Central High School (Grand Junction, Colorado)


Central High School is a public secondary school for grades 9-12 located in Grand Junction, Colorado. Its enrollment is 1,598, and it is operated by Mesa County Valley School District No. 51.
In August 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama led a televised town hall meeting on healthcare reform at Central High School.

Curriculum

Central High offers a wide variety of classes, from basic computing to Advanced Placement Statistics and Calculus. To graduate, a student must have 25 credits, obtained by completing classes. The schedule is divided into four "block" classes in the day and four quarters in the year. It is possible to earn 0.5 credit per quarter per block. Set up this way, a student could earn 8 credits during one school year and 32 credits during four years of high school. This allows for students to retake failed classes and improve their grades without delaying their graduation. The exception to the 8 credits per year is if a student takes an after school course or is involved in a zero hour class. Zero hour classes take place 90 minutes before school and count for the standard amount of credits. After school courses include marching band and jazz band. These also count for the regular 0.5 credit per class earning. However, after school classes tend to entail activities outside of school. These activities are considered extracurricular and do not count towards school credits.
The school has also partnered with Colorado Mesa University to offer college level courses for students who are excelling at the high school level.

Extracurriculars

Central High offers many extracurricular organizations, sports, and clubs, including Football, Baseball, Tennis, Soccer, Chess club, Marching band, Knowledge Bowl, and Performing Arts.
The school competes in activities including Speech and Debate, Knowledge Bowl, and JROTC, as well as various sports.
The school also hosts the local JROTC classes. Students from around the Grand Valley are welcome to participate and can arrange their schedules through the district accordingly.
Central publishes a school newspaper titled The Warrior, which highlights school issues.