Lee High School (Wyoming, Michigan)

  Lee High School is a high school in Wyoming, Michigan that is part of the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools school district. In 2005 it had an enrollment of 352.

Symbols

The school nickname is the Rebels, and its mascot is named "Rebbie". The school colors are navy blue and vegas gold. The school song begins:

We're loyal to you, Lee High School.

The gold and the blue, Lee High School.

We'll back you to stand

Against the best in the land,

For we know that you can Lee High School

Fight!Fight!

Go dashing ahead, Lee High School.

Go smashing ahead, Lee High School.

Our team is our main protector

Come now, for we expect a victory

For Lee High School!

Fight! Fight!

Reading programs

The school is attempting to encourage book reading among its students. In May, 2005, it was reported that the school rewards after-school reading with "Reading Rebels" T shirts and was considering awarding varsity letters to outstanding readers as well as athlethes. [1]

History

The first area school was built around 1857 on a 1-acre (4,000 m²) plot of land near what is now the southeast corner of Nagel and Chicago Drive. It was called the "Green School," a small building with four windows, a wooden ceiling, blackboards, and double seats. Approximately thirty-five students attended in the first years. At the time, Chicago Drive was known as the Grandville plank road and a tollbooth located on the corner of Chicago Drive and Godfrey (where the Four Star gas station is now) charged a penny to travel on it.

By 1894, the number of children had grown so large it was time for a new school building on the present Godfrey Elementary site. During construction, a store on the southwest corner of Godfrey Avenue and Seneca Street was rented to relieve overcrowding at the Green School. Growth was so rapid that the Godfrey school had to be increased in size from the original two rooms to ten rooms by 1910. The first two years of high school were also added.

District No. 7, which is what Godfrey-Lee was known as at that time, continued to grow and by 1921 the need for a second school building was evident. Property was purchased and the new school opened in November 1923. The school, which consisted only of the front section of the current building, was built along the Grand Rapids, Holland and Chicago Interurban (electric) train line. The street in front was originally identified as State Street on early plat maps but for some unknown reason had been changed to Lee Street around 1914. It was a single-lane dirt road that ran along the interurban right-of-way. Thus, the new school took on the name of the Lee Street School.

The surrounding area looked much different back then. There were very few homes at the time. Havana Street was called Hawthorne and Engel was known as Engelwood. The district had the second largest number of students for any "rural" district outside of the city of Grand Rapids. The Lee Street School, which saw its first graduating class in 1925, had five major additions added to it beginning with the east wing during the summer of 1925, the west wing in 1930, the gym in 1952, the east science wing in 1960, and the middle school in 1988.

In 1930, the rear of the school was graded for a football field. During 1936-38, a W.P.A. project helped construct the Godfrey-Lee Athletic Field, considered at the time to be the finest athletic complex outside of the city of Grand Rapids. It was built on a piece of ground along Plaster Creek commonly known as "Happy Hollow," and the first games were played during the 1938-39 school year.

School buildings

District No. 7 got its start in the Green School, a one-room wood-frame school house located near the corner of presentday Nagel and Albers streets. By the 1890s, this building was insufficient for the number of students attending school and the decision was made to move to a temporary classroom located on Godfrey near Seneca, where the gate to Lee Field is located today. There is no record of why a new school wasn't built on the existing GreenSchool site, but it's possible the landowner did not want to renew the lease.

By 1894, the student population of District No. 7 was such that a new school building was necessary and bonds were approved to build the first two rooms of the old Godfrey school, located approximately where the fourth grade classrooms are today. The school consisted of an "upper room" and "lower room." By 1905, there were 131 children enrolled necessitating the construction of two more rooms and in 1907, the district's first principal was hired.

Two years later, the ninth and tenth grades were added to the Godfrey school with just a handful of students at these levels. An 8th grade education was the standard in those days and it took the passing of an exam to continue beyond the 8th grade. The district paid tuition for students attending other area high schools as 11th and 12th graders.

In 1909, four more classrooms were built to accommodate the growth in student numbers and two years later a kindergarten was established. More rooms were added following a 1915 vote, but the building was steadily becoming outdated as well as a firetrap.

In the 1930s, there was talk of purchasing the "Happy Hollow" area to build a new elementary school to replace the aging Godfrey building. Nothing came of it and eventually it became the location of the athletic complex. The depression and World War II prevented any other major construction projects.

