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Central High School (Philadelphia)

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Central High School
Location
Map
Philadelphia
,
Pennsylvania

USA
Information
TypePublic secondary
Established1836
PresidentSheldon S. Pavel, A.B., Ed.M, Ed.D.
Grades9–12
MascotCentral Lancer
NewspaperThe Centralizer
Endowment$0.0 (million)
Websitehttp://centralhigh.net

Central High School is a public secondary school in the Olney section of Philadelphia. Central, the second oldest public high school in the United States, was founded in 1836 and is a four-year university preparatory magnet school. About 2,400 students attend grades 9 through 12. It consistently ranks among the top schools in the city and state, and is among the top public schools in the nation for its academic standards.[1]

Central High School holds the distinction of being the only high school in the United States that has the authority, granted by an Act of Assembly in 1849, to confer academic degrees upon its graduates. This practice is still in effect, and graduates who meet the requirements are granted the Bachelor of Arts degree. Central also confers high school diplomas upon graduates who do not meet the requirement for a degree.

Central, rather than using a general class year to identify its classes (as in "class of 2008"), uses the class graduating number system (as in "267th graduating class" or "267"). This tradition started shortly after the school's founding, when it was common to have two graduating classes per year - one in January and one in June. In June of 1965, semiannual graduations were replaced by annual graduations. The current senior class is the 267th graduating class of Central High School.[2]

Central, due to its authority to grant academic degrees, traditionally refers to the principal of the school as the "President" of Central High School. The current president is Dr. Sheldon S. Pavel.

History

Central High School was founded in 1836 as "the crowning glory" of Philadelphia Pennsylvania's public school system, "the worthy apex to a noble pyramid," and the first "high" school in the state. Because city voters only reluctantly had been convinced of the need for a high school, the curriculum was carefully and publicly geared to the needs of taxpayers. Central's founders made an especially concerted effort to avoid educating students in the manner of private academies of the day, where classical languages and literature were of paramount importance.[1]

Central High School of Philadelphia is the second oldest public high school in the United States. The school was chartered by an Act of Assembly and approved on June 13, 1836. A site was purchased on the east side of Juniper Street below Market Street and on September 19, 1837, the cornerstone was laid. The school opened on October 26, 1838 with four professors and sixty-three students.

In November of 1839, Alexander Dallas Bache, great grandson of Benjamin Franklin, and Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, was elected the first President of Central High School. President Bache resigned in 1842 to return to his professorship at the University of Pennsylvania, and was succeeded by John Seely Hart, who had been a Professor of Languages at Princeton University.

In 1845, two distinguished English members of the Society of Friends, James H. Tuke and Joseph Corosfield, spent several months in America investigating the school system of the United States. They devoted more than one-third of the text of their report to Central High School, which they depicted as a type of institution that had helped America and could help England.

An Act of Assembly, approved on April 9, 1849, provided that

“The Controllers of the Public Schools of the First School District of Pennsylvania shall have and possess power to confer academic degrees in the arts upon graduates of the Central High School, in the City of Philadelphia, and the same and like power to confer degrees, honorary and otherwise, which is now possessed by the University of Pennsylvania.” In accordance with this Act, the Board of Controllers on September 11, 1849, authorized the conferring of appropriate degrees upon graduates of Central High.

On June 24, 1847, the President of the United States, James K. Polk, with Vice-President George M. Dallas and Attorney General Nathan Clifford paid a visit to the school and addressed the students.

In September 1854, the school transferred to a new building, located at the southeast corner of Broad and Green Streets. In 1858, President Hart resigned and was succeeded by Nicholar Maquire. In September 1900, the school moved to its third location in a newer and larger building located at Broad, Green, Fifteenth, and Brandywine Streets. During the formal dedication on November 22, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, addressed the students.

In 1939, Central moved from its location on Broad and Green to its fourth, current, location on Ogontz and Olney Avenues. The building left behind became the Benjamin Franklin High School.

