TIMELINE

1967 Huron High School scheduled to open.
1968-69 "Pioneer" students attend Ann Arbor High School in the morning, "Huron" students attended in the afternoon. Huron (the campus) opened in 1969. Originally, classes were held at Ann Arbor High School (now known as Pioneer High).
Fall 1969 Huron High School opened.

1970 Huron wins its first state championships in swimming and cross country.
1973  Student Council members voted themselves out of the office because they felt that they held no power with the administration.

April 1982 Peer facilitation program began.

April 1988 Ann Arbor Board of Education passed a $31 -million renovation and construction program. The Student Advocate School Board (SASB) convinced the school board to adopt a renovation plan without enclosing the arch.

1988-1991 Renovations included alterations to Huron structure. Since the 1970's, the library and lunchrooms have been enlarged and science and math wings have been added. Extensions of the science wing (5200), the band room (7124), the math department (6100, 6200), the athletic wing including the new pool and gym (1000s) .The athletic department and the dome gym were constructed.

1992 Split lunch rule instated

May 12, 1993 The auditorium dedicated to Paul K. Meyers.

1995 New additions - The Sports team facilities were improved by the 1995 additions of the new pool, a track and football stadium.

1997 The football stadium was lighted for evening games.

2004 Artificial turf replaced grass in the Stadium.

2004 Exterior Signage (“Riverbank Stadium” and “Home of the River Rats” signs) added to Press Box and additional signage to Concession Stands.

2006  Over the summer the road under the ARCH was closed and the area resurfaced with concrete.  An extensive patio area, pavered pathways and landscaping which included several trees and plantings were added. 

SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

Dr. Arthur Williams (1994-present) has been the principal of Huron since 1994. So far in his term, he has been a strong advocate for reforms, such as block scheduling and the formation of new clubs which show the growing diversity at Huron, in the school to create a new and more contemporary learning atmosphere.

Note: During transitions between principals, Interim Principals Al Gallup and Jane Johnson temporarily filled the position.

Joetta Mial (1987-1993) became the principal of Huron High School in 1987 after serving as administrator, counselor, and class principal for several years. She helped create the "Senior Lounge", which is no present, among other things for her 1982 class. She left in 1993 and Jane Johnson served as Interim Principal.

Ronald Tesch (1979-1986) attended Northern Illinois University and the University of Illinois before coming to Ann Arbor. In his first year as principal, he stated that his goal was to revive and enhance the cooperation and communication between the school faculty and student body. He enjoyed the Huron atmosphere and said, "We have opportunities here at Huron that almost no other high school in Michigan has." He left Huron in 1986.

Paul K. Meyers (1969-1979) graduated from Harvard University and University of Michigan before becoming a chemistry teacher in the Ann Arbor Public Schools in 1949. During the 1967-68 school year, he involved himself in the planning of Huron High School and became its first principal in 1968. He served as principal for 11 years before resigning for medical reasons in 1979.

Early Huron Mascot

MASCOT

During 1967-68, a new Ann Arbor High School was being constructed and there was a problem. The school that was to be Huron did not yet have a mascot.

Before the school even opened, Ann Arbor High students who were not going to be relocated to Huron came up with the nickname "River Rat". They used the name as a joke to refer to their newly rivaled classmates who would attend a school built on the Huron River and near an old medical waste site. But the Huron students turned the joke around, and they, too began referring to themselves with pride as River Rats.

Administration felt differently about their issue of the River Rat. Huron's first principal, Paul Meyers, had an especially strong dislike of rats after bad experiences with them as captain overseas during World War II. So the nickname was ignored for the most part, and when Huron's construction finally completed, "River Rat" did not appear to be in the running as mascot.

When Huron was opened in 1969, its mascot was intended to be the Huron. However, this mascot did not draw much enthusiasm or support from the students, and shortly after its opening, Huron had a write-in student ballot to determine a few choices for a possible alternative. Several of the more popular choices, including the Highlanders, the Hawks and the Indians, were put on a ballot during the student elections that year. The River Rat never made it to that ballot.

However, none of the listed mascots could muster up fifty percent of the votes and student kept writing in "River Rat" instead of selecting a given choice on the ballot. Huron went several years without a mascot, during which time local newspapers started referring to Huron sports teams by the old nickname. Baseball players became Bat Rats and wrestlers became Mat Rats.It was the media that validated the name River Rats.

Over time, the name eventually stuck and became ingrained in Huron's history.