Finally, in 1951, a new Godfrey School was built just south of the old building following quite a bit of work to convince the voters to approve the bonds. Three years later, the need arose to add four additional rooms to the east wing of the school and just a year later, another four rooms were added to the north wing. There were 1,050 students enrolled in the district at that time. The south parking lot wasn't added to the building until 1957 and at that time the old stage, since removed, was constructed in the Godfrey gym. It had been hoped years earlier to build a fine arts auditorium when the old Lee gym stage was removed, but that dream never materialized.

The final addition to Godfrey was in the late 90's when additional rooms were added to the north wing following the purchase of property once occupied by Tina's, a candy and soda store known well by area kids during the 60's and early 70's.

PTA

According to records of the organization's historian, the PTA was organized at Godfrey School on December 2, 1921. Mr. M.A. Becker, Superintendent of Schools, presided over the meeting. The program included songs by students, led by Mrs. Jeffers, and a piano solo by Miss Sadie Kamp. Speakers included Mr. Lowrey and Mrs. Florence Utter, a long-time teacher in the district. Mrs. Utter then presided over the organization of the PTA. The first name of the PTA was the Godfrey Avenue Public School Parents & Teachers' Club.

The first officers included: Mrs. Utter, Chairman of the Day Mrs. B. Callahan, President Mrs. Murry, Vice President Mrs. Wm. DeYoung, Secretary Mrs. Glaske, Treasurer Mrs. Walcott, Corresponding Secretary

The board of directors for the new organization included: Mr. Becker Mr. Vroman Miss Noel Mrs. Henry DeWitt Mrs. Weaver A committee on the constitution was formed to include: Mrs. G. Thayer Mrs. B. Youngs Mrs. L. Weaver

At the time of its organization, the PTA had forty-eight members. Aside from the organizational business, the group elected to purchase dishes at a cost of $20.18. For the remaining meetings that school year, records list the following activities:

January 13, 1922: Superintendent M.A. Becker was the speaker and refreshments were served by the teachers.

February: Miss Cora Riggs was the speaker and the organization's constitution was approved. Membership had grown to seventy-two.

March: Miss Kendall spoke on the topic of underweight children.

April: Mr. Hogan spoke on the Boy Scouts and Mrs. Bessie George Webb delivered a reading. Membership was now seventy-seven.

May: Dr. Poole spoke on the topic of health and new officers were elected for the next school year. The group elected to join the federation and refreshments were served.

New high school

On December 14, 1923, dedication exercises were held at 8:00 p.m. for the new Lee Street School. Superintendent M.A. Becker presided over the event with Mrs. Llewellyn Weaver, President of the Parent-Teachers Association, in charge of the reception committee. Mrs. Glenn R. Thayer chaired the social committee.

Following a reception and inspection of the new school, a program was held in the new auditorium. The Lee High School orchestra, no doubt very small because the high school only went through the 10th grade at the time, played an overture title Arcadia and the Siren march. This was followed by an invocation by Rev. Garret Menning, Pastor of the Eighth Reformed Church on Burton Street, and a welcome address by Henry J. Beld, school board president.

The high school glee club performed "Singing in the Rain" by Jerome and "Heather Rose" by Heinrich Werner. Members of the Mrs. Byron R. Pierce, Tent No. 17, Daughters of Union Veterans, presented flags for the new school. The high school orchestra performed two additional numbers: "America" and "Michigan, My Michigan."

A.M. Freeland, county commissioner of schools, gave an address, followed by a solo sung by Margarett Roszell titled "Whispering Hope" by Alice Hawthorne. Mrs. Mable Winters Willsen gave a dramatic reading and the Grade Reformed Church orchestra then provided appropriate music. Rev. C. H. Spaan, pastor of the church, also addressed the audience.

Mrs. Orlow Tillyer sang "Take Joy Home" by Karolyn Basset and then Rev. Herbert McConnell, pastor of Smith Congregational Church, gave the benediction. This was followed by music performed by the high school orchestra at the ceremony's closing.