After 139 years of existence as an all-male public high school, Central’s all-male policy was challenged by Susan Vorchheimer, who wished to be admitted to Central. On August 7, 1975, U.S. District Court Judge Clarence C. Newcomer ruled that Central must admit academically qualified girls starting in the fall term of 1975. The decision was appealed, and the Third Circuit Court ruled that Central had the right to retain its present status.[3] The case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Courtwhich, on April 19 1977, upheld the Third Circuit Court's verdict by a 4 to 4 vote with one abstention.[4]

In August 1983, Judge William M. Marutani, of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, ruled that the single-sex admission policy was unconstitutional. The Board of Education voted not to appeal the legal decision, thereby admitting girls to Central High School. In September 1983, the first six girls, all seniors, were admitted.

In October of 1987, Central High School was officially named a Secondary school of National Excellence by the United States Department of Education and named a Blue Ribbon School. In March of 1992, Redbook Magazine named Central as one of the best schools in Pennsylvania. Central was named "Best Secondary School in Pennsylvania" by the magazine each year since they began rating the nation's best schools.

In 1993, construction of the new multi-million dollar art, science, and physical education addition was completed and it was officially dedicated on February 17, 1994.

During the 2004-2005 school year, a $12 million renovation of the Barnwell Library began, which finished near the end of that school year. The library is now one of the most advanced public school libraries in the United States.

Philadelphia School of Pedagogy

The Philadelphia School of Pedagogy was a program for Central graduates who wanted to become elementary school teachers. It was the male counterpart to the Philadelphia's normal school, originally the upper division of Philadelphia High School for Girls.

Once a Bachelor's degree became the standard qualification for teachers, the normal schools that were run by the State System of Higher Education became colleges (e.g. West Chester, Cheyney, Indiana, etc.). However the Philadelphia schools were run by the School District of Philadelphia, which had less money, and were located only a few blocks from Temple University. The program were merged with Temple which was already offering education courses.[citation needed]

The School Song

The following is the school song of Central High School- Words by Horace M. Shell, 1907 and Francis A. Wade, 1907, Music by John L. Waldman, 1907, Arranged by Francis Murphy (note: Second to the last line of the chorus was revised during the 1995 - 1996 school year to substitute the words "we all" for "thy sons"). Students and alumni are known to stomp their feet twice after the first and fifth lines of the chorus, though in a large group accidental, incorrectly timed stomps can usually be heard as well. Alumni and Alumnae all over the world are known to sing the school song with pride, to complete strangers who have all once attended CHS.

Let others sing of college days,
Their Alma Mater true,
But when we raise our voices,
'Tis only High, for you.
We'll ne'er forget those days gone by,
Those glorious days of old,
When oft we sang the praises of
The Crimson and the Gold.

CHORUS

Dear high, dear Central High
Thy mem'ries never die.
Thy honor we'll cherish and
Laud it to the sky,
On ballfield or in life,
In peace or deadly strife,
For thee we all will labor,

For thee, oh, dear old High!

Second verse to be sung by alumni only

And when at last we leave behind
Thy shelt'ring portals wide,
Thy honor still we'll cherish,
What e'er may us betide.
And when we congregate again
With tuneful voice and strong,
With joyful hearts once more we'll sing
That same old glorious song.

