{"id":49,"date":"2015-07-09T11:24:03","date_gmt":"2015-07-09T15:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fhps.net\/?page_id=49"},"modified":"2021-11-11T11:36:44","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T16:36:44","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About Central High School"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rounded aligncenter wp-image-1700\" src=\"http:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/central_high-e1442601952207.jpg\" alt=\"entrance to forest hills central high school\" width=\"1060\" height=\"476\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/central_high-e1442601952207.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/central_high-e1442601952207-300x135.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1060px) 100vw, 1060px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Forest Hills Central High School has long been rated as a top performer in the areas of academic excellence, fine arts, and athletics. This is due to the exceptional accomplishments of our students, staff, and parents. Our reputation for academic excellence continues to thrive and lead Kent County and all of West Michigan. Our students in grades nine through twelve are taught by proven instructors, 80% of whom hold at least a master\u2019s degree. For the second year in a row, based on multiple criteria,\u00a0<em>Grand Rapids Magazine\u00a0<\/em>ranked the Forest Hills Schools as the number one district in Kent County.<\/p>\n<p>Why has our school been so successful? The answer lies in the spirit of cooperation and the partnerships formed between our school, the community, and the parents and students of Forest Hills Central High School. Please contact us if you have specific questions or comments and we will be happy to assist you.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"central-rounded-leaf-heading\">School Overview<\/h2>\n<h3>Mission Statement:<\/h3>\n<p>In partnership with our community, Forest Hills Public Schools will provide all learners with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to build meaningful and productive lives.<\/p>\n<h3>High School Overview:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>2020-21 Enrollment<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Total Enrollment: 1198<\/li>\n<li>Staff: 85<\/li>\n<li>Courses: 153 courses are offered in 13 Departments<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Achievement:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>95% of Forest Hills Central Graduates attend a 2- or 4-year college.<\/li>\n<li>268\u00a0students participated in Advanced Placement Testing and 77% received a \u201c3\u201d or higher. 2 graduates became finalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program and 4 were National Merit Commended Students.<\/li>\n<li>Our graduates have been awarded over $2,500,000 in scholarship funds.<\/li>\n<li>Our students typically score in the top 5 percent of the state in MEAP assessment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Athletics:<\/h3>\n<p>Team Name:\u00a0<strong>Rangers<\/strong><br \/>\nColors:\u00a0<strong>Green and White<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fhps.net\/departments\/instruction\/information-reports\/\"><strong>Annual Education Report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-accordion su-u-trim\"><div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-fancy su-spoiler-icon-caret su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>History of Central High School<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Central High School<\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Pride, Tradition and Excellence<\/h3>\n<p>Autumn of 1958 marked the beginning of the tradition of academic excellence as Forest Hill High School, home of the Rangers.\u00a0 Principal Dean VanLandingham led just over 200 students in the ninth and tenth grades with the first graduating class of 102 seniors in 1961.\u00a0\u00a0 In 1972, Forest Hills High School was renamed Forest Hills Central High School.<\/p>\n<p>Central High has evolved from an open campus \u201cCalifornia\u201d style, composed of separate buildings between which students walked outdoors from one class to another, to the present connected and enclosed modern building.\u00a0 In the past 8 years Central High has gone through significant renovation, an expanded main entrance, enlarged cafeteria, remodeled athletics stadium, new athletic entrance, new baseball\/softball fields, tennis courts and a second turf field.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-fancy su-spoiler-icon-caret su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>School Traditions<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<h2>A few school traditions at Central High are:<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Some of the highest standardized test scores in Michigan<br \/>\n<\/strong>Central High for the last four years has led Michigan high schools in the Michigan Merit Examination.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Homecoming<br \/>\n<\/strong>Michigan\u2019s largest high school homecoming parade consisting of over 80 floats\/entries and a marching band of over 270 musicians.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Winterfest<br \/>\n<\/strong>\u00a0A week\u2019s worth of activities for the most part unique here at Central.\u00a0 Macho Volleyball, Snow Sculptures and Sign Hanging.\u00a0 Ending the week with the Winterfest Dance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>America\u2019s Best High Schools<br \/>\n<\/strong>Award given by U.S. News and World Report to the top high schools in the United States. Central High has won this distinction each of the last five years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top of the Class, America\u2019s Top High Schools<br \/>\n<\/strong>Award given to schools based on a complicated formula that looks at graduation rates, Advance Placement tests and how well At-Risk students do academically.\u00a0 Central High has been given this award the last four years straight.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Senior Challenges<br \/>\n<\/strong>Happens three times a year.\u00a0 Activities are countless and unique.\u00a0 The educational objective is simple; to have fun and take a needed break from the pressures created at a high performing school.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recognition Breakfast and State Championship Flag Raisings<br \/>\n<\/strong>Honors teams and athletes who qualify by winning a State Championship.\u00a0 The flag has flown continuously since November of 2004 honoring 23 state champions (9 teams and 14 individuals)<\/p>\n<p>Recognition Breakfast honors students for a variety of accomplishments (academic and athletic).\u00a0 We have honored hundreds of students.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Senior Recognition Day<br \/>\n<\/strong>A candlelight ceremony to highlight passage of leadership.\u00a0 The ceremony is to focus on academic achievement and scholarship of the Senior Class, followed by a video presentation of \u201cSenior Memories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Memorial Garden<br \/>\n<\/strong>We have created a beautiful garden with a water feature located just outside our cafeteria that helps students remember those who had their experience at Central end in a tragic way.