Principal's Message
Hello!
It is my pleasure to welcome you and your child to Centennial High School. I would like to speak to you about your child's education. It is Centennial's mission to prepare your child for success beyond graduation. To prepare your child for success it is important that they become involved in a school athletic team, NJROTC, performing arts group, or any of the many extra-curricular programs that Centennial has available. Research has shown that students who are involved in school activities become a part of the school community and are more likely to graduate and become successful after high school.
I would like to take a moment to reflect on some of the achievements from the 2008-09 school year. Centennial's graduation rate was 81.7%. Centennial's drop-out rate is a miniscule 2.5 percent. Centennial seniors received over 4.5 million dollars in scholarships. These are just a few statistics that document Centennials success as a sensational high school.
We are certain that by now everyone has heard of the severe budget cuts for the 2009-2010 school year. These cuts will have an impact on Centennial High School. At several Principal Advisory Committee meetings there have been discussions regarding the budget and the impact that the A/B block schedule has on your child's education. During these meetings and other meetings/conversations with our parent community, parents wanted their children to have the opportunity to take a wide array of course offerings (i.e. academic core courses, electives such as band, foreign language, occupational education, and the fine and performing arts).
The only way that we can provide these opportunities for your children is to remain on the A/B block schedule. This provides our students with the opportunity to successfully complete graduation requirements, take remedial classes if necessary, and take a rich program of electives.
Centennial has been given the autonomy to remain on the block schedule, however, we must do so with no additional staffing support. Several discussions have been with teachers regarding the block schedule and the impact that it will have on the education of Centennial students. Consequently, I am committed to remaining on the A/B block schedule with no additional staffing. Therefore, we have the responsibility to inform you that individual class sizes may increase between 4 to 6 students per class this year, and in the foreseeable future until we can once again get the additional staffing needed to lower the student/teacher ratio.
I am looking forward to meeting you. Rest assured we will continue to provide an outstanding education for your child. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, feel free to call the school at 799-3440.
Trent Day
Principal
