Ann Arbor School History

High Schools:

Ann Arbor High School

Union School is renamed to Ann Arbor High School in 1871 and doubles its size with the building of an addition to the high school. Six years later, Principal Judson Pattengill spearheades the addition of extra-curricular activities. Additions to the school's curriculum evolved based on community and instructional needs to include: Commercial, Industrial Arts, Home Economics, Physical Education, Vocational Education and Cooperative Occupational Education courses.

The first edition of the Omega yearbook is published during the 1844 school year. It continues publishing an annual edition every year with an exception when resources were devoted to the war effort during World War II.

Football traditions begin during 1845 with the formation of Ann Arbor High's first football team. Over 50 years pass before Ann Arbor High in 1901 defines Purple and White as the official school colors. The alma mater of the school identifies PURPLE as "the sign of might" and WHITE as "the sign of truth and honor."

Tragedy strikes Ann Arbor High School with a fire in 1904 that completely decimates the entire building. Ann Arbor High School is destroyed and it takes two years to rebuild a new high school. During this time, classes met in local churches or rented office space in the community. innovation from a tragedy has Ann Arbor High School utilizing its first portable classrooms. Reconstruction occurs at the same site with the replacement school costing $340,000. Ann Arbor High School reopened to students and staff in the fall of 1906. Eventually the building transitions from Ann Arbor High School to become a part of the University of Michigan and is renamed the Frieze Building. The building life span remains for over 100 years until the University of Michigan has the complex torn down to erect student housing in its place.

After a decade of school colors and with the 70th year of Ann Arbor High School football approaching it was only fitting that Ann Arbor High School have its own school song. Margaret Horton Cooley wrote the words for the school song "The Purple and White" in 1914. The musical tune was composed by Earl W. Moore, Dean Emeritus of the School of Music at the Univerrsity of Michigan.

The Ann Arbor News sponsors an essay contest in 1936 to find a nickname for the school. The field is narrowed to six options with Richard J. Mann, an Ann Arbor High School graduate, earning the first place prize of $5,000. The winning nickname was "Pioneer." Mann earns distinction later on by serving the Ann Arbor School District School Board and in the capacity as President of the School Board.

Lewis Forsythe holds the distinction as the longest serving principal at Ann Arbor High School. He began his service at the beginning of World War I and retired 29 years later in 1946. His successor, Nicholas Schreiber, served with distinction for 22 years retiring in 1968.

The Ann Arbor School District purchased 210 acres of land for $135,000 at the corner of Main and Stadium Boulevard. In 1953, three years after the purchase of the land, Trustee Ashley Clague turned the first shovelful of earth at the ground breaking ceremony to build a new Ann Arbor High. Construction of the building took over three years to complete and cost exceeded $6,000,000. Ann Arbor High's new building included both a large and small auditorium, specialiized rooms for band, orchestra, and choir, a gymnasium, pool, and planetarium.

Students, teachers, and staff helped with the transition from their old school building to their new school building. Finally on April 9, 1956 students were welcomed for their first day of classes. The new high school easily accommodated its 1,374 students. A special dedication for the new Ann Arbor High School was held on April 15, 1956. The following year an intense reevaluation of the educational curriculum at Ann Arbor High School is prompted after the successful launching of the Sputnick satellite by the Soviet Union. The post-war tidal wave of births labels children born at this time as "baby-boomers" and leads to a hugh spike in the number of students attending school in the 1960's.

1967 Huron High School scheduled to open.
1968-69 "Pioneer" students attend Ann Arbor High School in the morning, "Huron" students attended in the afternoon. Huron (the campus) opened in 1969. Originally, classes were held at Ann Arbor High School (now known as Pioneer High).
Fall 1969 Huron High School opened.

1970 Huron wins its first state championships in swimming and cross country.
1973 Student Council members voted themselves out of the office because they felt that they held no power with the administration.

April 1988 Ann Arbor Board of Education passed a $31 -million renovation and construction program. The Student Advocate School Board (SASB) convinced the school board to adopt a renovation plan without enclosing the arch.

