Benton Central is a school community steep in fierce loyalties, hometown pride and local traditions. Before the consolidation movement in the early ‘60’s, ten high schools -Ambia, Boswell, Earl Park, Freeland Park, Fowler, Montmorenci, Otterbein, Oxford, Pine Township and Wadena – formed the educational and athletic community in this part of Indiana. Each school and town was independent and proud. But in January of 1964, change began. That’s when the Benton Community School Corporation was established. As a result, change came quickly. Students from Earl Park, Wadena and Freeland Park began to attend classes at Fowler; Pine Township students went to Oxford or Otterbein for classes.
In the 1966-67 and 1967-68 school years, Otterbein and Montmorenci High Schools came together in Montmorenci’s building, forming the first Benton Central High School.
In the meantime, 77 acres of farmland were purchased by the newly-formed Benton Community School Corporation, for the purpose of building a school for all of the students from the original ten schools corporation. In the fall of 1968, students who attended school at the Montmorenci site and those from Ambia, Boswell, Fowler and Oxford joined forces and walked through the doors of Benton Central Jr. Sr. High School.
In August 2016, 48 years after the first bell rang, the children and grandchildren of those first B.C. students will be walking through the same doors – as Benton Central Bison – carrying on the outstanding tradition of their brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents.