Centennial High School is a public high school located in Franklin, Tennessee, United States. The school serves the central section of Williamson County for students in grades 9–12.[2]
| Centennial High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
5050 Mallory Lane , , 37067 | |
| Coordinates | 35°55′49″N 86°49′21″W / 35.93026°N 86.82247°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1996 |
| School district | Williamson County Schools |
| Principal | Kevin Dyson |
| Staff | 94.83 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,474 (2022-23)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 15.54[1] |
| Color(s) | Navy, Carolina Blue, and Silver |
| Athletics conference | TSSAA |
| Nickname | Cougars |
| Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Newspaper | The Cougar Chronicle |
| Website | www |
The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[2]
History
The school opened in 1996 to relieve overcrowding at nearby Franklin High School.
In 2014, a new 500-seat performing arts center was constructed.[3][4] The new auditorium includes dressing rooms and set storage space and was built as part of a multi-phase project that called for building auditoriums at all Williamson County middle and high schools.[5][6]
Academics and testing
In 2016, Centennial had its highest graduation rate to date: 95 percent. The average ACT score was a 21.9, with 83 percent of the graduates planning on attending a four-year college. The school offers 23 Advanced Placement courses. In 2016, 491 students took a combined 906 AP exams.[7]
Arts
Band/Orchestra
The Centennial band program comprises a fall marching band, winter color guard and percussion units, concert ensembles, and a jazz band.[8] Centennial also offers orchestra and guitar classes during the school day.[9]
Choir
The Centennial Chamber Choir has performed with the Nashville Symphony, Foreigner, and at Walt Disney World.[10][11] In fall 2016, the vocal music department produced and released a Christmas album.[12] The cds were sold for $10 each as a fundraiser.[13]
Theatre
The Centennial Theatre program operates under the name Center Stage Productions. Each year, the crew produces a fall play and a spring musical.[14] The theatre program also sponsors a chapter of the International Thespian Society, an honor society for theatre students.[14]
Special programs
WIT Center
Williamson's Information Technology Center of Excellence at Centennial High School launched in fall 2014. The center is part of a collaboration between Williamson County Schools and Columbia State Community College.[15][16]
The center includes classes in networking, computer programming, web development, application design for both computers and mobile devices, and robotics.[17] Students enrolled in these classes earn college credit for the courses in addition to credits toward high school graduation.[15]
Cosmetology Center
Centennial is the only Williamson County high school that offers a cosmetology program.[16] Students earn class credit that can be transferred to several cosmetology schools in the southeast. Additionally, students can accrue state board hours for post-secondary credit.[18]
Athletics
TSSAA-sanctioned sports
Centennial offers the following TSSAA-sanctioned teams.[19] No teams have won a state championship, but the boys' soccer team has won a single state runner-up title and the 2015 football team won the school’s first ever region championship.
- Baseball
- Boys' basketball
- Girls' basketball
- Bowling
- Boys' cross country
- Girls' cross country
- Football: 2015 and 2016 Region Champions
- Boys' golf
- Girls' golf
- Boys' soccer: 2010 state champion runner-up[20]
- Girls' soccer
- Softball
- Boys' tennis
- Girls' tennis
- Boys' track
- Girls' track
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Club Sports
In addition to TSSAA sports, the school also has numerous club sports.[21] Years in bold indicate state championships. Years in italics indicate state runners-up.
- Clay target
- Cheerleading[22]
- Varsity: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016
- Junior Varsity: 2002, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016
- Dance[23]
- Hockey: 2001, 2014[24]
- Boys' lacrosse: 2002 (co-op team with Franklin)[25]
- Girls' lacrosse
- Swimming[26]
Centennial previously fielded a rugby team, but that team is currently inactive.[21] These sports have a combined 13 state championships.
Notable alumni
- Russell Dickerson, singer-songwriter (class of 2005)[27]
- Curtis Steele, professional football player for the Baltimore Ravens (class of 2005)[28]
- Kelsea Ballerini, singer-songwriter (class of 2011)[29]
- Tony Kemp, professional baseball player for the Oakland Athletics (class of 2010)[30][31][32]
- Tyrel Dodson, professional football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills (class of 2016)[33]