<\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 299px;\" width=\"382\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Administration since 1961:<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1961-1962<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. Dean VanLandingham<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1963-1964<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. Donald Crouse<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1965-1969<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. Howard Dalman<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1970-1977<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. William DeJonge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1978-1981<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. John Fitzpatrick<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1982-1988<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. Bert Bleke<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1989-1992<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Dr. Joanne Patton<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1993-1995<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. Larry Curtis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1996-1998<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. Ron Caniff<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1999-2003<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mrs. Kathy Westdorp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">2005-2012<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. Terry Urquhart<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">2012-present<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Mr. Stephen Passinault<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"central-rounded-leaf-heading\">Contact Central High School<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/nWnD8\">Central High School<br \/>\n5901 Hall Street SE<br \/>\nGrand Rapids, MI 49546-3849<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Office Hours:\u00a0 M-F, 7:00 a.m. \u2013 3:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Phone: (616) 493-8700<br \/>\nFax: (616) 493-8714<br \/>\nAttendance Line: (616) 493-8712<\/p>\n<p>Please call the main office number for all general inquiries, or email us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forest Hills Central High School has long been rated as a top performer in the areas of academic excellence, fine arts, and athletics. This is due to the exceptional accomplishments of our students, staff, and parents. Our reputation for academic excellence continues to thrive and lead Kent County and all of West Michigan. Our students [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":1568,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-building.php","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"central","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"content-sidebar","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-49","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"better_featured_image":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>About Central High School - Forest Hills Central High School - Forest Hills Public Schools<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About Central High School - Forest Hills Central High School - Forest Hills Public Schools\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Forest Hills Central High School has long been rated as a top performer in the areas of academic excellence, fine arts, and athletics. This is due to the exceptional accomplishments of our students, staff, and parents. Our reputation for academic excellence continues to thrive and lead Kent County and all of West Michigan. Our students [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Forest Hills Public Schools\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fhps.net\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-11T16:36:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/central_high-e1442601952207.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@FHPSnews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Forest Hills Public School District\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/fhpsnews\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/foresthillsps\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fhps.net\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FHPSnews\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/FHPS_District_Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/FHPS_District_Logo.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":128,\"caption\":\"Forest Hills Public School District\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/\",\"name\":\"Forest Hills Public Schools\",\"description\":\"All Learners Achieving Individual Potential\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/\",\"name\":\"About Central High School - Forest Hills Central High School - Forest Hills Public Schools\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-09T15:24:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-11T16:36:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"High Schools\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Forest Hills Central High School\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"About Central High School\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"About Central High School - Forest Hills Central High School - Forest Hills Public Schools","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"About Central High School - Forest Hills Central High School - Forest Hills Public Schools","og_description":"Forest Hills Central High School has long been rated as a top performer in the areas of academic excellence, fine arts, and athletics. This is due to the exceptional accomplishments of our students, staff, and parents. Our reputation for academic excellence continues to thrive and lead Kent County and all of West Michigan. Our students [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/","og_site_name":"Forest Hills Public Schools","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fhps.net\/","article_modified_time":"2021-11-11T16:36:44+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/central_high-e1442601952207.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@FHPSnews","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#organization","name":"Forest Hills Public School District","url":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/fhpsnews\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/foresthillsps","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fhps.net\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FHPSnews"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/FHPS_District_Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/FHPS_District_Logo.png","width":300,"height":128,"caption":"Forest Hills Public School District"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/","name":"Forest Hills Public Schools","description":"All Learners Achieving Individual Potential","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/","url":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/","name":"About Central High School - Forest Hills Central High School - Forest Hills Public Schools","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-07-09T15:24:03+00:00","dateModified":"2021-11-11T16:36:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/about\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"High Schools","item":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Forest Hills Central High School","item":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/high-schools\/central\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"About Central High School"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhps.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}