Heritage High School serves as Saginaw Township (Michigan) Community Schools' only high school. As of the 2006-07 school year the student body numbered approximately 1700 students with over 100 staff (including six counselors, about 80 teachers and roughly 30 administrative and clerical personnel). It is located on North Center Road in Saginaw Charter Township, MI. Jerry L Seese, EdD, is Superintendent of Saginaw Township Community Schools; Sir Michael Newman is principal of Heritage High School.

History

Heritage was the product of a merger between Douglas MacArthur High School (which now houses White Pine Middle School) and Dwight D. Eisenhower High School (which now houses Heritage) in 1988, after Eisenhower High School was severely damaged in a 1986 arson. Selecting one color from each of its parent schools, Heritage's official colors are Navy Blue and Kelly Green. Its nickname is "Hawks."

Academics

Heritage has offered numerous Advanced Placement courses, and beginning with the 2006-2007 school year the school has participates in the International Baccalaureate program, which has begun to interfere with student scheduling because the administration focuses the course guide based on this program that less than 1% of students participate in.

Heritage also has an Academic Quiz Bowl team where students compete in local tournaments and then advance onto state tournaments. The Quiz bowl team of 2006-2007 was undefeated in the local Kiwanis tournament and also advanced to the Michigan State Quiz Bowl tournament.

Besides the Quiz Bowl team, Heritage also participates in the local Science Olympiad.

In addition to the successful Quiz Bowl team, Heritage also had a newly-formed Destination Imagination

Destination ImagiNation

Destination ImagiNation Inc. or DI is a creative problem solving organization for youth and adults. Destination ImagiNation's educational goals are to foster creative and critical thinking, to develop teamwork, collaboration and leadership skills, and to nurture research and inquiry skills...

 team, which managed to win first place at the regional tournament and advanced to the state competition at Central Michigan University.

Athletics

Heritage's football team competes in the Saginaw Valley League

Saginaw Valley League

The Saginaw Valley High School Association is a high school sports league within the Michigan High School Athletic Association , located in the Saginaw/Flint, Michigan area...

, going 9-0 in regular season play in 2006-2007. The team is directed by Hall of Fame Coach Bruce Bendix and plays its home games at Larsen Field named in honor of former principal Allan Larsen.

HHS athletic teams include football, Marching band/winterguard and percussion, cross-country, soccer, golf, basketball, pompon, swimming, tennis, cheerleading, hockey, skiing, wrestling, bowling, volleyball, baseball, softball, tennis, and track. Furthermore, a lacrosse club was instituted in the spring of 2008.

The varsity wrestling team "three-peated" for District champions in the 2008,2009,and 2010 seasons. They also went undefeated in the SVL league in the 2010-2011 season.

The men's varsity cross country team "three-peated" as SVL, Saginaw County, and Regional champions through the 2007-2009 seasons. The team placed 7th at the state meet in Division 1 competition in 2007, was the state runner up in 2008, and placed 6th in 2009.

The Hawks have won state championships in men's track, women's soccer, women's basketball, and pom pon. In 2002-03, Heritage was honored as an "Exemplary Athletic Program" by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators' Association. Mr. Peter Ryan is the Director of Athletics for the Saginaw Township Community Schools; Mr. James Noble, Heritage Athletic Director.

The boys ice hockey team has reached the state semi finals in 2004 and 2009

The boys soccer team reached the State Class A Finals in 1991, playing to a 2 - 1 overtime loss to Class A powerhouse Livonia Stevenson.

The men's swim team of 1988-1989 was the first team to have a perfect season. The "Aqua-Hawks" won their first, and only, Saginaw Valley League Championship in 2002. This performance was dedicated to Mary Dudek, a member of the women's swim team who died the morning of the preliminary events.

Homecoming

Heritage homecoming is a huge event for Saginaw Township. It begins at school with a spirit week to get every one excited for the Homecoming Football game. Then there is a parade down Shattuck Road. It is a time of fun and excitement in Saginaw. Past Homecoming Kings and Queens include:

• 1988 - Wendy Iamurri (no king this year)
• 1991 - Louis Hooker and Jodi Schmidt
• 1993 - Brandon Karas and Karie Finnin
• 1994 - Christopher Sligh and Kristy Kelly
• 2002 - Mike McFadden and Stephanie Partlow
• 2003 - John Bonham and Katrina Grantham
• 2005 - Kamo Jurn and Paris Harvey
• 2006 - Trenten Rocha and Gabriela Gibson
• 2007 - Jérémie René and Ubah Ali
• 2008 - Alex Mixter and Kierstin Nall
• 2009 - Adam Watkins and Nichole Conley
• 2010 - Jared Scott and Lilly Bonham
• 2011 - Marquis Evans and Madison Meter

Class Competition

Class competition is probably the most important tradition to Heritage students. Each year, the Senior Class Council selects a mascot (typically a character from a cartoon or children's literature) for the incoming freshman class.
Class mascots include:

