Hidden [Not Uncut] Gems of Central High School
Naveen Rimah and Charlotte Heads
Every day since 1870, hundreds of students have roamed the ever-changing school grounds that are now Champaign Central High School. With the current remodeling of our building, it’s been even easier to spot parts of the school's history that had been brushed over before. Central has renovated and migrated plenty throughout the decades. From hidden graffiti to third basements, we’ve found information on all the little things that make Central the Central we know. Despite its changes, the building is still recognizable as the one in the Illinois Library Digital Collection from 1968.
Our high school was built before the rise of Nazi Germany and before Hitler adopted the Swastika as a symbol of hate, instead of its original background of peace and good fortune. Walking through some of the school's older hallways, you can see red tiles with a variety of patterns on them- including a few blank ones that were previously Swastikas. Most of those ones were sanded off, but one remains.
Since it was bricked over, the old projection room looking over the Combes Gym has been accessible only by ladder. Within the hidden room, you can find photos and memorabilia of former Central athletes. Despite the stunning records, the highlight of the area is definitely the graffiti. Hundreds of students have left their touch throughout the building, but here it’s perfectly preserved.
Between the lunchroom and a few classrooms along with the weight room, most Central students actively visit our two basements. However, besides the two is another, much older, unfinished basement. It’s mostly used for storage now, but it had previously been specific to the Marching Band. Upperclassmen remember that along with their instruments, the band would lock their new freshmen inside- as a sort of hazing.
Decades later in 2022, students and teachers alike are still leaving their mark on our unique school. While we have lost some of its history- like the handprints of graduating drama members throughout the years- so much of the Central’s charm is still present in our day to day lives.