Anchor Bay High School is a four-year secondary school located in Fair Haven, Michigan (St. Clair County), and it is part of the Anchor Bay School District. Anchor Bay graduates approximately 500 students each year, and there are over 1,800 enrolled. As of 2015, the school principal is Jack Stanton.
The school was once located in Chesterfield, Michigan on Sugarbush Road (Now Anchor Bay Middle School - South), but has since moved to Fair Haven. The school was moved after school district voters passed a $116-million bond in 1999 to build a new high school and make other upgrades to area schools. Construction began on the new school in April 2001. The relocated school, now on County Line Road, opened August 26, 2003. When opened it was the largest high school in Michigan, now second behind Saline High School located in Saline, Michigan. and the fourth largest in the nation at over 496,000 sq ft (46,100 m2). Recent additions to the school have made it even larger.
Anchor Bay's music program, led by P. David Visnaw II, includes a Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Marching Band. In 2006, Anchor Bay was listed in "Best 100 Communities for Music Education" Roster.
The Concert Band is a full-year course designed to help young musicians develop the basic technical aspects of the instrument while improving their overall musicianship. The band is composed of woodwinds, brass, and percussion, and will rehearse and perform a wide variety of music and styles.The Symphonic Band is a full-year intermediate ensemble composed of woodwinds, brass and percussion. The band's members will be selected through an audition process or teacher recommendation. This class performs a wide variety of music and styles. Obligations to this class include after-school performances and rehearsals.The Wind Ensemble is a full-year advanced ensemble composed of woodwinds, brass and percussion. The Wind Ensemble's members are selected through a successful audition, and rehearse and perform various styles of music such as classical, pop, marches, jazz, and contemporary, among others. The music that is rehearsed and performed is at a greater difficulty level, and thus, requires that its members be more dedicated while displaying a high level of technical ability. In January 2006 and 2011, the Wind Ensemble will be attending the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids to play as a showcase high school band. The ensemble will have the opportunity to play at DeVos Hall in front of hundreds of instrumental teachers.The Jazz Ensemble is an advanced jazz music ensemble that selects its members through an audition process, and meets for the entire year. This ensemble is made up of trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and a rhythm section (guitar, piano, bass, drum-set). The band focuses on rehearsing and performing various styles of jazz, R&B, swing, rock, and fusion, among myriad others. Time is also spent on the development and implementation of improvisation skills, along with the basic knowledge of music theory. The Jazz Ensemble performs in the community as well as at the Central Michigan University Jazz Weekend, at MSBOA Jazz Festival, and at Winter and Spring concerts.The Marching Band is a musical marching unit that meets during the first semester. The ensemble consists of woodwinds, brass, percussion, and a color guard. The Marching Band provides entertainment at local parades, home football games, Pre-Festival Invitationals, and participation at District 16 MSBOA Band Festival. Students are also obligated to attend summer marching camp. The ensemble rehearses mid-August through mid-October. They were featured live on Fox 2 News during a powder puff pep rally on September 21, 2007. The Tars were voted number one out of ten high schools in the Metro Detroit area to be showcased on Fox 2's Pep Rally Fridays Morning broadcast.The foundation for the success of Anchor Bay's Instrumental Music program perhaps came in the form of a "re-boot" that occurred in the fall of 1986. After a number of years of comparative inactivity in the music program, Anchor Bay hired a new music director named Randy Casteel. Prior to this, Anchor Bay had no elementary music education, no junior high music program, and the high school band had less than 20 members. Casteel started an elementary and junior high program. He also recruited six junior high students with prior musical experience for the high school band.
In its first six years, the program grew significantly. The marching band, once a group of less than twenty that marched in T-shirts and jeans, grew to over 150 members and had traveled internationally to perform and compete. A high school symphonic band, concert band, jazz band, and wind ensemble were formed. In the first six years of this re-booted program, all of Anchor Bay's high school bands scored straight 1's in every competition they entered.
Anchor Bay Stars – Glee Club and Show Choir Program
Anchor Bay Stars – Glee Club and Show Choir is an audition-based, advanced vocal music club at Anchor Bay High School. It traces its roots back to the Ensemble Show Choir and Girls Glee of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The group combines glee club heritage while focusing on a cappella, pop, jazz, standards and Broadway-style music. Prospective members are chosen by audition and possess high levels of vocal music talent. Obligations to this club include after-school rehearsals and performances. At the end of 2011 the group successfully completed the "Believe in Christmas" holiday production combining students with professionals musicians. In the first quarter of 2012, the Glee Club performed live on Detroit's Fox 2 Morning Television Show and qualified for the Champion's Competition of the World Choir Games. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Stars performed at the Detroit Tree Lighting to an audience of over 10,000 people and the event was captured by WXYZ Ch7 ABC. Stars finished off the year with returning Believe in Christmas to the Anchor Bay Performing Arts Center on December 1, 2012. Anchor Bay Stars is led and directed by Blair Cremeens.The vocal music program includes Concert Choir and Chorale.
Concert Choir is a full-year course designed to help male and female singers develop basic vocal technique while improving their overall musicianship. The choir rehearses and performs a wide variety of music and styles. Concert Choir is led and directed by Jan Boswell.Chorale is a full-year course designed to teach advanced vocal techniques and musicianship. The music that is rehearsed and performed is at a greater difficulty level, and thus, requires that its members be more dedicated while displaying a high level of vocal ability. Chorale members are selected through an audition process or teacher recommendation. Chorale is led and directed by Jan Boswell.The Theatre program is headed up by Dawn Battice. Performing both stage musicals and plays, productions are rehearsed after school and the students spend roughly 15 hours a week on productions. The theatre program has had many notable alumni including Broadway performer, Tommy Antico and Hollywood actress, Kathleen Rose Perkins. The program puts on two to three productions a year.
Anchor Bay's sport program includes:
Baseball – Varsity, JV, and 9th gradeBasketball – Varsity, JV, and 9th gradeBowling – Varsity and JVCompetitive Cheer – Varsity, JV, and 9th gradeCross Country track – VarsityDance – Varsity and JVFootball – Varsity, JV, and 9th gradeGolf – VarsityHockey – Varsity and JVLacrosse - VarsitySoccer – Varsity and JVSoftball – Varsity, JV, and 9th gradeSwimming – VarsityTennis – Varsity and JVTrack and field – Varsity and JVVolleyball – Varsity, JV, and 9th gradeWrestling – Varsity and JVButch Hartman, cartoon animator, known for creating and producing The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom television series.Greg Janicki, 2003 ABHS graduate, and a professional soccer player with the San Antonio Scorpions.Ken Pavés, celebrity hair stylist known for his work with Jessica Simpson and a variety of other high profile clients.Heath Jarvis, 1992 ABHS Graduate – Singer, Songwriter, Producer. Winner of the Gospel Music Association's "Song of the Year" Award for Praise & Worship Songwriting, 2003. Producer of the Gospel Music Association's "Song of the Year" Award winner for Urban Gospel SongwritingKathleen Rose Perkins, 1992 ABHS Graduate – Actress of television and movies. Has starred in such popular TV series as The Mentalist, Law & Order: LA, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Gary Unmarried.Taiwan Jones (linebacker), 2012 ABHS Graduate - NFL player for the New York Jets. Attended Michigan State University.
