf, and newly added soccer. Girls compete in volleyball, basketball, track, cross country, gymnastics, tennis, golf, competitive cheer and dance, and soccer. Central High School competes in the Eastern South Dakota Athletic Conference. Students can also participate in numerous clubs and activities on campus, including drama, band, chorus, speech and debate.

Speech and Debate

Aberdeen Central has won 9 team state championships in Speech and Debate (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, the most of any school in South Dakota. The 8 consecutive team state championships won from 2017-2024 marks the longest consecutive win streak in class AA SDHSAA history. Aberdeen Central was awarded the National Speech and Debate Association's Debate School of Excellence Award in 2014 and 2015, recognizing it as one of the top 20 debate schools in the nation. Aberdeen Central is 1 of only 3 schools (along with Bellaire High School of Texas & Durham Academy of North Carolina) to have ever won the award in back to back years. Head Speech & Debate Coach Kerry Konda was awarded the National Speech & Debate Association’s James M. Copeland High School Coach of the Year award in 2024. Students from Aberdeen Central compete in all events sanctioned by the South Dakota High School Activities Association and National Speech and Debate Association including:

Policy Debate Policy debate is an American form of debate competition in which teams of two usually advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government. It is also referred to as cross-examinat ...

, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Original Oratory,

Extemporaneous Speaking Extemporaneous speaking (extemp, or EXT) is a speech delivery style/speaking style, and a style used in specific forensic competitions. The competitive speech event is based on research and original analysis, done with a limited-preparation; in t ...

, Oral Interpretation, and Student Congress. Aberdeen Central has won the state championship in Policy Debate four times (1965, 1997, 2008, 2010). Aberdeen Central has won the state championship in Lincoln Douglas four times (2012, 2013, 2019, & 2024). Aberdeen Central has won the state championship in Public Forum six times (2006, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2023, ). Aberdeen Central has won the state championship in Original Oratory thirteen times (1954, 1961, 1991, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024 ,). Aberdeen Central has won the state championship in International Extemporaneous Speaking seven times (2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2012 2017, 2023). Aberdeen Central has won the state championship in U.S. Extemporaneous Speaking seven times (1988, 2007, 2008, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024). Aberdeen Central has won the state championship in Informative Speaking two times (2021-inaugural year, 2023)

School leadership

* Jason Uttermark, ''Principal'' * Tina Board, ''Asst. Principal'' * Jake Phillips, ''Asst. Principal''

Notable alumni

Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he led the Senate Democratic Caucus during the ...

, (Class of 1965); former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

and

Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the ...

Josh Heupel Joshua Kenneth Heupel ( ; born March 22, 1978) is an American college football coach and former player who is the head football coach at the University of Tennessee. Previously he was head coach at the University of Central Florida, where he com ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the 2000 National Champion

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

football team, and head coach of the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

Brian Hoke Brian Ray Hoke (April 4, 1974 – October 21, 2016) was an American Navy SEAL and CIA paramilitary officer who served on the front lines of counterterrorism operations. He was killed in action during an assault on an Islamic State compound in Afghan ...

, Navy SEAL and CIA paramilitary officer * Taylor Mehlhaff, NFL kicker *

Dean M. Peterson Dean McCormack Peterson (1931–2004) was an American inventor, responsible for two of consumer photography's largest revolutions: the Kodak Instamatic camera, introduced in 1963, and the panoply of "point-and-shoot" cameras introduced in the la ...

, developer of

Instamatic : ''For the film formats associated with the ''Instamatic'' and ''Pocket Instamatic'' camera ranges, see 126 film and 110 film respectively.'' The Instamatic is a series of inexpensive, easy-to-load 126 film, 126 and 110 film, 110 cameras made b ...

and

point-and-shoot A point-and-shoot camera, also known as a compact camera and sometimes abbreviated to P&S, is a still camera (either film or digital) designed primarily for simple operation. Most use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic syste ...

cameras *

Eddie Spears Edward Spears (born November 29, 1982) is an Indigenous American actor. He is a member of the Kul Wičaša Oyate Lakota from the Lower Brulé Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. Early life Spears was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota, near the Lower ...

, film actor and model *

Michael Spears Michael Spears (born December 28, 1977) is an Indigenous American actor. He is a member of the Kul Wičaša Lakota from the Lower Brulé Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. Early life Michael Spears was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota near the Lower ...

, film actor and model

References

External links

SDHSAA school info
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Aberdeen, South Dakota Public high schools in South Dakota Schools in Brown County, South Dakota