The Center School (Seattle)

Last updated
The Center School
Center School Seattle.jpg
Address
The Center School (Seattle)
305 Harrison Street

Seattle
,
WA
98109

United States
Information
Type Public
Established2001
PrincipalBarbara Casey
Grades9-12
Enrollment234 (2016-17) [1]
Color(s)    
Red, Silver, White and Black
MascotThe Dragon
Notable ClubsSIPA
MUN
Website Official webpage

The Center School is a small arts and college preparatory public school in Seattle, Washington and is part of Seattle Public Schools. It is located in the Seattle Center Armory, a multi-purpose building on the grounds of the Seattle Center. Because of its unique placement, the Center School is affiliated with several local arts organizations, including the Seattle Repertory Theatre, KCTS and Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Contents

Extracurricular organizations

Since its founding, the Center School has constantly evolved to accommodate the needs and motivations of its students and teachers. Several organizations have sprung up with a largely political focus. Notably the Model United Nations club and SIPA (Students Inspiring Political Activism). Such groups have drawn a focus to the problems facing the school, the city, and the international community. Other organizations include an improv team, crafting club, yearbook committee, and glee club.

MUN

The Model United Nations program at the Center School has been active in the local WASMUN conference since the school's inception, most recently in spring of 2007 with around 50 delegates, a significant portion of WASMUN's attendees. In 2005, 2006, and 2007, the club visited New York City for the National High School MUN conference, bringing a delegation of 39 students, more than one seventh of the Center School's population. For the first time in 2010, the Center School went to San Francisco and Berkeley for the conference. In 2011 the group will go back to New York's NHSMUN. The TCSMUN website is full of current information and updated religiously by both head delegates and its curator. Two members of the Center's School's NHSMUN delegation were hired as conference staffers: Daetan Huck (2007) and Molly Williams (2009, 2010, 2011).

SIPA

The Students Inspiring Political Activism group took on several projects while it was active, with membership varying from year to year. At one time, students stated that they believed that abstinence-only sex education did not adequately prepare students to make safe sexual decisions. SIPA put together a curriculum over the course of the school year and then presented it to the rest of the school.

In 2006 the group's agenda was to confront the achievement gap and the segregation and bias that still occurs within school districts, part of which addressed educating staff members on the issues of race from the perspective of a student.

Sports

The Center School has no official sports teams or clubs, although it has access to the nearby Memorial Stadium for any sporting events.

Ultimate Frisbee

Students at the Center School were able to play for other high schools sports teams and other extracurricular organizations in the Seattle School District until policies from the Ultimate Players Association only allowed students to play on their own high school's Ultimate Frisbee Team.

In early February, 2006, a Frisbee team was formed. The team name was initially registered as The Mighty Fighting Kites, although this changed frequently until a team member came up with the name The Mornin' After, which became the team's official name. The name didn't become a problem until the first semester of the 2006-2007 school year, when the principal, Brian Vance complained that the name had inappropriate connotations. The team name was allowed to stand when Brian Vance left and new principal, Lisa Escobar, came to the school.

In the Spring season of 2006, the team's first season, the Center School ranked 4th in the Western Washington region, widely considered to be the strongest region in the United States for Ultimate Frisbee. The Western Washington region has produced the majority of the past national champions.

In the Spring season of 2007, the Mornin' After placed 5th in the High School B Division at "Spring Reign", one of the biggest Frisbee tournaments in the US, 2nd prior to play-offs, and took 1st place in the B Division playoffs.

The team did not go to "Spring Reign" in 2010, but placed a high B in the High School Division. It has since disbanded.

Controversy and criticism

The Center School came under criticism in Jonathan Kozol's 2005 book The Shame of the Nation . Kozol discussed some Seattle schools including Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, The Center School, and African American Academy as an examples of the disparity between races in American education. [2] Within the book, Kozol explained how the Center School was conceived in order to serve the mostly white neighborhoods Queen Anne and Magnolia and draws parallels between the group of white parents that petitioned for its creation and the group that filed a lawsuit preventing the Seattle School District from considering race when placing students.[ citation needed ] Kozol cited statistics that showed a discrepancy among students who utilize the school when compared to districtwide data. In its first year, 83% of students at Center School were white, compared to 40% districtwide; 6% of the population was black, while black students made up 25 percent of the District's student body overall.[ citation needed ]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultimate (sport)</span> Team sport played with a thrown disc

Ultimate, originally known as ultimate frisbee, is a non-contact team sport played with a disc flung by hand. Ultimate was developed in 1968 by Joel Silver in Maplewood, New Jersey. Although ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its athletic requirements, it is unlike most sports due to its focus on self-officiating, even at the highest levels of competition. The term "frisbee" is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company, and thus the sport is not formally called "ultimate Frisbee", though this name is still in common casual use. Points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone. Other basic rules are that players must not take steps while holding the disc, and interceptions, incomplete passes, and passes out of bounds are turnovers. Rain, wind, or occasionally other adversities can make for a testing match with rapid turnovers, heightening the pressure of play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeside School (Seattle)</span> Private/independent school in Seattle, Washington, United States

Lakeside School is a private school located in Seattle, Washington, for grades 5–12. As of 2024, school review website Niche ranked Lakeside School as the best private high school in Washington state and the 52nd best private high school in the United States. Niche also ranked Lakeside as the 28th best high school for STEM in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Puget Sound</span> Private university in Tacoma, Washington, US

The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington. It was founded in 1888. The institution offers a variety of undergraduate degrees as well as five graduate programs in counseling, education, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and public health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest School, Seattle</span> School in Seattle, Washington, United States

