Marquette Senior High School
Address
1203 West Fair Avenue Marquette , Michigan 49855 United States
Coordinates	46°33′22″N 87°24′50″W / 46.556°N 87.414°W / 46.556; -87.414
Information
Opened	1964
School district	Marquette Area Public Schools
Principal	Jonathon Young
Teaching staff	48.99 (on an FTE basis)
Enrollment	968 (2021-22)
Student to teacher ratio	19.76
Color(s)	Red   White
Athletics	MHSAA Class A
Athletics conference	Big North Conference (football) Great Northern UP Conference (non-football)
Nickname	Redmen
Yearbook	Tatler
Website	mshs.mapsnet.org

Student assessments
2021–22 school year[1] Change vs. prior year[1]
M-STEP 11th grade proficiency rates (Science / Social Studies)
Advanced %	24.2 / 15.7
Proficient %	31.3 / 33.8
PR. Proficient %	14.2 / 38.1
Not Proficient %	30.3 / 12.4
Average test scores
SAT Total	1042.8 ( +15.2)

Marquette Senior High School (MSHS) is a public, coeducational high school located in Marquette, Michigan, serving grades 9–12. The school enrolled 968 students in 2021-22, making it the largest high school in the Upper Peninsula.

History

Marquette's first high school was constructed in 1859 on property given to the city by Morgan Hewitt. Located on the corner of Pine and Ridge Streets, the community initially opposed the project because it was "on the edge of the wilderness." Nevertheless, the red brick building with separate entrances for boys and girls was used until 1875, when it was torn down and replaced with a larger brownstone building in 1878.

After fire claimed the brownstone in February 1900, the Howard High School (named after John M. Longyear's son) was constructed in 1902 along with an elementary school and a manual training building. However, the school had been built to accommodate 200 students, but reached an enrollment of nearly 400 by 1915, so the community began a search for a new site.

Harriet K. Adams, widow of pioneer Sidney Adams, donated land on the corner of Front and Hewitt streets for a new high school, and gave $2,500 for gymnasium equipment, but World War I postponed those plans until 1923.

In 1925, voters approved a bond issue of $475,000 to build the new high school on the 8 lots on Front Street between Ohio Street and Hewitt Avenue (as well as expand the Fisher School). Louis Kaufman donated $26,000 to the school board to replace the funds it had spent on land acquisition, so that more money could be spent on construction. In appreciation, the board voted unanimously to name the school after Kaufman's mother, Juliet Graveraet; they later named the auditorium after Kaufman himself.^[2]

Graveraet High School was replaced in 1964 by the present structure at Fair and Lincoln avenues.

Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 968 students enrolled in 2021-22 was:^[3]

• Male – 51.5%
• Female – 48.5%
• Native American – 2.1%
• Asian – 0.5%
• Black – 0.8%
• Hispanic – 1.4%
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – 0.3%
• White – 88.6%
• Multiracial – 6.2%

In addition, 215 students (22.2%) were eligible for reduced-price or free lunch

Athletics

The Marquette Senior High School's athletic program is known as the Redmen and Redettes. The school's first State Championship award came in the fall of 1976 with the Girls Basketball Team coached by Barb Crill. The team was also honored several years later by the MHSAA as "Legends of the Game". The ice hockey team won the 1977,1988, 1995, 2004 and 2008 (tied) MHSAA state championships.^[4] The girls downhill ski team took the state titles in 1999–2004, 2008, 2009, and 2016.^[5] The boys downhill ski team were the state champs in 1997, 2000–2003, 2006, 2009, and 2013–2016.^[6] The Girls Swimming and Diving team have been the UP champions 21 times (1980, 1981, 1989–1993, 1995–1997, 2002–2012).^[7]

The MHSAA designates Marquette Senior High as a Class "A" school.^[8] This makes it the only Class A school in the Upper Peninsula.

Nickname Controversy and Change

The exact origin of the "Redman" nickname is unknown, with some saying it is from the 1910's and some saying the 1920's. Many sources attribute the origin of the school's red color to the red sweaters worn by athletic participants in the 1920s. These sweaters were inspired by the alma mater of the superintendent at the time, Harvard, and its crimson-red color. The chieftain mascot came around the 1930s or 1940s as an homage to Indian strength.^[9]

There has been controversy about the name for many years. However, it started ramping up in the 1990s when Native American groups argued that the nickname was offensive and perpetuated negative stereotypes. They also pointed out that the use of Native American mascots and logos is a form of cultural appropriation. Many disagreed with these claims, though, saying it was a source of pride for them and their school.^[10]

In 1998, the Marquette Area Public School's board retired the Indian Chief logo but kept the Redman nickname.^[11] In 2023, the school board decided to retire the nickname after a 4-3 vote, completely dissolving the Redman nickname from the school and all athletic events.^[12] The school then called for the community to vote on possible names for the school. Names were then slowly narrowed down, and as of January 9, 2024, voting is still in progress, and they hope to have a name by January 22, 2023.^[13][14]

Notable alumni

• Gus Sonnenberg (1915): member of the 1928 NFL championship team Providence Steam Roller, multi-time professional wrestling World Heavyweight Champion
• Bob Chase (1943): play-by-play broadcaster for the Fort Wayne Komets^[15]
• Chris Thorpe (1988): Olympic silver medalist in luge doubles, Nagano, Japan, 1998.^[16]
• Vernon Forrest (1991): member of 1992 United States Olympic Boxing Team, welterweight and light-heavyweight world champion
• Shani Davis (2000): two-time Olympic gold medalist in speed skating (2006, 2010).^[17]

References

• Longtine and Chappell (1999). Then and Now: Fascinating Vignettes of Marquette's Progress to the Present. North Shore Publications.

External links

• Marquette Senior High School
• Marquette Area Public Schools