Albion, Michigan – General Guide to Arts and Trails
Art, Outdoors, & Community
Sometimes a picture tells 1,000 words, and the best way to understand something is to see it. Here, we offer photos of Marshall Public School buildings, art, and last but not least, students.
We are sharing a link to early Black History, when some Albion families wanted a separate school.
Even though the people who wanted West Ward school originally had good intentions, the result was a substandard school for some Albion youth.
http://www.placepromo.com/aih/buildings/ps_westward.htm)
Here are some excerpts from that page:
“The exact circumstances and reasons surrounding the transformation of West Ward School into an all-black school are varied. Decisions were made in special meetings between various parties during the 1917-18 school year, and school board records do not record the details of such meetings. Two prominent opinions have been given concerning the reasons West Ward School was turned into an all-black school.
The first reason states that it was local black leaders who ironically themselves wanted West Ward School to be a school exclusively for their people, and taught by their people. This would supposedly provide a more familiar and less hostile atmosphere for the students than they would experience if they had to attend other schools. Related, the students could thereby be taught according to the style to which they had been accustomed.
A related second opinion which has been circulated is that local blacks wanted to have black teachers hired into the school system, thus providing some employment for their own people. Whatever the reasons were, history proved that the “establishment” was more than happy to oblige, and placed the black children in West Ward School.
West Ward became an all-black facility on January 2, 1918. This fact can be deduced from several sources. Dalrymple School, under construction for two years, opened on the aforementioned date. The white teachers who formerly had been teaching at West Ward in the fall of 1917 were transferred there, according to the teacher salary lists of 1917 and 1918. Individual records of white students living in the West Ward “colored” boundaries are listed as being taught by these white teachers who were all transferred to Dalrymple School. Apparently there was no mixing of the races at West Ward School after December, 1917.
A two-room addition was built onto West Ward School in 1919 at a cost of $7,500 in order to accommodate the increased number of students. This followed a vote of taxpayers on July 7, 1919 for the additional funds, which was heartily approved, 95 to 8. Thus West Ward School was officially segregated, a situation which continued until the school closed in late 1953.
Judy Powell wrote:
West Ward was described as being dark, damp, small and cheerless. In one teacher’s opinion, the limited supplies and equipment that were available to the school were discarded from the other elementary schools.”
Source:
Isaac David Kremer, Albion Interactive History, www.placepromo.com/aih, 2001-2011, [4-23-16].
Calhoun County Michigan district school test scores are available in a convenient format as supplied by The Coordinating Council.
Click on the image at left to see excerpts about test scores for Albion Schools and for Marshall schools for the past year.
See the Calhoun County Report Cards for previous years. Earlier years include Albion High School scores. Look around page 16 to see the information. We will post more details here soon.
TCC is the Community Collaborative Body of Calhoun County for the State of Michigan.
Below are excerpts from the school reports for the past year comparing how the education in Albion Public School compared state wide (what percentage of students scored as proficient) and also how Marshall Public Schools rated. You can see more pages by clicking on the image above and past years by clicking on the text link above.
Eve of Destruction
The eastern world it is exploding
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’
You don’t believe in war but whats that gun you’re totin’?
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’
But you tell me
Over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve of destruction
Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say
Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away
There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave
Take a look around you boy, it’s bound to scare you boy
And you tell me
Over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve of destruction
Yeah my blood’s so mad feels like coagulating
I’m sitting here just contemplatin’
I can’t twist the truth it knows no regulation
Handful of senators don’t pass legislation
And marches alone can’t bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’
And you tell me
Over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve of destruction
Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for four days in space
But when you return it’s the same old place
The pounding of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next door neighbor but don’t forget to say grace
And tell me
Over and over and over and over again my friend
You don’t believe
We’re on the eve of destruction
Mmm, no, no, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve of destruction
Earlier we posted a link to a WJR Radio interview with Dr. Sam Shaheen about his connections to Albion College and the “Uptown Bay City” project he and his family is working on. We thought the interview was quite interesting, so we are offering this transcript.
Paul W. Smith Show – WJR
WJR interviews Dr. Shaheen and the link is on this page (about halfway down the page) on May 7:
http://www.wjr.com/pure-michigan-tour-2015/#
May 7, 2015
Here we are – we’ve been calling this an area that I had not used the term before when we’ve been to Bay City – this is Uptown Bay City. And I have to tell you, it is something very, very special. Right now, we are in this fabulous facility of Dow Corning Corporation. We heard earlier from Michael about the Real Seafood Company – I didn’t realize it was right outside our window, because it dark and foggy. Went out there and looked during the news, spectacularly right there on the water, which is right where the Real Seafood Company belongs. Along with this Dow Corning Corporation, there’s a Chemical Bank, a Don Angelos Aveda Salon, the Mixed Coffee Shop, Uptown Grille, Marriott Courtyard, McLaren Health Park. There’s so much going here and it’s all because of the Shaheen family. When I tried to give the credit to Dr. Samuel Shaheen, immediately he gives the credit to his brother. So it is a family affair, isn’t it?
Dr. Shaheen: Definitely, definitely.
Interviewer: And this is your home area, because you’ve been doing things here in the Bay City area for a long, long time. I remember ten years ago a birthday party for our friend, John Ahee Jewelers, and I kept thinking that the connection here was because we are all cousins, Lebanese cousins. And the real connection here – I’m out altogether on it – because it’s Albion College!
Dr. Shaheen: (Chuckling) Basically, Paul, yes.
Interviewer: Who knew this?! So it’s John Ahee, it’s Dan Musser from Grand Hotel, and any number of other notables. And you all met at Albion College.
