Cass Technical High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cass Technical High School is a high school in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of three public high schools in Detroit for which middle school students must take an exam in order to earn admission into the school (the other two being Detroit Renaissance High School and Martin Luther King Jr. High School). Originally founded as an institution for young men to learn woodworking and metal trades, it enjoyed a close relationship with the Detroit auto industry for many years. Today, students have a choice of about a dozen curricula to choose from when they enter the school, including Architecture, Business, Graphic Arts, Music, Human Services, Performing Arts, Science and Arts, and Environmental Sciences. There are also many extra-curricular activities to take part in such as JROTC, Choir, Marching Band, Majorettes, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Chess, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Tennis, Softball, and Swimming.
During the 2005-2006 school year, Cass Tech students were moved to a new building just next door to the old building. There was a considerable amount of controversy surrounding the move into the new building because of the uncertainty about the future of the old building, which is considered an historical landmark. Also, a huge amount of money was spent on construction of the football field behind the new building but because of construction errors, the football team does not use the field. After the move, the school has often been informally referred to as the "New Cass Tech." The Second Best In DPS!
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[edit] Notable alumni
- Geri Allen - jazz pianist
- Harry Bertoia - artist and designer
- Ellen Burstyn - actress
- Regina Carter - violinist
- Ron Carter - jazz bassist<br
- John DeLorean - automotive engineer
- Carole Gist - Miss USA 1990
- Ella Joyce - actress
- Kwame Kilpatrick - mayor of Detroit, Michigan
- Kenya Moore - Miss USA 1993
- Daniel Okrent- author and editor
- Greg Phillinganes - session keyboardist
- Shaun Robinson - journalist
- Diana Ross - singer
- Lily Tomlin - actress and comedian
- Jack White of The White Stripes
- Thomas E. White - 18th Secretary of the Army
- Mark W. Wilson - radiologist
- Naima Mora- America's Next Top Model 4th Season
- Ella Bully-Cummings - first female police chief of Detroit
- David Alan Grier - comedian
- Delores Ivory Davis - vocalist and actress
- Dr. Michelle Mitcham-Smith- assistant professor, family law mediator
- Benny Napoleon, J.D.-former chief of police, city of Detroit
- Michele L. Simms-Burton, Ph.D.-associate professor, writer
- Paul Chambers- jazz bassist
- Gerald Wilson - jazz trumpeter, arranger and composer
- Alice Coltrane- pianist, organist, widow of John Coltrane
- Ali Jackson - drummer with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
- Tom Kowalski - principle at TMP Architecture
- Ernest Rogers - session saxophonist
- Dana Davidson- author
- Derrick Dial- NBA basketball player
[edit] JROTC Program
In addition to having some of the smartest students in the city of Detroit, Cass Tech is also home to one of the state's best JROTC programs. The Cass Tech Renegades Drill Team has taken home first place trophies on numerous occasions and has represented the midwest region and received honors in the National Drill Team Competition held in Daytona Beach, Florida. The drill team is composed of: a First-Year Color Guard, an Open-Year Color Guard, an Armed Exhibition Team, an Unarmed Exhibition Team, a Female Armed Exhibition Team, an Unarmed Regulation team, and an Armed Regulation Team. The JROTC program has the "Gold Star Insignia" (highest possible) because of its outstanding Formal Inspection performance.
[edit] BAMN
The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrant Rights & Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) is highly active in Cass Tech. Many of the students active in the national student-led civil rights organization are students of Cass Tech. Many Cass Tech students, as part of BAMN have taken part in many activities including trips to Lansing and the University of Michigan in efforts to create a fair an equal environment for present and future generations of students.
[edit] Sports
The Cass Tech girls tennis team has won the PSL( Public School League) for the eleventh year in a row. The football team beat King's football team for the first time in eight years (ten games) at King. The score of the game was 7-6. Even though they succumbed to King earlier in the 2006 season. Because of that win Cass was able to advance to the second round of the playoffs. In the second round they played Denby High School ,but lost. The score was 19-13.
[edit] Trivia
- The school is named in honor of Lewis Cass, an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Michigan Territory from 1813 until 1831.
- The old school building is shown briefly in the movie, Four Brothers.
