History
In 1959, many homes in the area were being built by families with older children, so it was apparent that a new junior and senior high school were needed. The Board of Education put together a proposal asking voters to approve a $3 million dollar bond for the construction of:
- A new junior-senior high on a site at 13 Mile and Farmington Road
- Two new elementary schools
- Renovation of existing schools
The proposal was passed by voters and the final outcome of the vote was 1,618 in favor and 1,276 opposed. In January 1960, the School Board appointed Harold Humble, an assistant principal at Farmington High School, to principal of the new school. The suggested name “Farmington Northern High,” was later changed to “North Farmington High School.”
It was not until the summer of 1960 that the architectural plans were approved for the new High School. As construction continued in January 1961, the School Board unanimously approved the proposed color scheme of “shades of brown and yellow.” North Farmington High School opened on September 7, 1961 but lacked many needed supplies such as chalk boards. There were 598 students from grades 7-10 who attended that first day.
Students chose the name "Raiders" as their mascot but a personal identity was needed for the Raider, so the art class designed the original Raider logo that is still being used today and was named “El Cid.” As time went on, the Raider was increasingly referred to as the “Sidney Raider.” It is a school tradition for a student to anonymously dress up as Sidney, wearing the traditional NF cape, bucaneer hat, and Zorro-style mask, and attend high-profile North Farmington sports events in order to spark excitement in the crowd.
In addition to its strong academic tradition, North Farmington is also noted for its strong theater, music, art, and athletic programs. It also has a high level of alumni and community involvement, with fund raising efforts leading to the construction "Raider Plaza" at the athletic field, Holland Field. In addition to its two artificial turf fields and parquet gym floor, the school also features a performing arts wing, completed in 1999, that houses the Farmington Public Schools district television station, TV-10.
On September 8, 2008, the school was host to a campaign stop by Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. He spoke to a crowd of area voters in the school's gym. During the town hall meeting, Mr. Obama announced to the audience that the 2009 Michigan Principal of the Year award was being awarded to then NFHS principal Richard Jones.
Another notable point of interest: the 37th District Court (Farmington's judicial authority)is held once a year in the school's gym.
Towards the end of the 2010-2011 school year, the building itself was renamed the "Richard B. Jones Academic Center", in honor of the outgoing principal, so that the organization North Farmington High School is at the Richard B. Jones Academic Center. The west wing (fine arts wing) of the school was named the "Dean and Sue Cobb Center for the Performing Arts" for Dean and Sue Cobb, North's directors of plays and musicals, who left the same year.
Read more about this topic: North Farmington High School
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