George A. Dondero High School (formerly Royal Oak High School) opened in 1927 in

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. Royal Oak is located along th ...

Greater Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...

. It was named after former Royal Oak School Board president and

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

George A. Dondero. A part of the

Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools or Royal Oak School District (ROSD) is a school district in Greater Detroit, Michigan. The district provides public school services for the municipality of Royal Oak and the easternmost portion of Berkley. The offici ...

, it and Clarence M. Kimball High School were consolidated to form the current

Royal Oak High School Royal Oak High School (ROHS) is a secondary educational facility located in Royal Oak, Michigan in Greater Detroit. The current principal is Sharida Lewis. It is a part of Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools. History ROHS is a 2006 consolidation of ...

Overview

Due to declining enrollment, the school became a middle school at the beginning of the 2007/2008 school year. Dondero was closed following the 2005/2006 school year to allow for renovations, and district high school students from both Dondero and Kimball High School were consolidated. At the peak of enrollment, Dondero had more than 2,000 students. During the years prior to its closure, this number dropped to 852. On October 31, 2006, the Dondero gymnasium was set on fire, causing extensive damage.

Arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

was suspected, and two teenage suspects were later arrested. On October 20, 2007, the building was officially re-dedicated as Royal Oak Middle School. The dedication ceremony took place at 4:20 PM in the restored auditorium housing three huge W.P.A. murals.

Notable alumni

Jason Beverlin Jason Robert Beverlin (born November 27, 1973) is an American baseball coach and former pitcher, who is the current pitching coach of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. He played college baseball at Western Carolina as well as in Major League B ...

, American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player *

William Broomfield William S. Broomfield, (April 28, 1922 – February 20, 2019) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Early life Broomfield, the son of Scevillian C. and Fern Broomfield was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. His father was a d ...

, American politician, businessman and philanthropist *

Daniel Casey Daniel Casey (born 1 June 1972) is an English actor. He is best known for playing DS Gavin Troy, the original sidekick of DCI Tom Barnaby, for the first six seasons of the long-running television series ''Midsomer Murders''. Early life ...

, American screenwriter *

Bud Chamberlain Benjamin Francis "Bud" Chamberlain (May 24, 1920 – August 24, 2012) was an American baseball player and realtor. He played baseball for the University of Michigan from 1939 to 1942. He led the Wolverines to consecutive Big Ten Conference base ...

, American baseball player and realtor *

Marie Donigan Marie Donigan (born June 17, 1954) is an American politician and architect who served as a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives for the 26th District from January 1, 2005 to January 1, 2011. Early life and education Donigan wa ...

, member of the

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, American musician and actor, a founding member of the

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Dave Gillanders John David Gillanders (born May 18, 1939) is an American competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. He still competes in masters swimming in the 75–79 age group. Early life Originally from Schenectady, New York, Gi ...

- 1960 Olympic bronze medalist in swimming *

Judith Guest Judith Guest (born March 29, 1936) is an American novelist and screenwriter. She was born in Detroit, Michigan and is the great-niece of Poet Laureate Edgar Guest (1881–1959).

, American novelist and screenwriter *

Tom Hayden Thomas Emmet Hayden (December 11, 1939October 23, 2016) was an American social and political activist, author, and politician. Hayden was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and intellectual activist in the 1960s, authoring th ...

, American social and political activist and politician * Maynard Morrison, football All-American *

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champion *

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, American cartoonist, animator, and writer, and creator of the animated series

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. * Steve Stockman, American politician * Jack Tompkins, American baseball and ice hockey player, airline executive and Greater Detroit area civic leader *

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, American film and television director *

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, American

player

References

External links

Dondero High School
(Archive)
Detroit News Article about closure
Educational institutions established in 1927 Schools in Royal Oak, Michigan Former high schools in Michigan Educational institutions disestablished in 2006 High schools in Oakland County, Michigan 1927 establishments in Michigan {{Michigan-school-stub