Marquette Senior High School, Marquette, Michigan

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Better known to the local community as MSHS, Marquette Senior High School is the latest in a line of public high schools that have served Marquette since the mid-19th century.

1 History
2 Campus
3 Notable alumni
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Marquette's first high school was constructed in 1859 on property given to the city by Dr. 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.

Mrs. 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.

Graveraet High School enjoyed many years as a high school, but was replaced in 1965 by the present structure at Fair and Lincoln avenues.

[edit] Campus

The present high school is located on the site of the former Munising Wood Products factory at the corner of Fair Avenue and Lincoln Avenue. It was also known as the Piqua Location.

[edit] Notable alumni

Chris Thorpe (1988): Olympic silver medalist in luge doubles, Nagano, Japan, 1998. The first medals for the U.S. luge team in 34 years.

Shani Davis (2000): Olympic gold medalist in speed skating, Torino, Italy, 2006. The first African-American man to capture an individual gold at the Winter Olympic Games, and the first African-American to make the U.S. Olympic speed skating team.