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Central High School (Little Rock)
Encyclopedia
Little Rock Central High School is a high school in Little Rock
, Arkansas
, United States
. Central High School was the site of forced school desegregation
during the American Civil Rights Movement.
Central is located at the intersection of Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive (named for the civil rights leader
and formerly known as 14th Street) and Park Street.
Central High School, which covers grades 9 through 12, has an enrollment of 2,422 (2009). It is in the Little Rock School District
.
The current principal is Nancy Rousseau, who became principal in 2002.
Central has had the most National Merit and National Achievement finalists in the state over the past 10 years with over $4 million in scholarships awarded during the 2006–2007 school year. Central has had five Presidential Scholars in the last decade and had 144 AP Scholars in 2006–07. The school dominates at regional and state Science Fairs. It has the largest number of delegates to Boys' and Girls' State, the most participants in Governor's School Gifted and Talented Program, and has competed in chemistry Olympiad
, Arkansas Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, mock trial, various mathematics competitions, and the SECME Olympiad. In addition, Central has had 55 Stephens' Award winners for outstanding academic achievement. As of 2008, Central has the most successful policy debate program in the state, winning the state championship 11 out of the past 12 years.
Central has an International Studies Magnet Program
, one of the most advanced E.A.S.T. Lab Programs (run by Kirby Shofner), over 30 service, academic, and honors clubs available, award-winning instrumental and concert band and choral programs, over 141 courses offered, including 33 AP and Pre-AP courses and 5 foreign languages.
since 1925, has the oldest charter west of the Mississippi
in the Cum Laude Society
, has top ranked student publications including The Tiger (the student newspaper), The Pix (the school yearbook), and The Labyrinth (the school poetry and arts magazine), has outstanding competitive speech and debate programs, the 2008 state champion Quiz Bowl team (division 7A), a strong Air Force
JROTC
, SECME programs, a national champion cheerleading squad, Drill Team, and Flag Line Spirit groups.
In Newsweek
's June 13, 2010 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Little Rock Central High School was ranked 94th in the nation, after having been ranked 20th in the magazine's 2006 rankings.
Little Rock Central High School won the National Fed Challenge
competition in 2007 and again in 2008.
LRCHS was the focal point of the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957. Nine African-American students, known as the Little Rock Nine
, were denied entrance to the school in defiance of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering integration
of public schools. This provoked a showdown between the Governor Orval Faubus
and President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
that gained international attention.
On the morning of September 23, 1957, the nine African-American high school students faced an angry mob
of over 1,000 White Americans protesting integration in front of Central High School in Little Rock
, Arkansas
. As the students were escorted inside by the Little Rock police, violence escalated and they were removed from the school. The next day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the 1,200-man 101st Airborne Battle Group of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division
from Fort Campbell
, Kentucky, to escort the nine students into the school. By the same order, the entire 10,000 man Arkansas National Guard was federalized, to remove them from the control of Governor Faubus. At nearby Camp Robinson, a hastily organized Task Force 153rd Infantry drew guardsmen from units all over the state. Most of the Arkansas Guard was quickly demobilized, but the ad hoc TF153Inf assumed control at Thanksgiving when the 327th withdrew, and patrolled inside and outside the school for the remainder of the school year. As Melba Pattillo Beals
, one of the nine students, remembered, and quoted in her book, "After three full days inside Central [High School], I know that integration is a much bigger word than I thought."
This event, watched by the nation and world, was the site of the first important test for the implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic Brown v. Board of Education
decision of 1954. Arkansas became the epitome of state resistance when the governor, Orval Faubus, directly questioned the authority of the federal court system and the validity of desegregation. The crisis at Little Rock's Central High School was the first fundamental test of the national resolve to enforce black civil rights in the face of massive resistance
during the years following the Brown decision. As to whether Eisenhower's specific actions to enforce integration violated the Posse Comitatus Act
, the Supreme Court, in Cooper v. Aaron (1958), indirectly affirmed the legality of his conduct, which was never, though, expressly reviewed.
