Birch Run High School - Panther Tales Yearbook (Birch Run, MI)

Page 13 text:

CONTINUED THE PRIMARY ORGANIZATION WAS CHANGED TO THE PRESENT GRADED DISTRICT WITH A FIVE MEMBER BOARO. THE FIRST CLASS WAS GRADUATED FROM THE TWELFTH GRADE IN 1924 AND INCLUDED: EUNICE LIK AM ; BELVA FISHER; GWENOLA HICKS; MORRIS HELFRICH; HAROLD LANGE; MARIA DEAN; AND HULDAH SPENCER. THE CLASS OF 1951 HAS 31 MEMBERS AND IS THE LARGEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL. THE CLASS OF 1931 WAS THE SMALLEST AND NUMBER- ED ONLY FOUR MEMBERS. THEY WERE: LEONA MAE CURTIS; A ILEEN HAOSALL; ZOLA HOYT; AND MARGARET ROTTIERS. IN 1931 ONLY 54 PUPILS WERE ENROLLED IN HIGH SCHOOL. SUPERINTENDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH THE ADMIN- ISTRATION OF THE SCHOOL SINCE THE CREATION OF THE TWELVE YEAR CURRICULUM INCLUDE: WILLIAM MCGINN; MAX HEGLER; G. HACKNEY; GROVER TORREY; G. RAY STURGIS; RUSSEL ASHWORTH AND HARRY LAYMAN. THE EXISTING PLANT HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED SINCE MR, LAYMAN ACCEPTED THE SUPER INTENDENCY IN 1935. MARSHALL GREENE HAS 8EEN A MEMBER OF THE FACULTY SINCE 1936 AND THE EFFICIENT PRINCIPAL SINCE 1942, THE HIGH SCHOOL HAS BEEN ACCREDITED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FOR MANY YEARS AND HAS RECENTLY HAD ITS ACCRE- DITATION EXTENDED UNTIL JUNE 30, 1952. IN 1948 TWO SCHOOL BUSES WERE PUT INTO OPERATION TO SERVE THE RURAL PUPILS ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL. A THIRD BUS WAS PUT INTO OPERATION THIS YEAR AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS ORDERED ANOTHER ONE FOR USE NEXT FALL. AT THE PRESENT TIME, PUPILS FROM 13 RURAL DISTRICTS ARE BEING TRANSPORTED TO BIRCH RUN HIGH SCHOOL. THE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC TEAMS COMPETE IN CLASS C WHICH INCLUDES SCHOOLS HAVING ENROLLMENTS ABOVE 150 IN THE UPPER FOUR GRADES, WITH THE AREA INCREASING IN POPULATION IT APPEARS THAT THE SCHOOLS OF THE COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE GROWING PAINS . THE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY ARE PROUD OF THE QUALITY OF ITS GRADUATES. THEY HAVE A FINE RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCE, COLLEGE, INDUSTRY AND GOOD CITIZENSHIP.