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*[[Curtis Greer]] - (1975) NFL Football Player
*[[Curtis Greer]] - (1975) NFL Football Player
*[[David Alan Grier]] - comedian
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*[[Ralph Hahn]] - (1935) Regional Manager Oakland/Macomb County, Consumers (Power) Energy
*[[Harvi Griffin]] - (1958) Jazz Harpist
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Revision as of 13:45, 12 December 2007

Cass Technical High School
Address
Map
2501 Second Avenue

Detroit
,
Michigan

USA
Information
TypeExamination High School of Choice
Established1907
PrincipalLenora Ashford
Faculty75
Grades9-12
Number of students2000+
Color(s)Forest Green and White
AffiliationDetroit Public Schools

Lewis Cass Technical High School is a four-year high school in Detroit, Michigan. The school is named in honor of Lewis Cass, an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Michigan Territory from 1813 until 1831.

Until 1977, Cass was Detroit's only magnet school and the only non-neighborhood enrollment school in Detroit. Today, Cass is one of three magnet schools in Detroit. Students devoted to academic excellence attend Cass from all areas of the city.

Entrance to Cass is based on test scores and middle school grades. Although the school once had an enrollment of over 4,000 students, it now serves just over 2,000 students.[1] Students are required to choose a curriculum path—roughly equivalent to a college "major"—in the ninth grade. Areas of study include architecture, music, graphic arts, business, and science.

History

The present day institution known as Cass Technical High School has been in existence in some form since 1861. Cass Union School was established to provide training in woodworking and metal trades for young men. The school was built on land given to the City of Detroit by former Secretary of State and Michigan Governor Lewis Cass. The donated land formed a triangle at Second Avenue, Grand River Avenue, and High Street West. In 1918, student enrollment was 1,400, even though the physical building was designed for 700 students. There were another 400 hopefuls on a waiting list. To alleviate overcrowding, students who had completed two years of industrial training at Cass were asked to leave and find jobs.

In 1918, Ford Motor Company requested that the school hold classes outside of regular school hours so that their employees might have access to the industrial training facilities at Cass. In the 1920's, local hospitals sent their nurses to Cass for special courses in chemistry, bacteriology, biology, and dietetics. The demand for printing classes was so great that classes were held six days a week.

In 1958, there was consideration of changing Cass to a technical junior college. By 1970, there was concern over the condition of the school building. It was feared that the building would be allowed to deteriorate beyond repair and that the school and its curriculum would be eliminated. Modernization of the school began in 1981 and was completed in 1985. The addition was designed by Albert Kahn Associates. The new wing included a gymnasium, band/orchestra rooms, a harp room, several instrumental rooms, music classrooms, a recital hall, and a practice room. The new wing provided an enclosed lunchroom on the second floor that held approximately 700 students. Business wing classrooms were also renovated.

On Monday July 30, 2007 at approximately 12:15 p.m. the old Cass Tech was set on fire.[2] The police have arrested two men in connection to the fire, but are still searching for the third, who is believed to have been the one who started it. All of the three men were believed to have been living in the vacant building. The fire was believed to have been set in a first floor classroom. The fire roared upward all the way to the sixth floor before firefighters were able to control it. Two first floor offices were believed to have suffered the most damage. Two firefighters were injured while fighting the three-alarm fire.[3]

The New Cass Technical High School

During the 2005-2006 school year, Cass Tech students were moved to a new building just some fifty yards from the old building. Controversy surrounded the move into the new building because of uncertainty about the future of the old building, considered a historic landmark.

The new Cass Technical High School was designed by TMP architecture. The new school’s mass is broken down to emphasize its varied activities. Academic, public, athletic and performance spaces are all distinct pieces of the building. The school’s small urban site required organization vertically on seven levels. One design challenge was to accommodate the unique lab environment, catering to career pathways and retaining flexibility for future curriculum requirements.

A collection of “collaboration centers” is situated strategically to promote interaction between the pathways and to encourage team teaching.

The school’s interior is characterized by an abundance of natural light, inspirational views, and a sense of order throughout.

A large amount of money was spent on construction of the football field behind the building, but, until the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year, it could not be used because of construction errors. After the move, the school has often been informally referred to as the "New Cass Tech."[citation needed] The building won the top design award given out by Learning by Design, which honors and showcases school design and construction projects. It also received the American Institute of Architects - Michigan Chapter Honor Award in 2007.[citation needed]

Academics

The average on the ACT for Cass students is 21. The Detroit average is 16. Cass offers eleven advanced placement courses including, but not limited to language composition, history, calculus, and physics. To stay in Cass students must maintain a 2.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. If that is not reached then such students are put on academic probation for half a semester. Students placed on academic probation are not allowed to participate in school related extra-curricular activities until they get their grade point average up. If a 2.5 is still not reached then the students will be "academically transferred".

In 2003 Mr. El-Amin, the coach of Academic Games was awarded the 'Most Outstanding Coordinator' award. That same year a Cass Tech senior earned the $6,000 Leslie Neilson scholarship. In 2006 Cass represented DPS at the National Academic Games Olympics. Cass took home the Team Sweepstakes award.

Music Department

Choir

The Choir does vocal training.

Harp and Vocal

File:Harp2.jpg

Cass Tech is the only school in the city of Detroit with a Harp and Vocal Ensemble. Harp and Vocal has existed for eighty-two years since its inception by Cass Tech alum Velma Froude. The Director since 1976 has been Mrs. Patricia Terry Ross and a former student of the Cass Tech Harp and Vocal.