Here are rosters of the school board and faculty at the time of the dedication:

School Board: Henry J. Beld, President; Jacob Kroodsma, Secretary; Roy C. Coolidge, Treasurer; John Hovingh, Trustee; James Welden, Trustee

Faculty Mr. M.A. Becker, Superintendent

Godfrey Avenue Public School: Carolyn Sladen, Principal; Mrs. Margaret VanBuren, Kindergarten; Miss Agnes Noel, First Grade; Miss Myrtle Chamberlain, Second Grade; Miss Pauline Spanenberg, Third Grade; Miss Jennie Hettle, Fourth Grade; Mrs. Bessie Francis, Fifth Grade; Miss Rose Everett, Sixth Grade; Miss Bessie De Vries, Seventh Grade

Lee Street School: Miss Joy Hallack, Kindergarten; Mrs. Frieda Gurd, First Grade; Miss Anna Heetderks, Second Grade; Miss Harriet Lowell, Third Grade

High School Mr. F. W. Marsh, Principal; Miss Ruth Sherman, English; Mrs. Florence Utter, History; Mr. Ernest Vroman, Commercial; Mrs. Orlow Tillyer, Music; Miss Mona Leach, Physical Training

Soon after the Lee school opened during the winter of 1923, it became evident that more space was needed. An east-side wing was constructed to provide additional classrooms and opened by 1926.

This addition proved not to be sufficient as District No. 7 continued to grow. Additional space was needed so a west side wing was proposed. The following accounts were taken from the 1930 and 31 editions of the Lee Echo yearbook, describing the changes in the Lee building during the first several years:

1930 - During the year 1929, work was begun on an addition to Lee High School. This addition consists of twelve rooms, one of which is to be used as a junior high assembly. The high school session room will not be crowded now, since the junior high will have its own room. The new addition is built entirely of non-inflammable material except wood casings and furniture. A new Chemistry Laboratory was built over the old lunch room, now the new office. All equipment in the laboratory is of the latest type. This room will accommodate a very large class, even larger than the Chemistry class of 1930.

This addition to Lee will make it the largest rural high school in Kent County. It is hoped that Lee's growth will necessitate the building of larger additions which will make it one of the largest township high schools in Michigan.

1931 - Upon returning to school in September, the student body found the new addition and laboratory ready for immediate occupation and use. Some students with the aid of Miss Jonker set to work at once to organize the high school library. After several weeks, the pupils were permitted the use of the books, and since students are librarians, the teachers were relieved of much irksome responsibility. Unfortunately the reading room could not be used because there was no instructor who could be spared the time to supervise the students there. We hope this matter can be remedied next year.

Although the new Junior Session Room greatly relieved the crowded condition of the Senior Session Hall, we find the check was only temporary, as the number of the student body increases every semester. Some time in the near future it may be necessary to again consider ways and means of relieving over-crowded rooms. We hope that under these circumstances those in authority will see fit to erect a splendid new building which shall contain, among other features, both an auditorium and a gymnasium.

Lee Field

In September 1938, a large crowd gathered to dedicate the new athletic complex at Godfrey Avenue and Seneca Street. The first athletic event - the Kent county track meet - was held the previous June but a football game on the new field would not be played until Lee faced North Muskegon on September 23. The athletic field and playground represented a total outlay of $100,000 including labor, materials and the land, $30,000 of which was supplied by the district. The cost of the 11 acres (45,000 m²) was $10,000. Development of the field was completed as a depression-era Work Progress Administration (WPA) project.

When it was completed, the district was able to boast of the finest fields in Western Michigan with a 220-yard straight-away track, full quarter mile track, two concrete tennis courts, combined softball and regulation baseball diamond, and the football field. There was also room for a skating rink during the winter months. Buildings and equipment on the grounds included a field house, equipped with showers and dressing rooms as well as a heating plant. The bleachers seated 2,000 and temporary ticket booths were located at the Seneca and Wheeler street gates. Topping it off was a complete water sprinkling system for the grounds.

The dedication of the new complex began with a mile-long parade, headed by a police motorcycle escort and the Neal Fonger Post of the American Legion drum corps. The local fire department and Business Men's Association was next, followed by the Lee band, Godfrey and Holy Name traffic squads, Lee football teams, Burlingame Congregational Boy Scouts, Lee and Holy Name PTA's, Catholic Order of Fresters, Boy Rangers, Progressive (dramatic) Players of Holy Name, and just about any local organization that could fit into the parade.

