NC marks centennial
“Nearly 300 students, all in the first high school year, left their names yesterday morning on the rolls of the North Central high school, the doors of which were thrown open yesterday for the first time.”
The Spokesman-Review, Sept. 9, 1908
In the century since those words were published in The Spokesman-Review, thousands more students have passed through the school’s halls, whether the fabled old building that was torn down in 1981 or the new that replaced it. North Central opened with only 12 classrooms and a promise for more.
“The plans for the entire high school,” said the 1908 newspaper article, “to be built a wing at a time, call for 80 rooms and will constitute the finest high school west of Chicago.”
The article went on to say that the school had the luxury of restrooms reserved only for teachers, “handsomely furnished and comfortably finished, with private closets and washrooms.”
Alan Hanson, a retired NC teacher, former student and now the school’s unofficial historian, said when he started as a student in the old building he noticed the wooden stairs had been worn down from generations of students going either up or down, depending on which wing of the building they were in, since the staircases weren’t big enough to fit students going in both directions.
He said he just knew that he was in a very old, traditional place.
The school is proud of its traditions, and makes the claim that it is the oldest continual high school in Spokane.
Although Lewis and Clark might also have a claim to this title, folks at North Central disagree.
South Central High School, as Lewis and Clark used to be called, was built on the site of the old Spokane High School. In 1910, South Central burned to the ground, and the students were shipped to North Central.
The students were still considered South Central students; they graduated from South Central High School during the two years the school was being rebuilt. The South Central colors were still orange and black, and the North Central colors were still red and black. But during those two years, every high school student in public schools in Spokane attended North Central and during sports events the unified school used blue and white for its colors.
The two schools remained rivals over the years until other schools sprouted up in the district.
Hanson said there were several teachers who were at the school so long during those early years that they became part of the tradition of North Central.
Elsa Pinkham simultaneously strikes fear and evokes reverence from those students who remember her.
She taught at the school from 1918 to 1959. She started such traditions as the biennial production of the “Doll Shop” and Red Feathers – two traditions that have made comebacks in recent years.
Hanson said that stories still circulate about when Pinkham taught swimming. She often used a long pole to push students who didn’t know how to swim into the pool for the first time.
Lowell Bradford was the band director at the school for 44 years. He had polio and walked on crutches in a school that had four floors and no elevator.
“If he had to go upstairs, kids would carry him up,” Hanson said.
He also refused to let girls join band, and the year after he retired, 1960, the band went co-ed.
When the old school was torn down in 1981, much of its memorabilia disappeared. Hanson said he tried to haul as many things as he could into the new school, but many of the school’s trophies or other memories were lost.
But the school went on to start new traditions, such as the annual Groovy Shoes basketball game against Shadle Park and the Distinguished Alumni plaque in the main hallway.
Over the years, many North Central students went on to some sort of notoriety.
Former Congressman George Nethercutt went to the school, as did Jack Geraghty, a former Spokane mayor , baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and a guy named Jerry Sage.
Anyone who has seen the movie “The Great Escape,” has seen the character played by Steve McQueen. That character was based on Sage.
This year’s inductees are Steve Longoria, vice president of semiconductor solutions at IBM Systems and Technology Group; Charles DeRoshia, a research psychologist for AMES (NASA) Research Center; Ruth Richardson Nichols, the first African-American student body president of the school in 1938, who went on to become a doctor of podiatry; George McKay, a renowned composer; Richard Edwards, a collegiate basketball star and local business owner; and Wyoma “June” Everett, noted for her volunteerism with Vietnam Veterans and Gold Star Mothers.
When school officials realized the centennial of the school was quickly approaching, they gathered alumni to try to plan a party.
They formed a Centennial Association, led by 1994 graduate Katie DeBill. She said organizing a large group to plan hasn’t been an easy task.
The association sent out information cards, but 400 were returned to sender. There have been several meetings when people drop in to hear about what is going on, but not many of them join committees. There is, however, a core group that has plans in the works.
They quickly came up with a theme – “Northsiders True – Continuing the Legacy” – and a logo to go along with it. Then came plans for the party.
Kim Rieken, a social studies and government teacher who has been at the school since the new one opened in 1981, said a big alumni reunion was held at the Fairgrounds the year the old school was torn down.
“It was huge and very well-attended,” she said.
Many alumni felt they would like to do something similar to celebrate the centennial, but the cost of renting a big place such as the Fairgrounds or the Arena would be prohibitive and serving alcohol would be out of the question, since many recent graduates and current students are still underage.
It was decided on an open house Sept. 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Many notable speakers will be there at 10 a.m. to talk about North Central, including Nethercutt, Hanson and Superintendent Nancy Stowell.
There will also be a letter from the White House read at the event.
“It’s kind of just for people to see the new building,” DeBill said of the open house. She said there are many people who would like to get together with their old classmates, and the hope is those groups will attend the open house and then gather later on that day for their own separate reunions.
In fact, the Class of 1958 will be holding its 50th reunion that same weekend.
The Class of 1957 gathered some funds so this year’s seniors will have a special pin with the centennial logo on it to wear on their gowns when they graduate Saturday.
During the traditional production of the “Doll Shop” last month, there was a special alumni performance held during an afternoon.
During the performance drama teacher Tom Armitage asked members of the audience to stand if they graduated from the school in the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s and upward.
Once everyone was standing, the audience sang “Red and Black,” the school fight song.
“It was like you gave them a million dollars,” Rieken said of the people standing in the crowd.
The school also will have a Centennial football game the night of Sept. 12, and organizers hope to have a bonfire and tailgating parties, and there will be a special presentation during halftime.
After the celebration is complete, DeBill, Hanson and Rieken all hope to keep the Centennial Association going by forming an official alumni association to keep track of the school’s graduates and start doing fundraisers for the school.
For many, North Central holds a special place in their hearts.
Rieken said that on many occasions, people say to her, “If it wasn’t for that school I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
NC Centennial
Here is the calendar of events for the North Central Centennial Celebration:
•Saturday: The graduation ceremony of the Class of 2008
•Sept. 12: North Central Centennial football game, 5:30 p.m.
•Sept. 13: Centennial Open House, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
•Sept. 13: Alumni-Booster Golf Tournament: 1:30 p.m. at Downriver Golf Course
If you are interested in joining the Centennial Association, call Katie DeBill at 251-3013.