We at Belleville High School commit ourselves to assist all students in establishing a foundation
of skills, knowledge and understanding in order to become responsible, life-long learners
who are caring, well-rounded, productive citizens in our changing society

Number of Students  1,875
Teaching and Support Staff 
103 Support Staff includes: assistant principals, guidance counselors, media specialists,
Supervisor of Vocational Education, Athletic Director, school psychologist, social worker, learning specialist, speech and language therapist, resource classroom teacher, special projects coordinator, and homebound or hospitalized service staff.

Fight Song

Other schools have always
cheered for,
Their colors and the rest;
When they meet the mighty Belleville,
We will show them why we're the best! Rah! Rah!
We will back our fighting Tigers,
And no honor shall they lack;
As they win for Belleville High School,
And the orange and the black!

BHS Distinguished Graduates Hall of Fame inducted a State Senator, a State Representative, a Michigan Liquor Control Commissioner, a Circuit Court Judge, a Senior Customs Inspector with the U.S. Treasury, a Major in the United States Air Force, a Medical Doctor, a Nurse, a Chief Financial Officer for National Geographic Society, a Professor Emeritus of Sociology, an Artist, and other exemplary entrepreneurs and community volunteers.
 

Points of Pride

Belleville prides itself on the following:

NCA Accredited

Advanced Placement courses offered in all core subjects

BHS awarded 83 Michigan Merit Scholarships

Co-op education students enrolled in office, marketing, trades and industry programs earning approximately $295,000 while gaining credit toward their high school diplomas

Media classes including:  television production, internet experience, website production

Overwhelmingly popular and spectacular Belleville Symphony Band performance including Bands of America Invitational

Progressive curriculum

Scholarship Art Show sponsored by Belleville Area Council for the Arts

Strong foreign language program

Superb fine arts programs

Theatrical productions

Vocational training opportunities

Abundance of extra-curricular activities, groups and clubs

Fundraiser that raised $6,500 for the American Red Cross, The Autism Foundation of Michigan, and Mott Children’s Hospital

Championship athletics teams

National Honor Society

School-to-Work Job Shadowing between BHS and local businesses

Student Council

Student trips abroad

Distinguished Graduate Program, enacted by the Board of Education on 9/8/97, recognizes worthy and honorable graduates of BHS who have brought distinction to the school and community.
 

The History of Belleville High School

It is sometimes easy to take things for granted, but a brief look at the history of Belleville High School makes us feel proud of the contributions of the school to progress in educating young people. Here you will find an interesting glimpse of the people who had the fun and excitement of being the "first" and of creating traditions that still stand today.

1869 Third Street School

In 1869, a three story school of brick and stone was constructed on Third Street in downtown Belleville where the Oakwood Health Care Center now stands. The school housed students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. There were so few students that often two or three grades were located in the same classroom. Two other small schools located on Rawsonville Road and Quirk Road completed the educational facilities for the entire school district.

In 1903, the school on Third Street was struck by lightening just before graduation. Because the school interior was heavily timbered, the structure burned to the ground. The school was rebuilt on the same location using a similar plan of construction. Local historian and former Belleville High School teacher Park Gregory tells us that the old school was three stories high, with a cupola perched on the roof. A large school bell swung inside the cupola, and local pranksters were tempted every Halloween night to try to ring it. Mr. Gregory relates that one year, a janitor was paid to stay in the building on Halloween to keep away the daring tricksters. And still the bell rang! Further investigation revealed that someone had tied a rope to the clapper of the bell sometime before Halloween, run the rope down the outside of the building, and simply waited until dark to sound the bell.

The 1903 school built to replace the 1869 school which
burned after being struck by lightning.
 

In 1926, a new high school was built at the present day site on West Columbia Street. The old school building remained at the Third Street location until well into the 1960's when it was torn down for an A&P grocery store. However, the Belleville High school of today is built around the original 1926 structure, which originally included a third story.

Belleville High School received accreditation for the first time from the North Central Association in 1939. Since that time, every student has had the opportunity to graduate from an accredited high school.

Although the student body was small, the staff and students produced a yearbook called LaBelle from 1923 through 1930. However, the publication of LaBelle halted from 1931 through 1946. The Great Depression and early years of World War II simply did not permit the resources to be allocated for year book publication. When publication of the yearbook resumed in 1947 the title had been changed, first to Reflections, then in 1949 to Echoes. The title changed to Tiger Lore in 1950.

As the baby boom took off after World War II, the Belleville community grew, and the need for more schools became urgent. Local citizens invested their tax dollars to build new schools for children from kindergarten through fifth grades: Edgemont Elementary (1956), Elwell Elementary (1958), and Haggerty Elementary (1964). Rawsonville Elementary was expanded (1954). Only students in the junior and senior high attended Belleville High School. Merle Touse served as principal of the high school at that time, and Irwin Johnson was the junior high principal. Their offices were at opposite ends of the second floor.

Devastating 1953 Fire Started in the Basement
 

Mr. Gregory recalls that when he was on the teaching staff in 1953, fire destroyed the third floor of Belleville High School. The blaze began in a basement store room and swept to the second and third floors via a nearby ventilating shaft. No one was injured, but the second and third floors were damaged beyond use for the rest of the school year. Only the first floor was salvaged, despite warping of the wood floors.

Partitions were set up in the study hall and gymnasium to provide temporary classrooms. The basketball team shared the Romulus gym for practice.

When the school was rebuilt, only the second floor was replaced. Reflecting the enormous change in the look of the school, the year book was published in 1954 under the name Blue Prints.

In 1956, new music rooms and new athletic facilities, including a 5-lane swimming pool, were added to the high school, and in 1966, the vocational machine shop facilities were expanded.

In 1968, Van Buren Public Schools district grew again, when the Sumpter Township attendance area was annexed. The community funded the construction of the BHS auditorium in 1968, and at the same time, the school district's administration office was moved out of the high school and into its own building. The new auditorium was used for the first time in March of 1970.

In the late'70s, the school population had grown. The community had supported the building of Savage Elementary (1977) and Tyler Elementary (1977) to house nearly a thousand more children in Kindergarten through fifth grades. Junior high students were now attending South (1961) and North (1970) Middle Schools.

In 1977, a three million dollar federal grant under the Local Public Works Program created a second major renovation. New administrative offices, science rooms, a complete media center, together with cosmetic changes in the original building added much needed space and services.

By the end of the 1980's, the high school housed nearly two thousand students. The cafeteria had become so crowded that students were eating lunch in classrooms and hallways. In 1991, the community approved a bond proposal to fund a new cafeteria.

Over the years, Belleville High School has continued to build on this solid foundation of leadership and achievement. Countless students have benefited from outstanding programs in academics, student activities, and athletics.

You and your children are now creating the history of Belleville High School. The school is rich with tradition, giving us all a firm foundation on which to build. As Belleville High School moves ahead, your involvement creates another exciting phase in the history of Belleville High School.