| Central High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
5321 Jacksboro PK , Tennessee 37918 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1906 |
| Principal | Andrew Brown |
| Faculty | 150 |
| Teaching staff | 78.00 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Number of students | 1,150 (2018-19)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.74[1] |
| Color(s) | Red and black |
| Mascot | Bobcat |
| Website | centralhs |
Central High School is a public high school located at 5321 Jacksboro Pike in the Fountain City neighborhood of Knoxville, Tennessee, operated by the Knox County school system. The school's athletic teams are nicknamed the Bobcats, and its colors are red and black.
History
Central was formerly located at what is now Gresham Middle School in the heart of Fountain City, which, in the 1960s, was the largest unincorporated community in Tennessee. Its name is something of a misnomer, because it was never located near the center of Knoxville, even when Fountain City was annexed into Knoxville in the early 1960s. The northernmost high school in Knoxville before the annexation of Fountain City was Fulton, and in the county, Powell, Karns, and Halls high schools were farther north. The high school is referenced in the song "half of my hometown" by Kelsea Ballerini, a notable alum. Ballerini sings "raise some kids in red and black, Go Bobcats."
2008 shooting
On August 21, 2008, 15-year-old student Jamar Siler entered the school cafeteria and approached student Ryan McDonald sitting at a lunch table. Siler fatally shot McDonald, and was arrested by authorities a short time later. The two had been in previous altercations, the details of which were not released to the general public. Siler was then taken into custody.
Siler was initially tried as a juvenile until Tim Irwin, Juvenile Court judge, ordered that he be tried as an adult.[2] In November 2011, at age 18, Siler pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 30-year sentence.[2][3] Siler is currently incarcerated in the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center.[4]
Notable alumni
- Brad Renfro, Actor
- Roy Acuff, country music star
- Kelsea Ballerini, country music singer
- Trevor Bayne, NASCAR driver who won the 2011 Daytona 500
- Ashley Capps, founder of AC Entertainment
- Reggie Cobb, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back
- Tony Cosey, Olympic steeplechase runner[5]
- Nikki Creswell, actress; played "Cassie" in The Dollmaker
- Ray Graves, football player at Tennessee and head football coach at Florida[6]
- Todd Helton, professional baseball player
- Scott Holtzman, UFC Lightweight Fighter
- Frankie Housley, heroic flight attendant
- Tim Irwin, former Minnesota Vikings lineman, former University of Tennessee lineman, Judge of Juvenile Court, Knox County, Tennessee
- Beulah Duggan Linn, Sevier County, Tennessee Historian[7]
- Terrence Scott, British Columbia Lions football player
- Evan Drummer, Modern day legend[8]
- Steve Searcy, professional baseball player
- Bill Snyder, Chancellor of University of Tennessee-Knoxville (1992-1999) and house organist at the Tennessee Theater
- Jennifer Tipton, Tony Award-winning lighting designer[9]
- Bubba Trammell, professional baseball player
- Richard Aaker Trythall, pianist and composer
- Emma Walker[10] a 16-year-old cheerleader member of HOSA, BETA Club and Young Life, who was fatally shot on November 21, 2016 by ex-boyfriend. Emma's legacy is still remembered by colleagues, and the movement #WinforEm has been shared by students in honor of late Emma Walker during football games since 2016.
- Chris Zachary, Major League Baseball pitcher
References
- ^ a b c "Central High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ a b http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/29/central-high-students-family-relieved-ready-to/
- ^ Archived coverage of the shooting on Thursday, August 21, 2008, at Central High School, Knoxville News Sentinel
- ^ https://apps.tn.gov/foil-app/results.jsp
- ^ "Tony Cosey," USA Track and Field. Retrieved: 11 October 2013.
- ^ http://tshf.net/halloffame/graves-ray/
- ^ "Sevier County - Entries - Tennessee Encyclopedia". tennesseeencyclopedia.net.
- ^ https://twitter.com/evan_drummer
- ^ Dunlap, Darren (September 27, 2008), "Lighting designer takes center stage: Tipton, former Knoxvillian, wins a MacArthur Fellowship", Knoxville News Sentinel
- ^ Find a Grave. 2019 https://pt.findagrave.com/memorial/173098153/emma-jane-walker.
External links