Ottawa Hills High School (Michigan)
Ottawa Hills High School is a high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ottawa Hills is one of five high schools of the Grand Rapids Public Schools. The school colors are orange and black, and the athletic teams are referred to as the Bengals. They were previously referred to as the Indians.
History
On April 30, 1923 the Grand Rapids Board of Education voted to purchase two city blocks, about 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land, between Alexander Road and Iroquois and Cadillac Drives in Grand Rapids for $28,000. The original location for Ottawa Hills High School was to be built on this land, which was in the center of the new Ottawa Hills neighborhood being built on the former site of a golf course; the name was stipulated in the deed to the property. The original address of the school was 1900 Iroquois Drive, S.E., Grand Rapids.
The building was started in 1924 and was finished the next spring. To carry out the Indian theme suggested by the name of the school, designs taken from Indian pottery, blankets, and rugs were used in a border about the main entrance, and directly above the door was an Indian head, which was later adopted as the symbol of the school.
In September 1925, the doors of Ottawa Hills High School opened to about 650 students and thirty teachers under the direction of the first principal, Henry D. MacNaughton. Many of the teachers came from Strong Junior High School, where they had taught with Mr. MacNaughton. The Students came primarily from Central and South High Schools. Grades 7-1 to 10-2 were included.
In 1931 the elementary wing was added to the building, two floors being used by the elementary grades, and a third floor by the high school. In 1939–40 the high school enrollment had reached 1,801, and the crowding increased as the elementary grades took over some of the rooms on the third floor. The congestion continued until 1953, when Mulick Park Elementary School opened, and the Ottawa Hills High School regained some of the much needed space.
In 1972 Ottawa Hills High School moved to its current location at 2055 Rosewood Avenue, S.E., site of the former Ridgeview Junior High School.
Academics
Ottawa Hills High School was first accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) in 1926–27, and along with Grand Rapids Creston High School was the seventh high school in Kent County to receive that accreditation. Some students believe that the school mascot should be the Black Widow.
Since 1992, students in the Ottawa Hills Tech Prep program have participated in the Tour de Sol (solar car), the Solar Splash competition (solar boat), and the US FIRST Robotics competition, often competing against colleges and universities from across the country. The list below details some of the Tech Prep program's accomplishments:
- 1993 – The American Tour De Sol: Boston to Burlington, VT – 1st place
- 1994 – The American Tour De Sol: New York City to Philadelphia – 4th place
- 1995 – The American Tour De Sol: Waterbury, CT to Portland, ME – 3rd place
- 1996 – The American Tour De Sol: New York City to Washington, DC – 4th place
- 1997 – Electric Boat Project & Competition, Milwaukee – 11th place of 16 colleges
- 1998 – Solar Splash '98: Electric Boat Project & Competition, Milwaukee – "Best Hull Design" and 11th place of 18 colleges
- 2000 – Solar Splash '00: Electric Boat Project & Competition, New Orleans – "Perseverance Award" and 13th place of 18 colleges
- 2004 – FIRST Robotics Competition, Grand Rapids – 4th place out of 45 competitors
- 2004 – National FIRST Robotics Competition, Atlanta – 38th place out of 75 competitors
Athletics
Ottawa Hills was a member of the Grand Rapids City League. They competed in this league along with three other public high schools and three private schools.
In 2008, the league disbanded and the City League schools joined the Ottawa-Kent Conference. Ottawa Hills now competes in the OK Gold.
When Creston and Grand Rapids Central High School were merged in 2013, and City High-Middle School relocated to the former Creston campus at the same time, many Creston student-athletes were invited to join their new Central classmates, as well as all City student-athletes residing east of the Grand River, on Ottawa Hills' athletic teams. (Central had discontinued interscholastic athletics in recent years.)
State championships
Ottawa Hills has won the following MHSAA athletic championships:
- 1932 boys track & field – Class A
- 1934 boys golf – Class A-B
- 1934 boys tennis – Class A-B (tied)
- 1934 boys track & field – Class A
- 1938 boys tennis – Class A
- 1951 boys track & field – Class A
- 1952 boys golf – Class A
- 1968 boys basketball – Class A
- 1969 boys basketball – Class A
- 1989 girls basketball – Class A
- 1997 boys basketball – Class A
State Runners-up
- 1977 boys track and field – Class A
Grand Rapids City League Football Championships (since 1950)
- 1964 (tied)
- 1967 (tied)
- 1970 (tied)
- 1980 (tied)
- 1981
- 1984
- 1990
- 1992 (tied) – 4th Place, Final Associated Press Poll
- 1996
Notable alumni
- Harry Berrios, professional baseball player
- Jeffrey Daniel, member, R&B group Shalamar
- Chico DeBarge, R&B singer
- James DeBarge, R&B singer
- Don Eaddy, MLB player
- Rob Ellis, former MLB player
- Benjamin F. Engel, US Coast Guard
- David Harris, New York Jets NFL football player and 2006 Dick Butkus Award finalist at the University of Michigan
- Adina Howard, R&B singer
- George Kok, professional basketball player
- Bob Lurtsema, NFL player
- Floyd Mayweather, Jr., boxing champion
- Patrick Miles, Jr., attorney, former Harvard classmate and Harvard Law Review colleague of U.S. President Barack Obama
- Jack Perry, Founder & CEO, Syncbak, Inc.
- Marshall Purnell, Architect, former President, The American Institute of Architects
- Marvin Sapp, Gospel singer / former lead singer of Gospel group Commissioned
- Mickey Stanley, MLB player
- Karen Stribling Gospel singer/Class Presisdent