Troy High School (Michigan)

Troy High School
Location
Troy, Michigan United States
Information
Type	Public Secondary
Established	1950
School district	Troy Public Schools
Principal	Mark Dziatczak
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,000
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Silver and Black
Song	Alma Mater
Mascot	"Colts"
Distinctions	Perennial National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
National ranking	453rd
Newspaper	"the Troy Independent" [2]
Yearbook	Gladiator
Website	[3]

Troy High School is a public high school in Troy, Michigan. It is attended by approximately 2,000 students serving grades 9-12. Troy High is one of four high schools in the Troy School District, along with Athens High School, Niles Community High School, and International Academy East.

It was ranked 453rd by Newsweek in its listing of America's Top Public High Schools for 2007.

History

In its sixty-one year history, Troy High has been active and has won statewide championships in such sports such as football, soccer, cross-country, hockey, and tennis. However, the school is most widely known for its Fine Arts Programs, which have consistently ranked high on the state and national levels. The Troy Mathematics and Science Olympiad teams are also very strong.

Troy High School was founded in 1950. Originally located on Livernois Road near Big Beaver Road (a site currently occupied by the Troy Community Center), it was moved to a new location at Northfield Parkway and Long Lake Road in 1992, and was expanded in 2006. The school's expansion was overdue after many years of overcrowding in the late 1990s and early 2000s.^{[citation needed]}

On June 2, 2008 Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, made a televised campaign visit and speech at Troy High School. This was Obama's first visit to Oakland County during his presidential run. More than 2,000 people showed up to the rally, including students and teachers of THS.

Extracurricular activities

Troy High School's yearbook, The Gladiator, received Gold Medal standings for its 2006-2007 edition from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association as well as a Gold Medal from the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association.

The school newspaper, "The Troy Independent," was founded by two students, Danielle Raykhinshteyn (then-sophomore) and Carolyn Gearig (then-freshman), after the old newsmagazine, "The Northend," was cancelled as a class. The online home of The Troy Independent can be found at thetroyindependent.org.

There are five Troy High bands: the Campus Band, the Concert Band, the Symphonic Band, the Troy Colt Marching Band, and the Jazz Band. All are officially under the direction of Mr. Brian Nutting, the 2009 Troy School District Teacher of the Year. The Concert and Symphonic Bands – award-winning bands by themselves, together comprising the Marching Band – appeared by the Queen's invitation (through a representative of the Lord Mayor of London) at the 2007 London New Year's Day Parade. . The 1974 Marching Band participated in the Orange Bowl Parade. In 2004, the Troy High Symphonic Band played at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Recently, they have performed under the baton of Leonard Slatkin, performing Les Preludes and commissioned a piece by James Barnes, the Symphonic Essay. The Symphonic Band traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan in January, 2011 to participate in the 6th Annual Michigan Music Conference. The Troy High School bands also have an unofficial YouTube account, where anyone can watch videos of their concerts and performances.

Troy High School Marching Band has performed for Mitt Romney on November 10, 2011, during his campaign for presidential nomination. They performed at the Polish American Center.

The Troy High School choirs are also very accomplished, with many first division ratings at festivals.

There are also three Troy High School string orchestras: the Freshman Orchestra, the Concert Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the orchestras, many string players participate with the Troy Country Fiddlers (which is largely self-directed). These orchestras have won competitions and awards all around the country, and is nationally recognized. The Troy High orchestras, particularly the Symphony Orchestra, have won several awards under the direction of Mr. Alan MacNair, named to the 2007 USA Today All-USA Teacher Team. Most recently the Symphony Orchestra won the Best Overall Orchestra award from The Festival of Music in Montreal. They have also, in past years, performed at Carnegie Hall. In January, 2011 they appeared at DeVos Performance hall at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids.

Troy High School's theatre organization, the Troy Theatre Ensemble (TTE), has also received recognition under Mr. Rick Bodick. In 2004, it performed at the Fringe theatre festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has received regional recognition.Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster was a member of the TTE in her time at Troy High.

The Troy High Science Olympiad team has won the Michigan state championship several times, and thus has attended the National Science Olympiad Championships.

Troy High Student Government has won multiple awards of excellence at both the state and national level. THS Student Government hosted the 2011 MASC/MAHS State Conference at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, MI. The 2011 State Conference had over 1,300 participants and was the largest conference ever held. THS Student Government also plans and runs Activist Week, a week of service projects that everyone at the school can participate in to serve the school and community.

The Troy High Quiz Bowl Team has become a force in Michigan Quiz Bowl, defeating state champions Detroit Catholic Central High School in December 2006. The team has also attended both the 2005 and 2006 NAQT National High School Championships, most recently achieving eighth place after losing to Shady Side Academy and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. In 2007, Troy High School Quiz Bowl again received eighth place, tying with several teams, after a loss to Richard Montgomery High School of Rockville, Maryland.

Athletics

Troy High Boys Soccer won the Michigan State Championship for Division I in 2003 with a 1-0 win over Saline.

Troy High football won the Michigan State Class AA championship in 1994 by beating Bay City Central at the Pontiac Silverdome, and was a runner-up for the Class A championship in 1985. In 1995 the Troy High Football team achieved the highest national ranking in the schools history at No. 15 according to USA today before being knocked in the State Regional finals by Detroit Catholic Central 21-14. Between 1992 and 1997 seasons the team had a winning percentage of 87%, 4 undefeated regular seasons, 3 Regional finals, and the 1994 State Championship. Following the 1999 season, they fell into a 7-year drought, which ended in 2007 when they made to the semifinals with only 2 losses in the entire season.

Troy High hockey is new; until the 2006-2007 season, Troy combined with Troy Athens to make the Troy Blackhawks team. The Blackhawks were forced to dissolve by state sports authorities in 2006.

The Troy High women's tennis team won a championship title once, in 2003, the Division 1 State Championship in Midland, Michigan.

Notable alumni and former students

• Sutton Foster, Tony Award-winning Broadway actress
• Marcus Kennedy, Basketball player
• Robert Nelson, Detroit Personality
• Steve McCatty, former MLB pitcher and coach
• Donna McKechnie, Broadway, film and television actress
• Aileen Wuornos, serial killer and inspiration for the 2003 film Monster
• Steven Yeun, Actor and comedian. Most notably from The Walking Dead (TV series)