Dr. Shaheen: Absolutely.
Interviewer: And boy as far as I can tell, you’ve all been very successful.
Dr. Shaheen: Well, thank you. Thank you very much.
Interviewer: You still practice medicine.
Dr. Shaheen: I do.
Interviewer: In fact, I know the practice of medicine, along with community development, and support of the arts, in the whole Great Lakes Bay region, are kind of family legacies for you, doctor.
Dr. Shaheen: Yes, I was led, and educated, and taught, and mentored by my father who was also a physician.
Interviewer: And as I say, with all of this development, all these other things you do, you do practice medicine on a daily basis.
Dr. Shaheen: I do, that’s still the most important thing that I do.
Interviewer: Which kind of medicine, what area?
Dr. Shaheen: I’m a surgeon.
Interviewer: Are you? Boy, oh boy… Samuel Shaheen, M.D., President, CEO, Shaheen Development here, it’s now called Uptown Bay City, it’s quite a development. If you’re on your way to Harbor Springs or Bay Harbor, come on by for lunch, maybe spend the night, and you’ll see that this is a great place to do business. And Dr. Shaheen, I know you say it’s the team, you’ve got great leadership with the whole team, like the Dow Corning leadership team.
Dr. Shaheen: Absolutely, Paul. I can’t stress enough how important Dow Corning was to this development – was and is. They provide over 400 employees here on the site – adds a great deal of vitality and energy to the development. When you come in contact with a 45 acre riverfront opportunity, it’s quite a opportunity. There are very few urban areas that lend themselves to this sort of development. We really were able to take a look at the site and design it from a custom standpoint to really take advantage of the riverfront.
Interviewer: It’s beautifully designed and you’ve got it all. You’ve got all the amenities, all the services that one would want. Plus the addition, which now I just see the one area that was pointed out, it’s going to luxury condominiums right on the water. And this close to Detroit, I think is some great, great opportunities for people to have, maybe something they’ve always dreamed of having, but didn’t really weren’t able to find it.
Dr. Shaheen: Thank you, Paul. It’s going to be exceptional. We have living opportunities anywhere from the mid $150,000 up. Luxury condominiums right on the river, urban condominiums, rental brownstones, really walkable. We’re designing a walkable waterfront community for all the people that love a more urban feel. But we don’t have the traffic – we’re closer to up north. So we cut the distance to get to Harbor Springs or Bay Harbor, we cut it in half. So come on out and check us out.
Interviewer: It’s really worth looking at. Is there in fact, Dr. Shaheen, a website that we can go to now to try to see the plan?
Dr. Shaheen: Absolutely. You can go to uptownbaycity.com. You can also check out our website at shaheendevelopment.com.
Interviewer: uptownbaycity.com or shaheendevelopment.com. And how did this all come about? Somebody had a dream here…
Dr. Shaheen: Well, it’s really been a 20 year vision of the leadership of Bay City, who deserves a great deal of credit. This was an industrial site that requires not only acquisition, but environmental remediation. I came about the site looking for a medical office building – turn the page a couple of years and Uptown’s developed. So we are really fortunate to have great partners – the McLaren Health System, Chemical Bank, Dow Corning. The Courtyard by Marriott is by another developer, who’s actually also part of the Albion clan.
Interviewer: Is that right? Are you kidding me?!
Dr. Shaheen: No, I’m not kidding you.
Interviewer: That’s crazy. Until you pointed it out doctor, I did not even make the connection with Albion. But boy, it’s all making sense now. And when you consider the McLaren Health Park, you mentioned the Marriott Courtyard, the Uptown Grille, the Mixed Coffee Shop, the Don Angelos Aveda Salon, Chemical Bank has a big, beautiful building here now. Of course, this Dow Corning Corporation building, just opening yesterday. This fabulous Real Seafood Company that we spoke about earlier. Certainly, Michael Gibbons, very proud of that, with Mainstreet Ventures who are very familiar to people in Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and such. It really is a community. I wondered why it was called Uptown Bay City, now I understand.
Dr. Shaheen: Great. Well, thank you. We are excited. Right across the street from the Real Seafood Company is a first floor retail space that will have between six and eight boutiques, small. So if there’s an entrepreneur from down state that’s been successful in retail and looking for an opportunity up here, we’ve got some great, great space that will walk along the river. There’s day docks where people can bring their boats and stop over and have lunch, do the shopping, and then go about their business and enjoy their day.
Interviewer: I think you’re right. I think entrepreneurs will find that this is a great place to do business. If they’re successful now, they’ll be really successful here.
Dr. Shaheen: Absolutely.
Interviewer: Doctor, thank you so much. The best from John and Connie Ahee to you and your family. Good to see you again, Dr. Samuel Shaheen, President and CEO of Shaheen Development.
As promised, we are assembling information about the new hotel that is going to be built in downtown Albion.
The developer of the hotel is Dr. Sam Shaheen, an Albion College graduate who still practices medicine every day. Read about Dr. Shaheen’s father, also named Dr. Sam Shaheen, who recently passed on, but left a legacy of vision for his family and many others. http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2013/08/passion_integrity_and_commitme.html
WJR interviews Dr. Shaheen and the link is on this page (about halfway down the page on May 7:
http://www.wjr.com/pure-michigan-tour-2015/#
Here are a few key words from the WJR interview that is about Bay City where a major project is well underway. “20 year vision of city – industrial site. Environmental remediation. Fortunate great partners, many from Albion College.” We will get more text from the interview soon.
http://uptownbaycity.com/