CHORUS

Athletics and Extracurriculars

Central offers its students over 75 extracurricular programs including an internationally acclaimed Orchestra. It also has an accomplished coeducational sports program offering every Public League interscholastic sport. The Central Lancers have won 92 Public League Championships in the last decade, making it the city athletic powerhouse. Those championships include marquee sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, bowling, softball, tennis, golf and track and field. Central is known throughout the east coast for its dominant track and field program. Central's cross country, indoor, and outdoor track athletes have set numerous city and state records and have gone onto collegiate and Olympic careers. The 2005 Central 4x800 team of Chris Bowser, Mitchell Stroh, Thurman Sanders, and Patrick Carr claimed the first state medal in PIAA competition for the Philadelphia Public League. From 2001-2005, the Central co-ed tennis team dominated the Public League winning four consecutive titles while losing only two regular season matches and earned one of the Public League's first PIAA playoff berths. Also in 2005, Central won the Philadelphia Public League Boys Basketball Championship for the first time since 1932. In 2006, the Central baseball team won the Public League Championship and advanced to the semi-finals of the PIAA state tournament. The co-ed golf team has won the last two consecutive Public League Championships under the coaching of Schuyler Patton; this recent golf success includes the 2007 Public League Individual Champion, Greg Smith. As of January, 2008, the girls basketball team has won a record 101 straight games in Public League competition, and six consecutive Public League Championships under the coaching of Frank Greco. As of May 2008, the girls soccer team has won the championship for the 5th year in a row and now holds the record for the longest winning streak and champion holder for women's soccer in public league history.

Notably, Central's football team plays a yearly game against longtime rival Northeast High School. The traditional Thanksgiving football game began in 1892 and is one of the oldest public high school football rivalries in the United States.

Central puts a great emphasis on producing not only college graduates and future professionals, but also strong members of the community. It is one of the few public high schools that has a yearly community service requirement that needs to be fulfilled before graduation. 50 hours of community service, recently increased from 30 hours, needs to be completed and verified by academic personnel before the end of each school year. This program was implemented as an alternative to extending the school day in the early 1990s.

The music department, comprising an orchestra and choir, is world-renowned, having travelled to such locales as Israel, London, Quebec, and Austria. During the summer of 2007, they performed in the city of Budapest, Hungary, at the invitation of its mayor. Central is one of the few schools that give academic credit for participation in the orchestra. It was scheduled to be the first American High School group to travel to China, when the SARS outbreak occurred and caused the trip to be postponed. The department was awarded "Grammy Signature School" status in 2000.

The Football Classic

Central High School has held a longtime rivalry with Northeast High School with the high point being the annual Thanksgiving day football game. In 1947,The Wooden Horse carved from mahogany by Spurgeon Smith, (Northeast, Class of 1948), became the trophy held annually by the winner. The series began in 1892 and as of 2007, the record of wins and loses for Central High School was: W-49, L-45,T-9.

Presidents of Central High School

  • Alexander Dallas Bache, LL.D. - 1839-1842
  • John Seely Hart, LL.D. - 1842-1858
  • Nicholas Harper Maquire, A.M. - 1858-1866
  • George Inman Riché, A.M. - 1866-1886
  • Franklin Taylor, M.D. - 1886-1888
  • Henry Clark Johnson, A.M., LL.B. - 1888-1893
  • Robert Ellis Thompson, A.M., Ph.D., D.D., LL.D., - 1894-1920
  • John Louis Haney, A.M., Ph.D., LL.D. - 1920-1943
  • William H. Cornog, A.M., L.H.D., Ph.D., - 1943-1955
  • Elmer Field, B.S., M.S., Ed.D. - 1955-1962
  • William H. Gregory, B.S., Ed.M. - 1962-1969
  • Howard Carlisle, B.S., A.M., Ed.D. - 1969-1983
  • Sheldon S. Pavel, A.B., Ed.M, Ed.D. - 1984-2008

Media Coverage

Central has been covered extensively in the media, both news and entertainment wise. As of March 28th, 2007, MTV is in the process of filming an episode of Made (TV series) set at the high school. Central's girls basketball team has also appeared on ESPN's Sportscenter Top 10 plays for their 100 games public league win streak.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ a b Traditional Fine Arts Organization
  2. ^ Edmonds, Franklin Spencer, History of the Central High School of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1902.
  3. ^ Vorchheimer v. School District of Philadelphia, 532 F.2d 880 (3rd Cir. 1976).
  4. ^ Vorchheimer v. School District of Philadelphia, 430 U.S. 703, 97 S.Ct. 1671, 51 L.Ed.2d 750 (1977).
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