Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
West Bloomfield Junior High, 1964 |
Object Name |
Digital, Photograph |
Description |
West Bloomfield Junior High. Shows cars in parking lot and a little snow on the ground. |
Date |
1964 |
Year Range from |
1964 |
Year Range to |
1964 |
Subjects |
Buildings Schools |
Collection |
Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society |
Catalog Number |
2023.1.304 |
Accession number |
2023.1.304 |
Place |
Orchard Lake Middle School, 6000 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI 48322 |
Provenance |
This photo was part of the research for the "Our School History" project. West Bloomfield Junior High 1965-1967, West Bloomfield High School 1967-1971, Orchard Lake Middle School, 1972- . The school at 6000 Orchard Lake Road has had several identities. It has been known as West Bloomfield Junior High (1965-1966), West Bloomfield High School (1967-1971), West Bloomfield Middle School (1971-1972), and since May 31, 1972, Orchard Lake Middle School. The building has also housed West Bloomfield School District Central Administration and Community Education Administration. The classes of 1968, 1969, and 1970 graduated from this school when it served as West Bloomfield High School. Though the Class of 1971 completed requirements at this location, commencement exercises were held in the new, not yet finished, high school building at 4925 Orchard Lake Road. Orchard Lake Middle School is one of two middle schools in the West Bloomfield School District and provides education in grades 6-8. In 1970, with nearly 1,500 students at the school, overcrowding forced classes to run in split shifts. Juniors and seniors attended school from 7:00am-2:30pm, freshmen and sophomores attended from 10:00am-5:30pm. This arrangement lasted one year, until the new high school opened in the fall of 1971. In 1974, concerns about inequities in course offerings between Abbott Middle School and Orchard Lake Middle School led the West Bloomfield School Board to redistrict, moving 200 OLMS students to Abbott. Families upset about the "busing" of their students, urged the recall of several School Board members. Despite the protest, the Board moved ahead with the plan. Ultimately, enrollment at the schools was better balanced and course offerings were made more equitable. Sports have played an important part in the OLMS culture from the beginning. Intramural and interscholastic competition includes boys basketball, cheerleading, cross- country, flag football, football, girls basketball, roller hockey, swimming, track, volleyball, and wrestling. |