Bands

There is an advanced band class, intermediate band class, beginning band class, and marching band. The director is Ms. Sharon Allen. They have performed all over the city of Detroit and around the U.S. The marching band has three auxiliary squads: the majorettes, the ladies of distinction (LODs, dancers), and the flag corps. In December of 2007, the marching band will perform at the Orange Bowl in Florida.

Orchestra

Under the direction of Conductor Marc W. Haas they have achieved many accomplishments such as traveling and winning various awards. The 2005-2006 Cass Tech String Quartet was the winner at the 2006 MASTA state-wide chamber music competition.[citation needed] As a result, the quartet was featured at the 2006 Michigan Youth Arts Festival. Every member of the Cass Tech Chamber String Orchestra (A Orchestra), the school's top orchestra, participated in the All City High School Symphony Orchestra which performed at the American String Teachers Association National Conference held at the Renaissance Center Ambassador Ballroom on March 8, 2007.

Theatre Program

Students involved in the theatre program have traveled to Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Sarafina,1999). Many students in the theatre program have also received full scholarships to college. Cass Tech Theatre Alumni have gone on to major and graduate in theatre programs such as, Yale, SUNY Purchase, Howard University, Southern Methodist University, Dillard University,Wayne State University, Rutgers, and New York University (NYU). The work of several alumni has been featured in several US theater festivals, and in theaters around the country. While the theatre program has had many beloved teachers (i.e. Mrs. Hamburger and Mrs. Mead-former department heads, Ms. Zimber, Ms. Sheehy-Nelison and Mr. Taormina) and currently, Mr. Otulakowski, and Mrs. Gillman; Mrs. Marylin McCormick is one of the more popular.

JROTC Program

Cass Tech is home to one of the state's best JROTC programs. The Cass Tech Renegades Drill Team has taken home first place trophies and has represented the mid-west region and received honors in the National Drill Team Competition held in Daytona Beach, Florida.[citation needed] The drill team is composed of: a First-Year Color Guard, an Open-Year Color Guard, an Armed Exhibition Team, an Unarmed Exhibition Team, a Female Armed Exhibition Team, an Unarmed Regulation team, and an Armed Regulation Team. The JROTC program has the "Gold Star Insignia" (highest possible) because of its outstanding Formal Inspection performance. They currently hold the record of first place in the following competitions: River Rouge Drill Competition, Grand Rapids Drill Competition, Murray-Wright Drill Competition, and Center Line Drill Competition. Their motto is "CT Renegades! Whoo!" and they exclaim this every time they receive a first place award or other honor in competition, and upon dismissal of their daily drill tean practice.

Sports

In 1872, several Cass Tech students formed the first high school basketball team in Michigan.[citation needed]

In 2006 the Cass Tech girls tennis team won the PSL (Public School League) for the eleventh year in a row.[citation needed] Cass Tech's girls swim team won the PSL championship for the fifth year in a row on October 18, 2007. Cass won the championships with a score of 172. King High School came in second with a score of 109.[citation needed] To end the 2006-2007 season, the girls varsity volleyball team earned their second consecutive PSL championship.[citation needed] The team has gone undefeated in regular season play for five years.[citation needed]

The football team beat King's football team for the first time in eight years (ten games) at King by a score of 7-6, even though they succumbed to King earlier in the 2006 season.[citation needed] Because of that win Cass was able to advance to the second round of the playoffs.[citation needed] In the second round they played Denby High School, but lost by a score of 19-13.[citation needed]

The boys golf team also repeated as city champions in 2006.[citation needed] In 2004, Cass Tech's junior varsity football team won a PSL championship, beating Henry Ford High by a score of 36-6.[citation needed]

Cass Tech's softball team was undefeated throughout the 2006 season, but lost the championship game.[citation needed] In 2007, the girls soccer team won the city championship.[citation needed]

Dress Code

Cass is adopting a new dress code which will require students to wear

  • white, green, black, or khaki collared shirts
  • white, green, black, or khaki pants or skirts
  • solid white, black, khaki or green dresses (for girls)
  • shoes which don't expose too much of the foot (e.g., no flip flops or sandals)

Notable Alumni

Noteworthy

  • The mother of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, Mrs. Evangeline Land Lindbergh, was a chemistry teacher at Cass; 1922-1942.
  • The old school building is shown briefly in the movie, Four Brothers.
  • The student-led civil rights group, By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), has its largest chapter at Cass.
  • On November 25-26 1927 the School Science and Mathematics Association held their annual convention at Cass

References

  1. ^ "Detroit Public Schools Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" (PDF). KPMG. June 30, 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Old Cass Tech catches fire". Detroit Free Press. July 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Two firefighters injured in blaze at Cass Tech". Detroit Free Press. July 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  1. Beamer, Christine. "'U' catches Cass Tech talent". The Michigan Daily. 5 Apr 06.
  2. "DPS students shine at the National Academic Games Olympics". DPS News online. 19 May 2006. Detroit Public Schools. 22 Apr 2007. DPS students shine at the National Academic Games Olympics
  3. Shurney, Simone. "Music program is aged to perfection". CT Visionary. 30 Apr 2007.
  1. Farrell, Perry. "Douglass earns 1st playoff trip". Detroit Free Press. 19 Oct 07.
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