• Class of 1989 - Pee Wee's Pals
• Class of 1990 - Popeye's People
• Class of 1991 - Flintstone's Friends
• Class of 1992 - Alf's Aliens  The first class to win the class trip as Juniors and Seniors.
• Class of 1993 - Batman
  Batman
  Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
  
  's Buddies
• Class Of 1994 - Bart's Brats
• Class of 1995 - Cookie Monster
  Cookie Monster
  Cookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
  
  's Clan. The second 2 year winner of the class trip awarded to the class competition winner.
• Class of 1996 - Gonzo
  Gonzo (Muppet)
  Gonzo the Great is a puppet character, one of Jim Henson's Muppets. He was developed and performed by Dave Goelz. The character made his first appearance in a 1970 Christmas special entitled "The Great Santa Claus Switch". Known as a "Whatever" , he is considered one of The Frackles...
  
  's Gang, with teal as the class color.
• Class of 1997 - Barney
  Barney Rubble
  Bernard "Barney" Rubble is the deuteragonist of the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
  
  's Bunch (Originally the class mascot was intended to be Barney from Barney & Friends
  Barney & Friends
  Barney and Friends, also referred to by HiT Entertainment as Barney the Friendly Dinosaur, is an independent children's television show produced in the United States, aimed at children from ages 1-8...
  
   but due to the non-specific nature of the mascot being assigned as "Barney" (as defined by the Senior class of '94) the class of '97 'modified' their Barney mascot to Mr. Rubble from The Flintstones
  The Flintstones
  The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
  
  . The change was a topic of heated debate between the classes at the time).
• Class of 1998 - Waldo's Wonders. Class color was gray.
• Class of 1999 - Power Rangers
  Power Rangers
  Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
  
   (Specific 'Ranger' used varied, though usually it was either the original pink pterodactyl ranger, Red Tyrannosaurus
  Tyrannosaurus
  Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
  
  ranger or some non-canonical zeo-like version (as seen printed on the HHS 10-year anniversary shirt) usually modified to be purple matching the class's designated class color).
• Class of 2000 - Big Bird
  Big Bird
  Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
  
  's Babies
• Class of 2001 - Kermit
  Kermit the Frog
  Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
  
  's Kids
• Class of 2002 - Rainbow Brite
  Rainbow Brite
  Rainbow Brite was a character franchise introduced by Hallmark Cards in 1983, with the animated television series starting the following year....
  
  's Brigade
• Class of 2003 - Sebastian
  Sebastian
  Saint Sebastian was a Christian saint and martyr, who is said to have been killed during the Roman emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. He is commonly depicted in art and literature tied to a post and shot with arrows...
  
  's Shrimps (The 3rd class to win back to back class competitions)
• Class of 2004 - Tigger
  Tigger
  Tigger is a fictional tiger-like character originally introduced in A. A. Milne's book The House at Pooh Corner. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals...
  
  's Tikes
• Class of 2005 - Hulk
  Hulk (comics)
  The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
  
  's Heroes
• Class of 2006 - Skeeter's Squeakers
• Class of 2007 - Clifford
  Clifford the Big Red Dog
  Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series first published in 1963. Written by Norman Bridwell, the series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company....
  
  's Club - The fourth class to win 2 class competitions, Class Color: Red
• Class of 2008 - Sylvester
  Sylvester (Looney Tunes)
  Sylvester J. Pussycat, Sr., Sylvester the Cat or simply Sylvester, is a fictional character, a three-time Academy Award-winning anthropomorphic Tuxedo cat in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies repertory, often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper...
  
  's SuperSquad, Class Color: Black
• Class of 2009 - Oompa-Loompa Troop, Class Color: Orange
• Class of 2010 - Franklin
  Franklin (TV series)
  Franklin is a Canadian animated television series, based on the Franklin the Turtle books by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois. The television series was named after its main character, Franklin the Turtle...
  
  's Fanatics, Class Color: Green
• Class of 2011 - Beaker
  Beaker (Muppet)
  Beaker is a Muppet character from The Muppet Show. He is the shy, long-suffering assistant of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and is likewise named for a piece of laboratory equipment, although his shape more closely resembles an Erlenmeyer flask....
  
  's Brainy Bunch, Class Color: Pink
• Class of 2012 - Thoma
  Thomas the Tank Engine
  Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
  
  s' Terrific Team, Class color: Sky Blue
• Class of 2013 - Dino
  Dino (The Flintstones)
  Dino is a fictional character featured in the Hanna-Barbera animated television series The Flintstones, and its TV spinoffs and feature films. He is a pet dinosaur of the series' main characters, Fred and Wilma Flintstone. In the show, he is a metaphorical pet dog, and exhibits the characteristics...
  
