Stay safe as pandemic cases rise
Posted on 04/15/2021
Northvillians and friends,
As we enter our second spring of this pandemic, it reminds us that the school year is winding down and graduations will be on our calendars again. With that, I will highlight some of the schools in the Northville area. Historically, since Northville’s first school was built in 1853, the Ville has always been known as a “center of learning” with private and public school availability. From one-room schoolhouses to various learning centers, educational development has been a priority and an integral part of the fabric of this community since our beginnings in 1827.
First, here are COVID-19 activities and related information:
• Vaccination opportunities continue at Meijer (Ford Field Included), Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS and Kroger. Northvillians are being encouraged to make appointments online or via phone at these locations:
o vaccinefinder.org - Wayne County residents can call for appointments at 866-610-3885
o https://clinic.meijer.com
o Cvshealth.com
o https://www.riteaid.com/pharmacy/services/vaccine-central
o Walgreens.com
o Kroger.com
• Northville had a rapid testing center at NHS on Easter Day where 850 community folks were tested.
• The average age of those getting COVID presently is 26. The average age of those hospitalized with the coronavirus is late 30s to early 40s. That’s a significant trend away from older citizens and the elderly who were initially hospitalized due to COVID-related illness.
• At this point, 56% of Michiganders have had at least one shot of vaccine; the Nation is at 57%. (Michigan.gov)
COVID-19 confirmed cases: Northville has had 239 cases/8 fatalities, the Township: 2006 cases/49 fatalities, Michigan: 831,000 cases/18,000 fatalities, the Nation: 32 million cases/568,000 fatalities, and Global: 137 million cases/3 million fatalities. (CDC.com)
Now let’s transition to the history of our various schools in the Northville Community. Over the years, school boards have named schools with historical and geographical significance as well as in honor of community and school leaders.
Elementary Schools
Amerman was built in 1955 as a modern 10-room schoolhouse on 10 acres. The school bears the name of Russell Amerman, a past principal and superintendent who was respected and admired for his tireless community involvement.
Moraine was built in 1966 and named after a geological formation (collection of earth, stone and sand) deposited by the glaciers. The school is on the moraine or edge of this phenomenon. This topography of hills and gravel depressions gave Northville its historical nicknames of the “Hamlet in the Hills” and “Switzerland of Wayne County.”
Silver Springs was built in 1975 and named for Silver Springs Lake (the only natural lake in the county), which is the natural spring that feeds our historic Northville well. In 1913, the town began receiving their water from this spring. Then starting in 1928, the Silver Springs bottling company sold this water to department stores like J.L. Hudson, train lines and fine dining establishments. The sparkling mineral water was also used for bottled pop/soda.
Winchester was named in 1975 for one of the primary avenues within the Northville Commons subdivision, which connected to the Colony housing area.
Ridgewood was built in 2002 and named in a school-wide contest . The submitted names had to reflect the geographical and/or historical significance of the area. With the woods around this ridge of Northville, the name is perfect.
Thornton Creek began construction in 1991 on this property through which the Thornton Creek runs. Sally Thornton was an early pioneer in the Northville area. She homesteaded with her five children on the 9 Mile and Novi Road area.
Middle Schools
Meads Mill school was built in 1975 in a community known as the Meads Mill area. At one time, this area had a large mill (grist and saw) owned by the Mead Brothers. The community of Meads Mill was as large as Northville at one time, and the mill workers sent their children to a one-room school house at the same location where Meads Mill is today.
Hillside is one of highest points in Wayne County and was recently renovated. In the 1800s, this area was known as Buchner Hill. From the mansion atop the ridge, one could view Detroit to the east and Ann Arbor to the west. To the north was Taft’s gravel pit, and 8 Mile Road didn’t cut through the property until the late 1950s. The school and athletic fields were also built during this time. Notably, the football field is sculpted into the side of the gravel pit in an amphitheater setting.
High School
Northville High School (NHS) was built in 2001 on some of the original settler’s farm property dating back 200 years – today, it’s one of the top 10 high schools in all categories in the state.
Other Schools
OVS (Old Village School) was the high school of multi-generations until 1959 and later was where all the 6th graders came together from the elementary schools. After that, it housed special education activities. Now the historic school houses the Board of Education. Rock and roll fans may remember when Bob Seger played concerts on Friday nights at the “Cavern” in the lower level of the building.
Cooke School was named in honor of Ida B. Cooke who grew up and taught many years in Northville. After graduating, she taught English and coached basketball, and was loved by her students. Cooke School was the first and only Junior High in town when it was built in 1967. Cooke is now a special education center, servicing 12 local school districts.
St. Paul Lutheran School was founded in 1896 and began a Christian Day School program. The present school facility contains 10 classrooms and educates students from pre-school through 8th grade.
Northville Christian School and Montessori School have also provided educational opportunities for students for decades.
Our Lady of Victory – OLV school was established in the parish building in 1950 and transitioned in 1952 to the original eight-room school building. My eldest brother (Bob) was part of the first 8th grade class of 1959 (of whom all 13 attended the full eight years). The current facility opened in 2006 with 19 classrooms. Mrs. Madigan, a teacher at OLV who taught me in the mid-60s, was a legend in town and at the church. Mrs. Madigan was the oldest resident of Northville (she lived at Allen Terrace before moving to a nearby senior home) when she passed at 107 in 2020. It was my honor to attend and speak at her 107th birthday bash. She could be seen in her later years singing in the choir, swimming at Schoolcraft and driving her friends around town. She was a treasure of the Northville community.
I hope you can see that like our other Northville institutions, our schools have a great deal of history built into their names,locations, teachers, and the students educated there.
I continue to thank you for assisting all in the Northville community through this pandemic journey. Please take the time to reach out to those in your family, to your friends and those in need within our community. Let’s keep everyone connected. We are so close to the end of this COVID time, but we must continue to work through this … together. Stay safe by masking up, social distancing and washing your hands as often as possible. Friends, I ask you to spread hope for the future. Let’s beat this COVID once and for all!
Keep that Northville Faith … and stay safe!
Stay #NorthvilleStrong! And visit https://Northvillecommunitysupportfund.com.
Brian Turnbull
Mayor – Northville
BTurnbull@ci.northville.mi.us / 248.505.6849
