Manchester High School near the top in the state in graduation rates

Principal Kevin Mowrer speaks to the graduation Class of 2016 last June. Photo courtesy of Unforgettable Photos.

State data published and widely shared last week showed Manchester High School with a 98.85% graduation rate last year, with 86 of the 87 seniors graduating. This ranks us near the top of all high schools in the State of Michigan!

High School principal, Kevin Mowrer stated, "We do a lot to support our student in Manchester; I was really glad to see our ranking in the state."

He provided four reasons for this success:

"The first is our parents, faculty, and staff. All of them do a great job caring for our students and helping them when things are difficult. Our teachers are flexible with many parts of the school experience, and our parents help their own students, as well as their students' friends, to achieve success. The social and emotional support our mental health team provides is first rate. Many times, these issues become major obstacles for students."

"The second reason builds on the first: It is a reflection of our community, not only those directly connected to the school, but grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends all have a common expectation of high school success. The Manchester community is close-knit and works together to support our students and our schools."

"The third reason is that our school is an ideal size for personalizing the student experience, so each student has a "go to" adult and is well known by everyone in the school. In addition, our size allow students to participate in multiple extra-curricular activities, which often are shown to correlate to student engagement and graduation."

"A fourth reason I see is that we provide many resources opportunities to students, including technology devices, scholarships, career planning, rigorous AP classes, dual enrollment, and excellent academic support, so that all students have what they need to be successful."

He concluded, "I am proud of our students and teachers, and we hope to continue at this level of excellence in the years to come."

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.