Saginaw Heritage High School
| Heritage High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Saginaw Charter Township, MI United States |
|
| Coordinates | 43°27′22″N 84°00′57″W / 43.4561°N 84.0159°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| School district | Saginaw Township Community Schools |
| Principal | Michael Newman |
| Staff | approx. 100 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | approx. 1700 |
| Color(s) | Blue, Green |
| Mascot | Hawk |
| Website | Heritage High School Website |
Heritage High School serves as Saginaw Township (Michigan) Community Schools' only high school. As of the 2006-07 school year the student body numbered approximately 1700 students with over 100 staff (including six counselors, about 80 teachers and roughly 30 administrative and clerical personnel). It is located on North Center Road in Saginaw Charter Township, MI. Jerry L Seese, EdD, is Superintendent of Saginaw Township Community Schools; Sir Michael Newman is principal of Heritage High School.
Contents |
[edit] History
Heritage was the product of a merger between Douglas MacArthur High School (which now houses White Pine Middle School) and Dwight D. Eisenhower High School (which now houses Heritage) in 1988, after Eisenhower High School was severely damaged in a 1986 arson. Selecting one color from each of its parent schools, Heritage's official colors are Navy Blue and Kelly Green. Its nickname is "Hawks."
[edit] Academics
Heritage has offered numerous Advanced Placement courses, and beginning with the 2006-2007 school year the school has participates in the International Baccalaureate program, which has begun to interfere with student scheduling because the administration focuses the course guide based on this program that less than 1% of students participate in.
Heritage also has an Academic Quiz Bowl team where students compete in local tournaments and then advance onto state tournaments. The Quiz bowl team of 2006-2007 was undefeated in the local Kiwanis tournament and also advanced to the Michigan State Quiz Bowl tournament.
Besides the Quiz Bowl team, Heritage also participates in the local Science Olympiad.
In addition to the successful Quiz Bowl team, Heritage also had a newly-formed Destination Imagination team, which managed to win first place at the regional tournament and advanced to the state competition at Central Michigan University.
[edit] Athletics
Heritage's football team competes in the Saginaw Valley League, going 9-0 in regular season play in 2006-2007. The team is directed by Hall of Fame Coach Bruce Bendix and plays its home games at Larsen Field named in honor of former principal Allan Larsen.
HHS athletic teams include football, Marching band/winterguard and percussion, cross-country, soccer, golf, basketball, pompon, swimming, tennis, cheerleading, hockey, skiing, wrestling, bowling, volleyball, baseball, softball, tennis, and track. Furthermore, a lacrosse club was instituted in the spring of 2008.
The varsity wrestling team "three-peated" for District champions in the 2008,2009,and 2010 seasons. They also went undefeated in the SVL league in the 2010-2011 season.
The men's varsity cross country team "three-peated" as SVL, Saginaw County, and Regional champions through the 2007-2009 seasons. The team placed 7th at the state meet in Division 1 competition in 2007, was the state runner up in 2008, and placed 6th in 2009.
The Hawks have won state championships in men's track, women's soccer, women's basketball, and pom pon. In 2002-03, Heritage was honored as an "Exemplary Athletic Program" by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators' Association. Mr. Peter Ryan is the Director of Athletics for the Saginaw Township Community Schools; Mr. James Noble, Heritage Athletic Director.
The boys ice hockey team has reached the state semi finals in 2004 and 2009
The boys soccer team reached the State Class A Finals in 1991, playing to a 2 - 1 overtime loss to Class A powerhouse Livonia Stevenson.
The men's swim team of 1988-1989 was the first team to have a perfect season. The "Aqua-Hawks" won their first, and only, Saginaw Valley League Championship in 2002. This performance was dedicated to Mary Dudek, a member of the women's swim team who died the morning of the preliminary events.
[edit] Traditions
[edit] Homecoming
Heritage homecoming is a huge event for Saginaw Township. It begins at school with a spirit week to get every one excited for the Homecoming Football game. Then there is a parade down Shattuck Road. It is a time of fun and excitement in Saginaw. Past Homecoming Kings and Queens include:
- 1988 - Wendy Iamurri (no king this year)
- 1991 - Louis Hooker and Jodi Schmidt
- 1993 - Brandon Karas and Karie Finnin
- 1994 - Christopher Sligh and Kristy Kelly
- 1999 - Kristopher Young and
- 2000 - Jaime Torres and
- 2001 - Chad Simon and Heather Bidgoli
- 2002 - Mike McFadden and Stephanie Partlow
- 2003 - John Bonham and Katrina Grantham
- 2005 - Kamo Jurn and Paris Harvey
- 2006 - Trenten Rocha and Gabriela Gibson
- 2007 - Jérémie René and Ubah Ali
- 2008 - Alex Mixter and Kierstin Nall
- 2009 - Adam Watkins and Nichole Conley
- 2010 - Jared Scott and Lilly Bonham
- 2011 - Marquis Evans and Madison Meter
[edit] Class Competition
Class competition is probably the most important tradition to Heritage students. Each year, the Senior Class Council selects a mascot (typically a character from a cartoon or children's literature) for the incoming freshman class. Class mascots include:
- Class of 1989 - Pee Wee's Pals
- Class of 1990 - Popeye's People
- Class of 1991 - Flintstone's Friends
- Class of 1992 - Alf's Aliens The first class to win the class trip as Juniors and Seniors.
