McBain Rural Agricultural School

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McBain Rural Agricultural School
Address
107 East Maple Street [1]
McBain
, Missaukee County , Michigan, 49657
United States
District information
GradesPreKindergarten-12
SuperintendentScott Akom [2]
Schools3 [3]
Budget$13,371,000 2021-2022 expenditures [3]
NCES District ID 2623310 [3]
Students and staff
Students1,081 (2024-2025) [3]
Teachers61.81 (on an FTE basis) (2024-2025) [3]
Staff143.23 FTE (2024-2025) [3]
Student–teacher ratio17.49 (2024-2025) [3]
Other information
Website www.mcbain.org
McBain High School along M-66 McBain Rural Agricultural School (Michigan).jpg
McBain High School along M-66

McBain Rural Agricultural School is a K-12 public school in McBain, Michigan. It is within the McBain Rural Agricultural School District. [4] The school is also known as McBain Public School. The school was founded in 1880. [5]

Origin of Mascot- Ramblers

Though there is no official history to the origin of the mascot, there are 2 popular stories to how McBain Rural Agricultural School became the McBain Ramblers. Story number 1- When McBain High School built its first gym in 1951, [6] it was only half a court. Therefore, McBain was unable to play any home games and had to "ramble" across the countryside to play games. The name stuck and McBain High School became the Ramblers. Story number 2- The founding fathers of Owen (later to be renamed McBain) they came across on two different ships from the Netherlands-Wandelaar and Komeet. Wandelaar translates in English to Rambler and Komeet translates in English to Comet. Therefore, in honor of the founders, McBain Rural Agricultural School became the Ramblers and McBain Northern Michigan Christian School adopted the Comets as their mascot.

Noteworthy events in school history On January 5, 1929, a fire broke out in the old school building, causing the destruction of the building. [7]

Reconstruction of the new school building began soon after, preparing the school district for the new school to open in the fall of 1929. This newly constructed school building featured a number of new rooms, including 7 spacious classrooms, a fully equipped gym, and a study hall. [8]

In 1945, surrounding school districts joined the McBain schools. Those schools included: Galt, Forward, Vogel Center, Hillside, Lucas, Blodgett, Summerville, Cavanagh, Ardis, Pleasant Valley, Diremeyer, and Pleasant Point. Two more schools joined McBain in 1958: Brunink and Bosscher Schools. [9] [10]

In 2015, the school posted a job advertisement for a superintendent stating that the applicant must have "a strong Christian background and philosophy". [11] The quote was removed after the American Civil Liberties Union criticized it, and the school made an apology. [12]

The Origin of McBain Football

In 1924, William DeHart, a 1st year teacher at McBain Rural Agricultural School, assembled the first high school football team. They played one game their first season against the Trojans of Lake City High School. Lake City was victorious 68-0. [13]

Rebirth of McBain football

In the spring of 1970, the male students of McBain Rural Agricultural School submitted a petition to reinstate high school football. The petition was approved. In the fall of 1971, the McBain Ramblers played a 9 game JV schedule [14] . In 1972, the team was moved to varsity level of competition and has been playing continuously since. [15]

Notable Alumni

Trent Mulder Interceptions in a Season (2001): 18 Interception in his Career (2000-2001): 24 [16]

Hall of Fame

In 2025, McBain inaugurated the first class into the McBain Athletic Hall of Fame. The inductees were Bruce Brummels, Jim Racignol, and Harv Lucas.

References

  1. ↑ McBain Rural Agricultural School. "McBain Rural Agricultural School" . Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  2. ↑ McBain Rural Agricultural School. "Administration" . Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for McBain Rural Agricultural Schools". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences.
  4. ↑ "Dashboard Data." McBain Rural Agricultural School. Retrieved on March 4, 2015. "Please be advised that the McBain Rural Agricultural School District has[...]"
  5. ↑ "Home Page". www.hessfamily.org. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  6. ↑ "McBain Ramblers All-Time Michigan Boy's High School MHSAA Basketball Tournament Scores". michigan-football.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  7. ↑ "McBain Centennial". McBain Centennial: 31. 1977.
  8. ↑ "Rebuilding McBain Rural Agricultural School". McBain Centennial: 31. 1977.: 31.
  9. ↑ “McBain Centennial”. McBain Centennial: 31. 1977.
  10. ↑ “History of Missaukee County Schools”. The Waterfront: 52. 1976
  11. ↑ Moroney, Kyle. "ACLU demands removal of 'Christian' philosophy from school superintendent hunt" (Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine ). MLive. March 3, 2015. Retrieved on March 4, 2015.
  12. ↑ Moroney, Kyle. "'Christian' philosophy removed from school job ad, apology offered after ACLU complaint" (Archived 2015-03-06 at the Wayback Machine ). MLive. March 3, 2015. Retrieved on March 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ Rambler Review (2024-09-20). 100th Anniversary of the Lake City McBain Football Rivalry. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ "McBain Ramblers High School Football Scores and Schedules". michigan-football.com. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  15. ↑ Vana, Gary (2021-10-08). "Remember the Ramblers: McBain celebrates 50 years of football". Cadillac News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
  16. ↑ "Records | Michigan High School Athletic Association". www.mhsaa.com. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

44°11′41″N85°12′34″W / 44.1947°N 85.2094°W / 44.1947; -85.2094

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