Ishpeming Public School District No. 1

Ishpeming Public School District is a public school district located in Ishpeming, Michigan The district is composed of two elementary schools (Birchview Elementary and Central Elementary), one middle school (C.L. Phelps Middle School), and one high school (Ishpeming High School).

History of C.L Phelps School... goes way backIn 1868, before Ishpeming was incorporated as a village in 1869 and a city four years later, a charter to form a school district was granted. The meeting to organize the school district was called by Julius Ropes who started the Ropes Gold Mine north of town. The first school house in the district was built at the Cleveland Mine. It was a single story frame building which was closed in 1870, with a new school being erected on Ready Street at a cost of $2,000.

In 1874 the Division Street School was built at a cost of 38,000 dollars. This is the site of the current high school. It was said that the building was poorly constructed and teachers would complain about hauling coal to their room's individual coal stove. In 1908 the school was demolished to make room for a better planned high school.

This new high school was built in 1908, but like the previous building, it had a relatively short life. In 1930, it was destroyed by fire and students attended classes in various community buildings. The following year the high school was rebuilt and it is still is the functioning high school for the district. The high school, however, has seen several updates in recent years. These updates include a new gymnasium and a completely renovated Technology and Fine Arts wing.

In addition to the division street school, Ishpeming has had several other school buildings. One of them was the High Street School, which was built in 1896. This school was later demolished to make room for the C.L. Phelps Middle school which was built and dedicated in 1959. At the time the school was hailed for it's possession of a large arts wing, industrial art facilities, in addition to a home economics space. C.L. Phelps still serves as the district's middle school today.

In 1957 the district completed the Birchview Elementary school located in the eight addition. This school originally contained only eight classrooms, however it was expanded in 1971 to accommodate an influx in the student population. In addition to this elementary school, the district also has another elementary school. Central Elementary School is attached to Ishpeming High School and still serves students today.

Now adays we have Mr. Stienke, Mrs. Maas, Mr.Domphiere, Mrs. Heikkala, Mrs. Bertucci etc. Today they have had tons of 5th graders coming in 30 in one homeroom

Ishpeming High School

Ishpeming High School offers its students several courses, extracurricular activities, and athletics to engage in. The school offers courses in Art and Design, Business, Foreign Languages (including Spanish, French, and German), Physical Education, Health, Industrial Technology, Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. The high school also offers Advanced Placement English in addition to Advanced Chemistry and Biology. Outside of courses Ishpeming High School offers several extracurricular activities including Key Club, Drama, Yearbook, Great Books, Forensics, High School Bowl, National Honor Society, Student Council, Youth in Government, and S.A.D.D.

The Ishpeming Hematites (the athletic teams for the high school) also offer several programs to students. Students have the opportunity to join basketball, cheer leading, track, cross-country, football, volleyball, dance, golf, gymnastics, hockey, swimming, and volleyball. Students can take advantage of the new gymnasium and the weight room while training for athletics.

C.L.Phelps Middle School

C.L. Phelps Middle School offers students classes in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. In addition, students can experience classes in Home Economics, Health, Physical Education, Art, and Multimedia. Students also have the opportunity to join organizations such as Builder's Club, Yearbook, or Student Council. C.L. Phelps Middle School also offers Athletics for seventh and eight grades. These sports consist of Basketball, Cheer leading, and Track. Student Athletes in C.L Phelps are known as the Panthers. Their school colors are blue and white. In addition to classes, athletics, and organizations several special events are held at C.L Phelps Middle School including Grandparent's Day, a Holocaust Remembrance Program, and D.A.R.E.

Central and Birchview Elementary Schools

Central and Birchview offer their elementary students a comprehensive elementary curriculum. Students also have the opportunity to engage in special events like Young Authors, and the Liberty Children's Art Program. Some students also have access to Title 1 Programming.

When compared to the state as a whole, the district produces exceptionally above average Reading and Math Proficiency, with average core spending per student. The district's 2005 reading proficiency is 95.6%, which is exceptionally above the state average of 77.3%. The district'2005 math proficiency is 80.8%, which is exceptionally above the state average of 63.8%. The schools are very good

Additional information

The W. C. Peterson Auditorium is located within the district's high school and Central Elementary School complex.

References

*History of the Ishpeming School District [http://www.ishpemingschools.com/visitors/history.shtml]
*Standard & Poor's 2005 Observation Report [http://www.schoolmatters.com/pdf/reports/MI/D/982070/D982070-ishpeming-public-school-district.pdf]

External links

* [http://www.ishpemingschools.com/ Ishpeming Public Schools]