Ypsilanti High School

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Ypsilanti High School

Home of the Ypsi Braves
Established
School type	Public secondary
Locale	Ypsilanti Public Schools
Grades	9-12

Location	Ypsilanti, MI, US
Students	~1,150
Faculty	~67
Colors	Purple and Gold
Mascot	Braves
Website	Ypsi High.com

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 students and 65 faculty members.

1 History
2 Braves Logo Controversy
3 References
4 External Links

[edit] History

Ypsilanti High School has a lengthy history, and has existed since the late 1800s. 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.

An artistic view of the old high school. The building is currently housing as senior condominiums.

[edit] Braves Logo Controversy

The mascot 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.

The Brave's Logo

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" can still be used but the actual Brave Head Logo cannot be used in any athletic activities or school events. [1]

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. [2]