Wednesday, June 04, 2008

FORT PIERCE — Fort Pierce Central High School opened to students, black and white, in the fall of 1970.

It was a tumultuous year for the school, the city and the country. Students at Fort Pierce Central that year, the first year of forced desegregation here, had to contend with a country in turmoil - Vietnam, war protests, disco and drugs - but more than that, they had to face each other in the halls.
 
For some students, Central was a place of violence, while for others it was a place filled with new experiences and friendships.

Frances Millar, a 1971 graduate, remembers her senior year as a "sad time" when some of the typical high school fun was overshadowed by the turmoil. Janet Hensel, a 1976 graduate, met her high school sweetheart and future husband, Fred, at Central. She remembers that the football team went to the play-offs her senior year and that the homecoming dance was a sock hop.

"I have a lot of good memories," Hensel said.

Students at Fort Pierce Central said goodbye today to both the school year and their campus on Edwards Road. They will return this fall to a new campus on 25th Street, to a school designed much like Treasure Coast High School, leaving those short brick buildings on Edwards to demolition crews.

Graduates and members of the community will have a chance to see the old campus one last time Saturday. A tour of the school is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a closing ceremony at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium.

Many of Central's teachers and students are excited to move into their new facility, but for Central's first graduates, who endured so much in those early years, saying goodbye to the campus is bittersweet. The school was the scene of riots and fights, but also football games and sock hops, first kisses and shared experiences.

Carol Hilson, school board chairwoman and a 1972 graduate, remembers the National Guard being called out and the school closing a few times, but said overall her experience was a positive one. Hilson, a cheerleader and student council member, said being involved in activities and having both black and white friends made what was going on seem less terrible.

"I think sometimes the kids handle things better than the adults do," she said.

Hensel, who met her husband at Central, remembers walking from language class to history together as sophomores and dating as juniors. They both plan to attend the ceremony Saturday, but Hensel said it will be hard to say goodbye to the campus.

"It's going to hurt so bad," she said. "It really upsets me."

Hilson said she is sad to see the old campus go, but wants today's students to enjoy better technology than she had 30 years ago and a safer campus than the worn buildings can provide.

"We can still remember it," she said. "Sometimes it isn't about the building, it's about the heart."