Central High School (Newark, New Jersey) Explained

Central High School
Established:1912[1]
Grades:9–12
Type:Public high school
Principal:Terri V. Mitchell
Enrollment:894 (as of 2022–23)
Faculty:70.5 FTEs
Ratio:12.7:1
Us Nces School Id:341134002192
Teamname:Blue Devils
Conference:Super Essex Conference (general)
North Jersey Super Football Conference (football)
Colors: Columbia blue and
white
Address:246 18th Avenue
City:Newark
County:Essex County
State:New Jersey
Zipcode:07108
Country:United States
Pushpin Map:USA New Jersey Essex County#USA New Jersey#USA

Central High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Newark Public Schools.

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 894 students and 70.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.7:1. There were 622 students (69.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 47 (5.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]

History

Central High School was originally Central Commercial and Manual Training School, housed in what is now the Central King Building on the campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.[3] It opened January 31, 1912.

The school provided vocational education, offering a forge and a foundry, a sewing room, a sheet-metal room and a wood shop, as well as an auditorium seating 1,500. The school manufactured tools for itself and the rest of the district.[4]

A smaller school but without a forge, the East Side Commercial & Manual Training High School was built at the same time.[5] The decade was active one for the school district. In 1911, it opened a School for the Feeble Minded and a School for Blind.[6] The city closed its last segregated school in 1909.[6]

The school was renamed Central High School and remained at the original address until 2008. The Central King Building at New Jersey Institute of Technology was renovated to support the university and STEM counselling.[7]

The school moved to its current location at 246 18th Avenue in Newark after its $107 million completion in 2008.[8] The move was completed in 2010.

Ras Baraka served as principal of Central High School from 2007 to 2013 before his election as Mayor of Newark.[9]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 300th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[10] The school had been ranked 277th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 274th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[11] The magazine ranked the school 278th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[12] The school was ranked 304th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[13]

Academies

Central includes three academic academies: The Dental Studies Academy, Environmental Science academy, and Teen Pep. Students choose their career track once they have enrolled and began the academic year.

The Dental Studies Academy provides students the opportunity to gain entry-level certification in the dental field. Students have the opportunity to certify in NELDA (National Entry Level Dental Assistant), AMP (Anatomy, Morphology, and Physiology), ICE (Infection Control Exam), and RHS (Radiation Health Safety). Qualifying students will also participate in internships and a variety of community service events.[14]

Project Grad Scholarship

Central students are given the opportunity to earn a scholarship towards their college education, called the Project Grad Newark College Scholarshiphttps://web.archive.org/web/20110727185509/http://www.projectgradnwk.org/site/pp.asp?c=dnJJKRNpFiG&b=782625. The students and the students' parents read and sign a pledge stating that the student will meet minimum requirements. Some include; maintaining an average GPA of 2.5 or better, completing two college-bound summer institutes, graduating in four years. When the student completes these requirements, they are awarded $6,000 which is paid in installments over the span of four years to the college they plan to attend.

Athletics

The Central High School Blue Devils[15] compete in the Super Essex Conference, which comprises public and private high schools in Essex County and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[16] Before the 2009 realignment, the school had competed in the Mountain Valley Conference, which consisted of public and private high schools covering Union County and Essex County in northern New Jersey.[17] With 630 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range.[18] The football team competes in the National Red division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.[19] [20] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 478 to 672 students.[21]

Athletic programs offered at the school include:[15]

The boys spring / outdoor track team won the state champions in 1919–1921.[22]

The boys track team won the indoor / winter track public school state championship in 1922-1926 and in 1933.[23] The girls team won the Group II championship in 1984.[24]

The school's football team won the 1924 state football championship, defeating Asbury Park High School by a score of 39–0, in a game that was mandated by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association after the two teams ended the regular season tied in the standings.[25]

