Bay City Central High School

Bay City Central High School (or BCC) is a high school located at 1624 Columbus Ave., Bay City, Michigan. Its mascot is the wolf, and its colors are purple and gold.

Building History

The building that is now known as Bay City Central opened March 27, 1922. [cite web | url = http://baycitycentral.com/school.php?p=history | title = Bay City Central School History | work = Bay City Central High School | accessdate = 2006-07-04 ] The original architectural plans called for two floors, but a third was added to provide room for Bay City Junior College (which now exists as Delta College, and is now located in University Center, Michigan). The "New Gymnasium" was constructed in 1957, and the cafeteria/commons received major renovations in 1995. The school's bell tower (which contains two classrooms and a now-defunct observatory) was closed in 1983 due to fire code restrictions and remains unopened to this day.

Football

Bay City Central hosts arguably one of the most successful high school football programs in the state of Michigan. It ranks among the top twenty in all-time wins and has produced several Division I football players. BCC is known for its undersized, but tough players. BCC plays in the Saginaw Valley Conference, which produces some of the most talented teams in the state, despite being physically outmatched by other teams in the conference.

Football Stadium

The Bay City Central Wolves football team plays its home games in Engel Stadium. The need for the stadium was demonstrated on Thanksgiving Day, 1924, when Bay City Central and Flint Central High School played one another. The original stadium was what is now the student parking lot. Its 1,500-person capacity bleachers were not nearly enough for the 10,000 strong who came to watch the game. Because of this, Central Stadium (as it was originally called) opened in 1925. It was made possible through a fund-raiser, whereby local citizens bought commemorative bricks by making one- and five-dollar pledges. At the time, it was second in size to only Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor and Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The stadium is reportedly the oldest high school stadium in Michigan and originally seated 7,000.

On September 23, 1973, the name of Central Stadium was changed to Elmer Engel Stadium in honor of the long-time successful head coach of the Central Wolves. In recent years, Engel Stadium has received substantial renovations.

Elmer Engel

In 1950, Elmer Engel inherited the reins of a football team that had lost 27 consecutive games and worked them to a 3-6 record. Throughout the next 23 years, no Central varsity football team lost more than three games per year as Engel led the Central Wolves to five Class A state football championships. Three teams went undefeated and Engel’s 165-34-8 recordat Bay City Central earned him a spot in the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame.

Academics

Crest Literary Magazine

Crest Magazine began in its infancy in the fall of 1952, and volume number one made its debut in print in the spring of 1953. Since its inception the Crest Magazine has set a standard of literary and artistic excellence and has been a home for students to showcase those talents. In 2008, the Crest Magazine was put online, featuring current works of high school writers such as poetry, short stories, essays, and novel excerpts. Student artwork and photography were added as well as an archive section of older magazines readable in PDF format.

Mock Trial Team

Bay City Central has an active Mock Trial Team that allows high school students to argue court cases and compete against other schools in courtrooms around the State of Michigan. The competition is hosted by the Michigan Center for Civic Education. Bay City Central High School has competed since 2000 and gone to state finals twice and had several honorable mentions. On Law Day 2008, the BCC Mock Trial Team Coach, Diane Bruder, was awarded the Liberty Bell Award from the Bay County Bar Association.

Performing Arts

Bay City Central Band

Bay City Central High School has the oldest continuous marching band in the state of Michigan. The high school band program also hosts several other bands, Jazz Lab and Central Air Jazz Band, Symphony, and Wind Symphony. Currently, Scott Stuifbergen, and Kristy Keenan are still band directors.

References

External links

* [http://baycitycentral.com Official site of school]
* [http://www.crestmag.net Crest Literary Magazine website]
* [http://www.bccbands.net/index.phtml BCC Bands Website]
* [http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/resources/miciviced/ Michigan Center for Civic Education Website]