1988-1991 Renovations included alterations to Huron structure. Since the 1970's, the library and lunchrooms have been enlarged and science and math wings have been added. Extensions of the science wing (5200), the band room (7124), the math department (6100, 6200), the athletic wing including the new pool and gym (1000s) .The athletic department and the dome gym were constructed.

May 12, 1993 The auditorium dedicated to Paul K. Meyers. Paul K. Meyers (1969-1979) graduated from Harvard University and University of Michigan before becoming a chemistry teacher in the Ann Arbor Public Schools in 1949. During the 1967-68 school year, he involved himself in the planning of Huron High School and became its first principal in 1968. He served as principal for 11 years before resigning for medical reasons in 1979.

1995 New additions - The Sports team facilities were improved by the 1995 additions of the new pool, a track and football stadium.

2004 Exterior Signage (“Riverbank Stadium” and “Home of the River Rats” signs) added to Press Box and additional signage to Concession Stands.

2006 Over the summer the road under the ARCH was closed and the area resurfaced with concrete. An extensive patio area, pavered pathways and landscaping which included several trees and plantings were added.

During 1967-68, a new Ann Arbor High School was being constructed and there was a problem. The school that was to be Huron did not yet have a mascot.

Before the school even opened, Ann Arbor High students who were not going to be relocated to Huron came up with the nickname "River Rat". They used the name as a joke to refer to their newly rivaled classmates who would attend a school built on the Huron River and near an old medical waste site. But the Huron students turned the joke around, and they, too began referring to themselves with pride as River Rats.

Administration felt differently about their issue of the River Rat. Huron's first principal, Paul Meyers, had an especially strong dislike of rats after bad experiences with them as captain overseas during World War II. So the nickname was ignored for the most part, and when Huron's construction finally completed, "River Rat" did not appear to be in the running as mascot.

When Huron was opened in 1969, its mascot was intended to be the Huron. However, this mascot did not draw much enthusiasm or support from the students, and shortly after its opening, Huron had a write-in student ballot to determine a few choices for a possible alternative. Several of the more popular choices, including the Highlanders, the Hawks and the Indians, were put on a ballot during the student elections that year. The River Rat never made it to that ballot.

However, none of the listed mascots could muster up fifty percent of the votes and student kept writing in "River Rat" instead of selecting a given choice on the ballot. Huron went several years without a mascot, during which time local newspapers started referring to Huron sports teams by the old nickname. Baseball players became Bat Rats and wrestlers became Mat Rats.It was the media that validated the name River Rats.

For over one hundred years the Ann Arbor needed only one high school in the community. Expanded community growth during the 1960's led Ann Arbor Public schools to initiate plans to build another comprehensive high school. After plans were underway to build the second high school the community re-christened Ann Arbor High School to be known as Pioneer High School. The second high school was named Huron High School.

A unique school year existed for these two high schools during the 1968-1969 school year with Pioneer High School and Huron High School co-existing as separate schools at Pioneer High School. Pioneer students and staff attended from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm while Huron students and staff attended from 1:00 to 6:00 pm. Pioneer bid farewell to Huron High in the fall of 1969 when Huron High opened it building to students in September.

Community growth continues over the next two decades and portable classrooms are added at Pioneer High School. A 3 floor wing addition to Pioneer High School is added to meet the demands of an increasing student population. Additional portable classrooms are added and nicknamed the 'Portable Village'. Yet crowding conditions continue at Pioneer with its student population swelling to a peak of almost 3,000 students.

After district studies, community forums, many meetings, and bond passage a 3rd comprehensive school building is designed for Ann Arbor. Skyline High School opens its doors in the fall of 2008 to students under a phased in enrollment process with its first group of 9th grade students.

Pioneer, close to the heart of town, and a stone's throw from the University of Michigan campus, proudly carries forward the Purple and White tradition in the new millenium in defining and implementing a 21st Century education.