The boys' basketball team won the Group IV championship in 1947 against Union Hill High School, in both 1963 and 1964 against Hillside High School and in 2001 against Ewing High School.[26] The team won the Group IV title in 1964 with a 40–37 victory against Union Hill.[27] The 1964 team outscored Hillside by 12–2 in overtime to win the Group IV title by a final score of 60–50 in the championship game played in front of a crowd of 5,000 at Convention Hall in Atlantic City.[28] The team won the 2006 North II, Group II state sectional championship with a 65–48 win over Madison High School.[29]

The girls track team won the Group III indoor relay state championships in 1982, and in Group II in 1983 and 1989.[30]

The girls team won the NJSIAA spring track Group II state championship in 1983 and 1984.[31]

Administration

The school's principal is Terri V. Mitchell.[32] Her core administration team includes three vice principals.[33]

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.nps.k12.nj.us/domain/605 History
  2. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3411340&ID=341134002192 School data for Central High School
  3. http://dana.njit.edu/exhibits/show/njitcampus/item/419 Central King Building, New Jersey Institute of Technology
  4. Bolenius, Emma Miller. "A 'New Idea' High School", p. 326. Popular Educator, Volume 32, February 1915. Accessed March 9, 2016.
  5. http://newarkeducation.net/photos/displayimage.php?album=369&pid=1098#top_display_media "Ready to begin East Side School"
  6. http://www.nps.k12.nj.us/info/district-history/ District History
  7. Glover, Teshuan. "NJIT to Host Ribbon Cutting of Renovated Central King Building", The Newark Times, April 7, 2017. Accessed July 30, 2019.
  8. Jackson, Chanta L. "New Central High nears completion", The Star-Ledger, May 25, 2008. Accessed July 30, 2019. "After nearly a decade-long push for a new building, Central High School is not only on track to be completed in time for the start of school in September, but if things go as planned, the Class of 2008 will hold graduation in the gymnasium next month."
  9. https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/honorable-ras-baraka The Honorable Ras Baraka
  10. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  11. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012.
  12. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed August 7, 2012.
  13. http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolrankings/top-new-jersey-high-schools-by-rank.html "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank"
  14. https://www.nps.k12.nj.us/CTL/academics/academies/dental-academy/ Dental Academy
  15. https://www.njsiaa.org/schools/central-high-school Central High School
  16. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-10/2020-2021-lc-officers-schools.pdf League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021
  17. https://web.archive.org/web/20110202222035/http://mountainvalleyconference.com/ Home Page
  18. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/general-classifications-2018-2020.pdf NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020
  19. Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."
  20. Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions."
  21. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-08/Football%20%2722%20%26%20%2723.pdf NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024
  22. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-08/21-history.pdf NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys
  23. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2024-01/Boys%20Indoor%20Track%20%26%20Field_0.pdf Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023
  24. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2024-01/Girls%20Indoor%20Track%20%26%20Field.pdf Girls Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023
  25. Staff. "Newark Team Wins New Jersey Title; Central High School Beats Asbury Park, 39-0, for Scholastic Football Honors.", The New York Times, December 7, 1924. Accessed September 30, 2015. "The Newark Central High School eleven yesterday won the interscholastic football championship of New Jersey, defeating the eleven representing the Asbury Park High School before a crowd of 8,000 persons in the stadium at East Orange, N.J. The final score was 39 to 0."
  26. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/2020-basketball-history_0.pdf NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History
  27. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/489888722/ "Central Snares Group 4 Honors; Union Hill, Weehawken Upset In Tourney"
