Parkway Central High School

Infobox_School2 | name = Parkway Central High School


established = 1954
type = Public
head_name = Principal
head = Tim Gannon
students = 1,353
mascot = Colts
free_label = Colors
free = Red, Black, and White
city = Chesterfield
state = Missouri
country =
flagicon|USA United States
website = [http://www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/centralh/centralh/index.htm Parkway Central High School]

Parkway Central High School is a secondary school located in Chesterfield, Missouri. The school's mascot is the Colt. Parkway Central High School is the original high school in the Parkway School District in St. Louis County. It serves 1,353 students in grades 9-12. Approximately 98% of its teaching staff hold postgraduate degrees.

The school has a modified block schedule, offering students seven course selections per semester. It offers a college preparatory curriculum, including advanced placement courses and college credit through the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Over 99 percent of its graduates continue their formal education beyond high school. Central's ESL program has an enrollment of about 180 students from about 30 foreign countries and serves the entire district.

Its high school newspaper is the [http://www.pchcorral.com "Corral"] , which is a member of the High School National Ad Network.

History

The Parkway School District was created in 1954 when the Fern Ridge, Weber, and Mason Ridge school districts merged. The name for the district was proposed by a fourth grader from Barretts School. The name "Parkway" was in honor of the Daniel Boone Parkway, which is also known as Highway 40. The road passes through the center of the district. Parkway Central was the first high school built in the new district. The original high school was converted to a middle school when the present high school was built in 1961.

ports

Central's rival is the Parkway West High School Longhorns.

The 1997 varsity football team reached the Missouri 5A state championship game.

The 2007 varsity boys tennis team reached the Missouri Class 2 state championship match, losing 5-3 against Rockhurst.

The 2007 varsity boys volleyball reached the Class 3 State semi-finals.

The 2007 varsity football team reached the Missouri Class 4 State Championship game. They lost 35-0 to Lee's Summit West High School in the finals. Running back Jordan Myles had a stellar season, accumulating 2,326 yards on the ground and 31 touchdowns, both school records.

The 2007 varsity boys cross country team qualified for the Class 4 State Championship and placed 10th.

[http://www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/centralh/centralh/Athletics/AthleticChampionships.htm Parkway Central Athletic Championships] ]

The 2007-2008 varsity baseball team reached the Class 4 State Quarterfinals. They lost to St. Louis University High School 9-4 in 8 innings.

Notable alumni

*Joel Higgins '62, actor
*Gary Barnett '64, former head football coach at the University of Colorado and Northwestern University
*Marc Shmuger '76, chairman of Universal Studios
*Robin Lynn Macy '77, one of the original Dixie Chicks
*Mark Fauser '79, film and television writer
*David Holtzman '79, chairman of the neurology department at Washington University
*James Kerwin '91, film director
*Trista Rehn '91, reality television show star, "The Bachelorette"
*Brad Cohen '92, Author/Motivational Speaker, "Front of the Class - How Tourette Syndrone made me the teacher I never had"
*Ryan Young '94, former NFL offensive tackle for the New York Jets and Houston Texans
*Bryan Greenberg '96, actor
*Yan Stastny '01, center for the St. Louis Blues
*Max Scherzer '03, Major League Baseball, starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks

References

External links

* [http://www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/centralh/index.cfm Parkway Central High School]
* [http://www.pchcorral.com Corral - Student Newspaper]
* [http://www.parkwayalumni.org Parkway Alumni Organization]