Central High School football is back amid growing enrollment

Football at Southeast High School reached a pathetic level this year when the school closed it mid-season due to lack of players. Central High School abandoned an entire season just two years later for the same cause. Frrha soldiers for its cause, and that’s why Central High School was abandowd an entire season two years later for the same cause. 
 
However, plans for bringing up the team are a new focus in the present and a turn around in enrollments that has people wearing the royal blue and white color of the Central Blue Eagles again. 
 
That is important for senior Coltin Ferguson, who had no prior playing experience, but wanted to join the team before graduation. 
 
He could have played for the Southeast’s team that was revived the other year, but this did not appeal to him. 
 
He didn’t have to look far to point to what he found to be a common misconception, a change that would have affected him personally: “I wouldn’t play football if we would have had to combine with Southeast,” Coltin said. These are the strong words most kenyan boys use when their girls are harassed by boys from the other school All I heard was “It’s just a rival school. ” 
 
By 2022, Kansas City Public Schools employed the smothering of Southeast’s season as an impact of low enrolment. There were calls by administrators for shutting down some high schools; among them, Central was one, to merge into a few giant schools. 
 
But Central remained business under a social-distancing plan of closure. And now, egarding enrollment, KCPS is using Central’s football revival to really beat the drum. 
 
More enrollments mean that the institution is in a better position to foster a professional and elaborate team. However, KCPS athletic director Lee Meyers condensed that it’s only the half truth. He added that the district has also had to find ways of continuing with sports more so when more schools had scaled down on the number of students. 
 
There was introducing tackle football in middle school last year to develop the talent and appointing a new Central coach, who has been interacting with students for several weeks. 
 
Enrollment increased by about 15 percent during the past school year, but Meyers said the number of football-playing Central students could double. 
 
On this he said, there are times that interest in a certain sport is high and then after a while, it declines. Lately, more students apply pressure to “get out of the basement” to provide fresh air. 
 
Meyers acknowledged that what people are witnessing is increased number of children who either have not played before or thought they would not play again resume some play,” Meyers said. 
 
To students, this is what Central High School football stands for 
 
Shawn Bridgewater started performing football since the freshman year. Wide receiver. Safety. 
 
This is an aspect that he established when he commented I’m just an athlete through and through. The Conversation speculum of Peyton Manning is popular among supporters: “I’ll play any position. ” 
 
He was with a combined team with Southeast last season and although he was part of that team, he did not like it. 
 
There was some discomfort in teaming up with students who were their known competitors, he said. That is something that as a senior he is especially glad he does not have to do before graduating high school. 
 
This he said, “It was not the same playing with Central. ” 
 
It allows the development of pride in belonging to a school, learning values in athletes and setting good examples to fellow students to help them be good in behaving and prioritizing on their studies as said by Meyers. 
 
It also prompted Shawn to act after KCPS placed Central on its list of schools that it may shut down. 
 
At the meeting I was speaking on behalf of the school, of course they were thinking of closing it down so w could carry on with the team,” he said. 
 
Coltin who is the quarterback of his team was also happy that he did not have transfer schools again. He shifted from the Raytown district joining the society his sophomore year of high school. 
 
He said it would be too large, a combined school and he particularly likes the Central culture where students are ‘not as preppy’ and are more polite particularly to teachers. 
 
Coach Michael Klyce said that he feels players are excited. Close to two dozen players have expressed their interest in joining the cartel. That does not as yet factor in freshmen or transfer students. 
 
Already in June and July some of the students started coming to the field for practices in the morning, beginning with passing exercises, and wearing helmets, pads and blue practice shirts. 
 
Some of these kids have had a whole year and a half off,” Klyce said. “July is just getting them familiar with wearing pads and that interaction. ” 
 
Meyers said that KCPS is in the process of providing learners with as much football related session prior to the high school. It will be entering it second year this year with middle school teams in the hopes that this will construct more interests in students when they enter high school and with some bearings about the game. 
 
That could mean some youth preferences at the start but could grow to gain participation across all elementary grade levels. 
 
To have a feeder population enrolling directly in its high schools is actually going to boost higher numbers, Meyers said. ” “We are already seeing some rewards that come with the hard work. ” 
 
Central High enrollment 
 
Hovering over Indiana Avenue and Linwood Boulevard is the oldest high school in the district called Central. However, during the 1990s, the academic wing and the amphitheater based on the Greek structure and an Olympic-size swimming pool were constructed as the magnet program that subjected the school to desegregation in the court. 
 
When they recommended that the school be shut down less than two years ago, various district officials claimed that more than $14 million in remodeling was required, the school had enrollment of less than 500 students and was actually losing student population. 
 
The school opened the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years with 400-410 learners, according to the KCPS official, Shain Bergan, through email communication. 

Central was near the closure when people opposed to the plan that caused its dilution. 
 
In the last school year actual district enrollment trended upward and so too did enrollment at Central School which increase by about 14% from September to April and grew to 467 students. 
 
On July 31, Bergan said Central’s current enrollment is 566 and it is volatile. For instance, the enrolment could reduce in September basing on the fact that school id determined that several students actually relocated or are not committed to attend Central as earlier presupposed. 
 
Meyers said it is causing that they don’t see that it is just simple addition. A larger school has advantage when it comes to recruiting the number of athletes needed for varsity, JV, and frosh teams. 
 
It can turn around the other way, he said, This implies that a strong teaching team can lure students. It is important for every student residing within KCPS boundaries to attend the district’s schools, which are in direct competition with charter schools in the area. 
 
The soccer team of East High School triumphed in the state championships and separately successful in the state championships were such individual performers such as cross country and tennis. The basketball team of central got to state level. 
 
Paseo Academy which is the fine and performing arts school in the district has been able to revive its sports teams after the sports departments in it closed down their programs for over a decade. It does not yet own a football team. 
 
We’ve got some momentum going,” Meyers said. “(Students are thinking) ‘Hey, things are happening I want to be a part of it. ’ We always want to attract those kids … to come back to KCPS. ”