In 1958, a US Federal Court judge suspended operation of the federal integration order until the 1960-61 school term. Judge Hemley said integration had "broken down under the pressure of public opinion". The school board said it had faced large fees it could not afford for hiring security guards to keep the peace in school.
LRCHS was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on August 19, 1977, and was designated a National Historic Landmark
on May 20, 1982. The school itself continues to be used as an educational facility.
In 2007, Central High School held an event for the 50th Anniversary of the Little Rock Nine entering Central. On September 24, 2007, a new museum was opened honoring the Little Rock Nine.
Little Rock Central High School made legal history again in 1968, this time in the field of the teaching of evolution in the public schools
. LRCHS biology teacher Susan Epperson agreed to be the plaintiff in a case challenging an Arkansas law forbidding the teaching of the theory of evolution
by natural selection
in the public schools. The United States Supreme Court's decision in Epperson v. Arkansas
held that states could not require that "teaching and learning must be tailored to the principles or prohibitions of any religious sect or dogma," i.e. that the teaching of evolution in schools could not be forbidden on religious grounds.
Middle schools include Cloverdale Magnet Middle School
, Dunbar Magnet Middle School
, Forest Heights Magnet Middle School, Henderson Health Sciences Magnet Middle School
, and Pulaski Heights Middle School.
Magnet-only schools that matriculate many students to Central include Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School
.
s, drug use
, and academic dishonesty
.
titled, Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later. The primary focus of the film was the continued failure of many African American students in remedial courses while showing advanced placement courses that were mostly white.
On November 6, 1998, Congress
established Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The National Historic Site is administered in partnership with the National Park Service
, Little Rock Public Schools, the City of Little Rock, and others.
The Visitor Center for the site is located diagonally across the street from the school and across from the memorial dedicated by Michael Warrick, and opened in Fall 2006. It contains a captioned interpretive film on the Little Rock Integration Crisis, as well as multimedia exhibits on both that and the larger context of desegregation during the 20th century and the Civil Rights Movement.
Opposite the Visitor Center is the Central High Commemorative Garden, which features nine trees and benches that honor the students. Arches that represent the school's facade contain embedded photographs of the school in years since the crisis, and showcase students of various backgrounds in activities together.
Opposite the Visitor Center in the other direction is a historic Mobil
gas station, which has been preserved in its appearance at the time of the crisis. At the time, it served as the area for the press and radio and television reporters. It later served as a temporary Visitor Center before the new one was built.
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Central High School was the site of forced school desegregation
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine was a group of African-American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The ensuing Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, and then...
during the American Civil Rights Movement.
Central is located at the intersection of Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive (named for the civil rights leader
Daisy Bates (civil rights activist)
Daisy Lee Gatson Bates was an American civil rights activist, publisher and writer who played a leading role in the Little Rock integration crisis of 1957....
and formerly known as 14th Street) and Park Street.
Central High School, which covers grades 9 through 12, has an enrollment of 2,422 (2009). It is in the Little Rock School District
Little Rock School District
The Little Rock School District is a school district in Little Rock, Arkansas. As of the 2009-2010 school year, the district includes 50 schools, and had an enrollment of approximately 25,000 students...
.
The current principal is Nancy Rousseau, who became principal in 2002.
Academics
Olympiad
An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....
, Arkansas Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, mock trial, various mathematics competitions, and the SECME Olympiad. In addition, Central has had 55 Stephens' Award winners for outstanding academic achievement. As of 2008, Central has the most successful policy debate program in the state, winning the state championship 11 out of the past 12 years.
Central has an International Studies Magnet Program
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
, one of the most advanced E.A.S.T. Lab Programs (run by Kirby Shofner), over 30 service, academic, and honors clubs available, award-winning instrumental and concert band and choral programs, over 141 courses offered, including 33 AP and Pre-AP courses and 5 foreign languages.
Awards and recognition
Central is posted by the admissions officers of the nation's most selective colleges and universities as one of the 16 best high schools in preparing students for college, has been fully accredited by the North Central AssociationNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
since 1925, has the oldest charter west of the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
in the Cum Laude Society
Cum Laude Society
The Cum Laude Society is an organization that honors scholastic achievement at secondary institutions, similar to the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which honors scholastic achievements at the university level. It was founded in 1906 as the Alpha Delta Tau fraternity and changed its name in the 1950s...
