Roseville Community Schools - Roseville, Michigan

HISTORY OF ROSEVILLE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

The following information has been provided by Frank and Ann Spybrook. Frank and Ann are long-time residents of Roseville and members of the Roseville Historical and Genealogical Society. Their interest in the City of Roseville resulted in hours of research to provide the history of the Roseville Schools.

The First Graduating Class
Roseville School District Number 5 graduated its first high school class in 1925. There were nine graduates in the class, which consisted of six girls and three boys. A.A. Neverth was the Superintendent at that time.

In 1917, Roseville's one-room schoolhouse on Eleven Mile Road (Town Hall Road) east of Gratiot Avenue was removed from its site and converted into a private dwelling. A two-story, four-room wooden structure was erected in its place.

In 1922, a bricked addition, which included ten classrooms, administrative offices and a basement gymnasium was constructed. It later became known as Burton School. In 1927, a new gymnasium was completed. It was a 60' x 90' brick structure adjacent to Burton School. It was hailed as one of the finest sporting facilities in Macomb County, it allowed the school district to host district and regional basketball tournaments.

Need for Schools in the 1920s
With the end of World War I in 1918 and the availability of cars, many people became interested in moving to the suburbs. Roseville attracted many newcomers. Between 1922 and 1928, Roseville's total school enrollment was less than 350. By 1928 it was close to 1,000.

In 1925, Lincoln Elementary School was constructed on the corner of Chestnut and Blum. Pierce Elementary School, on Melvin Street, was completed in 1927. The school was named for Michigan's first Superintendent of Education, John D. Pierce.

In 1930, the Village of Roseville's population was 6,836. Just ten years before this time, all of Erin Township's population, which included Roseville, was only 2,791.

Some Nearby School Districts
For years there were other public schools in Erin Township. South of Roseville was Kern Road School District Number 4. Eastland School District Number 6 was established north of Roseville, and north of Eastland was Greater Gratiot School District Number 3. Eventually all or part of these districts were absorbed by Roseville.

1930 to 1950
In the 1930s the Depression in the United States effected Roseville. Many people were off work at different times. Finally, around 1940, it became easier for people to find jobs once again.

Both the village and township offices were moved into the Roseville Municipal Building at Gratiot Avenue and Meier Road in 1928. This left the old Erin Township building at Gratiot and Eleven Mile Road available for meetings and other events. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, it was also used as a government food distribution center. A long time resident remembered his parents obtaining milk and bread at the building.

During World War II, which lasted from 1941 until 1945, Roseville built MacArthur Elementary School in 1943 on Eleven Mile Road near the present I-94 expressway.

In 1945, Roseville had the following public schools: Burton High School, Lincoln Elementary, MacArthur Elementary and Pierce Elementary. Eastland School District had Eastland High School and Eastland Elementary. Greater Gratiot School District had Greater Gratiot Elementary and Kern Road School District had Kern Road Elementary and Washington Elementary.

In 1940, the Village of Roseville's population was 9,023 and in 1950 it grew to 15,816!

Carl Brablec Era, 1947-1970
Carl Brablec became Superintendent of Roseville Community Schools in 1947. He served as Superintendent for 23 years until he retired in 1970. He also was a regent for the University of Michigan for nine years. The Roseville High School Brablec Building, located on Common Road, was named in his honor.

Superintendent Brablec experienced dramatic increases in student enrollment. Many schools were built during the 1950s and 1960s:
1956 - Burton became a junior high school.
1958 - An auditorium and a swimming pool were added to the original Roseville High School on Martin Road. 1962 - Grandmont Elementary School on Grandmont Street was completed.
1963 - Eastland Junior High School on Park Street was finished.
1967 - Brablec High School was established. While Brablec was being constructed at Normal and Common, classes were held at Roseville High School. Both schools' populations were run independently with its own principal and teaching staff until the completion of Brablec High School in 1969. During the 1967-1968 school year, continuing until February 4, 1969, Roseville High School was used as two schools. Roseville High School students used the school in the morning and Brablec students were there in the afternoon.

At the present time, Roseville has one high school. It is the former Brablec High School, which was renamed Roseville High School Brablec Building. When the two junior high schools merged in 1989, the original Roseville High School became Roseville Junior High School.

Retired principals were recognized by naming various facilities on their behalf. Roseville High School Brablec Building contains the John McLeod Auditorium and Curt Winnega Library. Roseville Junior High houses the L.B. Williams Dining Room.

In 1960, the City of Roseville's population was 50,676 and in 1970 it was 60,503.

Kern Road School District Number 4
In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a movement in the state to consolidate school districts. This led to talks in 1951 to dissolve Kern Road School District and have the three adjoining school districts annex parts of it. After the necessary approvals were accomplished, Kern Road went out of existence in 1952.

Roseville received the north part of Kern Road from Ten Mile Road to Frazho Road; East Detroit obtained the south part from Ten Mile Road to Stephens Drive; Lakeview received a small part of its east end around Little Mack Avenue. The west boundary was Hayes Road.

George Duda was Kern Road's last Superintendent. He became the principal of Washington Elementary School.

Eastland School District Number 6
In 1921, a three man board organized Eastland School District Number 6, consisting of four rooms with four more rooms added in 1928. The school was located on Eastland Street between Gratiot Avenue and Utica Road (currently it is the location of a Roseville Senior Center home). It was limited to ten grades. In February 1934, school officials petitioned the state to have the district accredited for eleventh and twelfth grades. The first graduating class of Eastland High School in 1935 consisted of five girls and three boys. Clarence F. Scharer was Superintendent.

Eastland, like the Roseville School District, kept gaining additional students. In August 1935, during the Depression, school officials traveled to Lansing seeking information to obtain monies from the U.S. Government (Federal Workers Agency) to enlarge the school. The addition to the school was approved at a cost of $10,277 for two rooms to be built over the auditorium. The school paid $2,216. The balance was paid by the F.W.A.

Always seeming to need more space, additions were added in June 1938 to house the shop and band rooms. Four additional rooms were completed in 1939.

In 1940, property was purchased on Wexford Street for a football field. Some of this land was used to build Alumni Elementary School in 1952. In 1944, Eastland Elementary School was built on Washington Street.

Correspondence started in 1955 for Roseville to annex Eastland. In April 1956, voters approved merging the two school districts. In 1956, fifty-six seniors comprised the last graduating class of Eastland High School.

John McLeod, a 1940 graduate of Eastland High School, was Eastland's last Superintendent. In the next 25 years, McLeod was a junior high and senior high school principal in the Roseville School District. The following nine years he served on the Roseville Board of Education.

Greater Gratiot District Number 3
In 1960, Greater Gratiot School District was acquired by Roseville. It was located in the general vicinity of the Macomb Mall.

Patton Elementary School, which was built in 1965 on McKinnon Street in the north part of Roseville, was named in honor of Lucille Patton. She was the last Superintendent of the Greater Gratiot School District. Following the annexation, she became principal of Greater Gratiot Elementary School.

Recent Roseville Superintendents
Three Superintendents have served Roseville since Carl Brablec retired in 1970. Charles Bode was Superintendent from 1970-1972, followed by Frank Mayer whose tenure was 1973-1988.

John Kment is the present Roseville Community Schools Superintendent. He worked for the school district for many years and was appointed Superintendent in August 1988. He was very happy when the technology and other improvements bond issue passed by a large margin on February 10, 1998. He stated, "The community has shown, once again, that they want the best for their children and they believe in our commitment to provide it."

In 1980, the City of Roseville's population was 54,311 and in 1990 it was 51,412.

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