  's Dawgs, Class color: Purple
• Class of 2014 - Mr Potato Head
  Mr. Potato Head
  Mr. Potato Head! is an American toy consisting of a plastic model of a potato which can be decorated with a variety of plastic parts that can attach to the main body. These parts usually include ears, eyes, shoes, a hat, a nose, and a mouth. The toy was invented and developed by George Lerner in...
  
  s' Tater Tot Troop, Class color: Brown
• Class of 2015 - Pumbaa's Prancing Pals, Class color: Maroon

Under the banner of their class mascot, the freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors engage in a year-long competition for points. Points can be won through participation in special school-spirit days, winning the monthly bulletin-board contest, and competing head-to-head during events such as the annual Spring Fever day.

The class which has accrued the most points at the end of the year is rewarded with a day-long trip to a class picnic.

Theatre

Each year, the Heritage Players put on a "straight show" in the autumn and a musical in the spring. Examples include:

• A Christmas Carol
  A Christmas Carol
  A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
  
   (2001), dir Ellen Francis
• Big (musical) (2002), dir Ellen Francis
• Heaven Can Wait (2002), dir Ellen Francis
• Guys and Dolls (musical) (2003), dir Ellen Francis
• The Tempest
  The Tempest
  The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
  
   (2003), dir Ellen Francis
• Fiddler on the Roof (musical) (2004), dir Ellen Francis
• Cinderella (musical) (2004), dir Ellen Francis
• Get Smart
  Get Smart
  Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
  
   (2005), dir Ellen Francis
• M*A*S*H (2005), dir Ellen Francis
• Footloose (musical)
  Footloose (musical)
  Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:...
  
   (2006), dir Ellen Francis
• Much Ado About Nothing
  Much Ado About Nothing
  Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
  
   (2006), dir Ellen Francis
• Les Misérables (musical)
  Les Misérables (musical)
  Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
  
   (2007), dir Ellen Francis
• It’s a Wonderful Life (2007), dir Ellen Francis
• Aida (musical)
  Aida (musical)
  Aida is a musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, and produced by Walt Disney Theatrical....
  
   (2008), dir Ellen Francis
• It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
  It was a dark and stormy night
  "It was a dark and stormy night" is an infamous phrase written by Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton at the beginning of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford. The annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest uses the phrase as a signifier of purple prose...
  
   (2008), dir Melanie Galonska
• The Sound of Music
  The Sound of Music
  The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
  
   (2009), dir Melanie Galonska
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1950 and set circa 1940, it is the first-published book of The Chronicles of Narnia and is the best known book of the series. Although it was written and published first, it is second in the series'...
  
   (2009), dir Melanie Galonska
• Bye Bye Birdie (2010), dir Melanie Galonska
• Annie
  Annie (musical)
  Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
  
   (2010), dir Melanie Galonska
• Alice in Wonderland (2011), dir Melanie Galonska

Other Entertainment

Heritage students also produce four other annual shows: Mock Rock, the Culture Show, Mr Heritage, and the talent show. There is also Spring Fever day in the spring.

Mock Rock usually consists of about half a dozen acts, each of which parodies songs, television shows, or other aspects of popular culture. At the end of the event, the audience votes for the winning act by acclamation. The winners of the 2011 Mock Rock was a Glee

Glee (TV series)

Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...

 parody group called Glum headed by Cassidy Morey. People's choice and third place winners were Boys against the world headed by Sam Nuerminger.

The Culture Show comprises mostly musical acts selected and produced by the Heritage Multicultural Club. After the acts have concluded, the audience is invited to the Student Center to engage in a buffet of exotic foods.The first annual culture show took place in 1999.

Mr Heritage is HHS's male beauty pageant. Participants engage in a wide variety of activities, including a talent portion, dancing, and an interview. They are systematically eliminated by a group of staff judges until a winner is crowned "Mr Heritage" for that year.

2007 Mr Heritage: Brent Ebelt

2008 Mr Heritage: Alex Mixter

2009 Mr Heritage: Matt Popielarz

2010 Mr Heritage: Matt Popielarz

2011 Mr Heritage: Ben Rene

The talent show is generally a more serious event than the other annual shows, offering an opportunity for Heritage's student body to showcase its abilities to the community.

Spring Fever is essentially a field day where the classes compete in activities and challenges against the other classes.

Notable alumni

Stuart Schweigert

Stuart Schweigert

Stuart Schweigert is an American football safety for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was drafted in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Schweigert played quarterback and safety for Saginaw Heritage...

, NFL (Detroit Lions)(Oakland Raiders)

Brian Fountain, Philharmonic Orchestra of Minas Gerais

Hank Winchester, News Anchor NBC (WDIV) Detroit, MI

Mike McFadden, AFL (Grand Rapids Rampage) CFL (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) NFL (Tampa Bay Buccaneeres) UIFL (Saginaw Sting)

External links

• Heritage High School
• Heritage High School Alumni Michigan Class Reunion
• Saginaw Township Community Schools