By Rob Dong
Standing at approximately 1,800 students enrolled, Pioneer is the most populated high school in the Ann Arbor Public School district. Something about “purple pride” draws in more students, in and out of district, than anywhere else. Many students are deciding to share the purple pride for many reasons of their own.
Pioneer exceeds in student enrollment over the other comprehensive high schools, with over 100 more students than Huron, and nearly 200 more than Skyline.
For many, when people think of Ann Arbor schools, they think of Pioneer, because of its long lasting tradition of excellence. The school started out as the first high school in Ann Arbor in 1856. One hundred years later, along with a few name and building changes, the Pioneer High School we know now was established. Being the first high school of Ann Arbor with 160 years of history, people think of it as the most established, most well-known, and most traditional school in the district.
“I heard there was a lot of tradition here at Pioneer. There are just so many positive things said about this school,” said Julia Hermann, a new student this year at Pioneer, transferring from Skyline. Hermann attended Skyline for her first two years of high school, but decided to move after she realized she needed a change.
A positive environment she heard about and believed she needed was Pioneer.
“I know a lot of people that go to Pioneer, and they all love it. Everyone just gets along here,” she said. And a positive change it has been, as Hermann claims she is really glad she came. “The whole vibe of Pioneer is different — and it’s been so much better than I ever expected,” Hermann said.
There are many other reasons students are drawn to Pioneer, including the exceptional sports teams, the accomplished theater program, and the Grammy Award-winning music program.
“One of the biggest strengths I heard about Pioneer [when I transferred] was their outstanding music program — the orchestra, theatre guild, their Grammy Awards,” Ningrui Wei said. He now plays trumpet in Pioneer’s top band ensemble, and is grateful for the change.
Wei certainly did not hear incorrectly. Pioneer’s Theatre Guild is recognized by theatre companies all across the nation, the Pioneer Orchestra has been declared a Grammy Signature School multiple times, being ranked as one of the top three high school music programs in the nation.
However, there are other reasons for Pioneer’s popular choice. Wei, a class of 2017 student at Pioneer, transferred into this school from Huron High School before his sophomore year.
“Our old house was getting too small, and my family wanted an upgrade, so we moved to a new neighborhood which was less than 10 minutes from Pioneer, and 40 minutes from Huron,” he said.
Ann Arbor is split into three different zones according to each high school by population. However, anyone is allowed to do the school of choice lottery to be able to pick which of the three comprehensive high schools they want to attend. In-district transferring, switching between two schools in the Ann Arbor district, during the year or the summer, is only allowed for freshmen and sophomores.
Wei was not heartbroken when he had to leave Huron to come to Pioneer. “I wasn’t that attached to Huron yet, since I’ve only been there for one year,” he said. For Wei, Huron never felt like home.
On the US News & World Report website, Pioneer is ranked the highest of the three Ann Arbor comprehensive high schools, in 18th place. The next best is Skyline in 28th place, and Huron in 30th. These rankings are based off of the school’s performance on state-required tests and student college readiness. With these numbers, many are convinced that Pioneer’s tradition of excellence is unbeatable.
Pioneer exceeds in student enrollment over the other comprehensive high schools, with over 100 more students than Huron, and nearly 200 more than Skyline.
For many, when people think of Ann Arbor schools, they think of Pioneer, because of its long lasting tradition of excellence. The school started out as the first high school in Ann Arbor in 1856. One hundred years later, along with a few name and building changes, the Pioneer High School we know now was established. Being the first high school of Ann Arbor with 160 years of history, people think of it as the most established, most well-known, and most traditional school in the district.
“I heard there was a lot of tradition here at Pioneer. There are just so many positive things said about this school,” said Julia Hermann, a new student this year at Pioneer, transferring from Skyline. Hermann attended Skyline for her first two years of high school, but decided to move after she realized she needed a change.
A positive environment she heard about and believed she needed was Pioneer.
“I know a lot of people that go to Pioneer, and they all love it. Everyone just gets along here,” she said. And a positive change it has been, as Hermann claims she is really glad she came. “The whole vibe of Pioneer is different — and it’s been so much better than I ever expected,” Hermann said.
There are many other reasons students are drawn to Pioneer, including the exceptional sports teams, the accomplished theater program, and the Grammy Award-winning music program.
“One of the biggest strengths I heard about Pioneer [when I transferred] was their outstanding music program — the orchestra, theatre guild, their Grammy Awards,” Ningrui Wei said. He now plays trumpet in Pioneer’s top band ensemble, and is grateful for the change.
Wei certainly did not hear incorrectly. Pioneer’s Theatre Guild is recognized by theatre companies all across the nation, the Pioneer Orchestra has been declared a Grammy Signature School multiple times, being ranked as one of the top three high school music programs in the nation.
However, there are other reasons for Pioneer’s popular choice. Wei, a class of 2017 student at Pioneer, transferred into this school from Huron High School before his sophomore year.
“Our old house was getting too small, and my family wanted an upgrade, so we moved to a new neighborhood which was less than 10 minutes from Pioneer, and 40 minutes from Huron,” he said.
Ann Arbor is split into three different zones according to each high school by population. However, anyone is allowed to do the school of choice lottery to be able to pick which of the three comprehensive high schools they want to attend. In-district transferring, switching between two schools in the Ann Arbor district, during the year or the summer, is only allowed for freshmen and sophomores.
Wei was not heartbroken when he had to leave Huron to come to Pioneer. “I wasn’t that attached to Huron yet, since I’ve only been there for one year,” he said. For Wei, Huron never felt like home.
On the US News & World Report website, Pioneer is ranked the highest of the three Ann Arbor comprehensive high schools, in 18th place. The next best is Skyline in 28th place, and Huron in 30th. These rankings are based off of the school’s performance on state-required tests and student college readiness. With these numbers, many are convinced that Pioneer’s tradition of excellence is unbeatable.