Holt High School (Michigan) - History and Culture

History and Culture

Holt High School was originally located in the current "Junior High", which now contains grades 7 through 8. After the new building was completed, Holt High School was moved to its current location, which enjoys modern luxuries unheard of at the previous location. More space is available, and technology is more widely found. It was during the 2003-2004 school year that these changes took place. The move was controversial in some circles as it drastically increased the District's debt, but because the economy was still mostly going well at the time, such concerns were widely ignored. This has resulted in new problems after the 2010-2011 school year, as the District will probably face a Budget Shortfall.

Compared to many other nearby High Schools, such as those in the neighboring Lansing Community, Holt High School has a far higher standard of safety and education than most Public Schools in Central Michigan, resulting in many "School of Choice" students migrating to the District. Many Parents and Students began to complain about the perpetually crowded situation, but in light of recent economic woes the situation has mostly self-alleviated itself, although this could change in the future.

Holt High School has a wide variety of sports, clubs and activities for students to participate in. The Building is widely known in many areas of Michigan for its "Lore", the result of a School-Sponsored "History Detectives" Club led by School Lunch Lady Aurora Anstett, with the assistance of an assortment of History Teachers. The Club was dedicated to discovering more about the local Holt community, and mostly concerned about rediscovering many of the local legends surrounding the building(s). Holt High School is located in what was formerly a vast countryside, and thus there are many antiquities littered around the area, many of which have been put on display by the club, one example being a large bowl from the 1900 Presidential Election encouraging citizens to "Vote For Toast", satirizing what the Artist perceived, which was that the Election was really nothing more than a shameless popularity contest that deserved no respect. The Bowl, among other items, is no on display Mr. Kutney's room, and received coverage from local News organizations during the time of its discovery. As of 2009, the Club has been disbanded due to a lack of interest among the student body.

During the 2010-2011 school year, a number of changes will occur. School start times will be pushed early by five minutes, and the class schedule will expand from five to six classes so that students can take more electives. This is controversial because some see it as compromising more important classes and it randomizes student's schedules, as they were unable to select classes and teachers like they used to. Certain classes like photography have also been removed, but newer innovative classes like "Michigan Literature", which covers famous poems and stories by writers like Judy Bloome and Bob Shingles, have been added.