, has top ranked student publications including The Tiger (the student newspaper), The Pix (the school yearbook), and The Labyrinth (the school poetry and arts magazine), has outstanding competitive speech and debate programs, the 2008 state champion Quiz Bowl team (division 7A), a strong Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
JROTC
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States...
, SECME programs, a national champion cheerleading squad, Drill Team, and Flag Line Spirit groups.
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
's June 13, 2010 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Little Rock Central High School was ranked 94th in the nation, after having been ranked 20th in the magazine's 2006 rankings.
Little Rock Central High School won the National Fed Challenge
National Fed Challenge
The National Fed Challenge is an academic competition that provides high school students with an insider's view of how the United States central bank, the Federal Reserve, makes monetary policy....
competition in 2007 and again in 2008.
History
Built in 1927 at a cost of $1.5 million, Little Rock Senior High School, later to be renamed Little Rock Central High, was hailed as the most expensive, most beautiful, and largest high school in the nation. Its opening earned national publicity with nearly 20,000 people attending the dedication ceremony. Historic events in the 1950s changed education at Central High School and throughout the United States.LRCHS was the focal point of the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957. Nine African-American students, known as the Little Rock Nine
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine was a group of African-American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The ensuing Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, and then...
, were denied entrance to the school in defiance of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
of public schools. This provoked a showdown between the Governor Orval Faubus
Orval Faubus
Orval Eugene Faubus was the 36th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1955 to 1967. He is best known for his 1957 stand against the desegregation of Little Rock public schools during the Little Rock Crisis, in which he defied a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court by ordering the...
and President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
that gained international attention.
On the morning of September 23, 1957, the nine African-American high school students faced an angry mob
Crowd
A crowd is a large and definable group of people, while "the crowd" is referred to as the so-called lower orders of people in general...
of over 1,000 White Americans protesting integration in front of Central High School in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. As the students were escorted inside by the Little Rock police, violence escalated and they were removed from the school. The next day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the 1,200-man 101st Airborne Battle Group of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
from Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
, Kentucky, to escort the nine students into the school. By the same order, the entire 10,000 man Arkansas National Guard was federalized, to remove them from the control of Governor Faubus. At nearby Camp Robinson, a hastily organized Task Force 153rd Infantry drew guardsmen from units all over the state. Most of the Arkansas Guard was quickly demobilized, but the ad hoc TF153Inf assumed control at Thanksgiving when the 327th withdrew, and patrolled inside and outside the school for the remainder of the school year. As Melba Pattillo Beals
Melba Pattillo Beals
Melba Pattillo Beals is a journalist and member of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who were the first to integrate Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas.-Desegregating Central High:...
, one of the nine students, remembered, and quoted in her book, "After three full days inside Central [High School], I know that integration is a much bigger word than I thought."
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
decision of 1954. Arkansas became the epitome of state resistance when the governor, Orval Faubus, directly questioned the authority of the federal court system and the validity of desegregation. The crisis at Little Rock's Central High School was the first fundamental test of the national resolve to enforce black civil rights in the face of massive resistance
Massive resistance
Massive resistance was a policy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr. on February 24, 1956, to unite other white politicians and leaders in Virginia in a campaign of new state laws and policies to prevent public school desegregation after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision...
during the years following the Brown decision. As to whether Eisenhower's specific actions to enforce integration violated the Posse Comitatus Act
Posse Comitatus Act
The Posse Comitatus Act is an often misunderstood and misquoted United States federal law passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction. Its intent was to limit the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of...
, the Supreme Court, in Cooper v. Aaron (1958), indirectly affirmed the legality of his conduct, which was never, though, expressly reviewed.
In 1958, a US Federal Court judge suspended operation of the federal integration order until the 1960-61 school term. Judge Hemley said integration had "broken down under the pressure of public opinion". The school board said it had faced large fees it could not afford for hiring security guards to keep the peace in school.
LRCHS was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on August 19, 1977, and was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on May 20, 1982. The school itself continues to be used as an educational facility.
