Omaha Central High School

{{for|schools of a similar name|Central High School (disambiguation)}} '''Omaha Central High School''', originally known as '''Omaha High School''', was founded in 1859. The current building, located in [[Downtown Omaha, Nebraska]], was designed by [[John Latenser, Sr.]] and built between 1900 and 1912. It is believed to be the oldest active high school building in the city. With an enrollment of around 2,500 students, today Central High School is the largest school in the state. Central is a four-year [[high school]] with a traditional [[college preparatory]] curriculum, an honors and [[advanced placement]] program, and a diverse [[student body]] which includes international students from all over the world. Co-curricular activities such as athletics, clubs, honor societies, student government, drama, art, musical groups, speech, and debate are offered. Central High School is also a candidate for the [[IB Diploma Programme]] . ==Athletics== CHS is also known as "Champ High" due to the excellence of its athletic programs. Central's recent success has resulted in state championships in [[basketball]] (1912, 1974, 1975, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011), [[track and field]] (1922, 1924, 1945, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1982, 1983, 1989, 2007, 2010, 2011), and [[American football|football]] (1984, 2007). In 2007 the Eagles became the only high school in Nebraska to have won championships in three main sports in the same calender year, and the following year Central was ranked by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' as one of the top 10 high-school athletic programs in the country. Central's football program is also known as "I-Back High" for the production the football team receives from their backfield. Notable I-backs in Central history include [[Gale Sayers]], [[Ahman Green]], Damion Morrow, David Horne, Keith "Endzone" Jones, and Calvin Jones. Other state championships * Baseball - 1939 * Cross Country - 1965 * Wrestling - 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1955 * Boys soccer - 1992 Venues *Home football and soccer games are played in Seeman Stadium, a multi-million dollar stadium on campus. *Home basketball games are played in the Central High gym. *Home baseball games are Played at Boyd Stadium, a renovated city park 3 miles north east of campus. ==Newspaper and media== The high school's newspaper is known as ''The Register''. In 1986 [[Quill and Scroll]], 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 was rebuked by the administration. The story reported on a football player continuing to play, despite 2 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]], were awarded the Student Press Review's [[Columbia Scholastic Press Association|Edmund J. Sullivan Award]] in 2002 after they wrote a series of articles exposing several controversial topics throughout the school. After administration had 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]] for some years. Starting in 1923, the school had a [[high school radio]] 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]] in 1928, as they devalued the purpose of school-affiliated radio stations and rescinded their licenses across the United States. ==JROTC== The Military Science program at Omaha Central High School predates the JROTC program. It began in the 1892–1893 school year. It became the most popular activity at the school. At one point, all male students were required to participate. ==Notable alumni== *[[Henry Fonda]], Academy Award Winning (On Golden Pond) Actor *[[Dorothy McGuire]], Academy Award-Nominated (Gentleman's Agreement) Actress *[[Wynonie Harris]], American Rhythm & Blues Singer with 15 top 10 hits *[[Charlie T. Munger]], Billionaire Investor & [[Warren Buffett]] Partner *[[Gale Sayers]], [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] running Back immortalized in movie [[Brian's Song]] *[[Ahman Green]], [[NFL]] Pro Bowl Football Player (Running Back), Most prominently with the [[Green Bay Packers]], Currently with the [[Omaha Nighthawks]] *[[Keith Jones (football player)|Keith Jones]], [[NFL]] Pro Football Player (Running Back) *[[Larry Station]], [[NFL]] Pro Football Player & College All American (Linebacker) & Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 *[[Alan J. Heeger]] 2000 [[Nobel Prize]] winner in Chemistry *[[Lawrence R. Klein]] 1980 [[Nobel Prize]] winner in Economic Science *[[Saul A. Kripke]], American philosopher & [[Princeton University]] Professor *[[Jarvis Offutt]], American WWI aviator, namesake of [[Offutt Air Force Base]] *[[Brenda Council]], Long-time [[North Omaha]] city councilwoman *[[Terry Goodkind]], Author *[[Edward Zorinsky]], Former Omaha mayor and Nebraska senator *[[Jed Ortmeyer]], NHL, former [[University of Michigan]] standout and current [[Nashville Predators|Nashville Predator]] *[[Pat Venditte]], Minor League Baseball pitcher currently signed to the [[Tampa Yankees]]; also signed to the [[New York Yankees]] *[[James W. Fous]], [[Vietnam War]] veteran; recipient of the [[Medal of Honor]] award *[[Gerry Thomas]], inventor of the [[TV dinner]] in 1952 *[[Peter Kiewit]], founder of the [[Kiewit Corporation]], one of the world's largest construction companies *[[Peter Hoagland]], politician who represented the 2nd congressional district of [[Nebraska]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]] *[[Kenneth C. Stephan]], justice of the [[Nebraska Supreme Court]] appointed by Senator [[Ben Nelson]] in 1997 *[[William Marshall Roark]], Lieutenant; killed in Vietnam *Harold Cooperman, founder of [[No Frills Supermarkets]] *[[Susan Alice Buffett]], daughter of [[Warren Buffett]]; philanthropist *[[Susan Thompson Buffett]], mother of Susie Buffett, former wife of Warren Buffet; former president of the [[Buffett Foundation]] *[[Peter Buffett]], son of Susan and Warren Buffett; musician *[[Inga Swenson]], award winning actress *[[Calvin Jones (halfback)|Calvin Jones]], halfback for the [[Nebraska Cornhuskers]] from 1990–1993, part of the [[Green Bay Packers]] [[Super Bowl XXXI]] championship team *[[Jason Brilz]], [[Mixed martial arts|MMA]] fighter ==Former principals== The list of principals of Omaha High School/Central dates from 1870 to present. * 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- {| | [[Image:Wiki photos 116a.jpg|thumb|Central High School at night.]] | [[Image:Wiki photos 129a.jpg|thumb|On The Grounds of Central High School]] | [[Image:OmahaCentralHighSchoolDodgeSt.jpg|thumb|[[Dodge Street]] entrance of Central.]] | [[Image:Wiki photos 026a.jpg|thumb|Looking west up Capitol Ave; Central sits atop capitol hill.]] |} ==External links== *[http://www.ops.org/high/central/ Omaha Central High School Home Page] *[http://www.centralhighomaha.org Central High School Foundation] *[http://www.classreport.org/usa/ne/omaha/chs Central High School-Class Reunion Websites] at Classreport.org *[http://www.omaha.lib.ne.us/galleries/albums/alb001_018.jpg Historical photo of the school] (see upper right-hand corner.) *[http://www.nsaahome.org/so.php] {{Omaha Landmark schools}} {{OPS HS}} {{Omaha}} {{coord missing|Nebraska}}