Kayla Man (286)

Central High School is a renowned school amongst most people of various ages. There is a vast amount of clubs, extracurricular activities, and multicultural groups. One thing in particular that is quite popular about Central is that it’s a high-ranked college preparatory school. But how well does Central actually prepare kids for college, and what goals does the school have for its students? According to President Davis, she wants Central to be a place for students to feel supported and ready for the world around them. She believes that “there is no way you can prepare someone for college because everyone ends up going their separate ways, but you can try to help…” 

“Central is about finding your place and your passion.” — President Davis.

During an interview with President Davis, a series of questions were asked about the school, her goals for it, and how it would benefit Central’s community and students. President Davis wishes to make Central a place where kids are allowed to explore, experience, and learn. This is offered through classes that “prepare students for the reality of college,” teaching them about time management, challenging them, and allowing them to discover their strengths and weaknesses along the way. The course selection process is also quite similar to the one most colleges use. Students are also offered support from teachers, faculty, and school counselors. There are a total of six counselors at Central, and though “six is not enough,” students are still offered the help they might need. Counselors and teachers are able to help inform students and their parents about college details, including financial aid, the application process, college tours, and networking with teachers. 

A former student from the class of 282, is now attending the University of Pennsylvania and described their time at Central to be “pretty good,” though some days were challenging and demanded less sleep. Part of their time in the Central community was online during Covid, and it allowed them to build a better mindset and work space. According to this graduate, Central “helped [them] prepare for the workload in college. It’s pretty similar and it helped [them] be more self controlling.” They suggest that students of Central be cautious of the people they surround themselves with because “[they’re] a product of the people [they] surround [themselves] with.”

Another graduate of Central, who would like to be referred to as W7n (282), currently attends Penn State and says their time at Central really helped them when they transitioned to college. They were introverted, but throughout their time at Central, they improved their social skills and made friends. They said that people should “find as many extracurriculars as [they] can” because it drastically affected their “social readiness as well as [their] applications to colleges.” In addition, the size of Central made them interested in navigation, which helped them move from building to building in college. Throughout their time, they said, “Central taught me the value of participating, both in the classroom and in extracurriculars; I generally had a better time when I was actively involved. Central also built a sense of what I wanted to do at college…”

Central is indeed a college preparatory school that helps its students in many different ways. Some people benefit from the courses, clubs, and set up of Central, while others grow as an individual during their time here. It may vary from person to person since not everyone is going to pursue the same things and is the same individual. Most, if not all, of students are going to learn something throughout their time at Central and will carry those skills or knowledge with them in their future endeavors.