Park Center Senior High School

'''Park Center Senior High School''' is a three-year public [[high school]] located in [[Brooklyn Park, Minnesota|Brooklyn Park]], [[Minnesota]] on 7300 Brooklyn Blvd. The principal is Kelli Parpart and the assistant principals are Heather Miller-Cink and Bart Becker. The International Baccalaureate coordinators are Jon Peterson and Erin Welter. ==School Overview== Park Center Senior High School is one of three public high schools in the [[Osseo Area School District 279]]. In August 2007 Park Center became an official International Baccalaureate (IB) School. This designation as an IB World school means Park Center has joined its partner, North View Junior High as one of only 5 MYP programmes in the state of Minnesota. It is currently offering the [[Middle Years Programme]](MYP) to tenth grade students. The school is new to the [[Diploma Programme]] with its first IB students graduating in 2009. With North View, Park Center is a magnet program open to any student in the Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD.) The NWSISD [http://www.nws.k12.mn.us/Main/mainPages/Nav-frames.html] is a consortium of seven districts in the northwest suburban area of Minneapolis which has been formed to promote integration and eliminate racial isolation of students in these districts. By creating magnet schools in IB, Math & science, and in the arts the NWSISD has begun to bring students of diverse backgrounds together in programs based on academic excellence. Park Center students represent the growing diversity of America. PC students come from about 20 different countries and speak roughly 35 different languages. Demographic information lists the student population as 33.5% White, 35.5% Black, 25.5% Asian, 5.2% Hispanic, and 0.3% are Indian. The student body fluctuates often, but is usually around 2000 total students, making it the 3rd largest high school in the Osseo School District #279. The school has vast amounts of grants from the state and government with over $200,000 per year. Park Center, like most high schools in the Osseo School District, has a vast array of extracurricular activities and sports teams. Park Center Senior High's mascot is a pirate and the school's sports teams are known as the Pirates. The school's colors are pine green and gold. ==Marching band== The Park Center Marching Band is under the direction of Wade Schroeder (formerly John Olson) and the band performs at a high level year-to-year. They were awarded Grand Champion at the Vikingland Band Festival, in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2011. Shows performed by the band in recent years have been: The Warrior (2011), Things That Go Bloom (2010), Into the Light(2009), Inside Out! (2008), King Kong (2007), Quidam (2006), & Riverdance (2005). '''2007 Season''' On Saturday May 26, 2007, they took first place at the Mason City Iowa Parade. Also on the same day Park Center's Drum Line won the Drum Line competition in Mason City. This marked the beginning of a great season to come. The band completed the 2007 season by capturing the title of grand champion at the Vikingland Band Festival on June 24, 2007. The 2007 season also marks the first time Park Center has been undefeated in all the parades they competed in. In the history of Minnesota marching only five other bands have been able to accomplish this title. '''2008 Season''' The 2008 marching season was another great year for the Park Center Marching Pirates. They performed music by Ron Nelson: Rocky Point Holiday and Sonoran Desert Holiday. These scores were put into a show called ''Inside Out!''. This year's show incorporated the use of large frames to frame the band and guard. They added the finishing touch to make the show truly, "Inside Out". They were grand champion at a total of eight parades, including the grand champion of the coveted Vikingland Band Festival. This year marks the last year under the direction of John Olson. The band took a trip to the nations capitol (Washington D.C.), and to New York City. Their last performance was in the National Independence Day Parade in D.C. '''2009 Season''' The 2009 marching season was the beginning of a new era for the marching pirates as the director torch was handed from John Olson to Wade Schroeder. The band performed musical selections from Aaron Copland, featuring a ballad from the Tender Land's "The Promise of Living." The band performed at a great level receiving 1st or 2nd place in all performances throughout the season. The band traveled to St. Louis and performed in two parades there. The season was enjoyed by all. ==Sports Teams and Rivalries== Park Center's traditional intradistrict rivals are [[Osseo Senior High School]] (the two teams compete for the OssPar trophy in football) and [[Maple Grove Senior High School]] (the two teams compete for the Thunder Bolt trophy in football). Park Center's other notable local rival is [[Champlin Park High School]]. ==Notable alumni== *[[Tim Laudner]] -Former Minnesota Twins Catcher. Won the World Series with the Minnesota Twins in 1987, and was named to the All Star Team in 1988 where he hit a double in his only at bat. While he was at Park Center he played football and baseball, and lead the Pirates to the state tournament (3rd place). *[[Pat Neshek]]-Professional Baseball Player For The [[San Diego Padres]]. *[[Krissy Wendell]] (Pohl) - Women's Hockey Olympic Silver Medalist (Salt Lake City), Two time NCAA Champion University of Minnesota (2004 and 2005) *[[Tim Jackman]] - New York Islanders *[[Chase B Kenney]] - Current Award Winning Feature Film Director/Producer (Almost Kings), Creative Collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures, Dream Works, and NBC Universal. *[[Mark Gilkerson]]- 2010 State Runner up in the 800m Run with a school record of 1:53.62 ==Park Center's School Song== COME ON LET'S CHEER OUR TEAM TO VICTORY, FIGHT FOR THE GREEN AND GOLD! LOYAL, MIGHTY FANS ARE WE, OUR TEAM IS BRAVE AND BOLD! FIGHT! FIGHT! WE ARE THE PARK CENTER PIRATES WE ALWAYS HOLD OUR COLORS HIGH! COME ON! LET'S GO TEAM! FIGHT TEAM, FIGHT! FOR WE ARE OUT TO WIN TONIGHT! P-A-R-K C-E-N-T-E-R ==External links== *[http://www.district279.org/sec/pcsh/ Park Center Senior High's Official Website] {{coord missing|Minnesota}}