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Since the district was
established, L’Anse Area
Schools has strived to
provide a high quality
education to a rural
Upper Peninsula
community. We have a
history of demanding
academic programs and
vocational industrial
education programs
geared to meet the
diverse needs of our
student population.
L’Anse Area Schools is
located in L’Anse,
Michigan overlooking the
Keweenaw Bay of Lake
Superior. We have
approximately 500
students K-12. Our
district consists of an
elementary building, a
connected junior-senior
high school building, a
separate industrial
education building and
an athletic complex that
has been made possible
mainly by grants and the
work of community
volunteers. We are proud
of providing our
students an excellent
teaching faculty, up to
date technology, a
school nurse, a school
resource officer and
multiple guidance
counselors and school
social workers. The
district also has a
strong partnership with
the Keweenaw Bay Indian
Community that supports
our school in a variety
of ways including
financial support,
Ojibwa language
education, tutors and
collaboration on Promise
Neighborhoods grant
programs.
Our History
In 1858 a three-story
building was removed
from the Copper Country
and loaded on to a scow.
This unpretentious
structure, making its
way to L'Anse via
waterway, was soon to
become the first
schoolhouse.
Located on the
lakeshore, just west of
what is now the Baraga
Telephone Company, sat
the first educational
institution in L'Anse.
Housed with one teacher
and a hand full of
students, this humble
building, which also
served as the Courthouse
and Justice Office, was
to be the start of the
ever-evolving L'Anse
Area Schools.
By 1872, as the true
spirit of education
persevered, the citizens
of L'Anse determined
that their meek
schoolhouse had become
inadequate for the
growing needs of the
community. A one- story,
two room, wooden
structure was soon built
on the hill that is the
present site of the
Sentinel office and was
endearingly referred to
as, "The Little Red
School House."
In 1881 L'Anse District
Number One had 290
children of whom 240
were registered in
school. In 1882 $4000
was appropriated to
erect a new and suitable
school. This school
would be known as the
"Grey High School
Building."
By the close of the
spring term of 1906, the
Board of Education, once
again, was confronted by
the seriousness of
overcrowding. The wooden
structure built in 1879
was inadequate to house
the large number of town
pupils and those who as
Eighth graders had
reached the limit of the
education in the
outlying schools of Bay
Shore, Zeba and
Pequaming. That same
year $20,000 in bonds
was voted in to build on
the site of the old
wooden structure which
had been moved to the
northern part of the
lot. On Friday, January
18, 1907, the building
was dedicated and the
doors opened to a brand
new High School.
By 1923, L'Anse was a
booming town and several
schools were built
throughout the area
(Aura, Herman, Dynamite
Hill, Skanee Road) to
accommodate the growing
number of families
moving into the area. In
1927, plans were drawn
up and funds provided
for what was to be
considered the ultimate
in school construction,
and is currently the
L'Anse High School.
In 1965 a new elementary
facility was
constructed. The school
was built adjacent to
the existing High School
and featured two wings;
one for early elementary
and one for later
elementary. The building
was dedicated to C. J.
Sullivan, an elementary
principal and later, the
school superintendent.
The Industrial Education
building was the next
construction project the
L'Anse Area Schools
undertook. Construction
began in 1973 and was
completed in time for
the 1974-75 school year.
The project reflected
the growing need for
training in the areas
woods, welding,
machining, small engine
repair, Computer Aided
Design, and other
industrial training
programs. The building
was dedicated to Harvey
Hyde, a L'Anse Area
School industrial arts
teacher.
In 1996 the L'Anse Area
Schools, under the
supervision of
Superintendent Brian
Jentoft, along with the
REACH (Rebuilding
Education and Community
Hope) committee planned
and organized, and was
soon to begin
construction of, a new
and renovated facility.
The REACH committee was
lead by its Chairperson
Carrie Lou Thomas. In
1999 Superintendent Ray
Pasquali began
overseeing the
construction and
completion of this
magnificent project. The
new facility opened for
the 2000-2001 school
year and boasted a
renovated elementary and
high school, a new
cafeteria/auditorium,
middle school,
media/library center,
gymnasium, commons area,
band room, elementary
and superintendent's
offices and state of the
art technology system
featuring computers in
every room, and six
computer labs.
A commemorative plaque
was presented to the
REACH committee and is
currently displayed in
the L'Anse Area Schools.
The plaque proudly
states, "If You Seek A
Better School, Look
About You."
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