In 2007, Central High School held an event for the 50th Anniversary of the Little Rock Nine entering Central. On September 24, 2007, a new museum was opened honoring the Little Rock Nine.
Little Rock Central High School made legal history again in 1968, this time in the field of the teaching of evolution in the public schools
Creation and evolution in public education
The status of creation and evolution in public education has been the subject of substantial debate in legal, political, and religious circles...
. LRCHS biology teacher Susan Epperson agreed to be the plaintiff in a case challenging an Arkansas law forbidding the teaching of the theory of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
by natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
in the public schools. The United States Supreme Court's decision in Epperson v. Arkansas
Epperson v. Arkansas
Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 , was a United States Supreme Court case that invalidated an Arkansas statute that prohibited the teaching of human evolution in the public schools...
held that states could not require that "teaching and learning must be tailored to the principles or prohibitions of any religious sect or dogma," i.e. that the teaching of evolution in schools could not be forbidden on religious grounds.
Feeder patterns
Elementary schools that feed into Little Rock Central include:- Booker
- Brady
- Carver
- Forest Park
- Fulbright
- Jefferson
- King
- McDermott
- Pulaski Heights
- Rockefeller
- Romine
- Stephens
- Terry
- Washington
- Woodruff
Middle schools include Cloverdale Magnet Middle School
Cloverdale Magnet Middle School
Cloverdale Aerospace Technology Conversion Charter Middle School, previously Cloverdale Magnet Middle School, is a magnet middle school in the Little Rock School District, originally a part of the Pulaski County Special School District, opened in 1956....
, Dunbar Magnet Middle School
Dunbar Magnet Middle School
Dunbar Gifted & Talented Education International Studies Magnet Middle School is a magnet middle school in Little Rock, Arkansas and administered by the Little Rock School District....
, Forest Heights Magnet Middle School, Henderson Health Sciences Magnet Middle School
Henderson Health Sciences Magnet Middle School
Henderson Health Sciences Magnet Middle School is a magnet school in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.-History:Henderson Junior High School, on John Barrow Rd, about west of downtown Little Rock, opened in 1964 and was named for G...
, and Pulaski Heights Middle School.
Magnet-only schools that matriculate many students to Central include Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School
Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School
Horace Mann Arts and Sciences Magnet Middle School is a magnet middle school located in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. It is part of the Little Rock School District. The school was named after Congressman Horace Mann.-History:...
.
The Tiger
The Tiger is the official news publication of Little Rock Central High School and one of the oldest high school newspapers in the country. It is issued in the form of a quarterly mini-magazine that keeps students updated on issues around the school. The newspaper has won many Arkansas Scholastic Press Association awards. The periodical is known for covering many negative issues pertaining to student life, including eating disorderEating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s, drug use
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, and academic dishonesty
Academic dishonesty
Academic dishonesty or academic misconduct is any type of cheating that occurs in relation to a formal academic exercise. It can include* Plagiarism: The adoption or reproduction of original creations of another author without due acknowledgment.* Fabrication: The...
.
Documentary
In 2007 HBO did a documentary directed by the Renaud BrothersRenaud Brothers
The Renaud Brothers are American documentary film directors and producers.Over the years, they have worked with companies like HBO, NBC, The New York Times, Discovery Times, and the US Paralympics to bring their audience relevant and powerful material...
titled, Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later. The primary focus of the film was the continued failure of many African American students in remedial courses while showing advanced placement courses that were mostly white.
Notable alumni
- Little Rock NineLittle Rock NineThe Little Rock Nine was a group of African-American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The ensuing Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, and then...
– eight of the nine original students of the Little Rock integration crisis - Bill DickeyBill DickeyWilliam Malcolm Dickey was a Major League Baseball catcher and manager.He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the New York Yankees . During Dickey's playing career, the Yankees went to the World Series nine times, winning eight championships...
– Hall of Fame catcher playing his entire career with the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division... - Joe JohnsonJoe Johnson (basketball)Joe Marcus Johnson is an American professional basketball player, currently a member of the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Johnson stands at 6'7" and 240 lbs ....
