Oak Park High School (Michigan) Explained

Oak Park High School
Location:	13701 Oak Park Boulevard Oak Park, Michigan
Country:	United States
Coordinates:	42.4649°N -83.1838°W
District:	Oak Park Schools
Principal:	Carissa Peterson
Faculty:	49.30 (FTE)
Ratio:	20.14
Enrollment:	993 (2022-23)^[1]
Type:	Public high school
Grades:	9 to 12
Motto:	We enter to learn, we leave to achieve
Conference:	Oakland Activities Association^[2]
Mascot:	Oak Park Knights
Colors:	Red, Black and White
Established:	1954
Nobel Laureates:	Paul Milgrom
Homepage:	Oak Park High School website

Year:	2021–22
M-Step Advanced:	≤5 / ≤5
M-Step Proficient:	– / –
M-Step Pr Proficient:	7.6 / 57.6
M-Step Not Proficient:	83.0 / 30.2
Sat Total:	778.2
Sat Total Change:	-27.8
Ref:	^[3]

Oak Park High School is a public high school located in Oak Park, Michigan an inner suburb of Detroit. The school is part of the Oak Park School district. It serves about 1,130 students in grades 9 to 12 from Oak Park and surrounding communities around Detroit.^[4]

In 2010, as a part of the Federal School Improvement Framework, the school was identified by the State of Michigan as one of 92 schools with the lowest achieving, according to performance on Michigan standardized tests. Eligible schools were invited to apply for a grant of up to 6 million dollars over three years to support efforts to raise academic achievement.

Oak Park High School's grant application was awarded $4.2 million. The school was one of 28 schools that were awarded grant funds.

The school colors are red, black, and white. The school mascot is the Oak Park Knights.

Oak Park High School Athletic Hall of Fame

• Oak Park High School (coached by Alvin Delidow) won the Class-A team championship trophy at the 1972 Michigan High School Athletic Association Boys' Track and Field Finals. At those same finals, the 440-yard relay team of Tony Craighead, Henry Staton, Adolph Mongo, and Mike Rollins brought home gold for Oak Park.^{[5] [6]}
• At the 2010 MHSAA Girls' Track and Field Finals, Dissa Swint-Cook won the 200-meter dash; becoming Oak Park High School's first individual state champion in nearly thirty years.^[7]
• At the 1982 MHSAA Girls' Track and Field, Bernard Wells became the first coach to win a team championship. Team captains Michele (Mimi) Morris and VeronCia VC Daffin lead the way to this victory.^[8]
• In 1984, Oak Park won the MHSAA Class-B boys' basketball championship with a 62–54 victory over Saginaw-Buena Vista High School.

Notable alumni

• Jamie Arnold – retired American-Israeli professional basketball player
• Edwin Baker – NFL running back^[9]
• Rayshaun Benny – college football defensive tackle for the Michigan Wolverines^[10]
• Bass Brothers – music producers responsible for helping Eminem start his career.
• Vincent Chin – industrial draftsman and murder victim^[11]
• Marcella Detroit – vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter – Shakespears Sister
• Larry Downes - author
• Doug Fieger – singer-songwriter-musician – The Knack
• Les Gold – founder of American Jewelry and Loan; star of Hardcore Pawn^[12]
• John Kelly – American football running back
• Andrew Lippa – composer
• D'Wan Mathis – college football wide receiver for the Delaware State^[13]
• Paul Milgrom – Nobel Prize-winning economist
• Justin Rogers – college football defensive tackle for the Auburn Tigers^[14]
• Jeffrey Sachs – economist and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.^[15]
• Bruce Seid - Major League Baseball scout and executive^[16]
• Jeffrey Seller – producer, Rent
• Ron Suresha – author and editor
• Don Was – musician, bassist, and record producer – Was (Not Was)^[17]

External links

• Oak Park High School website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Oak Park High School. National Center for Education Statistics. May 23, 2024.
2. News: Oakland Activities Association season preview . . August 28, 2008 . September 6, 2008.
3. Web site: MI School Data Annual Education Report. MI School Data. 2023-01-10.
4. Web site: Oak Park High School . Oak Park Schools. September 6, 2008.
5. Web site: Team Champions | Boys Track & Field | MHSAA Sports.
6. Web site: Individual Champions | Boys Track & Field | MHSAA Sports.
7. Web site: Individual Champions | Girls Track & Field | MHSAA Sports.
8. Web site: Team Champions | Girls Track & Field | MHSAA Sports.
9. News: Cabot. Mary Kay. Cleveland Browns sign Edwin Baker off Texans practice squad, waive quarterback Caleb Hanie. Cleveland Plain Dealer. December 10, 2013.
10. Web site: Zuke . Ryan . Oak Park 4-star DT Rayshaun Benny decommits from MSU, signs with Michigan . MLive.com . 3 February 2021 . 6 October 2024.
11. Book: Chi, Tsung . East Asian Americans and Political Participation . 2005 . ABC-CLIO . 978-1-57607-290-5 . 49 . registration .
12. "All in the Family" Hardcore Pawn, TruTV, August 16, 2011
13. Web site: Garcia . Tony . 2017-09-16 . Versatile 4-star D'Wan Mathis helps lead Oak Park to win over Groves . 2023-07-20 . Michigan Live . en.
14. Web site: McCabe . Mick . How Oak Park's Justin Rogers went from 'garbage' to the No. 1 player in Michigan . Detroit Free Press . 27 September 2019 . 21 February 2024.
15. Book: Munk. Nina. The Idealist. 2013. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. 9780385537742.
16. News: Law. Keith. Brewers official Bruce Seid dies. September 4, 2014. ESPN. September 3, 2014.
17. News: Blitchok. Dustin. Don Was, friends pay diverse tribute to Bob Seger at Concert of Colors. September 4, 2014. Oakland Press. July 13, 2014.