The Center School is a small arts and college preparatory public school located in Seattle, Washington. It is located in and named for the Center House, a multi-purpose building on the grounds of the Seattle Center. Because of its unique placement, the Center School is affiliated with several local arts organizations, including the Seattle Repertory Theater.
| The Center School | |
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Seattle Center, Seattle, WA | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 2001 |
| Principal | Brian Vance |
| Enrollment | ~300 Students |
| Colors Mascot Notable Clubs | Red and Silver The Dragon SIPA MUN SUPER |
| Website | Website |
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poetry class
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community meeting
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en espanol 2
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near fisher pavilion
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winter ball 05
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in the commons
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en espanol 3
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at C Skate
Extracurricular organizations
Since its founding, the Center School has constantly evolved to accommodate that needs and motivations of its students and teachers. Several organizations have sprung up with a largely political focus. Such groups as an Model United Nations club, and SIPA (Students Inspiring Political Activism) have drawn a focus to the problems facing the school and international community. The Center School is host to its own improv club, the newly developed Student Union for Progressive Education Reform (SUPER), as well as "The Rock School", which utilizes the school's facilities after hours.
MUN
The Model United Nations program at the Center School has been active in the local WASMUN conference since the schools inception. In 2005 and 2006 the club visited New York City for the National High School MUN meet, bringing a delegation of more than one seventh of the Center School's population for the trip.
SIPA
The Students Inspiring Political Activism group has taken on several projects over the last few years, with membership varying from year to year. Recently, students stated that they believed that abstinence only sex education did not prepare students and allow them to make safe choices. They put together a curriculum over the course of the school year and then taught the class to the rest of the students in the school.
In 2006 the group's agenda was to confront the achievement gap and the segregation and bias that still occurs within school districts, part of which addressed educating staff members on the issues of race from the perspective of a student.
Controversy and criticism
The Center School has come under criticism in Jonathan Kozol's book Shame of the Nation, which details the state of education in the United States. Kozol presents the Center School as the epitome of the disparity between races in education during recent years.
Within the book, Kozol explains how the Center School was conceived in order to serve the mostly white neighborhoods Queen Anne and Magnolia and draws parallels between the group of white parents that petitioned for its creation and the group that filed a lawsuit preventing the Seattle School District from considering race when placing students.
Kozol sites statistics that show a discrepancy among students who utilize the school when compared to districtwide data. Eighty three percent of students at Center School in its first year of enrollment were white, compared to 40 percent districtwide; six percent of the population was black, while making up 25 percent of students in all schools.