Dates in Royal Oak Schools History
Did you know that Kimball High School was built in 1957 at a cost of $4.5 million dolars?
In 2006 dollars that would be around $32.25 million dollars.
Did you know that Kimball High School was built in 1957 at a cost of $4.5 million dolars?
In 2006 dollars that would be around $32.25 million dollars.
1824 School District No. 1 -- Parker stood at Thirteen Mile & Woodward
1824 School District No. 5 was named Williams School. It was located on the corner of Thirteen Mile and Rochester
(where Mary Lyons School was located)
1830 Royal Oak becomes a township
1834 First school teacher, Harriet Castle, hired at $1.50 a month to teach at Parker School
1837 Michigan becomes the 26th state of the USA
Before 1850 The first school in Royal Oak City was a log building between Fifth and Sixth Streets on Williams. It was
later moved to Main and Third. (Others say that the first school was located at Main & Lincoln)
1854 School Board built a new school to replace the old one in same area. Male teachers paid $40 a term; female
teachers paid $30
1868 Royal Oak built a large two-story wooden schoolhouse on the corner of Williams and Fourth. It housed all
grades. When no longer needed, the building, furnace, foundation, and property was sold to Captain George
Parr for a total price of $1,300.00 in 1902
1891 Royal Oak becomes a village
1900 Royal Oak has a population of 468 residents
1900 Royal Oak High School Class of 1900 has two graduates -- Matilda K. Storz and John Campbell
1902 Royal Oak High School Class of 1902 has two graduates -- Anna Hilzinger and Ray Russell
1902 Union School was a brick building built on the corner of Lincoln and Washington. It housed all grades between
1902-1914
Royal Oak High School Class of 1903 graduates -- Minnie Eseman, Bessie Richards, Rose Stauch and George
Dondero
By 1911 there were 65 high school students. They called it Union School because it "united" all classes in one building.
1911 The Union School had two rooms on the second floor that were used for the high school
1912 A small schoolhouse was added on the corner of Center and Lincoln. This housed the kindergarten on the first
floor and the Superintendent's office on the second floor
1912-13 Royal Oak's first Superintendent, E. J. Lederle, convinced the village to build a high school This first real
high school was located on the northeast corner of Main and University ( 308 N. Main ). Mr. Lederle's high
school later became Clara Barton Junior High School when the new high school was eventually built
1915 The first class was graduated from the new high school
1916 Mary Lyon School was built This was an elementary school at first. In 1953 it became a junior high school. A
cafeteria added in 1952. There were other additions in 1953,1961, and 1965. Closed in 1980 and
demolished in 1982
1918-25 Land was purchased for $3,500 n north side of Thirteen Mile just west of Crooks. A new two-room brick
school was built for $3,200. Shortly after this, the first six-room unit of Edwin A. Starr School was built
1919 Longfellow Elementary School was built. Additions were made in 1930 and 1980
1919 Parker Elementary School was built near 13 Mile and Woodward. Parker was renovated in 1952,1954, and
1965. It closed in the Fall of 2003 and was demolished in 2005
1919 Starr elememtary was built also to meet the need of more elementary students. Starr was updated a number of
times starting in 1952, 1954,1962, and 1980.
1920s The high school (later Clara Barton) and the Union School were the only two schools in the village.
