Renaissance High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Renaissance High School |
|
| Motto | "A School for the Mind, A Mind for the Future" |
| Established | 1978 |
| Type | Examination High School of Choice |
| Principal | Deborah Harley |
| Faculty | 45 |
| Students | 873 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Location | 6565 W. Outer Drive Detroit, Michigan USA |
| District | Detroit Public Schools |
| Mascot | Phoenix |
| Website | schools.detroitk12.org/Renaissance |
Renaissance High School is a public high school located within the city of Detroit, Michigan. Renaissance is one of three magnet high schools in the Detroit Public Schools district(the other two being Cass Tech and Martin Luther King Jr.). It is ranked as the top high school in Detroit.
Founded in 1978 on the previous site of Catholic Central High School, Renaissance's first senior class graduated in 1981. A new building for the school, on the site of the former Sinai Hospital, was dedicated in 2005.
Contents |
[edit] Admissions
As originally envisioned, a test was administered annually to eighth grade students from public and non-public schools in the area. A combination of the student's grades in junior high school and the score the student received on the test determined admission into the school. That policy continued into the early 1990s. Transfer students were not allowed to attend Renaissance. These policies have been somewhat relaxed, however, and transfer students are allowed to attend the school, although they must abide by the same graduation requirements as other students.
When Renaissance was initially founded, community members were concerned that reliance on a standardized test would result in the school's admitting too few black students. Quotas were established such that at least 40% of the school's students were black. In 2006, more than 90% of the student body is black.
Renaissance opened in 1978 with first-year ("freshman") and second-year ("sophomore") students. It's first four-year graduating class received their diplomas in June 1982.
[edit] New campus
In 2005, the school moved into a $100 million+ campus complete with a state-of-the-art language and computer labs, and state-of-the-art football field. The building has been recognized as the first Silver-LEED certified building in the city of Detroit for meeting high environmental standards. Features include solar collectors, a rainwater harvest system, and innovative cooling systems. The school also has new digital clocks, and a fire drill system that talks to you. The school is very large and the students there are very welcoming and appreciative of the new campus they have been awarded. The school also has a parking garage that is used when the school hosts the major high school sports games.
[edit] Academics
Renaissance High School has been recognized for its excellence with numerous awards. The school has consistently been the benchmark for academic standards in the city of Detroit. In 1999, US News and World Report highlighted the school in an article about America's top high schools. Renaissance was also awarded the Michigan Blue Ribbon and the National Ribbon of Honor in 2002. Nearly 100% of seniors attend a 4-year college or university every year (with the few exceptions coming in the form of military enlistment).
Renaissance has world renowned choral and instrumental music departments. Among the school's most recent international recognitions is the success of the instrumental music program at the Festivals of Music 2006 in Toronto, Canada. Directed by Willie J. McAllister, Jr., Renaissance won first place with superior ratings in all four of its competing divisions, with each group competing at AAA level, the most difficult available. In addition, the Jazz Band achieved a perfect score of 100, a first in competition history, along with the saxophone section being recognized as the best section and soprano saxophone player Jessica Robins being recognized as the best soloist. Renaissance also won the trophy for the overall best school bringing their total to thirteen.
Renaissance is noted for its nationally-acclaimed Academic Games teams, which have won hundreds of state and national titles.
[edit] Athletics
Renaissance High School's mascot is the Phoenix. In the school's early years, the Phoenix saw limited success athletically. It wasn't until the early 1990s that the tide turned.
The school’s first State Championship was won by the girl’s track in 1997. The girl's track team has since won nine of the last 10 state championships as of the end of the 2006 season. The varsity softball team has been a perennial City Championship Contender since the early 1990s as well.
The school has turned into a basketball powerhouse. Starting in 1998, the boy’s basketball team has produced 4 City Championships and 2 State Championships (2004 & 2006). In 1995, the girl's basketball team won its first City Championship, followed in 1996, by a state finals appearance and, in 2006, a State Championship). Thus, in 2006, for the first time, a Detroit public school housed both the Men's and Women's State Champions in basketball. The school also produced great young basketball talents in this time period, starting with Rickey Paulding, who became the school's first All-American. He went on to star at the University of Missouri and became the second Renaissance player drafted into the NBA when he was selected by the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Renaissance has also produced current Kentucky player Joe Crawford, Oregon players Malik Hairston and Tajuan Porter. Crawford and Hairston were McDonald's All-Americans while at Renaissance.
