In the midst of homecoming festivities the role that tradition plays into South’s events and opportunities is no secret, but the price point of tradition can become glaringly obvious in such a wealthy town.
Compared to other Michigan schools, South may stand out due to its wealth and the opportunities it presents. Sofia Crook, a senior at Utica High School, accounts her own community’s wealth status.
“Utica High School in particular is full of a bunch of different people from a bunch of different backgrounds,” Crook said. “The Utica community schools is something that’s very diverse and it spans across a lot of different social classes and statuses.”
Utica is the smallest of the four high schools in the district and has a lower income than the other schools in the district. This forces schools to become more creative and diligent with ways for raising money.
“A lot of our funding is through fundraising,” Crook said. “If I’m not mistaken, our performing arts programs are almost entirely self-funded.”
However, South student, Delaney Meyers ’26 suggests that Grosse Pointe may also have the advantage with fundraising.
“We have fundraisers and obviously, when people are more wealthy, they’re willing to donate more money,” Meyers said. “So for fundraisers we raise a lot more than maybe other schools with a less wealthy area around them would.”
On the other hand, Meredith Green, a senior at Lake Shore High School, believes that the general income of an area isn’t a concern in public schools, and money should be coming out of other places.
“After COVID hit, a lot of income-wise is coming from the government more now and I feel like less on the parents and students,” Green said. “It’s more is coming out of taxes and such.”
Green also argues that public schools make education available under equal opportunity for everyone, by keeping prices to a minimum and using their government funding. However, private schools fund themselves by tuition costs.
“There are public schools all over that don’t require people to pay but then there are private schools,” Green said. “People make their own financial decisions.”
However, Meyers explains that South can also use its high income community to provide luxuries such as international trips and a well-funded athletic program. Which leads to discussions within households on how much should be spent on public schools. But public education can still provide for these opportunities and help students succeed.
“Wealth is something that grants a lot of different opportunities,” Crook said. “I think Utica is still able to persevere and have a lot of great opportunities without it.”
