Cranston High School East

Cranston High School East, often called East, Cranston East, or abbreviated as CHSE, is a comprehensive high school located in the central part of Cranston, Rhode Island, with over 1,500 students in grades 9-12 and 150+ faculty members. The school mascot is the Thunderbolt, and its colors are green and white.

Cranston High School East is housed in two buildings, the main building at 899 Park Avenue and the William A. Briggs Building located at 845 Park Avenue, which is where the school was originally housed. The Briggs building is home to the administrative offices of Cranston Public Schools and also served as a Junior High School in the early part of the 20th century.

Cranston East was the first high school in Cranston; before Cranston West opened in 1958, the school was called simply Cranston High.

Facilities

In the late 19th century, Cranston High School was built and dedicated to William Briggs. In the 1920s a new section of the building (commonly referred to as "main") had been built because Briggs was too crowded at the time due to it being the only high school in the city. In 2007, the southeastern section of the building was rebuilt and added a few more (and much needed) classrooms in the area. It is commonly referred to as the "new wing."

Athletics

Cranston East has a rich history of athletics dating back the 1920s. As a member of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, they compete in nearly every sport offered. They also compete in the RIIL unified sports teams. Their football team won a state title in 1972 and 1987.

Notable alumni

* Bill Bennett: Former NHL player for the Boston Bruins and Hartford Whalers.
* Curt Bennett: All-Star NHL hockey player
* Harvey Bennett, Jr.: Played college hockey at Boston College. He played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Minnesota North Stars.
* Joe Cavanagh: Captained Harvard University's Hockey and Tennis Teams
* Jimmy Cooney: former MLB player for the Boston Red Sox, New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Boston Braves.
* Johnny Cooney: Former MLB player for the Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers, and the New York Yankees
* Tom Mellor- played in the national hockey league. Won a silver medal at the 1972 Olympics
* Vinny Pazienza: former World Champion professional boxer
* Mike Stenhouse: Played for the Expos and Boston Redsox in the 80's
* Jincy Willett: Author short story collection, Jenny and the Jaws of Life; author 3 novels, Winner of the National Book Award, The Writing Class, Amy Falls Down.
* Rudolph E. Tanzi: Discovered the first Alzheimer's disease gene; author of New York Times Best Seller "Super Brain"; played keyboards for Aerosmith album in 2012.
* Frank Matano : Famous Italian actor and comedian.

References

External links

Cranston High School East official website

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Buildings and structures in Cranston, Rhode Island
Schools in Providence County, Rhode Island
Public high schools in Rhode Island