- Muskegon High School
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Muskegon High School 
Home of the Big RedsLocation 80 W Southern Ave
Muskegon, Michigan, Michigan, 49441
United StatesInformation School type Public high school Established 1872 Opened current building opened 1927 School district Muskegon Public Schools Superintendent Colin Armstrong Principal David A. Lewis Asst. Principal Arthur Duren, Corry Lohman Faculty (on FTE basis) Grades 9-12 Enrollment 1,637(as of 2008-09) Campus type Urban Color(s) Red and White Athletics Athletic Foundation website Athletics conference OK Conference Red Division, MHSAA Class A. Past conferences: Southwestern Conference 1930-1957; Lake Michigan Athletic Conference 1961-1984. Sports Home football games played at Hackley Stadium; Baseball played at Marsh Field; Track at Steele Middle School; Soccer at Nelson Elementary Nickname Big Reds Rivals 1896-1938, Grand Rapids Central; 1922-1976, Muskegon Heights; 1957-1998, Traverse City; 2001-present, Rockford National ranking #1 in High School Athletics in Michigan[1] Newspaper Campus Keyhole Yearbook Said and Done Website School website Muskegon High School is a public high school located in Muskegon, Michigan, and was the first high school in Muskegon County, Michigan.
Contents
History
The Class of 1875, consisting of two girls, was the first from Muskegon High School. Records show there were 102 students enrolled at the high school, and employed three teachers. On December 14, 1890 a fire completely destroyed the Central School. The loss was serious, as the building accommodated 700 students. Following the disaster, local lumber baron Charles Hackley (January 3, 1837 – January 10, 1905) offered to furnish money to build two new schools. One, a new high school located on Jefferson at Washington Avenue, opened in September 1893. The second, the Hackley School, rose on the site of the original Central school. In 1895, Hackley followed that pledge with money to build a Manual Training School, designed to provide training for pupils seeking education in the industrial arts. Opened in 1897, it was one of the first in the nation. For many years, an open house was held in June, allowing citizens to admire the work of the students in woodworking, drafting, foundry, printing and pattern-making.
In 1902, a gymnasium featuring a swimming pool, opened on the high school campus, and an adjoining tract was purchased for use as an athletic field. The site, designed by athletic director and coach Robert Zuppke, debuted in 1907.
A new high school, built to the south of the old high school, was opened in September 1926. The old school was rechristened Central Junior High School. The closing of portions of two city streets created a Central Campus.
One of the first student projects of 1926 was a student-led bond drive to raise funds to build a stadium to the east of Hackley Field. Opened in the fall of 1927, Hackley Stadium continues to serve the district.
On October 21, 1929, a bronze sculpture honoring Hackley was unveiled on the Muskegon High School campus. Alma Mater by Lorado Taft features a central figure, Athena, the goddess of learning. She is holding the torch of knowledge and sheltering the spark of learning. Hackley’s profile is carved in the stone beneath. Stone benches flank the sculpture. On the right side of the memorial is a relief of Mercury, the god of commerce, designed to symbolize Hackley's connections to industry. To the left is carved the Good Samaritan, the symbol of charity, meant to represent Hackley's role as benefactor to the school district and the city he loved.
Muskegon High School's band program earned national recognition under the guidance of William Steward, who arrived as a teacher in 1936. Stewart's bands were invited to perform several times at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and in 1957 the national publication First Chair of America featured the members of the Muskegon Band and dedicated the issue to them.
The school has published an annual since 1894. Originally known as The Hyperion, it has been named Said and Done since the 1910s. The school newspaper is known as The Campus Keyhole.
The Hackley Manual Training School was torn down in 1962 as the expense to bring the building up to modern safety standards were deemed excessive.
In 1978, a two-story addition was added to the school. Featuring the C. Leo Redmond/Harry E. Potter gymnasium and Frank DeYoe library, the facility also features a weight room, Olympic-sized swimming pool, athletic offices and classrooms.
Due to national controversy, the Native American symbols used as a logo and mascot were discontinued following 2002-03 school year. They were replaced by a stylistic block M, with origins dating back to the early 1900's.
In 2009-10, Muskegon High School began offering students IB Diploma Programme, a college preparatory course of study for highly motivated high school students.
Athletics
Muskegon High School is a member of the OK Red and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). The athletic teams are known as the Big Reds. They compete in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red Division.
Class A State Football titles
- 1920, 1921, 1923 - Head Coach J. Francis Jacks (1920–1924)
- 1926, 1927, 1928, 1936, 1937, 1942, 1944 - Head Coach C. Leo Redmond (1925–1946)
- 1951 (Associated Press and Detroit News) - Head Coach Harry Potter (1947–1956)
- 1971 (Associated Press and Detroit Free Press) - Head Coach Larry Harp (1971–1979)
MHSAA State Football titles
- 1986 Class A - Head Coach Dave Taylor
- 1989 Class A - Head Coach Dave Taylor
- 2004 Division 2 - Head Coach Tony Annese
- 2006 Division 2 - Head Coach Tony Annese
- 2008 Division 2 - Head Coach Tony Annese
Other State championships
- 1909 Boys Track and Field - Open Class (pre-MHSAA) - Head Coach Bob Zuppke
- 1910 Boys Track and Field - Open Class (pre-MHSAA) - Head Coach Bob Zuppke
- 1923 Boys Basketball - Class A (pre-MHSAA) - Head Coach J. Francis Jacks
- 1927 Boys Basketball - Class A - Head Coach C. Leo Redmond (MHSAA)
- 1937 Boys Basketball - Class A - Head Coach C. Leo Redmond (MHSAA)
State runners-up
- 1908 Boys Track and Field - Open Class (pre-MHSAA)
- 1911 Boys Track and Field - Open Class (pre-MHSAA)
- 1915 Boys Track and Field - Open Class (pre-MHSAA)
- 1921 Boys Track and Field - Open Class (pre-MHSAA)
Famous alumni
Athletics
- Jerry Collins - Western Michigan\NFL
- Paul Dekker - Canadian football
- Ronald Johnson - USC football
- Ray Newman - MLB pitcher
- Earl Morrall - MSU/NFL football
- Marc Okkonen - Baseball Historian
- Bennie Oosterbaan - U of M football
- Sherman Poppen, inventor of the snurfer (aka the first snowboard).
- Terrance Taylor - U of M football
Business
- Dorothy Chamberlain - Editor of Woman's Day magazine
- David House - Intel Corp
- Roy Roberts (entrepreneur) - Vice president, General Motors
- Gerry Teifer - Former President and General manager of RCA Music Publishing
Politics- Elmer L. Andersen - Governor of Minnesota
- Richard Mell - Chicago City Council
Military
- Ike Kepford - WWII Ace pilot
Arts and Entertainment
- Jim Bakker - Televanglist
- Everett D. Kisinger - Assistant Band Director, University of Illinois 1948-1976
- Harry Morgan - Actor
- John Frederick Nims - Poet
- Bill Szymczyk - Music Producer
- Richard Versalle - New York Metropolitan Opera
- Gunnery Sergeant David Haglund - U.S. Marine Band
- Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Smith - U.S. Marine Band
References
- ^ Sports Illustrated's 2006-07 top athletic program in Michigan,, Sports Illustrated (Web Exclusive), June 25, 2007, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/highschool/06/19/top.state/index.html/, retrieved 2009-10-25
Categories:- High schools in Michigan
- Schools in Muskegon County, Michigan
- Muskegon, Michigan
- Educational institutions established in 1872
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