The
doors to North Central High School were first opened in September 1908
with only half a wing ready for the 200 newly enrolled students. Actually
opening "the door" would be more accurate since they opened
under construction that fall with 12 classrooms. A variety of events
have shaped the NC we know today making for a very interesting history.
These events include the outbreak of Scarlet Fever that led to every
student being checked twice a week by throat specialist, the merging
of South Central and North Central leaving NC temporarily without an
identity, visits by William Jennings Bryan who spoke of the importance
of public speaking and Booker T. who spoke of being a slave boy and
the founding of a college in Tuskegge, Alabama, and a spirit competition
known as Groovy Shoes. Let us briefly capture some of NC's history so
you will have an essence of our deep traditions.
In
February, 1909, the first Issue of the Tamarack was published.
A small paper covered magazine sold for fifteen cents and included various
articles on things such as literary, editorial, athletic, current events
and a joke section. At that time it was not a yearbook, but was only
a monthly magazine. They only published eleven issues before two years
of no publication due to the merger of North Central and South Central
High Schools. In 1912, the first graduating class published their annual
titling it "Blue and White." In 1923 the Tamarack was brought
back to life and has remained here ever since.
The
war made a hugh impact on the high school. On August 27, 1917, Kenneth
Lee died at camp making him the very first North Central student to
die in the service of his country. When the World War started NC's main
focus was on it. The girls sent gift boxes to the soldiers stationed
in France, the sewing department made socks and sweaters, and over 400
North Central boys enlisted. The first boy to die in the battlefield
was Jerome Bierce, who was severely wounded three weeks prior to his
death on May 1918. From that point on the girls made a service flag.
On that flag they would place a Blue star that would symbolize the boys
that were in the service and a Gold star that would represent the soldiers
that had died in service. At the end of the war the flag held 615 Blue
stars and 10 Gold stars. When World War II came around the manual arts
classes made 200 model airplanes for the Army to use to teach enemy
aircraft identification At the end of that war the service flag had
1,623 who had served and 74 who had given their lives.
The
NC "tank" or swimming pool as you might call it was the idea
of Enoch E. Engdahl. It was designed to teach the children of Spokane
how to swim. It measured sixty feet in diameter, and twenty-one feet
in width and ranged from three and one half feet deep to eight feet.
After all the construction was finished the pool's total cost added
up to be $40,000. On April 1, 1919, lack of funds led to pool being
boarded up. Due to an emphasis on swimming caused by soldiers drowning
during World War II, the pool was reopened February 1932 and remained
open until 1979.
N.C.
radio was first heard in the spring of 1923 when the station first broadcast
as KFIO. Friday evenings for several hours features such as N.C. news,
entertainment that included concerts by the school band and orchestra
(live from the auditorium), and sports contests (NC - LC games during
the 1924 - 1925 school year). By 1925, the competition for air time
and an upgrade to compete with KHQ made it impossible for KFIO to remain
on the air. The privately owned and off-campus site W7YL is still licensed
to N.C.
There
were ten distinguished principals over the many years of NC: Herman
Beare, Richard T. Hargreaves, Dr. A.H. Benefiel, Fredrick G. Kennedy,
Joesph M. Tewinkle, John P. Rodkey, Donald G. Cobb, Dick Pielke, Sandra
Fink, and Michael McGuire.They have put many hours and a lot of effort
to make this the great school that this is today.
A
swimming pool, ten principals, a radio station, contributions to the
war effort, and Operettas were some of the things that made NC what
it is today. Many of the traditions still remain including the Tamarack,
NC Band, Doll Shop and a variety of activity clubs and athletic teams.
North Central High School--Say it Loud, Say it Proud!
