Dondero High School

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Dondero High School
Location
Dondero High School
Royal Oak, Michigan, United States
Information
School type Public
Motto"Enter to learn, go forth to serve” [1]
Founded1927
Closed2006
School district Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools
Final PrincipalBridget Schipper
Enrollment852 (in 2006)
Color(s) Navy Blue and White   
Nickname The Oaks
PublicationYearbook (Oak), Newsmagazine (Acorn), and Art Magazine (Genesis)
Affiliations Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools
Website web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.rosd.k12.mi.us/schools/dondero.html

George A. Dondero High School (formerly Royal Oak High School) opened in 1927 in Royal Oak, Michigan in Greater Detroit. It was named after former Royal Oak School Board president and U.S. representative George A. Dondero. A part of the Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools, it and Clarence M. Kimball High School were consolidated to form the current Royal Oak High School.

Contents

Overview

Opened in 1927 as Royal Oak High School, it was renamed as Dondero High School in 1957 after Clarence M. Kimball High School opened. [2]

Due to declining enrollment, the school became a middle school at the beginning of the 2007/2008 school year. Dondero was closed following the 2005-06 school year to allow for renovations, and district high school students from both Dondero and Kimball High School were consolidated. [3] At the peak of enrollment, Dondero had more than 2,000 students, which had declined to 650 in its final year

On October 31, 2006, the Dondero gymnasium was set on fire, causing extensive damage. Arson was suspected, and two teenage suspects were later arrested. [4] [5] [6]

On October 20, 2007, the building was officially re-dedicated as Royal Oak Middle School. The dedication ceremony took place at 4:20 PM in the restored auditorium housing three huge W.P.A. murals. [7] [8]

Pop Concert

From 1967 until 2006, the Dondero A Capella Choir held an annual pop concert. The concert featured choral, and solo arrangements of popular rock and roll songs, and relied on Dondero High School instrumentalists as backup musicians. [9] [10] [11] The choir director Rick Hartsoe was inducted to the Royal Oak High school hall of fame in part due to his leadership of the Pop Concert. [12]

Dondero Sports

Iverson L. “Ivy” Loftin served as a teacher and football coach at Dondero High School in Royal Oak for a duration of 33 years in the 60s, 70s and 80s, during which he achieved recognition through multiple championships and honors. He was inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Dondero Hall of Fame. [13] The Dondero High School girls Softball team won a state title in 1979. [14] The 1991 Dondero class had one of the most decorated class of male athletes in Dondero history, featuring ranked teams in both football and boys basketball. [15]

Acorn

The Acorn was the student newspaper of Dondero High School and has continued under the same name at Royal Oak High School. [16] Tom Hayden, a 1957 Dondero graduate, and later a notable civil rights activist, was the editor of the Acorn during his time as a student. [17]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ McDonald, Maureen; Schultz, John S. (2010). Royal Oak. Arcadia Publishing. p. 79. ISBN   9780738577753 . Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  2. ↑ About Us, Royal Oak Schools. Accessed February 4, 2024. "When a second high school was opened in 1957, Clarence M. Kimball High School, the original Royal Oak High School became George A. Dondero High School.... Now, the district consists of one high school (Royal Oak High School, located at the former Kimball High School), one middle school (Royal Oak Middle School, located at the former Dondero High School), six elementary schools, one community education center and district administration offices."
  3. ↑ "Royal Oak’s high school combo attracts attention around state", The Oakland Press ,January 29, 2007. Accessed February 4, 2024. "The new Royal Oak High School, which merged 650 students from Dondero High School and 1,100 students from Kimball High School this year, is drawing a lot of attention from educators statewide. The new high school opened at the beginning of the school year in the former Kimball building, which now boasts a Royal Oak High School sign, as well as new Ravens sports teams."
  4. ↑ "Fire at the Future Royal Oak Middle School (Former Dondero High School Site) Archived 2011-07-15 at the Wayback Machine ." Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools. Retrieved on July 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ Detnews.com | This article is no longer available online
  6. ↑ the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies - www.hometownlife.com - Michigan [ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Royal Oaks, MI New Deal Art". Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
  8. ↑ Mural Restoration Project | Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools Archived 2007-05-10 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Local author releases book about Dondero Pop Concerts". Oakland Press. June 16, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2024. https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2015/03/02/local-author-releases-book-about-dondero-pop-concerts/
  10. ↑ Keenan: Mr. Hartsoe's Opus: Book celebrates Dondero Pop". The Detroit News. June 17, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2024. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/life/columnists/marney-rich-keenan/2015/03/24/book-celebrates-history-dondero-high-school-pop-concerts/70407132/
  11. ↑ Wurdock, Peter. Love Will Steer the Stars the history of the Dondero Pop Concert. Blue Boundary Book, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Hall of Fame honor humbles Royal Oak inductees. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2025. https://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/royal-oak/2014/09/26/hall-fame-honor-humbles-royal-oak-inductees/16255643/
  13. ↑ "JIM EVANS: Remembering Ivy Loftin". Royal Oak Tribune. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2025. https://www.dailytribune.com/2011/06/23/jim-evans-remembering-ivy-loftin/
  14. ↑ "Gary Bryce reflects on his 40-year career as head coach of Wayne State (MI) softball." 17 June 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2025. https://www.ncaa.com/news/softball/article/2021-06-17/gary-bryce-reflects-his-40-year-career-head-coach-wayne-state-mi-softball#:~:text=Then%20the%20state%20of%20Michigan%20brought%20in,to%20win%20a%20state%20championship%20in%20'79
  15. ↑ "Royal Oak High Hires Milford's Jeff Hill as New Head Football Coach". Patch.com. 09 January 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2025. https://patch.com/michigan/royaloak/royal-oak-high-hires-milfords-jeff-hill-as-new-head-f05fd38e5db
  16. ↑ "ROHS Acorn Newsmagazine Receives Spartan Award". Royal Oak High School News. Royal Oak Schools. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Class of 1957." Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame.com.
  18. ↑ "Class of 1947: Bill Muncey". Royal Oak, Michigan: Royal Oak High School. Retrieved May 12, 2020.

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