Two thousand residents lined the streets to view the parade and nearly 5,000 attended the dedication of what was described by the press as the state's finest suburban field. It was called the largest event ever to be held in any suburban area around Grand Rapids. But, not everyone was happy with the dedication ceremony. Criticism in the student newspaper led to dismissal of English teacher Ward Tibbett and an eventual strike by students. But, that story is for another time.

When the field was dedicated, there were 1,200 students enrolled in the Godfrey-Lee district, including 299 at the high school in grades 8-12. School board members included John DeMaar, Henry Beld, Horace Caudle, George Rose, and Mrs. Harriet Walcott. The gate to the field, since moved and rebuilt as a memorial inside the athletic complex, was erected at the main entrance on Godfrey and Seneca with a plaque dedicating it to the memory of longtime resident and school board member, Jacob Kroodsma.

Superintendent Roy Head, who had been in charge of the district since 1926, took great interest in the school's athletic activities. He had brought Joseph Newell to the district as head coach of the football team just the year prior. He had previously been then freshman coach at Kalamazoo College where his 1936 team went undefeated. An all-star MIAA athlete in football, basketball and track, Newell also taught arithmetic at Lee.

Lee's old football and baseball field - now a parking lot and band practice area on the north end of the school - continued to be used for practice and playground purposes. For several decades, the City of Wyoming would freeze over the west end at the corner of Havana and Engle for a neighborhood skating rink.

Athletics in the early years

Athletics at Lee High School began with the occupation of the new school in the fall of 1923. Earlier that fall, a football team was organized but no equipment had been provided by the school. Those boys who were able to round up old headgear were considered very lucky. The rest played without. The team lost three of its games and tied another, but the records claim the boys enjoyed the season anyway. The home field was located in the back of the high school where the parking lot and middle school are currently situated.

With a new gym (where the band room is currently located), Mr. Marsh organized a boys basketball team and they got an early start owing to the short football season. A girl's team was also organized. Both teams enjoyed a very successful season with the majority of the games resulting in victories for Lee. Both teams entered the county tournament, but lack of experience led to their not getting far. In the spring, a baseball team was organized but the boys lost all four of their games.

In the fall of 1924, Mr. Bailey joined the staff as coach and organized the football team early, only to find he was short on experience. He went to work teaching them the fundamentals of the game so the young team could combine what they learned with their experience for the following season. The team went on to win one of its seven scheduled games but the majority of those lost were by very small differences in the scores.

The basketball team that winter proved to be one of the best of its class in the state. The team began the season with a defeat at the hands of Creston High School, but after that loss, it quickly gained a feared reputation. The team journeyed to Kalamazoo to compete in the class "C" tournament of Western Michigan. After winning four games within eighteen hours, the team was eventually eliminated in the semi-finals by the Bridgman team, a team that won the finals that year.

A track team took the place of baseball in the spring of 1925 owing to Coach Bailey's experience as a sprinter. The team took first honors at the Suburban Meet, totaled enough points at the Western State Meet to gain a third place finish, and ended up a close second to Lowell in the fight for the county cup. Three members of that track team went on to compete in the National High School Tournament at Ann Arbor but did not fair well against some of the best runners in the country.

The girls' teams in 1924-25 were under the tutelage of Miss Leach who led her basketball squad to a successful year. The girls' track team that spring set records in the dash and relay events at Lowell and won every event at the Suburban Meet and the West Michigan A.A.U. meet.

In 1925, two new coaches came to Lee High School. Mr. Hiddings of Hope College took over for Bailey due to a prolonged illness and Miss Osborne took charge of the girls athletic department. The football team that fall was considered the fastest and best passing team in its class. The defense was considered average but the running game was its weakness owing to the small size of the boys. Still, the team won four and tied one of its eight games and the boys finally found themselves on an equal basis with other county schools.

The '25-'26 basketball team won ten and lost seven of its games on the regular schedule. The team entered the district tournament and worked its way to the semi-finals where the boys were defeated by Grandville. The girls' basketball team played only three games that winter, beating Coopersville and losing both games against Grandville.

That spring, Coach Hiddings formed a baseball team once again but the boys were not very successful and little attention was paid to it. Although the track team expected to place several of its runners at the Kent County Track Meet after a very successful season the year prior, it too was not well taken by the students. The girls track team was expected to retain its county championship despite the loss of its star sprinter.

