The History of Lahser High School Lahser High School is located on a beautiful, partially wooded site adjoining Orange Lake. The property was purchased by the Bloomfield Hills School District in 1963. The high school opened in September, 1967, with 600 sophomore and junior students. Throughout the 1960s, a booming economy and the building of additional homes in the area opened the school district to many new families. The acceleration of the number of new students (400 to 500 each year) necessitated a re-examination of school needs. Accordingly, a survey was undertaken by the Michigan State Bureau of Educational Research, and the findings were presented at Board of Education meetings in December, 1963, and January, 1964. The team recommended that an immediate building program must be undertaken for additional classrooms and that a new high school would be needed. A shortage of twenty-six high school classrooms was predicted by June, 1968. In June, 1964, voters were asked to approve a two-part bond issue. The first part included plans to construct a second high school. The second part provided monies to cover the costs of building and equipping a swimming pool at the new high school. The Board decided to split the bond issue so voters opposed to one would not feel they must vote against both. Voters approved the Board's request. In July, 1964, the Lahser Road site was selected for the new high school. Architects were chosen and plans were under way to begin construction. However, due to delays, the expected opening of the new high school in September, 1966, was postponed until September, 1967. Finally, in August, 1966, all the contracts were awarded and the first footing was poured. At long last the new high school was under construction. There was one final obstacle to overcome regarding the new high school - what to name it. The Board of Education members met on numerous occasions attempting to settle this dilemma. The problem included not only naming the new high school, but also whether to change the name of the present high school. The minutes of the various meetings covering these discussions, while serious, do have their lighter moments. As a example, part of a memo sent to Board members prior to the meeting of September, 1966, said, "Naming schools is a touchy responsibility and to do so haphazardly would cause great confusion. The United States Navy names battleships after states, destroyers after people, and cruisers after cities. It's a good plan; or, as the Navy would say, 'At least the enemy always knows what he's shooting at.'" At various points during the meeting of September, 1966, members of the Board objected to:
One member objected to the use of 'Lahser' for the new school because "it is so often mispronounced." Another member remarked, "Well, we're in the business of educating people, we might as well start with 'Lah-sir'." In October, 1966, the school board finally reached a decision that named the new high school, Bloomfield Hills Lahser. It was opened in the fall of 1967 to 600 tenth and eleventh-grade students. The gym was not available for the first year the school was open. Hot lunches were carted from the kitchen through the media center and served from what is now the Athletic Director's office. The first football team was undefeated with a record of eight wins and no losses. The first basketball team won thirteen games to four losses. The first trophy was won by the ski team in 1968 - Class B Champions. The first prom was held on Oakland University's campus in 1968, with a Gone With the Wind theme. The first Homecoming was in November, 1969. Lahser High School's band made its debut; as there was no money for uniforms, the students played in white Levi's and black sweaters. The first play production was Romanoff and Juliet in 1969. Carnibazzarnival was started by the Student Council as a fund-raiser for all the organizations and clubs of the school. It included a clown make-up booth, mouse races, a gypsy fortune teller, food booths, and a swap shop for sports equipment. From Slates to Computers, by Amylee Chamberlain If you have any interesting stories, anecdotes, photographs or bits of history about Lahser please send them to: Lahser History
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