Bentley High School (Livonia, Michigan)
| Bentley High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
|
15100 Hubbard Street Livonia, Michigan 48154 United States |
|
| Coordinates | 42°23′37″N 83°21′39″W / 42.39361°N 83.36083°WCoordinates: 42°23′37″N 83°21′39″W / 42.39361°N 83.36083°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Opened | September 1947 |
| Closed | June 1985 |
| School district | Livonia Public Schools |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Color(s) | Dark Green and White |
| Athletics conference | Suburban Six (1951-1971) Suburban Eight (1971-1982) Western Lakes Activities Association (1982-1985) |
| Team name | Bulldogs |
| Newspaper |
Echo (through 1976–77 school year) Bulldog Edition (1977–1985) |
| Yearbook | Pioneer |
| Accreditation | North Central Association |
George N. Bentley Senior High School, also referred to as Bentley High School, was a public high school in the city of Livonia, Michigan, a western suburb of Detroit. The first public high school in the Livonia Public Schools district, it was open from September 1947 through June 1985. The school's first graduating class in June 1950 had 95 students. The school closed because of low enrollment.
Before the school was built, high school students in the district attended either Redford Union High School in Redford Township or Plymouth High School in nearby Plymouth. Because the city was growing, the decision was made in 1945 to build a high school in the city. Most in the community wanted to call the school Livonia High School, but it was eventually named after George N. Bentley, a former student at Elm Elementary School in the district and a school board member at the time of the school's groundbreaking in 1946. The original two-story building also housed seventh and eighth graders during the first few years of operation. As the population of Livonia grew during the 1950s, the school required expansion. During the 1950s, two wings, a gymnasium, auto shop area, pool, auditorium and multi-purpose room were added to the school.
Because of continued growth in the district (approximately 2,500 students per year district-wide), ground was broken for a second high school named Franklin High School, which opened in the 1962-63 school year. During the 1961–62 school year, over 600 Franklin High School sophomores shared Bentley High School with the school operating on a dual schedule: Franklin teachers and students began classes later than the Bentley students. During the 1960s, the school underwent additional expansion as another wing, a library, addition to the cafeteria, music rooms, and home economics classrooms were added.
In the later part of the sixties Bentley also shared a late schedule with the 1st graduating class of Adlai E. Stevenson High School while it was being built.
The 1970s started with strong and steady enrollment, peaking during the 1974–75 school year (the school district itself actually peaked in enrollment during the 1970–71 school year). As the decade progressed and the Detroit economy experienced a downturn, the school and district were losing students rapidly. By the early 1980s the district had lost 51% of its peak enrollment. A freshman class was added to Bentley High School for the 1979–80 school year, the first ninth grade class in over 20 years.
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