North Farmington High School
| North Farmington High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 32900 West 13 Mile Road Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334 United States |
|
| Coordinates | 42°30′57″N 83°22′34″W / 42.515956°N 83.37599°WCoordinates: 42°30′57″N 83°22′34″W / 42.515956°N 83.37599°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Comprehensive Public High School |
| Opened | 1961 |
| School district | Farmington Public School District |
| Principal | Joseph F. Greene, Jr. |
| Assistant Principals | DeeAnn Lacy, Moussa Hamka |
| Faculty | 85 (on full-time equivalent (FTE) basis) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,416 (2010-11[1]) |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Brown and Gold |
| Mascot | Sidney Raider (named after El Cid) |
| Rival | Farmington High School |
| Newspaper | The Northern Star |
| Website | www.farmington.k12.mi.us/nfhs |
North Farmington High School is located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit USA. The school currently educates a student body of 1450. Established in 1961, the current Principal is Joseph F. Greene, Jr. The current Assistant Principals are DeeAnn Lacy and Moussa Hamka.
Contents |
History [edit]
In 1959, many homes in the area were being built by families with older children, so it was apparent that a new junior and senior high school were needed. The Board of Education put together a proposal asking voters to approve a $3 million dollar bond for the construction of:
- A new junior-senior high on a site at 13 Mile and Farmington Road
- Two new elementary schools
- Renovation of existing schools
The proposal was passed by voters and the final outcome of the vote was 1,618 in favor and 1,276 opposed. In January 1960, the School Board appointed Harold Humble, an assistant principal at Farmington High School, to principal of the new school. The suggested name “Farmington Northern High,” was later changed to “North Farmington High School.”
It was not until the summer of 1960 that the architectural plans were approved for the new High School. As construction continued in January 1961, the School Board unanimously approved the proposed color scheme of “shades of brown and yellow.” North Farmington High School opened on September 7, 1961 but lacked many needed supplies such as chalk boards. There were 598 students from grades 7-10 who attended that first day.
Students chose the name "Raiders" as their mascot but a personal identity was needed for the Raider, so the art class designed the original Raider logo that is still being used today and was named “El Cid.” As time went on, the Raider was increasingly referred to as the “Sidney Raider.” It is a school tradition for a student to anonymously dress up as Sidney, wearing the traditional NF cape, bucaneer hat, and Zorro-style mask, and attend high-profile North Farmington sports events in order to spark excitement in the crowd.
In addition to its strong academic tradition,[2] North Farmington is also noted for its strong theater, music, art, and athletic programs. It also has a high level of alumni and community involvement, with fund raising efforts leading to the construction "Raider Plaza" at the athletic field, Holland Field. In addition to its two artificial turf fields and parquet gym floor, the school also features a performing arts wing, completed in 1999, that houses the Farmington Public Schools district television station, TV-10.
On September 8, 2008, the school was host to a campaign stop by Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. He spoke to a crowd of area voters in the school's gym. During the town hall meeting, Mr. Obama announced to the audience that the 2009 Michigan Principal of the Year award was being awarded to then NFHS principal Richard Jones.
Another notable point of interest: the 37th District Court (Farmington's judicial authority)is held once a year in the school's gym.
Towards the end of the 2010-2011 school year, the building itself was renamed the "Richard B. Jones Academic Center", in honor of the outgoing principal, so that the organization North Farmington High School is at the Richard B. Jones Academic Center. The west wing (fine arts wing) of the school was named the "Dean and Sue Cobb Center for the Performing Arts" for Dean and Sue Cobb, North's directors of plays and musicals, who left the same year.
Academics [edit]
In the 2010-2011 graduating class, 95% of graduates enrolled in a college or university: 78% enrolled to four-year universities, and 17% enrolled in two-year colleges. The remaining 5% of graduates joined the workforce, military, or had other post graduation plans.[1] In the graduating class, four students were National Merit Finalists, while another four were semi-finalists, and one was commended. Out of 460 Advanced Placement exams taken, 308 (66%) received a score of 3 or better.
