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“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” — William Butler Yeats
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Forty years ago, Central High School looked quite different than it does today. Students in Ted Fuller's journalism class compared school yearbooks from 1964 and 2004 and here's what they found. (Students: Catia Andrade, Dixie Garcia, Elizabeth Jimenez, and Tiffany Teasley.)
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Arts at Central
Did you know that after 10 years, the arts are making a comeback at Central? Click here for a list of what's been happening.
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Yearbook Similarities: 1964 and 2004
The yearbook covers were almost identical: black with gold lettering for Central HS with the title “Black and Gold.” The size was the same too.
Both yearbooks included:
- a title page
- a dedication
- an introduction from the yearbook editor/staff
- individual photos of administration, faculty, and graduates, and group photos of undergraduates
- photos of students and teachers around school and at school events
- award-winning student essays (the “Anthony Medal”)
- sports photos
- paid advertisements from local businesses, etc. (black and white ads in '64 and color in '04)
Click here to read award-winning student essays from '64 and '04
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Yearbook Differences: 1964 and 2004
The 2004 yearbook has a number of sections that you don't find in 1964. There are baby pictures of students, pictures of good “buddies,” quotes from graduates, pictures of the top 12 scholars and athletes, a blank page for autographs, a letter from the senior class president. There's also a “superlatives” section with student picks for qualities like “most likely to succeed,” “shortest,” “best looking,” “most talkative," “friendliest,” “class flirt.”
But what's most striking is how the school, itself, has changed.
Grades
1964: grades 10-12
2004: grades 9-12
Administration
1964: 4 males (including principal) and 1 female; 0 minorities
2004: 4 males and 1 female (principal); 2 minorities
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Click here for photo gallery of yearbook pictures from 1964 and 2004.
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Faculty and staff
1964: 96 total of which 50 were male, 46 female, and 2 were minorities
2004: 131 total of which 51 were male, 80 female, and 20 were minorities
Graduating seniors
1964: 175 total of which 54% were male, 46% female, and 13% were minorities
2004: 245 total of which 99% were minorities
Graduation rates
1964: There were 177 sophomores (no freshmen) and 175 seniors who graduated
2004: There were 359 freshmen and 245 seniors who graduated
Student interests
1964: Graduating seniors named their “hobbies” and these are the things they listed:
- Males: baseball, football, basketball, swimming, boxing, ice skating, roller skating, tennis, fishing, hunting, electronics, bowling, cars, records, go-karting, guitar, records, collecting jazz albums, guns, saving coins, building and repairing cars, racing hot rods, reading, art, chess, woodworking, printing, movies. The most popular: sports and cars.
- Females: bowling, swimming, roller skating, ice skating, dancing, cooking, art, photography, sewing, reading, singing, horseback riding, piano, listening to records, golf. The most popular: bowling (named by 57% of the female students).
Student ambitions
1964: The ambitions listed by graduating seniors included:
- Males: accountant, electrician, draftsman, sheet metal worker, printer, tool maker, writer, machine shop teacher, cabinet maker, mathematics teacher, industrial arts teacher, cable slicer in the telephone company, economist, hair fashion, physical education teacher, chemical engineer, mechanic, commercial artist, service station manager, carpenter, waiter. The most popular: accountant and electrician.
- Females: secretary, IBM machine operator, typist, business administrator, office clerk, hairdresser, bookkeeper, beautician, elementary education teacher, dressmaker, telephone operator, registered nurse, accountant. The most popular: secretary (47% said they wanted to be a secretary).
2004: The ambitions listed by graduating seniors included:
- Males: own a business, construction, doctor, electrician, computer networker, civil engineer, state trooper, lawyer, computer scientist, nurse, math teacher, gym teacher, chef, automotive engineer, military, artist, veterinarian, NBA basketball player, sports therapist, web designer, fitness trainer, graphic designer, accountant, actor, auto technician, architect.
- Females: pediatrician, nurse, physical therapist, entrepreneur, psychologist, lawyer, traveling journalist, cosmetologist, medical assistant, actress, lawyer, chef, real estate agent, military, doctor, singer, surgeon, international business, psychiatrist, pharmacist, radiologist, fashion designer, own a business.
Student quotes
2004: Every graduate had a quote and here are some we especially liked:
“Life is like riding in a taxi, whether you are going somewhere or not, the meter keeps ticking.”
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.”
“Footprints in the sand of life are not made while sitting down.”
“The only things you regret in life are the risks you do not take.”
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
“Experience is the worst teacher, it gives the test before presenting the lesson.”
“If knowledge is power, I'm going to rule the world.”
“Opportunity is Central's gift to you, what you do with that opportunity is your gift to Central.”
“We are finally out!”
Central High School | 70 Fricker St., Providence, RI 02903 | 401.456.9111
What Kids Can Do, Inc. | PO Box 603252, Providence, RI 02906 | 401.247.7665
Copyright © 2005
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