- Class of 1993 - Batman's Buddies
- Class Of 1994 - Bart's Brats
- Class of 1995 - Cookie Monster's Clan. The second 2 year winner of the class trip awarded to the class competition winner.
- Class of 1996 - Gonzo's Gang, with teal as the class color.
- Class of 1997 - Barney's Bunch (Originally the class mascot was intended to be Barney from Barney & Friends but due to the non-specific nature of the mascot being assigned as "Barney" (as defined by the Senior class of '94) the class of '97 'modified' their Barney mascot to Mr. Rubble from The Flintstones. The change was a topic of heated debate between the classes at the time).
- Class of 1998 - Waldo's Wonders. Class color was gray.
- Class of 1999 - Power Rangers (Specific 'Ranger' used varied, though usually it was either the original pink pterodactyl ranger, Red Tyrannosaurus ranger or some non-canonical zeo-like version (as seen printed on the HHS 10-year anniversary shirt) usually modified to be purple matching the class's designated class color).
- Class of 2000 - Big Bird's Babies
- Class of 2001 - Kermit's Kids
- Class of 2002 - Rainbow Brite's Brigade
- Class of 2003 - Sebastian's Shrimps (The 3rd class to win back to back class competitions)
- Class of 2004 - Tigger's Tikes
- Class of 2005 - Hulk's Heroes
- Class of 2006 - Skeeter's Squeakers
- Class of 2007 - Clifford's Club - The fourth class to win 2 class competitions, Class Color: Red
- Class of 2008 - Sylvester's SuperSquad, Class Color: Black
- Class of 2009 - Oompa-Loompa Troop, Class Color: Orange
- Class of 2010 - Franklin's Fanatics, Class Color: Green
- Class of 2011 - Beaker's Brainy Bunch, Class Color: Pink
- Class of 2012 - Thomas' Terrific Team, Class color: Sky Blue
- Class of 2013 - Dino's Dawgs, Class color: Purple
- Class of 2014 - Mr Potato Heads' Tater Tot Troop, Class color: Brown
- Class of 2015 - Pumbaa's Prancing Pals, Class color: Maroon
Under the banner of their class mascot, the freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors engage in a year-long competition for points. Points can be won through participation in special school-spirit days, winning the monthly bulletin-board contest, and competing head-to-head during events such as the annual Spring Fever day.
The class which has accrued the most points at the end of the year is rewarded with a day-long trip to a class picnic.
[edit] Theatre
Each year, the Heritage Players put on a "straight show" in the autumn and a musical in the spring. Examples include:
- A Christmas Carol (2001), dir Ellen Francis
- Big (musical) (2002), dir Ellen Francis
- Heaven Can Wait (2002), dir Ellen Francis
- Guys and Dolls (musical) (2003), dir Ellen Francis
- The Tempest (2003), dir Ellen Francis
- Fiddler on the Roof (musical) (2004), dir Ellen Francis
- Cinderella (musical) (2004), dir Ellen Francis
- Get Smart (2005), dir Ellen Francis
- M*A*S*H (2005), dir Ellen Francis
- Footloose (musical) (2006), dir Ellen Francis
- Much Ado About Nothing (2006), dir Ellen Francis
- Les Misérables (musical) (2007), dir Ellen Francis
- It’s a Wonderful Life (2007), dir Ellen Francis
- Aida (musical) (2008), dir Ellen Francis
- It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (2008), dir Melanie Galonska
- The Sound of Music (2009), dir Melanie Galonska
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2009), dir Melanie Galonska
- Bye Bye Birdie (2010), dir Melanie Galonska
- Annie (2010), dir Melanie Galonska
- Alice in Wonderland (2011), dir Melanie Galonska
[edit] Other Entertainment
Heritage students also produce four other annual shows: Mock Rock, the Culture Show, Mr Heritage, and the talent show. There is also Spring Fever day in the spring.
Mock Rock usually consists of about half a dozen acts, each of which parodies songs, television shows, or other aspects of popular culture. At the end of the event, the audience votes for the winning act by acclamation. The winners of the 2011 Mock Rock was a Glee parody group called Glum headed by Cassidy Morey. People's choice and third place winners were Boys against the world headed by Sam Nuerminger.
The Culture Show comprises mostly musical acts selected and produced by the Heritage Multicultural Club. After the acts have concluded, the audience is invited to the Student Center to engage in a buffet of exotic foods.The first annual culture show took place in 1999.
Mr Heritage is HHS's male beauty pageant. Participants engage in a wide variety of activities, including a talent portion, dancing, and an interview. They are systematically eliminated by a group of staff judges until a winner is crowned "Mr Heritage" for that year.
2007 Mr Heritage: Brent Ebelt
2008 Mr Heritage: Alex Mixter
2009 Mr Heritage: Matt Popielarz
2010 Mr Heritage: Matt Popielarz
2011 Mr Heritage: Ben Rene
The talent show is generally a more serious event than the other annual shows, offering an opportunity for Heritage's student body to showcase its abilities to the community.
Spring Fever is essentially a field day where the classes compete in activities and challenges against the other classes.
[edit] Notable alumni
Stuart Schweigert, NFL (Detroit Lions)(Oakland Raiders)
Brian Fountain, Philharmonic Orchestra of Minas Gerais
Hank Winchester, News Anchor NBC (WDIV) Detroit, MI
Mike McFadden, AFL (Grand Rapids Rampage) CFL (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) NFL (Tampa Bay Buccaneeres) UIFL (Saginaw Sting)