1920 First issue of "The Oak" has 132 pages and sells for $1.50
1920 The population of Royal Oak is 6,007 residents
1921 Royal Oak becomes a city
1922 Royal Oak High School PTSA forms at school on Main Street; open house draws more than 1200 visitors
1922 Whittier School was built. Updates and additions took place in 1945 and 1977
1923 Northwood School was built Northwood was enlarged and renovated in 1941 and 1977
1924 U.S. Grant Elementary School was built. Renovated in 1952 and closed in 1980
1924 Oakland Elementary School was built. Updated in 1928,1950,1953, and 1977
1924 Washington Elementary School opened. It was renovated in 1947 and closed for good in 1975
1923-24 Royal Oak High School (Clara Barton) was bursting at the seams. Both junior and senior high shared the
school, making full use of every room, including the auditorium and stage
1925 Only 50 seniors graduated this year. Two years before there were 150 students in the class. The curriculum
was geared toward the college bound students in those days, which might explain the large dropout. All
cherished assemblies and picnics. Picnics were held at Lake Orion and the amusement park. Girls Lit
Dances gave the girls a chance to invite that special boy. The boys sweat it out hoping for an invite, or not,
depending on who it was. Musical Events found the choirs rehearsing in a wooden building on the north side of
the school and performing at the Baldwin Theater. Washington trips for seniors were fun filled and hectic. They
traveled by rail stopping in places like Gettysburg, Harper's Ferry, Monongahela Valley, and of course,
Washington, DC
1926 Election held to pass bond to build a new high school
1927 Royal Oak High School Class of 1927 -- 62 graduates before the new high school went into use. The school
day is extended from six hours to eight and 1/2 hours
1927 January -- 13,000 cubic yards of earth were removed and 750,000 bricks were laid, 40,000 feet of lumber and
70 tons of steel supported the new school. It was built to house over 1,800 pupils. Franklin Elementary School
is built. Additions were made in 1953 and 1978. The school closed in 2003
1928 The new Royal Oak High School opens on Washington at Willis with Henry Ponitz as principal
1934 The painting of the (3) murals begins at Royal Oak High School. The murals were part of a Works Progress
Administration's Federal Art Project (WPA) to provide jobs to thousands of artists. Two murals were painted
by Andrew Maglia and one by Bronislaus Makielski. Students from the high school helped with the work. One
student, Evelyn Glass Curtz, posed for one of the figures used in the murals
1939 Royal Oak Schools has nine elementary schools, two junior high schools and one senior high school
1946 6463 children were enrolled in the Royal Oak Schools. There were 318 non-resident students, grades 10-12
totaled 1732 students, Kindergarten alone had 1912
1949 Lockman School is built with renovations in 1952. 1954, and 1997. Lockman became part of Keller in 1998
1950 The population of Royal Oak is 46,898 residents
1951 Oak Ridge Elementary School was added with updates taking place in 1953, 1962, and 1978
1951 Upton School was built with additions taking place in 1952
1952 Jane Addams started as an elementary school. Almost immediately construction was started at one end to
house a junior high. In 1953 it housed the elementary school at one end and the junior high at the other.
Renovation took place in 1961. In 1998 the elementary school end was closed to accommodate the middle
school concept
1953 Lincoln Elementary was built and updated in 1954. Lincoln becomes the Early Childhood Center in 1998
1954 Mark Twain was built and underwent additions in 1954 and 1961
1955 July -- ROHS is renamed George A. Dondero High School
1955 The average home in Royal Oak was assessed at $3,000
1957 Jefferson Elementary School opens - additions take place in 1967 and 1977. Jefferson closes in 1981
1957 Clarence Kimball Senior High is built to help ease the growing need for another high school
1957 Royal Oak High School is re-named Royal Oak George A. Dondero High School - Thus, both high schools are
named after noted men in the community. Dondero undergoes various additions and renovations in 1962,
1977-79
1959 Emerson Elementary opens. Later, Emerson becomes the Board of Education office in 1983
1961 Helen Keller Elementary School opens. It undergoes renovations in 1997 and becomes a Middle School in
1998
1963 Last of new building of schools takes place with the building of Churchill Elementary
1964 Churchill Elementary opens.
1967 An addition was added
1977-79 Renovations were made to make it into a junior high
1980-81 Churchill becomes a Junior High only
1998 Churchill became the Community Educational Center
1998 Royal Oak Schools include 18 elementary schools (Addams Elementary, Churchill, Emerson, Franklin, Grant,
Jefferson, Lincoln, Lockman, Longfellow, Northwood, Oak Ridge, Oakland, Parker, Starr, Twain, Upton,
Washington, and Whittier), 4 junior high schools (Addams, Barton, Keller, Lyons) and 2 senior high schools
(Dondero and Kimball). They service over 18,000 pupils
1970 Royal Oak reaches the height of its population at 86,238 resident
1979 Clara Barton is demolished in December of this year
1997 Keller has renovations and the following year (1998) opens as a middle school
1998 Lockman School becomes part of Keller and a Middle School in 1997
1998 Royal Oak census figures report a population of 60,062 residents
2000 Kimball undergoes extensive renovations in order to accommodate students from Dondero High School as
well as Kimball
2006 Kimball becomes Royal Oak High School once again. Royal Oak High School (Ravens) has a total of nearly
1800 students. Dondero High School is closed to undergo extensive renovations before opening in 07 as
Royal Oak Middle School