DETROIT – If the walls of Detroit’s Martin Luther King High School could talk, oh, some of the stories they would tell.
Administrators and students said you’d likely hear strong tales about legacy, leadership, and academics.
“King has a historic presence right in the east side of Detroit,” said principal Damian Perry.
The school, named after civil rights leader and activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., opened in 1968.
It’s a community that emerged from Detroit’s Eastern High School and remains a hub in the city of Detroit.
“For it to be in the heart of the east side, for it to be that beacon of hope, and light, and education for our students and families since 1968, I think it speaks volumes to what King is,” Perry said. “It speaks volumes to what we will be. It speaks volumes to who we are currently.”
Images of Dr. King and his quotes are displayed all around the school’s campus. Staff said it motivates students and reminds them of the expectations.
“Every student here is required to have a 2.5 GPA,” Perry said. “Every student is required to be focused on learning and education. So, all of those things, I think, reflect very specifically in who Dr. King was.”
While the school’s history of athletics and accomplishments is known nationwide, Detroit’s King High School’s reputation and commitment to academics and specialized curriculum are just as popular.
Students know structure, discipline, and order are expectations there.
“We refer to our students as scholar-athletes, not just athletes,” said Athletics Director Barry Cannon. “It’s based on principles of you have to be a gentleman and a young lady first. Student second. And then the athlete part is third. And in that order.”
At King High School, members of this community said the campus is like a family. One that focuses on culture and development.
Substitute teacher and coach George Ward said, “When you look at our young people, they come in 14 years old, typically. They leave our 18-year-olds ready for the world. And you have a staff here that loves the children.”
Folks also said the campus is focused on creating positive connections. The type of relationships that help young scholars realize their potential to be effective future leaders.
”What you see is love,” Ward said. “What you feel is love. These young people realize that they need us. But the crazy thing about it is we need them too. We look at our culture in our community, every single day. Young people dying, young people dealing in all kinds of things they shouldn’t. This is a place where they can be safe. This is a place where they are going to be loved, every single solitary day.”