Roscommon Area Public School District, previously known as the Gerrish-Higgins School District[4] is a public school district in Northern Michigan. In Roscommon County, it serves Roscommon, St. Helen, and the townships of Au Sable, Gerrish, Higgins, Lyon, and Richfield.[5] In Crawford County, it serves South Branch Township and parts of Beaver Creek Township.[6]
| Roscommon Area Public Schools | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
299H West Sunset Drive[1]
, Roscommon County, Michigan, 48653United States | |
| District information | |
| Motto | Inspire. Develop. Educate. Achieve.[1] |
| Grades | PreKindergarten–12[2] |
| Superintendent | Catherine Erickson[3] |
| Schools | 3[2] |
| Budget | $13,132,000 2021-2022 expenditures[2] |
| NCES District ID | 2615830[2] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 791 (2024-2025)[2] |
| Teachers | 52.21 (on an FTE basis) (2024-2025)[2] |
| Staff | 125.93 FTE (2024-2025)[2] |
| Student–teacher ratio | 15.15 (2024-2025)[2] |
| District mascot | Bucks[1] |
| Other information | |
| Website | roscommonareapsmi |
History
editSchool districts in Gerrish and Higgins Townships merged in 1930 to form Gerrish-Higgins school district. The consolidated district had the tax base to build a modern school in downtown Roscommon. Voters approved a bond issue to construct the school on June 1, 1930 and construction began that August.[7]
The school was completed in 1931 and received additions in 1950, 1960, and 1962. It was ultimately the district's middle school before being sold in 1992.[8][9]
As Roscommon High School was under construction, on February 17, 1973, a caravan of union activists went on a vandalism spree at construction sites in the area that were allegedly using non-union labor. At the high school site, construction equipment, trailers, and fuel tanks were destroyed. Five of the roughly forty men were arrested, and their conviction was upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court after the men claimed guilt by association.[10][11] When the school opened in 1974, its name was officially changed from Gerrish-Higgins High School to Roscommon High School.[12]
Enrollment grew rapidly in the late 1980s, and the middle school became overcrowded. In September 1989, voters rejected a bond issue to fund construction of a new middle school.[13] Voters rejected the new middle school two more times before approving it in December 1991, as well as additions to St. Helen Elementary.[14] The middle school opened in 1993.[9] The architect was Donald E. Morgridge of Gaylord.[15] St. Helen Elementary was sold to a charter school in 2012.[16]
Schools
editSchools in the district share a campus southwest of Roscommon.[1]
| School | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roscommon High School | 10600 Oakwood, Roscommon | Grades 8–12. Built 1974.[12] |
| Roscommon Middle School | 299 West Sunset Drive, Roscommon | Grades 5-7. Opened fall 1993.[17] |
| Roscommon Elementary | 175 West Sunset Drive, Roscommon | Grades PreK-4. |
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 Roscommon Area Public Schools. "Roscommon Area Public Schools". Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Roscommon Area Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
- ↑ Roscommon Area Public Schools. "Staff". Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Roscommon Area' to be adopted as new name for G-H schools - Houghton Lake Resorter". Houghton Lake Resorter -. 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ↑ Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Roscommon County School Districts (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Crawford County School Districts (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Heads Roscommon united schools". Detroit Free Press. August 10, 1930. p. 5.
- ↑ Gilchrist, Tom (July 3, 1992). "Middle school at heart of controversy". Bay City Times (Bay City, Mich.). p. 6B.
- 1 2 Gibbs, Cindy (June 21, 1993). "School could become detention center". Bay City Times (Bay City, Mich.). p. 3C.
- ↑ Associated Press (March 6, 1973). "Construction site violence charged; hearing set". Monroe Evening News (Monroe, Mich.). p. 14A.
- ↑ Associated Press (January 4, 1977). "5 convictions upheld in construction arson". Midland Daily News (Midland, Mich.). p. 4.
- 1 2 "Will name new school after town". Bay City Times (Bay City, Mich.). March 7, 1973. p. 11B.
- ↑ Stark, Richard (March 29, 1990). "Gerrish=Higgins voters to decide middle school bonding proposal". Bay City Times (Bay City, Mich.). p. 3B.
- ↑ Stark, Richard (December 4, 1991). "Gerrish-Higgins' voters OK bond plan on 4th try". Bay City Times (Bay City, Mich.). p. 8B.
- ↑ Bishop, Amy (September 10, 1995). "Schools to ask voters to ease jammed classes". Saginaw News. p. B3.
- ↑ "Charlton Heston Academy board approves purchase agreement for school building". Roscommon County Weekly. May 31, 2012. p. 12.
- ↑ Stark, Richard (December 16, 1991). "Gerrish-Higgins to OK contract". Bay City Times (Bay City, Mich). p. 6B.
External links
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