Here's a sneak peek of the new Pueblo Centennial High School

James Bartolo, The Pueblo Chieftain
Updated ·2 min read
Stakeholders cut the ribbon outside the new Centennial High School on May 22, 2023.
Stakeholders cut the ribbon outside the new Centennial High School on May 22, 2023.

A new chapter in the nearly 150-year history of Centennial High School began this week as stakeholders cut the ceremonial ribbon for its new school building on Monday.

Established in 1876, Centennial is Pueblo's oldest high school. The school's newest building has many of the same features as the new East High School, including a 1,200-person capacity gymnasium, an auditorium akin to a large movie theater room and vast space for students to socialize. However, there are a few differences between the two buildings that go beyond branding.

New East High School Here's an early look at the new Pueblo East High School

While the new East features a state-of-the-art kitchen to house its culinary program, the new Centennial has a room full of hospital beds and a few adult-sized dummies for its Health Academy. Centennial's new building also houses a wood shop for its construction technology program, while East's building provides space for its manufacturing and engineering program.

The new Centennial is the fourth home for the Bulldogs and the second to be located on Mountview Drive. The previous Centennial, a weathered red-brick building next door, was built in 1973 and will soon be demolished.

Students at the Centennial High School's Health Academy will have space to practice in a hospital-like setting at the new Centennial High School.
Students at the Centennial High School's Health Academy will have space to practice in a hospital-like setting at the new Centennial High School.

"We'll miss parts of the old school," said Dave Craddock, principal of Centennial. "We won't miss the bats, the snakes, the scorpions, the raccoons, the miller moths that we are invaded with — so it's nice to be in the new building."

Decades of Centennial's history will be preserved in trophy cases and displays throughout the new school. State championship footballs from 1987 and 1992 are among the artifacts that already have been relocated to the new building.

Isaiah Ortiz will be the school's first student body president in the new building. He is a member of the tennis team and part of the school's "Bulldog TV" broadcasting program. Like Craddock, Ortiz said he will miss parts of the old school building but he's excited about the modernized classroom spaces with windows to see the tennis courts and extra space to hold equipment for Bulldog TV.

The "Centennial Cafe" area is among many places for students to study, eat and socialize inside the new Centennial High School, 2525 Mountview Dr.
The "Centennial Cafe" area is among many places for students to study, eat and socialize inside the new Centennial High School, 2525 Mountview Dr.

The new buildings for Centennial and East were made possible through local voters' approval of a $218 million bond for Pueblo School District 60 in 2018. The total cost for the construction of the new Centennial, upcoming exterior site work and demolition of the old Centennial building is about $74 million.

Following the ribbon cuttings for the new Centennial and East high schools, Pueblo D60 is scheduled to host ribbon cuttings for the new Sunset Park Elementary School on Aug. 10, Franklin School of Innovation on Aug. 11 and Nettie S. Freed K-8 Expeditionary Academy on Aug. 24. The three upcoming ribbon cutting ceremonies will be held at 3 p.m. on their respective days.

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Centennial debuts 4th high school building in147-year history