The Centralian was first published on May 23, 1923.

Headlines of the first issue were:

Central takes 2nd place in girls' declamation
Junior Debates rouse enthusiasm
Senior wins "Name" contest
     (Kenneth Jacobi proposed that the new paper be called The Centralian)
Seniors win D.A.R. essay contest

This issue was published with the financial backing of the Student Club; a truly fine service this was, for The Centralian is still very much alive. Pictures of the editorial and business staff were always featured in the yearbooks, and the editor-in-chief was an important somebody.

In 1929 The Centralian sponsored a literary magazine called The Central Light to give young writers an opportunity to see their stories, essays, and poems in print, or at least in an attractive thirty page typewritten magazine.

Over the years The Centralian has changed its format. In 1962 it was made into a monthly news magazine; later to return to its old format. The use of photography and topics of coverage made it more than a little high school new sheet. Students wrote about controversial issues of the time including American involvement in Vietnam , pollution, the energy crisis, alternative sources of energy, alcohol, drugs, shoplifting, vandalism, abortion, pregnancies, marriage, divorce, suicide, gangs, and computer piracy. The Centralian honors continued to happen when North Dakota named Marian Quimby as top student journalist, Joel Baker as outstanding photographer, and the paper as a whole the All Northern rating--the highest rating in NIPA awards.