Renaissance started its football program with a junior varsity team in 1994, providing immediate success on the field. The varsity football team has earned 9 straight state playoff appearances, has had many players named to the All City, All Region and All State honors, and has been invited out of the state to play in Indiana. Chris Archie (Class of 1997) was the first Renaissance High School athlete to sign with a major professional sports franchise when he signed a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Darvin Lewis (Class of 1998) had a short stint with the Philadelphia Eagles. Ronald Bartell Jr. (Class of 2000) is the first former Phoenix football player to start in an NFL regular season game.
The baseball team has also had success, reaching the city Championship in the 2006 season.
[edit] Extracurricular activities
Renaissance High School has the following clubs and extra curricular activities: Academic Decathlon, Academic Games, ACT & SAT Workshops, After School Tutoring, Big Brother/Big Sister, Creative Writing Club, DACEP, Department of Natural Resources Summer Program, Detroit Free Press Program, Dow Chemical Summer Research/Mentorship Program, Drama Club, Environmental Rough River Program, Ford Motor Company-Summer Internship Program, Foreign Language Clubs, GOD Club, Lear Corporation-Summer Internship Program, Medical Careers Club, Men of Vision, Michigan Cancer Foundation-Summer Mentorship Program, Michigan Mock Trail Tournament, Michigan Youth in Government, Minority Apprenticeship Program, Nine Net Program, Ninth Grade Orientation Program, Open House, Parent & Student Athlete Night, Piston Academic Challenge, R4U Club, Renaissance African Perspective, Renaissance Senate, Science Fair Program, Sex Equity and Diversity Project, University of Michigan Scholarly Research Program, Wade McCree, Wayne State University mentorship Program, and Women Engineers Society.
Renaissance has the following awards and accomplishments:
- Cheer Team
- Champion Cheer Clinic-July 1999
- 1st Place Sportsmanship Camp Award-1999
- Girls Cheer Team Cheerleading Championship 1st Place
- Dance Workshop
- International Blacks In Dance Conference, Denver Colo.
- All-City Dance Concert – M.L. King High School March 99
- Two Students Selected for Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York
- American Ballet Summer Intensive Program
- Scholarships to North Carolina School of the Arts and Western Michigan
- Participated in the National High School Dance Weekend, Miami Fla.
- Instrumental Music
- Marching Band participated in the Thanksgiving Day Parade
- Performed in "Save The Music" video for VH1
- Co-Winner of DPS Thanksgiving Day Parade Band Competition-
1998 and 1999
-
- Selected to March in the Pre-Parade for Disney Magical Moments" at the Magic Kingdom
- Performed at the 75th Anniversary/Lincoln Memorial-Washington D.C.
- Navy War Memorial-Washington D.C.
