- Century High School (Rochester, Minnesota)
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Century High School
Century High School Century Established 1997 Type High School Public School Coed Principal Chris Fogarty Asst. Principal Mark Kuisle, Mary Schoenbeck, Kurt Verdoorn Students 1396(2010-2011) 9-12 Location 2525 Viola Rd. NE,
Rochester, Minnesota, USAColors Navy Blue & Silver Athletics Football (boys), Tennis, Wrestling, Swimming, Cross Country Running, Rowing, Cross Country Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Baseball, Basketball, Golf, Hockey, Volleyball, Track & Field, Lacrosse, Bowling Mascot Panther Newspaper The Panther Prowl CEEB code 242092 Century High School is a public American high school located in Rochester, Minnesota. A member of Independent School District #535, Century opened in 1997. It is one of three public high schools in Rochester. The school mascot is the Panther, and school colors are navy blue and silver. Century has been nationally ranked as a top high school numerous times. Most recently, it was ranked by Newsweek as one of the nation's top 500 high schools, coming in at number 210.[1]
Contents
History
Century High School is so named because the first graduating class received its diplomas at the turn of the 21st century, in the year 2000.
When the name was being selected for the new high school, the final two remaining choices were Century and Eleanor Roosevelt. The naming for Eleanor Roosevelt proved to be controversial, since she had no connections to Rochester. After a poll by the Rochester Post-Bulletin showed a strong preference for Century, the school board adopted Century as the school's name. The school was completed and opened in 1997, allowing only 9th and 10th grade students to attend the school. In subsequent years 11th and 12th grade students were added. In the following years, a cafeteria was constructed and eventually expanded.
Extra-curricular activities
Century clubs include Varsity Ultimate Frisbee, Origami Club, International Friendship Club, Speech, Debate, Mock Trial, Science Olympiad, Math League, Cinemalliance, C3PO (Century Ping Pong Player's Organization), Ballroom Dance Club, Chess Club, Model United Nations, Spanish club, Four Square Club, Scrabble Club, Jazz Band, 902 Squad (Hip Hop Dance Team), Coloring Club, NAC (Needs Awareness Cooperative), and many other clubs and organizations. The Panther Playhouse puts on a drama in the fall and a musical in late winter.
The Century marching band, commonly called the Century Panthers Bands , plays at football games, marches in the homecoming parade, performs in yearly indoor marching concerts, and makes biennial pilgrimages to Disney World for parade performances. The Pep Band plays at hockey and basketball games in the winter. The Marching Band is the largest student group at Century, with upwards of 10% of the student body participating. Every spring the Honors Concert Band participates in the Big 9 Music Festival, competing against other concert bands in the Big 9 conference.
Century's Business Professionals of America (BPA) and Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) have strong participation each year. A large percentage of students make it to the State Competition each year, and it is not uncommon for a few BPA students to make it to the National Competition.
Century High School also has a Varsity/JV cheerleading team and the "Century Silverstars", the Varsity/JV dance team. The participants on the Varsity teams for these activities are recognized with high school varsity letters. The Century Silverstars dance at football and soccer games in the fall and at basketball games and wrestling matches in the winter. Their competitive season in the Big 9 conference runs November through early March and the team hosts an annual dance exhibition in January.
Sports
Century Sports teams include dance, bowling, football, tennis, wrestling, swimming, cross country running, soccer, softball, baseball, basketball, golf, hockey, volleyball, track and field, Nordic/cross country skiing*, rowing*, and figure skating*, . The Century baseball team won the Class AAA state baseball championship in 2003. The Century Boy's Swim and Dive Team has 92 straight dual meet wins as of 3/6/11. The Century boys golf team won the state title in 2001.
The following season in 2004, the Panther football team was undefeated in the regular season, earning the school its first Big 9 Football Championship. They advanced to the section finals, the furthest for a Century team to date, before losing a heartbreaker to John Marshall. Several members of the 2004 team went on to have notable college football careers, including running backs Isaac Odim (Minnesota Duluth) and Joe Clark (Augustana), and linemen Paul Schwingler (St. Olaf) and Matt McCollom (Minnesota Duluth). The football team kept the winning tradition going with another Big 9 Championship in 2007 and split the 2006 championship with Mayo. The 2008 season was a rebuilding for the Panthers; the team finished 2-7, being ousted by Owatonna in the first round of section playoffs. Most recently, in 2010 the Panthers football team finished with a 7-2 record. The Panthers 2010 season included one of the most memorable games in the schools history. The Panthers came back from a 21-0 deficit to win 28-21 on the Panthers homecoming against the Owatonna Huskies.
Both the football and soccer teams play their home games in the stadium on campus. Both the women's and mens' soccer teams have made appearances in the State Tournament, and are also regular contenders in the Section playoffs. The basketball team plays in a gym which includes 3 basketball courts. Century also has its own all-purpose fitness room in which the wrestling team practices. The wrestling team had its first winning season in 2006-2007. Century is also known for its National Volleyball Center, which features 8 volleyball courts and a mezzanine.
- Note: Both cross country skiing and rowing are organized through all-city teams (Rochester Nordic Ski Team and Rochester Rowing Club), so they include members from all surrounding high school such as Mayo, John Marshall, and Lourdes. It is also possible for students to receive a high school Varsity letter for participation with the Rochester Figure Skating Club (Rochester FSC website) and/or the Rochester FSC's synchronized skating team, "Rhythm & Blades." The other public and private Rochester high schools participate in the figure skating lettering program, as do other area high schools.
Girl's Tennis
Century's tennis team also features many great players. In 2010, Jessica Aney was awarded Sports Kid of the Year. That year, she also finished an honorable second at the State tennis tournament, losing to her teammate, Kelsey Frechette. On 10/28/2011, Jessica Aney became the State Champion for girls tennis as an eighth-grader, beating Edina's senior Caroline Ward 6-2, 6-2 in the State Finals. Jessica is one of the three eighth-graders that have won the state title.
Boy's Hockey
Century's hockey team has made it to the AA MSHSL 3 times in its history: 2005, 2007, and 2009.
Year Place 2005 7th 2007 3rd 2009 7th Its home arena is the Rochester Recreational Center. The Century vs. John Marshall rivalry has been taken to a new level following the recent Fox Sports Net North broadcast of a hockey game as part of its High School Hockey Showcase program. This game was won by the Panthers.
In 2010, the Panthers took on the United States Women's Olympic Hockey Team at the Rochester Recreational Center. The Panthers lost 2-1 to the U.S. women less than a month before the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Coordinates: 44°02′55″N 92°25′40″W / 44.0486111°N 92.4277778°W[2]
References
External links
Categories:- High schools in Rochester, Minnesota
- Educational institutions established in 1997
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