Q & A

"When did this school get started?"
 
In 1987 the Renaissance Magnet Program opened it's doors as a school-within-a-school at the McCord 7th Grade Center. Parents from two of the district's elementary magnet programs, Creative Arts and Gifted and Talented Academies, lobbied for several years to expanded the magnet school concept to the junior high setting.

For the initial year, any sixth grade student in the two magnet programs automatically received admission if they chose to participate.  Students from the district's remaining elementary buildings had to apply for admission.  Since then every student wishing to attend McCord must submit an application, including those students who attend the district's three magnet programs.

The program was designed to offer a higher level of academics with an infusion of the visual and performing arts. During their two years in the program, in addition to the academic classes, each child was expected to take at least one class in each of the four art's disciplines (music, dance, drama, art) offered at the school.  The staff of the program included Katie Hausler (language arts), Stan Miller (social studies), Rupert Preddie (mathematics), Mike Schroeder (science), Barbara Pence (Program Coordinator), and John Brown (Building Principal).

McCord was named a State of Michigan Blue Ribbon School awarded winner in 1993 and went on to achieve recognition by the United States Department of Education as a National Exemplary School.