- Festivals of Music Jazz Competition-Toronto, Canada
- Annual Dinner-Tuskegee Airmen Detroit Chapter
- Vocal Music
- Selected as the number one choir in the state by the Michigan Choral Music Program
- Selected to participate in the Ghanaian
- Choral Music Festival for the second time, June 2000
- Choir Director was selected to have a school named after her in Ghana
- Science Department:
- Detroit Metropolitan Science Fair
- Grand Award (1), 1st Place (3), 2nd Place (4), 3rd Place (2) 4th Place (3)
- Wayne State University Quiz Bowl
- 1st Place and 2nd Place (4)
- National Quiz Bowl Competition in San Diego
- 2nd Place Team
- Biomedical Symposium
- NESBE Conferences
- MASCI Challenge – 2nd Place (4)
- Three Michigan Waste Energy Science Competition Finalist
- Physical Education Department
- City Champions for Men’s Basketball
- Girls Tennis Co-Champs-3 years
- Girls Basketball BCD Division Champs
- Girls Basketball City Runner-ups 6 times
- MHSAA Girls Basketball District/Regional/Runner-up State Finals- 6 times
- Softball City Champion – 6 times
- Softball District Champions – 2 times
- Baseball City Runner-up – 2 times
- Baseball District Champions – 2 times
- Varsity Football Division IV Champions
- Varsity Football District IV Co-Champions
- MHSAA Football Play-off – 2 times
- Boys Track runner-up Regional
- MHSAA Girl’s Track Regional 3 Time State Champions Class
- BMHSAA Girl’s Track State 3 Times Champions
- Boys Volleyball City Runner-up – 2 times
- Girls Volleyball City Runner-ups – 4 times
- Boy’s Golf City Champions – 3 times
- Boys Golf Division Champions
- Girls Golf City Champions
- 1 Track Record – MHSAA Girls Track Regional
- 11 1st place awards – MHSAA Girls Track Regional
- 5 1st place awards – MHSAA Girls Track Finals
- Chess Team
- Junior High Chess Team –National Champions
- Junior High Chess Team-City and State Champions
- High School Chess Team-City and State Champions
- Counseling Department
- 100% Seniors accepted into four-year colleges
- 124 Seniors over 3.0
- 50 Superintendents Banquet Awardees
- 9 Phi Beta Kappa Awardees
- 5 National Achievement Finalists
- 5.7 Million Scholarship
- English Department
- English Teacher –Jamie Tobin Selected as Detroit Teacher of the Year
- Academic Games – State Champions Equations - 2nd place - Wff-n-proof
- 3rd place – Propaganda
- MIPA Yearbook Awards – 1st Place (3), 2nd Place (5), 3rd Place (3)
- Social Studies Department
- Academic Decathlon 2nd Place Overall - 1st Place Music, 1st Place Language and Literature, 2nd & **3rd Place Economics
- Three Teachers and Students participated in the Selma to Montgomery March
- Mathematics Department
- Ninety-two students took the Mathematics Prize Competition Test
- Last year two finished in the top 200 for the state
- ROTC
- Perfect score for Honor Corps with Distinction
- 1st Place City-Wide Cup
- 1st Place City-Wide Honor Cup
- 2nd Place City-Wide Excellence Cup
- 1st Place Field Day Sports Competition
- 1st Place Annual Squad Drill Competition
- 3rd Place State Level Drill
- Partnerships
- Lear Corporation, A-Chip Technologies, Ford Motor Company, United
- Technologies, Sinai Hospital, Dow Chemical, Northwest Business Association and
- The Michigan Cancer Society.
- Internship Programs
- Lear Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Cancer Foundation, Sinai/Grace Hospital, United Technologies
- Course offerings and academics
- English 8 Semesters
- Mathematics 8 Semesters
- Science 8 Semesters
- Social Studies 8 Semesters
- Foreign Language 8 Semesters
- Health 1 Semester
- Physical Education 1 Semester
- Computer Applications 1 Semester
- Course offerings
- Core Courses
- Academic Games
- AP English 5-8
- Algebra 1-5
- Geometry 1-2
- Pre-Calculus
- Calculus
- AP Calculus
- Computer Applications
- United States History
- Geography
- Global Issues
- Government
- AP Government
- Economics
- Biology
- AP Biology
- Chemistry
- AP Chemistry
- Physics
- French 1-8 Journalism
- Spanish 1-8
- Personal Health Management
- Physical Education
- Electives
- Drama
- Newspaper
- Speech
- Creative Writing
- Basic Law
- Psychology
- Women’s Study
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Aerobics
- Dance
- Vocal Music
- Instrumental Music
- Photography
- Drawing
- Lettering
- African American History
- Sociology
- AP Psychology
- Yearbook
- Weight Training
[edit] External links
| Detroit Public Schools (DPS) |  |
|---|---|
| Zoned high schools
Central • Chadsey • Cody • Cooley • Denby Technical & Preparatory • Finney • Ford • Kettering • King • Mackenzie • Mumford • Murray-Wright • Northern • Northwestern • Osborn • Pershing • Redford • Southeastern • Southwestern • Western International |
