Forest Hills Central High School (originally "Forest Hills High School") became the first high school of the newly formed Forest Hills School District in the fall of 1958. The doors opened in September with only freshman and sophomore students. The first graduating class was 1961.
The school was memorable for its campus style construction consisting eventually of thirteen separate buildings, including an auditorium added in 1977. The classroom buildings were long hallways, which connected five or six individual rooms. Michigan winters were not amenable to the open campus and the constant walks outside from building to building. In addition, the student population continued to grow, and the buildings began to quickly deteriorate.
In 1986, Central High was completely rebuilt with the exception of the auditorium, the gymnasium, the cafeteria, and the art/industrial arts wing, all of which were incorporated into one new building. Since that time, the school has undergone numerous building and remodeling projects.
In 2009, the building underwent a multimillion-dollar construction project that included a new weight room, student and staff parking lots, main office renovation, athletic field entrance, athletic office, classrooms, and a new gym entrance and foyer. Also added to the new gym entrance were heated sidewalks. In 2010, the auditorium was remodeled.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 1,315 students enrolled in 2015-16 was:
GENDER
Male - 49.0%
Female - 51.0%
ETHNIC BACKGROUND
Native American/Alaskan - 0.3%
Asian - 6.2%
Black - 2.5%
Hispanic - 1.7%
White - 85.6%
Multiracial - 3.7%
7.1% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch.[1]
Athletics
Forest Hills Central's athletic teams compete under the "Rangers" mascot. Most teams compete in the Ottawa-Kent Conference White division. Forest Hills Central offers the following varsity sports:
Boys' sports
Baseball
Basketball
Bowling
Cross-country
Football – 1994, 2022 state runner-up Division 2,[5] 2023 Champions Division 3[5]
Golf – 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2010 state runner-up, 2009, 2011 state champions[6]
Hockey
Lacrosse – 2007 was the first year of competition separate from Forest Hills Northern. Prior to that, the two schools fielded a combined team. 1990 state champions, 2008 runners-up. 2010 Division II State Champions. 2012 Division II State Champions 2013 Division II state runners-up.[7] 2016 State Champions, 2018 Runner Up State Champions, 2019 State Champions, 2022 State Champions, 2023 State Champions.
The Grand Rapids Supplemental School (グランドラピッズ補習授業校 Gurando Rappizu Hoshū Jugyō Kō), a part-time Japanese school, holds its classes at the high school.[16]
Notable alumni
Adam Grinwis (born 1992, class of 2010), professional soccer player
Xavier Tillman (born January 12, 1999) professional basketball player
In the film American Pie, the "Central Chicks" and "Central" Lacrosse team that East Great Falls High School plays against is an amalgam of Forest Hills Central High School.[22] East Great Falls, in turn, is based on the nearby East Grand Rapids High School.[23]
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Biographies". State of Wisconsin 2009-2010 Blue Book(PDF) (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 10. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
^Sanford, James. "Kim Zimmer talks about portraying Norma Desmond in the Barn Theatre's Sunset Boulevard", The Ann Arbor News, August 21, 2011. Accessed February 21, 2017. "Written in a free-wheeling 'Can-we-talk?' style, the book chronicles her journey from Forest Hills Central High School and Hope College to San Francisco, New York and, naturally, the mythical town of Springfield, where Zimmer ruled the roost for more than 25 years as Reva Shayne, the guiding light of the CBS daytime drama “The Guiding Light."
