Iron Mountain High School

Public high school in Iron Mountain, Michigan, United States

Iron Mountain High School

The front of the school in March 2020

Address

300 West B Street

Iron Mountain

Michigan

United States

Coordinates| 45°49′05″N 88°04′13″W﻿ / ﻿45.818185°N 88.070411°W﻿ / 45.818185; -88.070411
Information
Type| Public high school
Motto| The Place to Succeed
Established| 1912 (1912)[2]
School district| Iron Mountain Public Schools
Principal| Amy Ryan
Teaching staff| 13.78 (FTE)[1]
Enrollment| 304 (2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 22.06[1]
Color(s)| Black and Gold
Athletics conference| Western Peninsula Athletic Conference
Nickname| Mountaineers
Website| www.imschools.org www.immountaineers.org

Iron Mountain High School is a public high school located in the city of Iron Mountain, Michigan, United States.

The Iron Mountain Public School District also includes North Elementary, East Elementary, and Central Middle School. As of 2020, both the Central Middle School and East Elementary buildings are not in use. The North Elementary building holds grades EK–4, and the Iron Mountain High School building holds grades 5–12.

## History[edit]

The first school in the Iron Mountain area opened in 1881 on the corner of Brown and Iron Mountain Street, where classes were held from 1881 to 1893.[3] Another one-room school was built sometime between 1882 and 1884 on Fifth Street in Iron Mountain.[3] In 1884, the Central School building was built at 300 West B Street, where the current high school building stands. This building had two stories with eight rooms and housed all grades, and whose first graduating class of three students graduated in 1889.[4][3] Subsequent public schools built in Iron Mountain before Iron Mountain High School were Chapin School in 1889, Ludington School in 1891, Hulst School in 1892, Lincoln School in 1896, Farragut School in 1899, and Washington School in 1900.[4]

Sketch of the proposed Iron Mountain High School building published in the Iron Mountain Press May 11, 1911

Once it was decided that a new building needed to be constructed to accommodate the expanding population of the Iron Mountain area, the Central School building was relocated 2 blocks north.[5] The Iron Mountain High School building was proposed in 1911 by architects Charlton & Kuenzli, and was built between 1911 and 1912. The building was opened in 1912 and classes began that same year.[6] In 1914, Iron Mountain High School was one of eight different school buildings in the Iron Mountain area.[7] From then on schools in Iron Mountain would continue to close their doors.

In 1937, classes stopped being held at the Central School and the building was razed to make way for a new Iron Mountain Junior High School.[3]: 58 Later renamed Central Middle School, this building would house classes for junior high school students in the Iron Mountain Public School District. This building, completed in 1938, was a project under the Public Works Administration. The Public Works Administration supplied an $89,860 grant for the project, whose total cost was $201,387.[8]

An addition was built alongside the Central Middle School building in 1994, which included five classrooms, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, and locker rooms.[9] Eventually, the Central Middle School building held classes for K-8 students, but in 2014, plans to sell or demolish the Central Middle School building were discussed as the classes once taught here were transferred to the Iron Mountain High School building. Beginning in 2015, the Iron Mountain High School building holds all grade 5-12 students in the Iron Mountain Public School District, while the North Elementary building, located on the north side of Iron Mountain, holds grades EK-4.[10]

Postcard depicting "The New High School," 1910s

## Demographics[edit]

2019-2020[1]

Enrollment by Grade  | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

|
|
|
|

Students | 66 | 73 | 63 | 71
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity  | American Indian/Alaska Native | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races

|
|
|
|
|
|
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Students | 0 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 238 | 13

## Athletics[edit]

In 2017, the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference accepted Iron Mountain, among four other schools, to transfer from the Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference in all sports.[11] This transfer ended the 93-year football rivalry between Iron Mountain and neighboring school Kingsford High School.[12]

In 2019, the Iron Mountain Mountaineers boys' basketball team made statewide news when a controversial call in the final seconds of the Division 3 state championship decided the final outcome, with Iron Mountain losing 53-52.[13]

