Utica High School

Utica High School is a public high school located in Shelby Charter Township, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1876 in the city of Utica. It is a part of the Utica Community Schools district and services grades 10-12. The previous site of the Utica Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology, its current student enrollment is 1,581, and growing. As of 2007, the school receives students from Shelby Junior High, Eppler Junior High, and Jeannette Junior High. According to current Principal Janet Jones, Utica will become an open school at the commencement of the 2007-2008 school year. This change is expected to add 8-20 new students by the academic year's end.

Utica has an award-winning Publications program, including the "Arrow" newspaper and the "Warrior" yearbook.

School commences at 7:20 am and dismisses at 2:11 pm.

Budget problems

Through 2005, Utica High observed an 8-period school day. Since 2006, the school has adopted a 6-period day in efforts to reduce district-wide budget deficits. These aforementioned budget deficits led to the relocation and subsequent layoffs of several members of the Utica High School staff in 2006. More of these layoffs are expected to continue after the 2007 school year ends in June.

Mascot controversy

Unlike its sister high schools, Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, and Henry Ford II High School, Utica High School has not been granted Blue Ribbon status. Although the school meets all necessary criteria, its use of an American Indian mascot (The Chieftains) has disqualified the school from obtaining the prestigious status. Ironically, Utica High was the only high school in the district to achieve adequate annual yearly progress in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Academic teams

Utica's academic teams across the board are some of the strongest in the region and perform very well at the state level. Teams of note include Quiz Bowl, Science Olympiad, Destination ImagiNation, Forensics, and Debate. Utica High School is one of the top schools in Utica for MIFA activities and repeats appearances at the State competition, and takes home several awards. The journalism department consistently defends its honor as being in the top 10 high school journalism programs in the nation. Graduates of this study have attended schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and Northwestern.

tudent Council

Utica High School has one of the most pronounced and well ran student councils in the state of Michigan. They have repeatedly been awarded the MASC Award of Excellence and MASC Star Award along with the NASC Excellence Award. The Student Council runs many different activities and fundraisers throughout the year such as He's a Lady, Dodgeball, Cheiftain Idol, The Amazing Race, and in the past Charity Lock-up. The council is also in charge of Homecoming and Prom.

Administration

* Principal: Mrs. Janet Jones
* Asst. Principal: Scott Waak
* Asst. Principal: Lawrence Perry (Intern/Temp)

Notable alumni

*Steve Stonebreaker- Professional American football player that spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Colts, and New Orleans Saints over his 7-year NFL career (1962-68)Fact|date=March 2008

References

*cite web |url=http://uticahigh.com/ |title=Utica High School: Home of the Chieftains |accessdate=2007-01-13 |format= |work=
*cite web |url=http://greatschools.net/ |title=Great Schools: The Parent's Guide to K-12 Success |accessdate=2007-01-13 |format= |work=
*cite web |url=http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/utica/info/ |title=Utica Community Schools Resource Page |accessdate=2007-05-21 |format= |work=
*cite web |url=http://www.nfl.com/players/stevestonebreaker/profile?id=STO474600 |title=NFL.com: Steve Stonebreaker |accessdate=2007-10-22 |format= |work=