Throughout the continental United States, there are thousands of high schools. However, very few of these schools can say that they’ve been existence for over a century and a half, including one hundred plus years in the same building. Central High School’s building and aura that it exudes bring many awe inspired questions and suppositions in regard to its regal appearance and historic location. No, it is not the original state capitol building of Nebraska, but it is still the oldest building in continuous use with OPS. In fact, the building that currently stands at 20th and Dodge has been there in some form since 1900 and with longevity of that magnitude it is only inevitable that certain parts of the campus receive less attention than others. One of these assets, the department of fine arts, will be receiving an upgrade all to its own through the generosity of one of Central High School’s own graduates who would prefer to remain nameless.

This renovation program, which was only just recently announced, will include a host of new features including a black box theater, a new library and essentially a face lift of the building’s east side to house new art and music facilities. All of this is being made possible due to the personal loyalty one Central graduate feels for his school and also the dedication and steadfast fundraising abilities of the Central High Foundation. In August of 2014, a symposium was held at the home of a married couple who graduated from Central. This event was designed to help connect alumni with the current teachers and staff of their former high school. The various departments discussed their own needs and goals for the school.

The overarching needs of these departments and the fine arts division as a whole was to have more dedicated space and modernization. After all, as Principal Ed Bennett said of them, “There really hasn’t been any major changes since 1932.” Following the discussions of the symposium, Bennett, the Foundation and the Art Department were approached by a Central graduate who wishes to retain his anonymity, and asked them, “How would you like a building addition?” recounts Bennett. Bennett added, “We thought for fifteen, maybe twenty seconds, and then said, ‘what would you have in mind?’” From that point on, the donor then came to Central to look over the grounds and lay out the best way to implement his dream with the chosen architects, the DLR Group. One of the first questions asked, aside from the new addition, was what should the school do with the existing space?

Data systems administrator Tom Wagner is already chomping at the bit to make use of all the possibilities the freed space brings. He said that the space being vacated will need renovated, but once that’s taken care of he can begin moving classes into them to diminish overcrowding. Two groups of students who have overgrown their existing rooms are the ESL and Alternative Curriculum Program departments. “We can finally put them in a place that meets their needs and that’s what really gets me going. If we take care of those with the most needs first, there is so much more we can then do. That’s what I’m excited about,” Wagner added.

Although the Art Department additions and existing space renovations will coincide at roughly the same time, they are funded separately. Once the school, donor and architects had come to a consensus, they had to take that plan before the Board of Education. The Board decided that the Central High Foundation must first complete a letter of intent in which the financial support provided by private donors and the support requested of the district is laid out. Ultimately the additions will be donor funded, while the renovations will be requested of the district. “The district has a financial consideration here, but not an obligation,” Bennett said.

Private fundraising as orchestrated by the Central High Foundation will officially begin following formal approval of the letter of Intent by the Board of Education. “My estimates are that the fundraising takes a year and the building itself will take another two,” said Bennett. He also added, although describing it as pure conjecture at the moment that the new addition could be open and ready fall of 2018. As always, the safety of the students will be a top priority, and as some of the construction will take place while students are present, the school will be working closely with the contractors to insure students remain protected. When the addition is complete, it will offer music students new classrooms and better acoustics to practice their various instruments, new rooms and better equipment for the art students and a redesigned library with a panel of windows facing out over the cityscape.

Perhaps the most unique of all, is the inclusion of a black box theater. This room will be built to house upwards of around 300 students, and will allow music practice or a lecture seminar to occur with the same amount of ease. Bennett said, “It will both enhance and make possible a host of opportunities for the students.” To put this into perspective it will essentially be a Ted Talk room, at Central High School. Along with the renovation and additions, the Central High Foundation is also working to implement a planned Legacy Walk to honor donors and alumni who follow the Eagle tradition and continually give back to their community.

They would also like to work on building a new walkway along Central’s southeast corner with a new historic marker to denote the site. Although nothing has been formalized as of yet and the timescale is only rough estimation, the new renovations and additions will almost certainly become realities due largely in part to the fundraising and organizational prowess of the Central High Foundation and the generosity of Central’s alumni in working to insure future generations get an even better educational experience than they had.

Every kid will have a chance to use the library, the black box theater or a new classroom,” said Bennett, “No matter what kind of student you are, you are going to be a part of that.”