Sport | Number of championships | Year

|
|

Basketball  | 3[14][15] | 1928, 1933, 1939
Bowling  | 1[16] | 2009
Cross Country  | 3[17] | 1937, 1938, 1987
Football  | 2[18] | 1993, 2000
Boys Golf  | 10[19] | 1950, 1951, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1983, 1987, 1999, 2005
Girls Golf  | 5[20] | 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2016
Gymnastics  | 1[21] | 1973
Boys Tennis  | 23[22] | 1949, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2015
Girls Tennis  | 14[23] | 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 2001, 2008, 2010
Boys Track & Field  | 5[24] | 1981, 1983, 1987, 1989, 2000
Girls Track & Field  | 1[25] | 2004
Volleyball  | 1[26] | 1994
Wrestling  | 5[27] | 1967, 1970, 1972, 1982, 1983

## Notable alumni[edit]

### Tom Izzo and Steve Mariucci[edit]

Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo and sportscaster and former football coach Steve Mariucci went to school together and graduated from Iron Mountain High School in the 1970s. On Iron Mountain High School's campus stands the Izzo-Mariucci Center, which houses the gym, offices, and rooms for classes.

### Other notable alumni[edit]

* John Biolo: Member of the 1939 Championship Packers Team[28]
* Bob Landsee: Former Philadelphia Eagles player and Arena Football League coach
* Paul Feldhausen: Member of the 1968 Boston Patriots team[29]
* Frosty Ferzacca: Head coach of many Michigan college football teams
* John Hubley: Pioneer and innovator in the American animation industry
* Omer LaJeunesse: College football player and head coach

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Iron Mountain High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
2. ^ Cummings, William J (2012). "Early School Days in Dickinson County, Michigan - Part 2".
3. ^ a b c d Dulan, Mary Loise; Cummings, William John (1978). Born From Iron: Iron Mountain, Michigan, 1879-1979. Iron Mountain Centennial Committee. p. 54\. ISBN 0878333126.
4. ^ a b "Iron Mountain's first school was a single-room arrangement" (PDF). The Daily News. Iron Mountain. 1 July 1976. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
5. ^ "The Iron Mountain News" (PDF). Iron Mountain. 25 May 1911. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
6. ^ Robert O. Christensen (November 2012), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Iron Mountain Central Historic District, MI SHPO
7. ^ "School Attendance" (PDF). Iron Mountain Press. Iron Mountain. 17 September 1914. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
8. ^ "Junior High School - Iron Mountain MI". The Living New Deal. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
9. ^ Niemi, Adam "IM School officials explore selling Central School building", 30 October 2014. Retrieved on 17 March 2020.
10. ^ Linda Lobeck "IM moving fourth, fifth grades", The Daily News, 12 March 2015. Retrieved on 14 March 2020.
11. ^ Ludlum, Mike. "Big changes coming to a UP high school conference", 19 October 2017. Retrieved on 15 March 2020.
12. ^ Niemi, Adam "Kingsford, IM football rivalry to end", 19 November 2017. Retrieved on 15 March 2020.
13. ^ Nothaft, Patrick (17 March 2019). "Iron Mountain coach angered after controversial end to D3 final". mlive.com. Advance Local. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
14. ^ "Yearly Champions | Boys Basketball | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
15. ^ Angeli, Burt. "Eighty years later, IM eyes another state championship ", 16 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
16. ^ Team Champions | Boys Bowling | MHSAA Sports
17. ^ Team Champions | Boys Cross Country | MHSAA Sports
18. ^ "Yearly Champions | Boys Football | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
19. ^ Team Champions | Boys Golf | MHSAA Sports
20. ^ Team Champions | Girls Golf | MHSAA Sports
21. ^ Team Champions | Girls Gymnastics | MHSAA Sports
22. ^ Team Champions | Boys Tennis | MHSAA Sports
23. ^ Team Champions | Girls Tennis | MHSAA Sports
24. ^ Team Champions | Boys Track & Field | MHSAA Sports
25. ^ Team Champions | Girls Track & Field | MHSAA Sports
26. ^ "Yearly Champions | Girls Vollyball | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2015-05-16. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
27. ^ Team Champions | Wrestling | MHSAA Sports
28. ^ "John Biolo Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
29. ^ "Paul Feldhausen" https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FeldPa20.htm#. retrieved 28 March 2020.

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* NCES

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