Berkley High School

Berkley High School is a public high school in Berkley, Michigan.

Not to be confused with Berkeley High School.
Berkley High School
Address
2325 Catalpa Drive

Berkley
,
Michigan
48072

United States
Coordinates42°29′44″N 83°10′50″W
Information
TypePublic high school
MottoA community of leaders building successful tomorrow’s
Established1922
Current high school 1948; expanded 1949, 1955, 1961, 1975, 1987, 2003, and 2016-2017
School districtBerkley School District
PrincipalAndrew Meloche
Faculty73.99 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades9 - 12
Enrollment1,420 (as of 2018-19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio19.19[1]
Color(s)Maroon and Blue
Athletics conferenceOakland Activities Association
Team nameBears
NewspaperThe Spectator
YearbookBear Tracks
Websitewww.berkleyschools.org/bhs
Student assessments
2021–22 school
year[2]
Change vs.
prior year[2]
M-STEP 11th grade proficiency rates
(Science / Social Studies)
Advanced %25.1 / 20.4
Proficient %37.8 / 38.0
PR. Proficient %12.4 / 0.0
Not Proficient %24.7 / ≤5
Average test scores
SAT Total1045.2
(Decrease −28.3)

Berkley High's colors are maroon and blue and the school's mascot is a bear. Berkley is well known for its college prep courses, high standardized test scores, and teachers and administrators. BHS offers 20+ Advanced Placement courses at its campus. Additional Advanced Placement courses and electives are available to students who elect to attend the Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts (CASA), an afternoon consortium school run jointly by Berkley and six neighboring school districts, or the Oakland Schools Technical Campus (OSTC), a vocational education center run by Oakland Schools. Their newspaper is The Spectator, which is a member of the High School National Ad Network. Berkley's graduation ceremony is held annually at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre. The principal is Andrew Meloche and the assistant principals are Meredith Julius & Evelyn Coleman.

Originally established in 1922, the first Berkley High building was on the northwest corner of Berkley Avenue & Catalpa Drive which was demolished in 1980, although portions of the building saved from demolition now serve as the robotics facility and district maintenance shop. The current BHS campus opened in 1948 with 8 classrooms, and has expanded several times since. In 1949 a new classroom and vocational wing were added, 1955 brought another wing and a library/cafeteria. 1961 added a third wing of 18 new classrooms and two music rooms and in 1975 the Loren Disbrow Athletic Complex was added which included a new larger gym which serves as the Bears’ basketball arena. In 1987 the 800-seat Berkley Auditorium was opened as a hub for the schools many performing arts. 2003 brought the addition of the collaborative center which serves as a multi-purpose space. A major renovation occurred in 2016 and 2017 where the school was updated with new technology and building systems and a new main office vestibule.

Berkley High School has been accredited by the Michigan North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement since the 1928–29 school year.[3]

As of the 2012–13 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,250 students and 74.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 18.1.[1]

Berkley High School was named to Newsweek’s 2013 list of 2,000 Best High Schools[4] in the nation—ranked 22nd in Michigan. This ranking highlights the schools that have proven to be the most effective in turning out college-ready graduates. BHS has been on the Newsweek Best High Schools list since 2008.

The high school scored above state averages in all MME/ACT categories in 2013.[5]

Performing arts

Berkley High School is home to a variety of musical ensembles. The wind ensembles are made up of the BHS Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Jazz Band. Marching Band is only the first semester, and Symphonic Band takes its place second semester. Jazz band is also available for students. Jon Thomann became the band director in 2019. BHS has three string orchestras, Sinfonia, Symphony Orchestra and Concert Orchestra, all lasting the whole year. The Orchestra program is under the direction of Ben Moy. In January 2009 and again in 2013, the Symphony Orchestra took first place at the Presidential Inaugural (Heritage Festival). BHS also has four choirs: Concert Choir, Encore!, Belle Tones, and A Cappella. Encore!, Belle Tones, and A Cappella are audition only. Julie Anne Smith directs A Cappella and Belle Tones. Sarah Noble directs Encore! and Concert Choir. All students from these organizations are able to collaborate through BHS' Musical National Honor Society, known as Tri-M. In May 2007, the Berkley High School A Cappella choir was invited to New York City where they performed Beethoven's Mass in C Major in New York City's Carnegie Hall. In May 2013, the Berkley High School Symphony Orchestra and A Cappella Choir performed the American premiere of "My Name is Anne Frank" a cantata.[6] In addition to the musical ensembles, BHS also has a drama program that is directed by John Hopkins.

