This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

Miami Central High School

ad astra per aspera--to the stars through adversity
Established	1959
Type	Public
Principal	Douglas P. Rodriguez (as of December 16, 2008)
Students	1,665
Grades	9–12
Location	Miami, Florida, USA
District	Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Campus	Urban
Colors	Green, White[1]
Mascot	Rockets[1]
School hours	7:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Average class size	30
Website	Miami Central High School official website

Miami Central Senior High School, commonly referred to as Central Rockets, is a secondary school located at 1781 NW 95th Street in Miami, Florida, USA. The school serves most of the northern fringes of the city of Miami as well as parts of North Miami, Opa-Locka, the village of Miami Shores, and the village of El Portal. It has a co-principal model with Douglas P. Rodriguez and Mr.O Williams Miami Central opened its doors in 1959; the school mascot and colors were chosen in honor of NASA and its space program which was an event at the time of the schools opening. In the early 1990s, the school acquired a computer science magnet program placed as part of the district's initiative to devote school space to certain magnet programs so as to attract minority students to schools with large populations of one particular ethnic group.

Central's athletic rival is Miami Northwestern High School.

Contents 1 Demographics 2 Notable alumni 2.1 Academics 2.2 Athletics 2.2.1 Baseball 2.2.2 Basketball 2.2.3 Football 2.2.4 Other Sports 2.2.4.1 Gymnastics 2.2.4.2 Track And Field 3 Academics 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Demographics

Miami Central High is 82% Black, 17% Hispanic, and 1% White non-Hispanic. ^[2]

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Academics

• William Cordova, Class of 1988 -The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, BFA (1993-1996) and Yale University MFA (2002-2004). Pursued Art History/literature & creative writing. Was included in the prestigious Whitney Biennial Exhibition (2008) and has published on culture and art in CORE publication, Art Lies Magazine and Anti Periodical (Yale publication). Cordova also works with community activist groups BASE and Jericho Movement both based in NY.

[edit] Athletics

[edit] Baseball

• Ronnie Belliard, Class of 1994 - Infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers (1998-2002), Colorado Rockies (2003), Cleveland Indians (2004-2006), St. Louis Cardinals (2006) Washington Nationals (2007-2009) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2009-Present)

[edit] Basketball

• Tracy Reid, Class of 1994 - played in the WNBA; played collegiately at the University of North Carolina

[edit] Football

• Elvis Peacock, Class of 1974 - Running Back for the Los Angeles Rams (1979-1980) and the Cincinnati Bengals (1981); played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma
• Dwight Drane, Class of 1979 - Defensive Back for the Buffalo Bills (1986-1981); played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma
• Najeh Davenport, Class of 1997 - Running Back for the Green Bay Packers (2002-2005) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2006-2008)
• Willis McGahee, Class of 2000 - Running Back for the Buffalo Bills (2004-2006) and Baltimore Ravens (2007-present); played collegiately at the University of Miami
• Bryan Pata, Class of 2002 - Defensive Lineman who played collegiately at the University of Miami before being shot to death on November 7, 2006.
• Darnell Jenkins Class of 2002- Wide Receiver for the Houston Texans 2008- played collegiately at University of Miami.
• Ali Highsmith, Class of 2004 - Linebacker/Defensive Back for the Arizona Cardinals (2008); played collegiately for Louisiana State University
• Demetrius Byrd, Class of 2005 - Wide Receiver for San Diego Chargers(2009);played collegiality for Louisiana State University
• Cartlon "Cotton" Brown -Grambling Head Coach

[edit] Other Sports

[edit] Gymnastics

• Kurt Thomas, American Olympic gymnast, operates the Kurt Thomas Gymnastics Training Center in Frisco, Texas, inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2003.

[edit] Track And Field

• Bershawn Jackson, Class of 2002 - ranked #1 in the world in the 400 meter hurdles; bronze medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics

[edit] Academics

As part of the State's Accountability program, it grades a school by a complex formula that looks at both current scores and annual improvement on the Reading, Math, Writing and Science FCATs.

These are the school's grades by the year since the FCAT began in 1998:

• 1998-99: D
• 1999-00: D
• 2000-01: D
• 2001-02: D (280 Points)
• 2002-03: D (283 Points)
• 2003-04: F (268 Points)
• 2004-05: F (264 Points)
• 2005-06: F (278 Points)
• 2006-07: F (351 Points)
• 2007-08: F (376 Points)
• 2008-2009: D (417 Points)

[edit] See also

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• Education in the United States

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Miami-Dade County public schools
• Miami Central High School official website
• Miami Central Class of 1969 alumni page
• Miami Central Class of 1989 alumni page

v • d • e Miami-Dade County Public Schools High schools American · Braddock · Carol City · Central · Coral Gables · Coral Park · Edison · Ferguson · Goleman · Hialeah · Hialeah Gardens · Hialeah-Miami Lakes · Homestead · Jackson · Killian · Krop · Miami · Miami Springs · Mourning · Norland · North Miami · North Miami Beach · Northwestern · Palmetto · Reagan/Doral · South Dade · South Miami · Southridge · Southwest · Sunset · Varela · Washington · Westland Magnet School for Advanced Studies · Coral Reef · Design and Architecture · MAST Academy · Miami Beach · Miami Lakes E.C. · Robert Morgan · New World · Turner Tech Middle schools Ammons · Arvida · Doral · John F. Kennedy · Edison · Miami Springs · Southwood Elementary schools Air Base · Bowman Foster Ashe · Comstock · Coral Gables · Flamingo · Madie Ives · South Miami · Southside School · Sunset Park · W. J. Bryan · West Laboratory K-8 centers Coral Way Bilingual · Eugenia B. Thomas · M.A. Milam Charter schools Doctors Charter · Doral Academy · International Studies · Mater Academy Broadcast WLRN-FM / WKWM · WLRN-TV Related Silver Knight Awards