Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
West Bloomfield High School Typing Class |
Object Name |
Digital, Photograph |
Description |
West Bloomfield High School and pictures of students in typing class. |
Date |
1971 |
Year Range from |
1971 |
Year Range to |
1971 |
Subjects |
Floor plans Schools Students Typewriters Typewriting |
Collection |
Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society |
Catalog Number |
2023.1.476 |
Accession number |
2023.1.476 |
Place |
West Bloomfield High School, 4925 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, MI 48323 |
Provenance |
This photo was part of the research for the "Our School History" project . West Bloomfield High School, 1971- . West Bloomfield Township was predominantly an agricultural community in the early 1900s, and most of the area schools offered education only through grade 8. Students who wanted a high school education could pay tuition to attend Pontiac High School. Locally, high school was first offered at Roosevelt School; the first class of 5 students graduated in 1929. As the population grew, so did the need for a new state-of-the-art high school. The first named West Bloomfield High School was built at the northwest corner of Orchard Lake and Commerce Roads and opened for students in January, 1955. The building later became Abbott Middle School. For a short period in the late 1960s, the school now known as Orchard Lake Middle School served as the high school. A growing population and a desire to more centrally locate the high school within the school district led to the construction of the current West Bloomfield High School at 4925 Orchard Lake Road. The site includes just over 51 acres and was once Fred Porter’s farm. Though the Class of 1971 held graduation exercises in the new gymnasium in June, the school did not open to students until the following September. Formal dedication was held on October 24, 1971. From 1954-1971, high school students were housed in four different West Bloomfield schools: Roosevelt Elementary School, Abbott Middle School, Orchard Lake Middle School, and finally, West Bloomfield High School. |