Sports

Berkley's athletic teams currently compete in the Oakland Activities Association (OAA) with the exception of the Rugby teams (club) and the Junior Varsity hockey team (Southeast Michigan Prep Hockey League). Lori Stone became the Athletic Coordinator in 2012.

Although the school nickname is "The Bears," the boys' and girls' Swimming and Diving teams are known as the "Bearracudas" or "Cudas."[7] Their basketball court is known as the "Bear's Den".

The Berkley football team, soccer teams, and track & field teams compete at Hurley field located less than a half-mile from the high school at Anderson Middle School. The field was renovated during the spring of 2002 and re-opened with many new facilities at the beginning of the 2002–2003 school year. The field was also updated in 2010 with a new track and 2012 with a new turf field. The field is also used for many other high school tournaments, community sporting events, and semi-pro soccer leagues. Next to Hurley Field is Pop Lewis field where the high school baseball games are held along with other community baseball leagues. The softball teams play at the two neighboring fields located south of Pop Lewis field. The tennis courts are also next to Hurley Field. Berkley Varsity Hockey[8] and JV/Prep Hockey[9] competed at the Berkley Ice Arena, which is also adjacent to Hurley Field and tennis courts, before it closed in 2016 due to a coolant leak, the hockey teams have since played the rest of the 2016–17 season at Joe Louis Arena. in the 17-18 season, the varsity hockey team played out of Oak Park, and JV hockey played out of Royal Oak. Since the 19-20 season, the hockey team has merged with Royal Oak and other surrounding area schools named "M1 Griffins Unified" and competes out of Royal Oak's John Lindell Ice Arena. The cross-country team competes at Catalpa Oaks County Park in Southfield and Memorial Park in Royal Oak. The golf team competes at Detroit Golf Club and won their league with an undefeated record in 2009. The bowling team competes at Hartfield Lanes. The Lacrosse team is known as M1 and is merged with Royal Oak athletics. The rest of the teams compete within the school building or outside (rugby) on other school grounds.

The BHS boys rugby team was the state champion in 2013 after an undefeated season, and the girls rugby team was state runner-up that year as well.

Notable alumni

References
  1. Berkley High School Archived January 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 26, 2020.
  2. "MI School Data Annual Education Report". MI School Data. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  3. Oakland County accredited schools Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 22, 2006
  4. BHS Newsweek's Best High Schools List 2013 Archived May 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Berkley High School Aces 2013 Michigan Merit Exam". Huntington Woods-Berkley, MI Patch. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  6. "'My Name is Anne Frank' Brings History to Life in Berkley". Huntington Woods-Berkley, MI Patch. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  7. "Berkley High School & Middle School Swimming & Diving Teams". leaguelineup.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  8. ""Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2007-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "
  10. Sandoval, Emiliana. "Five Things: about Curtis Armstrong.", Detroit Free Press, May 1, 2006. Accessed May 31, 2007. "Local guy Curtis Armstrong has carved out a steady film career. Vinces most recent movie, "Akeelah and the Bee," came out Friday. STARTING OUT Armstrong was born in 1953 in Detroit and graduated from Berkley High School."
  11. "Bruce Flowers Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". databasebasketball.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  12. Robert Gosselin, The Detroit News voter guide. Accessed November 19, 2007.
  13. Aric Morris NFL Draft profile Archived November 14, 2001, at the Wayback Machine, USA Today. Accessed April 22, 2008.
  14. Obituaries Archived October 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Daily Tribune, March 20, 2005. Accessed April 6, 2008.
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