Ypsilanti High School
Encyclopedia
Ypsilanti High School is a public school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan
, and is the second such building to operate under the name. The current facility, built in 1974, was remodeled between 1998 and 1999, as part of a district-wide remodeling effort funded by a bond measure. Ypsilanti High School (or 'Ypsi High,' as many people refer to it), is a comprehensive high school
serving 9-12th grades. It is located on the western edge of the Ypsilanti School District at the corner of Packard and Hewitt Roads. It currently has approximately 1,150 student
s and 65 faculty members. Ypsilanti High School is also one of the participating districts in the Early College Alliance.
of Ypsilanti High School has been a source of controversy for over 10 years. In the early 1990s, in response to charges that the mascot was offensive to Native Americans, the first changes were undertaken. The real-life mascot, who dressed up as a stereotypical
'Indian' (complete with mohawk
) for football games, was discontinued and a panel for the improvement of Native American cultural education was set up.
In 2004, the school's mascot came under fire again, with opponents of the name being organized by an Eastern Michigan University
professor. The School Board set up a committee in the fall of 2005 to look into the issue. After a series of open public meetings, the committee returned a report concluding that due to systemic discrimination
, the mascot must indeed be changed. However, the committee was the subject of questions itself, with allegations that the group splintered, and none of the public forums gathered much student input. The School Board, while going over the committee's report, scheduled a final public meeting to be held in April 2006. Garnering a large turnout, the event was held in the school's auditorium, with support for the name generally coming from the student body and the community and opponents coming from academia and the Native American community. Following this meeting, the School Board decided in a in May 2006 compromise decision that the name "Braves" could still be used but the Braves logo could not be used in any athletic activities or school events.
In the Fall of 2006, after a reshuffling of School Board members following an election the previous spring, the issue was brought up yet again. In another contentious and closely divided decision, the Board chose 4-3 to retire the 'Braves' name completely on 11 December 2006. On 27 November 2007, the school board chose Phoenix as the new school mascot, and on March 31, 2008, the new logo was unveiled.
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
, and is the second such building to operate under the name. The current facility, built in 1974, was remodeled between 1998 and 1999, as part of a district-wide remodeling effort funded by a bond measure. Ypsilanti High School (or 'Ypsi High,' as many people refer to it), is a comprehensive high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
serving 9-12th grades. It is located on the western edge of the Ypsilanti School District at the corner of Packard and Hewitt Roads. It currently has approximately 1,150 student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s and 65 faculty members. Ypsilanti High School is also one of the participating districts in the Early College Alliance.
History
Ypsilanti High School has a lengthy history, and has existed since the mid-19th century. Until 1974, the high school was housed in a historic 3-story brick building on Cross Street, which has since been converted into senior citizen housing units.Notable alumni and staff
- Mike BassMike BassMichael Thomas Bass is a former professional American football player who played defensive back for the Detroit Lions and the Washington Redskins...
- professional NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played defensive backDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
for the Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(1967) and the Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
(1969–1975) - Byron M. CutcheonByron M. Cutcheon-See also:*List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F-References:...
- former YHS teacher and principal who later became an American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
general, Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient, lawyerLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and CongressmanUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He became principal of YHS (where he taught ancient languages, higher mathematics and mental and moral philosophy) in 1861, just before he graduated from the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. - Roland J. GreenRoland J. GreenRoland James Green is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and editor. He has written as Roland Green and Roland J. Green; and had 28 books in the Richard Blade series published as Jeffrey Lord .- Early life and personal matters :Green was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, in 1944...
- science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasyFantasyFantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
writer, editor and fanScience fiction fandomScience fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest... - Rodney HolmanRodney HolmanRodney Holman is a former professional American football player who played tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals , and the Detroit Lions . Holman graduated from Ypsilanti High School in 1978 where he starred on the football team and was an all-state wrestler...
- professional NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played tight endTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
for the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
(1982–1992), and the Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(1993–1995) - Bernard KirkBernard KirkBernard "Bernie" C. Kirk was an American football player who played for Notre Dame in 1919 and for Michigan from 1921-1922. He was selected as an All-American at the end position in both 1921 and 1922...
- footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played for Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish footballNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
in 1919 and for MichiganMichigan Wolverines footballThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
from 1921-1922. He was selected as an All-American at the end position in both 1921 and 1922. - Alfred LuckingAlfred LuckingAlfred Lucking was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Lucking was born in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada and moved with his parents to Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1858 where he attended public schools, the Ypsilanti High School, and the Michigan State Normal College...
- lawyer and Congressman from Michigan, who later became general counsel for the Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
and the Henry FordHenry FordHenry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
interests - Charles Ramsey - former Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketballEastern Michigan Eagles men's basketballThe Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team has appeared in four NCAA Division I tournaments, and have a 3-4 record, tied for third best among Michigan colleges...
head coach; he played on the YHS baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball and football teams - Carolyn King - one of the first girls to play Little League Baseball; she was the centerpiece of a landmark lawsuit in 1973 that led to Little League dropping its boys-only policy.
- Shara WordenShara WordenShara Worden is the lead singer and songwriter for My Brightest Diamond. She was previously a backup vocalist for Sufjan Stevens and the frontwoman of Awry.-Life:...
(née Wright) - professional performing and recording artist.
Braves Logo Controversy
The mascotMascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of Ypsilanti High School has been a source of controversy for over 10 years. In the early 1990s, in response to charges that the mascot was offensive to Native Americans, the first changes were undertaken. The real-life mascot, who dressed up as a stereotypical
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
'Indian' (complete with mohawk
Mohawk hairstyle
The mohawk is a hairstyle in which, in the most common variety, both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair...
) for football games, was discontinued and a panel for the improvement of Native American cultural education was set up.
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
professor. The School Board set up a committee in the fall of 2005 to look into the issue. After a series of open public meetings, the committee returned a report concluding that due to systemic discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
, the mascot must indeed be changed. However, the committee was the subject of questions itself, with allegations that the group splintered, and none of the public forums gathered much student input. The School Board, while going over the committee's report, scheduled a final public meeting to be held in April 2006. Garnering a large turnout, the event was held in the school's auditorium, with support for the name generally coming from the student body and the community and opponents coming from academia and the Native American community. Following this meeting, the School Board decided in a in May 2006 compromise decision that the name "Braves" could still be used but the Braves logo could not be used in any athletic activities or school events.
In the Fall of 2006, after a reshuffling of School Board members following an election the previous spring, the issue was brought up yet again. In another contentious and closely divided decision, the Board chose 4-3 to retire the 'Braves' name completely on 11 December 2006. On 27 November 2007, the school board chose Phoenix as the new school mascot, and on March 31, 2008, the new logo was unveiled.