  28. Staff. "Newark Central, Salem, Trenton Teams Win Titles; Hillside, Roselle Catholic, Mountain High Beaten in State Tournament Final Games", Herald News, March 25, 1963. Accessed February 14, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Newark Central's victory in overtime over Hillside, 60-50, proved to be the only good thing that happened to a North Jersey school in the annual NJSIAA cage carnival here at Convention Hall before 5,000 fans on Saturday night.... Central, winner of its first Group IV crown since 1947, polished off Hillside which was seeking the championship for the first time.... A 12-2 overtime period won the title for Central."
  29. http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=142024&tclass=North%20II,%20Group%20II 2006 Boys Basketball - North II, Group II
  30. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-12/20-relay-history_0.pdf History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships
  31. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-08/21-spring-track-group-history.pdf NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Girls
  32. https://www.nps.k12.nj.us/CTL/our-school/school-staff/ Principal's Message
  33. https://www.nps.k12.nj.us/CTL/school-staff-2/vice-principals/ Administrators
  34. Kwiatkowski, Jane. "A Principled Man", Buffalo News, July 1, 1990. Accessed May 6, 2013. "Was getting tough the answer for Joe Clark? The former high school principal and Army drill instructor made his name nine years ago in Paterson, N.J., as a hard-nosed disciplinarian.... All you have to do is call Central High School in Newark. That was an all-white school, and ironically I was No. 6 in my class."
  35. https://sienasaints.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/patrick-cole/428 Patrick Cole
  36. Greenhalgh Jr., Paul J. In Search of Corky, p. 19. Accessed December 19, 2017. Xlibris Corporation, 2008. . "The name 'Corky' linked Walter Devlin to his father. He felt proud of that nickname. Newark's Central was the local high school. Corky's city basketball skills allowed him to blend well with friends he respected."
  37. via Associated Press. "Al DeRogatis, 68, Sports Broadcaster", The New York Times, December 28, 1995. Accessed October 15, 2013. "Born in Newark, DeRogatis attended Central High School."
  38. Staff. "No. 1 in Newark Vote; Kenneth Allen Gibson", The New York Times, May 14, 1970. Accessed December 19, 2017. "While attending Central High School, Mr. Gibson played the saxophone in a dance band to help support the family."
  39. Staff. "Chargers' draft mistakes are a boon to free agents", The San Diego Union-Tribune, December 2, 1999. Accessed May 6, 2013. "DeMingo Graham grew up in Newark, NJ, and lettered in football, wrestling and track and field at Central High School."
  40. Deitch, Joseph. "New Jersey Q & A: Larry Hazzard; Commissioner Keeps His Eye on Boxing", The New York Times, October 24, 1993. Accessed September 5, 2022. "As a student at Central High School in Newark, he won Golden Glove championships in 1961, 1962 and 1963 and State Amateur Athletic Union titles in 1962 and 1963."
  41. https://csurams.com/sports/football/roster/mohamed-kamara/12569 Mohamed Kamara
  42. Alvarez, Max. The Crime Films of Anthony Mann, p. 15. University Press of Mississippi, 2013. . Accessed December 19, 2017. "In New Jersey, Emile Anton attended elementary school in East Orange and high school in Newark but dropped out to go to work. The New York Times obituary reports him leaving high school at age sixteen, but the Central High School transcripts indicate a January 1925 dropout date, when Emile Anton was eighteen."
  43. Fitzgerald, Thomas F. Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual, State of New Jersey, Volume 194, Part 2; Volume 195, Parts 1-2, p. 354. J.A. Fitzgerald, 1971. Accessed April 20, 2020. "Alexander J. Matturri (Rep., Newark) Senator Matturri was born In Newark on November 28, 1913. He was educated at Central High School, Newark ; University of Virginia and Rutgers University Law School."
  44. Weber, Bruce. "Sherman L. Maxwell, 100, Sportscaster and Writer, Dies", The New York Times, July 19, 2008. Accessed December 19, 2017. "Mr. Maxwell graduated from Central High School in Newark and served in the Army in Europe during World War II."
  45. http://www.jerseyhistory.org/findingaid.php?aid=1287 Manuscript Group 1287, Hymen B. Mintz (1909–1986), New Jersey assemblyman and collector
  46. https://www.ecode360.com/documents/ES1525/public/253973185.pdf "Honoring Kyle Moore-Brown Honoree Of Newark Flight Football's Free Youth Football Clinic August 13, 2016"
  47. https://books.google.com/books?id=2PtT3x-z1sMC&q=%22owens+enrolled%22 Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 197, Part 2
  48. [McCandlish Phillips|Phillips, McCandlish]

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Central High School (Newark, New Jersey)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.