– NBA All Star and USA basketball player - George NewbernGeorge NewbernGeorge Young Newbern is an American television and film actor best known for his roles as Bryan MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and its sequel Father of the Bride Part II as well as Danny in Friends...
- actor - Houston NuttHouston NuttHouston Dale Nutt, Jr. is an American football coach and former player. Most recently he was the head football coach at the University of Mississippi from 2008 to 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach at Murray State University , Boise State University , and the University of Arkansas...
– former head coach of the University of ArkansasUniversity of ArkansasThe University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
at Fayetteville Razorbacks and current head coach of the University of MississippiUniversity of MississippiThe University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
Rebels football team. - Brooks RobinsonBrooks RobinsonBrooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
– Hall of Fame third basemanThird basemanA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
for the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league... - Clifton WilliamsClifton Williams (composer)James Clifton Williams Jr. was born in Traskwood, Arkansas, United States. He began playing French horn, piano, and mellophone early on and played in the band at Little Rock High School...
– composer of symphonic band music - Fred Williams – four-time NFL Pro BowlPro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
defense lineman - Harry VinesHarry VinesHarry Doyle Vines was a prominent member of the wheelchair basketball community, winning national and international championships.-Biography:...
(1938–2006), wheelchair basketball coach. - Jason WhiteJason White (musician)Jason White is an American guitarist who has played in various punk rock bands. He is most notable for being the long-time touring lead guitarist for Green Day and guitarist for Californian punk quartet Pinhead Gunpowder. Jason White has been a touring member of Green Day since 1999 when they...
– Green DayGreen DayGreen Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
Guitarist - Rodger BumpassRodger BumpassRodger Albert Bumpass is an American character actor and voice actor, who is noted for his long-running-roles as Squidward Tentacles on the hit series SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Chief from Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?. He also voiced Professor Membrane on Invader Zim...
- Notable voice actor. - Brownie LedbetterBrownie LedbetterMary Brown Williams Ledbetter , better known as Brownie Ledbetter, was a political activist, social justice crusader and lobbyist that was involved in the civil rights, feminist, labor and environmental movements in Arkansas, United States and abroad.-Early life:Ledbetter was born in Little Rock,...
, political activist and member of the Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our SchoolsWomen's Emergency Committee to Open Our SchoolsThe Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools was an organization formed by a group of socially prominent white women in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas during the Little Rock Crisis in 1958....
that lobbied for the re-opening of Little Rock Central High School during the Little Rock Integration Crisis . - Kia Malone - Co-Host of The Daily BuzzThe Daily BuzzThe Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
established Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The National Historic Site is administered in partnership with the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, Little Rock Public Schools, the City of Little Rock, and others.
The Visitor Center for the site is located diagonally across the street from the school and across from the memorial dedicated by Michael Warrick, and opened in Fall 2006. It contains a captioned interpretive film on the Little Rock Integration Crisis, as well as multimedia exhibits on both that and the larger context of desegregation during the 20th century and the Civil Rights Movement.
Opposite the Visitor Center is the Central High Commemorative Garden, which features nine trees and benches that honor the students. Arches that represent the school's facade contain embedded photographs of the school in years since the crisis, and showcase students of various backgrounds in activities together.
Opposite the Visitor Center in the other direction is a historic Mobil
Mobil
Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...
gas station, which has been preserved in its appearance at the time of the crisis. At the time, it served as the area for the press and radio and television reporters. It later served as a temporary Visitor Center before the new one was built.
External links
- Little Rock Central High School
- See article on legacy of Little Rock on Time.com.
- Guardians of Freedom - 50th Anniversary of Operation Arkansas, by ARMY.MIL
- NPS website: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
- National Historic Landmarks Program: Little Rock Central High School
- Little Rock School District
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Desegregation of Central High School
- LRCHS Class Reunion Community: Little Rock Central High School Class of 57
- ”From Canterbury to Little Rock: The Struggle for Educational Equality for African Americans”, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plans
- Documents relating to the Little Rock School Integration Crisis, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- LRCH Memory Project website, which includes student essays, pictures, video and more