Lee Middle School

For the first 68 years of its existence, the Godfrey-Lee district (known then only as Wyoming Township District No. 7) operated first as an elementary only, steadily growing in the early 1900s to its first high school graduating class in 1925. From that point on until the late 1970s, there were three schools operating in just two buildings: Godfrey Elementary, Lee Elementary, and Lee High School. Only the high school grades were considered "set in stone," consisting of 8th through 12th grade. The remaining grades were shuffled back and forth between the two elementary buildings as student population changed from year to year. For the most part, both elementary buildings had students on a steady basis in kindergarten through 5th grade, although the number of sections in each building would shift based on student numbers and space needs. The 6th and 7th grades went back and forth between buildings more often.

While many larger districts had separate junior high schools dating back to the early 1900s, Godfrey-Lee's "junior high grades" were considered either part of the high school or part of the elementary. There were junior high sports activities but no distinct school identity or administration. In the 1960s the middle school concept came into vogue when proponents, sensing that 9th graders, by virtue of early maturation, had more in common socially and instructionally with high school students, and that 6th graders were more compatible with 7th grade students, argued for a reorganization that would establish a unit composed of grades 6 through 8. The middle-school concept rapidly gained acceptance, growing from 499 middle schools in 1965 to at least 4,060 such schools in 1976.

One can argue all day and never come to any conclusion on which is a better arrangement: junior high, middle school, or the "casual" organization of elementary and high school grades practiced for many decades in this district. Nevertheless, Godfrey-Lee entered the middle school discussion when the Board of Education approved a resolution at its December 13, 1976 meeting:

Reorganization - The Godfrey-Lee Board of Education proceed with the idea of a middle school reorganization.

The resolution passed 7-0 and the Board directed Superintendent James Thrall to proceed and present to the Board alternatives in transportation, lunch, and curriculum areas as discussed and to do a cost analysis so that the Board can understand the total cost of this program. The committee that presented the resolution proposed that all students in grades 1-5 be housed at Godfrey Elementary to make room for the 6-8 middle school at Lee. That year, the student enrollments at Lee Elementary equaled 300 while 370 students attended Godfrey Elementary. Lee High School, which included the 8th grade, numbered 535.

That same school year, an architect was hired to draw up plans for the complete remodeling of the Lee building, which was to include areas for the middle school grades distinct from the high school areas. The plans presented to the Board were extensive and would have cost more than $2.6 million dollars at the time to complete, a sum that was apparently too rich for the Godfrey-Lee district since the project never got off the ground. If it had, the first and second floors of the east wing (along Havana) were to be dedicated to for a middle school and the middle school office would have been where Room 216 is today (Mr. Boone's classroom). The north end of the basement (where Ms. Smith's ELL room and Ms. Milanowski's art room are today) would also serve the middle school.

Two years passed before the Board of Education finally approved the establishment of Lee Middle School. At its May 8, 1978 meeting, the board approved on a 6-1 vote:

…to reorganize the school district to constitute a middle school to begin September 1979 for the 1979-1980 school year. The Middle School to consist of 6th, 7th and 8th grades and to be housed at the Lee Building.

The Board charged the administration to work with staff and parents during the upcoming school year to plan the program, curriculum, and facility usage. This committee was responsible for providing a monthly progress report to the Board.

As you might guess, deciding how to move students around between the Lee and Godfrey buildings was no simple task. Parents on the west side of the district were not excited about having their children walk to Godfrey. However, overall enrollment in the district was declining as it was in many area schools ("The Baby Bust") and would continue to decline for another decade. This presented the possibility of housing grades K-5 at the Lee Building (one section of each level) while still leaving room for a 6-8 middle school in the same facility. Once this compromise was accepted, rapid progress towards adoption and planning for the middle school took off. The Board approved the compromise on a 5-2 vote. As it turned out, the committee had previously determined that Godfrey was not large enough to house all students in grades 1-5 so approval of the elementary sections to remain at Lee was a "no-brainer."

Mr. Frank D'Amico was appointed by the Board to be the first Lee Middle School principal. At the time, he was principal of Lee Elementary, and would later serve as principal at Godfrey Elementary and the first principal of the new Early Childhood Center before taking over as superintendent. Notably, he was the only administrator ever to serve as principal of all three elementary schools.