Test Scores [edit]
The State of Michigan publishes the ACT test scores for all of the schools in the state.[3] The scores for North Farmington are as follows:
| School Year | Composite Score | English Score | Reading Score | Mathematics Score | Science Score | Number of Student Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-2012 | 22.4 | 22.3 | 21.9 | 22.3 | 22.6 | 342 |
| 2010-2011 | 21.7 | 21.2 | 21.8 | 21.4 | 21.9 | 320 |
| 2009-2010 | 22.0 | 21.7 | 21.9 | 21.7 | 22.2 | 344 |
| 2008-2009 | 22.4 | 22.1 | 22.6 | 22.2 | 22.2 | 364 |
| 2007-2008 | 22.1 | 21.8 | 21.8 | 22.1 | 22.3 | 353 |
| 2006-2007 | 21.9 | 21.7 | 22.1 | 21.5 | 22.0 | 329 |
Published SAT scores for the 2010-2011 school year, with 32 students tested:[1]
| Section | Score |
|---|---|
| Average | 1792 |
| Critical Reading | 587 |
| Math | 617 |
| Writing | 588 |
For the previous five years (2007–2011), North Farmington students have received more scores of "3" on the Advanced Placement exams than the Michigan average.[4][5]
| Data | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total AP Students | 222 | 221 | 300 | 327 | 295 | 333 |
| Number of Exams | 376 | 402 | 536 | 571 | 460 | 511 |
| AP Students with Scores 3+ | 172 | 185 | 234 | 244 | 204 | 239 |
| NFHS % of Total AP Students with Scores 3+ | 77.5 | 83.7 | 78 | 74.6 | 69.2 | 71.8 |
| Michigan % of Total AP Students with Scores 3+ | 66.3 | 64.4 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 65.5 | 66.6 |
Notable alumni [edit]
- Elizabeth Berkley, '90, actress. Primarily known for playing Jessie Spano on the TV series Saved by the Bell and playing Nomi Malone in the film Showgirls.
- Pam Dawber '68, actress. Played Mindy in the TV series Mork and Mindy, opposite Robin Williams. Married to Mark Harmon.
- Bill Joy, '71, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. Known for the creation of Berkeley Unix (BSD), the vi text editor, and the Network File System (NFS).
- Drew Mahalic, '71, Former NFL professional football player and University of Notre Dame star linebacker. Current CEO of the Oregon Sports Authority.
- James Wolk, '03, actor. Credits include Political Animals, You Again, Front of the Class and Lonestar.(canceled)
- Howard Birndorf, '67, biotechnology entrepreneur and one of the founders of the biotech industry in San Diego, California.
- Emily Zanotti, '00, writer/political activist/lobbyist. First became known for her work with the Sam Adams Alliance. Further notoriety was achieved during the 2012 US presidential election, when her Tumblr blog, "Hey Girl, it's Paul Ryan" became a national news story due to the Republican Party (United States) nomination of Paul Ryan for Vice President of the United States. Has been profiled in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and was a former regular guest commentator on CNN.
Publications [edit]
The Northern Star [edit]
The Northern Star is North Farmington's news magazine. It is published bi-monthly by the advanced journalism class and is sold for one dollar. In 2007, several newspaper staff members were selected by Michigan Interscholastic Press Association as Student Winners. The same year, the newspaper staff won a Spartan Award.[6] The online edition of The Northern Star was awarded a Columbia University Silver Crown Award in 2011.[7]
Aurora [edit]
The yearbook class publishes the Aurora. The 2006 edition won a Michigan Interscholastic Press Association award. The 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 editions won a Spartan award, the highest award given to a publication by the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association.[citation needed] Both publications have been in print since the school's inception.
Sports [edit]
The girls basketball team made it into the Michigan High School Athletic Association Final Four in 2007-08. The boys swim team were named League Champs (Division II) in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. The boys tennis team was state runner-up in 1999. The 1970 football team, coached by the legendary Ron Holland, won the "Mythical" state title in Class A, finishing the season with a #1 ranking as there was not a playoff yet. The 1978 football team was runner-up in class A, losing to Traverse City 20-14 in the finals of the state playoffs.
Girls Varsity Competitive Cheer was named League Champion during the 2006-07, 2007–08, 2009-10 competitive seasons.
Boys Golf Team won division championships in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Also, they won 3 invitationals in 2010.
Boys Swim Team was named League Champs in 2011.
External links [edit]
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References [edit]
- ^ a b c "School Profile 2010-2011" (PDF). Farmington Public Schools. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
- ^ North Farmington Annual Report, 2007-2008
- ^ "MI School Data Student Testing". State of Michigan. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ^ "North Farmington High School Annual Report 2010-2011" (PDF). Farmington Public Schools. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
- ^ "North Farmington High School Annual Report 2011-2012" (PDF). Farmington Public Schools. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ^ "Annual Report 2006 - 2007". Farmington Public Schools. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
- ^ "North Farmington High Schools online paper The Northern Star wins as Silver Crown Award" (PDF). Farmington Public Schools. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
