Ottawa Hills High School (Michigan)

Ottawa Hills High School is a high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ottawa Hills is one of five high schools of the Grand Rapids Public Schools. The school colors are orange and black, and the athletic teams are referred to as the Bengals. They were previously referred to as the Indians.

On April 30, 1923 the Grand Rapids Board of Education voted to purchase two city blocks, about 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land, between Alexander Road and Iroquois and Cadillac Drives in Grand Rapids for $28,000. The original location for Ottawa Hills High School was to be built on this land, which was in the center of the new Ottawa Hills neighborhood being built on the former site of a golf course; the name was stipulated in the deed to the property. The original address of the school was 1900 Iroquois Drive, S.E., Grand Rapids.

The building was started in 1924 and was finished the next spring. To carry out the Indian theme suggested by the name of the school, designs taken from Indian pottery, blankets, and rugs were used in a border about the main entrance, and directly above the door was an Indian head, which was later adopted as the symbol of the school.

In September 1925, the doors of Ottawa Hills High School opened to about 650 students and thirty teachers under the direction of the first principal, Henry D. MacNaughton. Many of the teachers came from Strong Junior High School, where they had taught with Mr. MacNaughton. The Students came primarily from Central and South High Schools. Grades 7-1 to 10-2 were included.

In 1931 the elementary wing was added to the building, two floors being used by the elementary grades, and a third floor by the high school. In 1939–40 the high school enrollment had reached 1,801, and the crowding increased as the elementary grades took over some of the rooms on the third floor. The congestion continued until 1953, when Mulick Park Elementary School opened, and the Ottawa Hills High School regained some of the much needed space.

In 1972 Ottawa Hills High School moved to its current location at 2055 Rosewood Avenue, S.E., site of the former Ridgeview Junior High School.

Ottawa Hills High School was first accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) in 1926–27, and along with Grand Rapids Creston High School was the seventh high school in Kent County to receive that accreditation. Some students believe that the school mascot should be the Black Widow.

Since 1992, students in the Ottawa Hills Tech Prep program have participated in the Tour de Sol (solar car), the Solar Splash competition (solar boat), and the US FIRST Robotics competition, often competing against colleges and universities from across the country. The list below details some of the Tech Prep program's accomplishments:

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