By LEAH WEATHERSBY

The year 1901 was an important one for teens in what was then the City of Ballard. That was when Ballard's Central School went from one program, directed at grades 1-10, to two programs, the second one being for 9th graders and up.

This change was a vast improvement in the lives of high school-age kids because it meant that they no longer had pay tuition and streetcar fare to downtown's Seattle High School in order to continue their education.

The first graduating class of Ballard's new high school program, which had four members, held its commencement on June 23, 1902.

This past May, Ballard High, which became part of the Seattle School District in 1907 when the Ballard area was annexed to the City of Seattle, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the school's founding. The centennial festivities included a 750-pound birthday cake and a concert by The Brothers Four.

Although the high school dates its existence back to 1901, it wasn't until 1909 that it was officially renamed Ballard High School. Meanwhile, enrollment was growing and in 1911 the district acquired the school's current site at 1418 NW 65th St. (The Central School had been located at 5308 Tallman Ave. - now a Swedish Medical Center/Ballard Campus.) The new high school opened 1916.

Though that building was to stand until 1997, it went through a series of renovations which attempted to combat over-crowding. Finally in 1995, voters passed a levy which raised money to completely rebuild the school. The current Ballard High School building opened in 1999. Over the years, Ballard High has graduated a number of notables, including actress Jean Smart (who played Charlene Frazier on the TV series "Designing Women"), astronaut John Creighton, Olympic gold medalist rower Paul Enquist, musician Bob Flick (a founding member of The Brothers Four), former Seattle Chief of Police Herbert Johnson, former state legislator Dwight Hawley (who was also a founding member of Ballard Chamber of Commerce), and C. David Hughbanks, a long-time public servant who recently retired from the post of executive director of Sand Point Magnuson Park.

Hughbanks, who is also founding president of the Ballard High School Foundation, said the school's Wall of Recognition, on which these names and many others appear, came about because Ballard students mistakenly thought no one important had ever gone to their school. To the contrary, Hughbanks said, dedicated teachers such as art teacher Orre Nobles (who greatly influenced the Northwest art scene), drama teacher Earl Kelly (for whom the school's performing arts center is named), and former Ballard football coach Henry Bendele (who is himself a Wall of Recognition member) have inspired 100 years worth of Ballard grads to make their mark.