Omaha Benson High School Magnet
| Benson High School Magnet | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 5120 Maple Street Omaha, Nebraska |
|
| Coordinates | 41°17′09″N 95°59′38″W / 41.28583°N 95.99389°WCoordinates: 41°17′09″N 95°59′38″W / 41.28583°N 95.99389°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public High School Magnet School |
| Established | 1904 |
| School district | Omaha Public Schools |
| Principal | Anita Harkins |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,132 (2012) |
| Color(s) | Green and White |
| Mascot | Bunny |
| Newspaper | Benson High Gazette / Benson High News: [1] |
| Website | Benson H.S. |
Omaha Benson High School Magnet, Benson High Magnet, or Benson High, is located at 5120 Maple Street in Omaha, Nebraska, in the Benson community of Omaha. The original site of Benson High was the current building that houses Benson West Elementary School. Founded in 1904, Benson High is one of the oldest high schools in the state. Its enrollment is approximately 1,500 students. As of 2017, the principal was Anita Harkins. The school mascot is the Bunny.
A full renovation of the school was completed in the mid-1990s. Additions included a new science classroom wing, an auditorium for the performing arts, a gymnasium, a student commons area and a track and football field. The football field and track were redone once again during the 2006 summer.
Benson is currently participating in NASA's Student Launch Initiative program.
Omaha Benson High School is also one of the Omaha area schools that participates in the yearly Day of Silence event.
Benson High School's athletic teams have won six state championships. In 1920 and 1992, they were the state basketball champions, first in Class E and then in Class A. In 1974, they won the state Class A baseball championship; and in 2001 and 2007, they won the boys cross country title in Class A. In 2014, girls won Class A State Basketball
In April 2007, the student newspaper published a four-page special feature entitled "The N-Word" examining the use of the racial epithet "nigger" within the school community. It included factual reporting, editorial content, and a transcript of a round-table discussion on the topic in one of the school's ethics classes.
Community response was mixed. Many students and parents, and the school's principal, were supportive of the newspaper's coverage, but the school district received many phone calls expressing concern or offense at the content. The school district, Omaha Public Schools, put the principal on temporary administrative leave and denounced the publication. The principal was later reinstated.
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