The Northwest School is a private/independent day and boarding school located on Seattle, Washington's First Hill. The school was founded in 1980 and is primarily located in the 1905 Summit School building, an official City of Seattle landmark that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuqua Valley High School</span> Public secondary school in Naperville, Will, Illinois, United States

Neuqua Valley High School (NVHS) is a public four-year high school located near the corner of Illinois Route 59 and 95th Street in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Neuqua Valley is the counterpart to Waubonsie Valley High School and Metea Valley High School, in Indian Prairie School District 204. Classrooms can be rented for other district approved teachers to use after school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redmond High School (Washington)</span> Public school in Redmond, Washington, United States

Redmond High School (RHS) is a four-year public high school located in Redmond, Washington, United States. It is one of four high schools in the Lake Washington School District (LWSD). Opened in 1964, Redmond High School is the second oldest high school in the Lake Washington School District. Redmond Middle School, Timberline Middle School, and Evergreen Middle School feed into Redmond High School.

Henry M. Jackson High School is a public high school in Mill Creek, Washington, United States. Named after the late Henry M. Jackson, an Everett native and former U.S. Senator, the school opened on September 7, 1994, as the third high school in the Everett School District.

Disc Northwest is a Seattlebased Ultimate organization with the aim of increasing participation in the sport of Ultimate at all levels. DiscNW is the largest and most active Ultimate organization in the United States, supporting many teams at the club, local, high school, middle school and elementary school levels. Their mission statement is "Serve as a regional resource, promoting growth in the sport of Ultimate and instilling the spirit of sportsmanship at all levels of play."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skyline High School (Washington)</span> Public, four-year school in Sammamish, Washington, United States

Skyline High School is a four-year public secondary school in Sammamish, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle. The third and newest high school in the Issaquah School District, it opened in the fall of 1997 and serves the district's northern portion. The school colors are green and silver and the mascot is a Spartan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial High School (Georgia)</span> School in Roswell, Fulton County, Georgia, United States

Centennial High School is a public high school located in Roswell, Georgia, United States. It opened in 1997. The school was named in honor of the 1996 Olympic games held in Atlanta a year before the school's opening, which marked the centennial anniversary of the modern games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarch High School (Colorado)</span> American high school in Colorado

Monarch High School (MHS) is a secondary school located in Louisville, Colorado, and is part of the Boulder Valley School District. The school was named a John Irwin School of Excellence for the 2004–2005 school year. In 2007, Monarch was named the Sixth Best High School in the Denver Metro Area by 5280 Magazine. As of 2015, Newsweek magazine ranked the high school 356th in the US, out of the top 500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Hope High School</span> Public school in Cary, North Carolina, US

Green Hope High School is a secondary school located at 2500 Carpenter Upchurch Road in Cary, North Carolina. It is a part of the Wake County Public School System.

North Andover High School is a public high school in the town of North Andover, Massachusetts, United States. The school is a part of the North Andover Public School System, and is the only high school in the district. Construction on the school was completed in February 2004.

Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy High School is a co-educational private Catholic college-preparatory high school located in Everett, Washington, United States. Founded as Holy Cross High School in 1988 at the old site of Our Lady Of Perpetual Help grade school, it was renamed Archbishop Murphy High School in 1999 and in October moved to its present location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology</span> Graduate school in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology is a private graduate school in Seattle, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlebury Panthers</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Middlebury College

The Middlebury Panthers are the 31 varsity teams of Middlebury College that compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. The Panthers lead the NESCAC in total number of national championships, having won 42 team titles since the conference lifted its ban on NCAA play in 1994. Middlebury enjoys national success in soccer, cross country running, field hockey, men's basketball, women's hockey, skiing, men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse, and fields 31 varsity NCAA teams and several competitive club teams including a sailing team (MCSC), a crew team, a water polo team, an ultimate frisbee team, and a rugby team. Since 2000, Middlebury's varsity squads have won 84 NESCAC titles. Currently, 28% of students participate in varsity sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kealakehe High School</span> High school in Hawaiʻi

Kealakehe High School is a public high school located in Kailua, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It has the largest geographic school attendance boundary in the state and covers a geographic district 40 miles (64 km) wide, encompassing the communities of Kailua-Kona, Hōlualoa, Waikōloa, and Puakō. The school motto is "Harmony and unity through dynamic education and community for everyone, every time."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastside Preparatory School</span> Independent college-preparatory school in Kirkland, Washington, United States

Eastside Preparatory School is an independent school for upper and middle school students. It is located in Kirkland, Washington, US. It is a secular, coed, college-preparatory school for grades 5–12. The Head of School is Mr. Sam Uzwack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCCS Mountain Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs

The UCCS Mountain Lions is the official name of the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Mountain Lions compete as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for all 16 varsity sports. The school mascot is the mountain lion, Clyde, with official colors of gold and black, the same de facto school colors of University of Colorado Boulder.

Model United Nations is a popular extracurricular activity for middle school, high school, and college students in the United States. The U.S. was where Model UN originated and was popularized, and is also where many of the world's most respected conferences are held. The U.S. has several regional centers of Model UN, each with its own distinct style.

References

  1. ↑ "School Report for the 2016–2017 School Year" (PDF). Seattle Public Schools. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "The shame of the nation : the restoration of apartheid schooling in America". Archive.org. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

47°37′18″N122°21′03″W / 47.62167°N 122.35083°W / 47.62167; -122.35083

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.