In March 1979, the committee presented a document to the Board of Education outlining its Statement of Belief for Lee Middle School, and requested that the Board adopt it as the guiding principles for this new school. The document contained common beliefs about middle-school-age children and outlined four areas that should guide the school's programs: mental dynamics and growth; social development and interaction; emotional make-up and change, and physical change. These four principles are still used today to evaluate effective middle school programs.

A middle-school-style schedule, very different from the schedule used today at LMS, was developed and presented to the Board for approval. Each grade level was divided into three sections with three teachers instructing the four core subjects. Students in 7th and 8th were given several rotation or encore subjects to choose from. A general description follows:

6th Grade - the core subjects were organized in blocks where language arts and social studies were contained in one two-period block, and math and science in the other two-period block. A student would then have one rotation period (art, industrial arts, choice, choice) and one alternating PE and music period (PE one day, music the next, repeat).

7th Grade - while language arts and social studies were blocked similar to the 6th grade, math and science were split into distinct classes for one period each. During the first rotation/encore period, a student might take music every day or have a schedule that alternates between PE and another choice. During the last period of the day, the student would rotate on a daily basis between art, home economics (life skills), industrial arts, and another choice.

8th Grade - all four core classes were scheduled in their own respective periods (no interdisciplinary blocks as in 6th or 7th grade) but the rotation was similar to 7th grade except choices substituted for home economics and industrial arts.

"Choice" implied that there were more rotations/encore classes than a student would normally have time to take and he/she could choose from a short list of options. There were more choices for 8th graders than 6th and 7th. Other middle school activities were included and a number of athletic teams were organized during the early years. Some of the academic and developmental activities included:

• Subject matter departmentalization

• Infusion of career education into the curriculum

• Special social activities

• Student Council

• Additional field trips for science and career education

6th grade:

- one full semester of PE along with 9 weeks of art and vocal music - nine weeks of swimming instruction - developmental reading program

7th grade:

- utilization of the computer for math investigation - industrial arts - middle school choir

8th grade:

- reading laboratory - how to study class - home economics - shop - Spanish - school newspaper

Charter Staff Members

According to the Godfrey-Lee Public School Staff Directory for 1979-80, charter staff members of Lee Middle School included the following (not all subject areas were identified in the directory and some teachers were shared with either the high school and/or elementary grades):

Frank D'Amico - principal Lois Saul - secretary Barbara Austin - teacher's aide Kim Christensen - 6th grade math and spelling Keith Clapp - art James Courter - 8th grade math and science Pete Foote - 8th grade math Charles Foupht - woodshop (industrial arts) Jerry Huizenga - 7th grade social studies Jim Kerbel - 6th grade social studies Art Kraai - 8th grade English Al Kruiswyk - choir Mark McClenathan - physical education Loralee Norden - physical education George Phillips - counselor Dick Slagter Martin Slagter, Jr. - 6th grade science and English Ruth Stehouwer - teacher's aide, Title I aide Jerry Szyszko - 7th grade math and science Judy Van Schelven - reading

In September 1979, Lee Middle School was born. While at first, it had to share building space with the high school and the elementary, in 1998 the middle school would move into the addition built ten years earlier as an elementary, giving it the space it needed to accommodate a modest growth to four sections in each grade. Over the years, the academic and developmental programs also changed but the emphasis on the principles of the middle school concept remained.

Athletics

They compete in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver Division.

MHSAA State Championships

• 1953 Boys Tennis - Lower Peninsula Class C-D
• 1954 Boys Tennis - Lower Peninsula Class C-D (tied)
• 1971 Boys Cross Country - Class C-D
• 1972 Boys Cross Country - Class C-D
• 1978 Boys Cross Country - Lower Peninsula Class C
• 1981 Girls Cross Country - Lower Peninsula Class D.

MHSAA State Runners-up

• 1960 Boys Basketball - Class C
• 1968 Wrestling - Lower Peninsula Class C-D
• 1975 Boys Cross Country - Lower Peninsula Class C (tied)
• 1981 Softball - Class D
• 1982 Girls Cross Country - Lower Peninsula Class D
• 1986 Baseball - Class D
• 2006 Boys Track and Field - Class D

External links

• Lee High School
• Greatschools.net